Traction Aid Devices... post your creative solutions!

So what have you used to get you unstuck in tricky situations when you didn't have another truck or winch to get you unstuck? (besides the obvious answers-4lo, lsd, locker, etc) I'm talkin about stuffing your girlfriends favorite sweater or old textbooks or whatever in front of your tires to give you that extra bit of traction to get you out! I've seen stuff like this:


But I'm curious as to what YOUR creativity has come up with!

 

I've chopped down a tree before so I could use it to get un stuck.

 

brush, sticks, trees, gravel, floor mats, lumber, if it's solid and expendable and you're stuck... there ya go


I own and sometimes carry fiberglass waffle boards, work real well.

 

As for trees, that's why I always carry a hatchet and shovel on board! Those waffle boards look like they'd work quite a bit better than expanded steel. More normal force before they'd bend

 

Pine bark works surprisingly well and naturally falls of the tress fairly frequently. I had aluminum sand ladders on one of my old rovers, and they were great. The nice thing about them was that they didn't flex that much, so you could use them to bridge gaps as well as for traction.

 

In snow/ice, use non-clumping kitty litter. I have not tried this but have heard several times that it works. Could be cheap insurance.

 

LOWER TIRE AIR PRESSURE! More if the first drop doesn't get you out!!

 

My Mother in Law is a great traction device... The trick is getting her tied down securely in the bed.

 

This^^^^^

David

 

I am sold on Maxtraxx after my last extended wheeling trip. We used no less than 6 Maxtraxx is a couple spots to get trucks through some particularly nasty sections.

I've looked into the SmittyBuilt versions of traction planks like the MaxTraxx but have not heard good feedback about them. They apparently are too flimsy and bend and crack. I was really impressed with the durability of the Maxtraxx. They are a bit more expensive but worth the extra cost.

I've also seen fiberglass waffle board work well. But it can be heavy and bulky to carry on the vehicle. Good old fashioned sand ladders are effective too.

 

YES!
I used floor mats SO many times

I've actually yet to get my Tacoma stuck (only had it a year)
But, I can't count how many times I threw the floor mats under the front tires of the Buick Lesabre (may she rest in peace)

Only problem there is... if you are interested in keeping them, you have to stop and pick them up; which, sometimes, means you get stuck again

I put some small junkyard tires in the bed, north and south of the wheel wells, to keep my sandbags from sliding; I hadn't thought of it before; but, I bet those tires could come in handy for traction

 

Here's another company that makes a similar product. They're supposed to be a bit cheaper than Maxtraxx.
http://www.tred4x4.com/index.php/products?gclid=CPDU0Nzrk7sCFdEWMgodCQUAwQ

 

I was thinking about buying some sandtracks

http://www.discountramps.com/sand-track.htm

 

I don't see that working very well in anything but sand... but who know! Might be worth it for the price!

 

yeah, i wonder...
one of the things that draws me to it is how long it is (5 feet)
most other solutions are only a foot or 2

 

Subbed

 

@colinb17
I was looking at your rack and was wondering what camper she'll you had on it to fit a rack that big! Then I saw your sig...double cab....damn my single cab woes!

 

yeah, no camper shell. just a bed rack and roof rack. TREDs are on the roof rack.