Not payin' $300 for recovery boards, nope. So what's left?

I'm pretty sure some ramps recover better than others. What has been you experience with less expensive recovery boards? Whose should I buy, with an obvious eye towards cost? THANKS!

 

Bump- curious as well.

 

Everyone I know who has used the lower cost ones, end up damaging them, and having to replace them each time they get used, then they buy the $300+ ones, and they are useful multiple times, without being damaged. There is something to say for buying quality things.

 

Im not saying dont buy them, if you're on a budget you're on a budget. Nothing wrong with that.

But, Ive never seen 'cheap' or off-brand boards last.

 

This is the best comparison I have found but is a little dated. There may be more/different products on the market now but you can see what cheap gets you in the Aussie Outback.

 

Everybody knows those $300 boards will last, but I remember getting stuck in the snow once a few years back and a set of $50 boards saved my butt. That being said if you’re out in the middle of nowhere quite often and either don’t want to buy or can’t afford to buy the more expensive ones at the very least buy a couple of sets of the cheap ones.

 

Don't skimp on tires and recovery gear.

 

If you put together a decent recovery kit, you will have multiple options.

I LOVE to spend money on fancy tools, equipment, etc. BUT, I'll likely never use a set of traction boards, but I do have a cheap $90 Amazon set (they came in a nice bag actually which I like).

More than likely they are going to be used for someone else, on a beach trip, so I don't have to pull out winch line or a recovery strap.

I carry a spare recovery receiver shackle as well, with a d-ring and a hitch pin in it. I've got multiple options on my truck but someone else might not.

 

Time-stamped for the Traction Boards section

https://youtu.be/B7kyaCslggM?t=249

 

I've got sub-$100 boards. Used them several times (5 give or take) in winter and summer and they've worked and they're not broken so take that fwiw. Most guys I wheel with also have the cheap ones and it's the same story. They'll definitely get you at least once, which may be all you need.

If you just want them for the outside of the vehicle, maxtrax certainly do look better

 

80 Dollar ones from Amazon. Just don't let them see the sun. They melt.

 

I bought a set of the cheap ones, got about 6 uses out of each one before they were so badly broken I had to pitch them. One of them cracked in the first use just doing a snow recovery.
For me, I figured it's better to just buy the MaxTrax set once than having to buy a new set of cheap boards every 12-18 months. Plus the MaxTrax mounting hardware is way nicer than anything the cheap boards come with.

I would say if you plan on using them regularly buy MaxTrax, otherwise plan on buying cheap ones every 5-10 uses.

 

I got me cheap set; cost about $60 5-6 years ago. Got me a set of ‘mini’ size a few months ago. They are the same width but half the length. I think they were $45. I loan them to my daughter when she goes to the snow. They fit better in her RAV4. I offroad mostly in the dez so they should last a while. I can see them damaging easier if you use them in rocky terrain.

 

These ones are decent for the price. As others have already stated, you get what you pay for, but for some light duty use in sand and snow, these will do the trick.

$120 Maxsa 20333 Heavy-Duty Escaper Buddy Traction Mats for Off-Road Mud, Sand, & Snow Vehicle Extraction and Recovery, Bendable, Unbreakable, Orange, 2 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AV2HON...0&sr=1-2-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124

Now, if you're going to be regularly using them, building bridges with them, etc, then it it worth it to buy some maxtrax.

 

Interesting video. Nice to have a bridge that works once, but I hope the ones I bought (not technically tested but I can interpolate) last a little longer than once. Live and learn (in this case maybe NOT "learn from the mistakes of others", but ...).

2" lifts, full skidplates, 33" tires, exhaust redirect, RTT ... I will start with vehicle protection and live with my TRED GT.

Either that or I go where Wily E. Coyote goes several times in each cartoon ...

 

Lots of good info there. Thanks you guys. I'm not going to be doing much hardcore offroading, but I want to be ready. Good options here to consider!

 

Buy a pack of shingles.

 

It's not even about hardcore offroading; I've used traction boards in a taco bell drive thru

 

Having read a couple of threads about traction boards it seems to me that "best" is a balance of budget, chance you will use them even once.

Also, after you read the remainder of this post, feel free to hate me, but ...

But an overriding thought I had reading too many (my humble opinion) statements of "never used them, hope they work when I do need them and that I know enough to use them". Which is probably a very poor way to approach "recovery gear".

People who use hi-rise jacks tell you and show you how dangerous they can be, but you must try using it to really understand. Understanding how a bottle jack can sink in the mud is not a substitute for experiencing that situation. And just hoping that both you (knowledge) and the board (quality) are ready for sand or mud or snow could make your recovery gear useless.

A lesson for me, today, now ... go out to a controlled place where 2WD is close to if not actually enough but 4WD will get me out if the board/winch/etc do not. Then see if I can get out without the 4WD. I can only advise those without the experience to gain that experience.

 

I personally wouldn’t cart around any sort of traction boards unless I knew I was going to use them. That said, I have the tred pros, have used them countless times over the past 2-3 years, and they still look brand new disregarding the dried mud on them. But, wow, they have gone up in price.