How To Clean Max-Trax

[gait]

got increasingly tired over several 10 hour days on rough (<20km/hr) roads.

Started making mistakes.

Got bogged heading for nice patch to camp on. Locked the front hubs to reverse and forgot to move the gear lever so got more bogged! Wise enough not to spin wheels but moved enough so front wheels were no longer in same ruts as rear. How embarrassing!

Thick gooey claggy clay mud added 25mm to sole of shoes, impossible to dig.

Extricated with max-trax (they took the vehicle weight ok and worked as expected - I think someone asked a long time ago).

Easy really. Russian driver in Kamaz 6wd stopped while I was cleaning in the puddle.

Took a bit of effort to lift them out of the ruts.

Got lots of mud off in nearby puddle but still three times heavier than when we started.

The max-trax have all sorts of nooks and crannies to retain mud.

After a night's sleep (in a sandy campsite) left the max-trax in the sun for mud to dry.

It contracts. Hit max-trax on opposite side to mud with light hammer.

Spend rest of day "tinkering" so as not to make same mistake again.

Leave max-trax in rain to finish cleaning.

Any other tricks?

 

[1Engine]

I have not had any luck in finding an easy way to clean them.
I end up letting them bounce on the tray for a few hundred Kms
I have noticed the new version look easier to clean

 

[selfy]

do they "click" together for the duals ?

 

[gait]

do they "click" together for the duals ?

not that I can see, though there are "handles" so would be easy to tie together with a bit of webbing.

I have singles and put them under the fronts this time as rear would reach solid ground first and have the limited slip diff to help plus fronts had to make new ruts - I was reversing.

Not sure about the logic. Not sure I was thinking straight due to tired.

 

[selfy]

just got back from the 4wd shop they didn't have "maxtrax" but they had a copy called "treds" and they don't join together either
I would like to see them "click" together sideways and longways to be a bit more universal

 

[Alastair D(Aus)]

I have the original Maxtrax too. My first use soon after buying them was only in mildly muddy conditions and I was disappointed at how the mud stuck. Eventually at home I washed them thoroughly with warm soapy water and then after they dried I sprayed one with Lanotec and the other I wiped over with Polyglaze auto polish. It was a while before they were used again but the mud came off both quite easily. I think the Polyglaze was slightly more effective.

 

[gait]

thanks Alastair,

good thinking

 

[LoupGarou]

just got back from the 4wd shop they didn't have "maxtrax" but they had a copy called "treds" and they don't join together either
I would like to see them "click" together sideways and longways to be a bit more universal

Having them "click" rigidly together might not be such a good idea, but I could see using a soft connection such as ropes or straps. Youtube has plenty of videos of "Maxtrax" and "TREDS" in use.