Extreme cold snow and ice traction boards?

I live in Minnesota and it gets very cold with plenty of snow/ice which occasionally I (or my wife) get stuck in.

Now I don't mind if I can only get 3-4 uses out of a board before the cold destroys it if the board is under $100. I just don't want to shell out $200+ and have the board snap the first time used at 0f/-18c. The board will only ever be used for snow and ice, I don't off-road so I don't care much about sand and mud abilities.

So what I'm looking for is a board, no longer than 42" so I can mount at the front of the bed, that won't snap in half instantly if used well below freezing.
Or should I go with a roll up mat?

 

That’s a great point. MaxTrax were on my short list. I’m in for any info.

We might have to wait until somebody breaks a set up north to know for sure.

What kind of roll up mat were you thinking?

 

I’d definitely go with a set of maxtrax. I’ve used them here in the winter and never had an issue.

FWIW I’ve never seen a set of maxtrax fail even when heavily abused. They carry a lifetime warranty if something does happen.

Q: How well does MAXTRAX work in snow?
A: We've tested MAXTRAX in the Australian Alps, and they worked a treat providing great traction to get moving again. We've also had heaps of positive feedback from customers in cold climates who have used MAXTRAX to recover their vehicles from deep snow and ice. A 2013 Antarctic expedition undertaken by Expeditions 7 carried and used MAXTRAX on their 4WD traverse of the frozen continent.

 

Sounds good to me

 

As far as a roll up mat I was just looking at the cheap ones on Amazon. I figured roll up would have less overall stress placed on it which hopefully might mean it won't all explode but I would expect the plastic steps to crack due to the cold. Plus roll up eats up more real estate than a flat board I can store against the bed rail so that's why I would prefer a board.

 

So here is a question, I'd like to use the Maxtrax pins so I can mount the boards to the front rail in the bed and lock the boards in place so I don't have to worry about theft.
What is the Maxtrax pin thread sizing so I could get a T-nut to mount to the rail or is there a different solution that still allows me to mount them to the rail and lock them in place?

 

I have a pair of Tread Pros (similar price to the maxtrax) and I used them a handful of times in the snow and they were way better than finding random crap to put under the tires or and/or spending time shoveling. They were well worth the purchase. However, it was not very cold when I used them, 30-40s (northern Minnesota March 2020), so I cannot speak to their cold weather durability. I have not yet found a use for them in summer because we don't have a lot of deep sand around these parts and haven't encountered any mud that my mud terrains haven't conquered yet. I'm sure there will be a time.

 

I always recommend not getting stuck when it's cold out.

Problem solved

 

It's easier said than done when 6 months of the year are freezing. I don't think you Florida guys realize ice is slick lol.

 

I keep my Tread Pros loose in the bed almost 100% of the time and I live in downtown St Paul; albeit I have underground parking. My thought is that 99% of thieves will have no idea what they are or how much they are worth. If they steal them, I'll buy another set and be more careful with those. I hope no thieves are reading this.

That said, there are many mounting options. Google this forum.

 

Says the man from Florida. Hah!

 

Stationed in Florida now. Spent 8 years in South Dakota and up in Duluth. All in a ford focus too.

I feel your pain brother. Just know I don't deal with it anymore and the beach is great! Hahaha

 

Snow is the most challenging surface that I have experience with. A little bit of the right type of snow combined with a slope will stop anything; even a snowmobile. On the other hand, ice can be conquered with studs. Studded tires on automobiles are illegal here, but I have them on my mountain bike and I can ride on rutted up glare ice single-track trails that I can't even walk on.

 

I drove a 2 wheel drive Suburban for over 5 years up here in Minneapolis. The only time I ever really got stuck was on an ice slick in my driveway. The entire driveway was glare ice from a thaw-freeze night.

 

I was always stuck in the predicament of being able to go somewhere and then it snowing and not being able to return home in my focus. Many a night were spent sleeping in my focus wherever I had been trying to leave lol

 

I love driving in the snow as long as no one gets in my way. I literally get all giddy about every big snow storm. It means I can wheel my truck without driving for 6 hours round trip. I'm considering starting a you-tube channel about urban snow-wheeling. I know all the challenging hill climbs in my area and visit them every big snow storm.

 

Wait, I just noticed the part in your post where you say you don't drive off-road. IMHO, provided you have decent tires, 4wd, and decent driving skills (not 15 years old or high on something), you are not likely to need traction boards. In the very rare case that you get stuck, you can ask someone for help or call a tow truck. I've lived in Minnesota most of my life driving 2wd vehicles and I never got stuck on a road where someone wasn't able to help me within a short bit. Many of times I have gone outside during a snow storm and helped a neighbor get unstuck.

That said, I like the peace of mind of having a snow shovel in the bed of the truck when I know I'm going to be driving during a snow storm even on the road, but then again I tend to seek out the most challenging roads during a snow storm.

 

I work construction so every once in a while I've needed one when the site was covered in snow or during the dethaw times when everything is a mud mess. Most times I go dumpster diving for a something to throw under my tires.
My wife has been stuck a few times where a board would have saved a lot of digging and pushing.
Plus I've pulled/pushed lots of cars out of snow so it would be nice for helping others and saving my back lol. The road I live on isn't usually plowed right away so every snow storm I end up pushing 2-3 cars by hand.

I figure since I finally have a real off road vehicle (getting some Toyo Open Country AT3s at the end of the week) and joined pretty much an off road forum now is a good time to invest in a traction board. Also it's so much fun buying goodies for your Tacoma lol.

 

Construction sites are great fun any time of the year. The legality is a bit ambiguous to me though. State law says land must be posted with no trespassing signs, but I'm assuming that mostly pertains to hunting as opposed to driving my truck and also there might be extra local laws pertaining to construction sites and unused land.

Traction boards are superior to dumpster diving for sure, but they take up a lot of room, are heavy, and are super dirty after you use them.

 

Most of the time it is on new construction homes where the house doesn't have a driveway yet and you have to get from the street to the house to unload materials. Commercial jobsites usually have some gravel road to the site because of the amount of deliveries they receive.
Though like I said it is very rare that I have an issue, it would just be nice to be prepared for one.