I'll give it a shot this weekend and see what I come up with. I'm thinking 4-5 foot 2x12 with a furring strip every 10-12 inches or so with a row of bolts through the strips and through the voids between. If I do paint them I'll probably go with a matching greyish tan color to my truck, and figure out a roof rack mounting solution. I'll try the sand trick and see how it works out, I might be able to find some tan ramp paint laying around or some such.
I need some cheap recovery boards for snow and mud... Any suggestions?
- Thread starter ser3nitynow11
- Start date
robert
Expedition Leader
Honestly, if it were me today, I'd try to find some of the fiberglass walkboards/grating like Peter_n_Margaret posted. It'd probably be cheaper, easier and work better in the long run. If you can't find any surplus/salvage, Granger and other places sell it in various sizes including sheets- it may be cheaper to go in with some friends, buy a sheet and cut it into strips.
WRONG_WAY_DAVE
Active member
Any follow up to this? I just bought a pair of X-BULLs for $85, shipped. I have no doubt they are not MaxTraxx material quality, but I have no doubt for my current needs (general snow/ice) they will perform the desired need.
onesojourner
New member
Buying reviews is common practice. You should use fakespot to start vetting some of that. Amazon reviews are a lie.
llamalander
Well-known member
Those fiberglass grates are more than traction boards, you can use the 2"x2" as bridging ladders as long as they are wide enough (14"+).
They are heavy, and the grit on top and sharp edges on the bottom make them tricky to handle and sure to cut through any strap in short order.
I've used them as a jack stand in sand which was priceless, and they can make a pretty good table with nothing more than a cardboard top.
They are heavy, and the grit on top and sharp edges on the bottom make them tricky to handle and sure to cut through any strap in short order.
I've used them as a jack stand in sand which was priceless, and they can make a pretty good table with nothing more than a cardboard top.
mikeyb1976
Member
I like to read the 1* reviews to see how many people have legitimate complaints or just are idiots.
For example:
"I got stuck in the mud with my Silverado 1500 when I was getting firewood. I had these and they didn't work. Totally horrible products. Had to get AAA to tow me home."
What they mean is: "I put 2 cords of wood in my 2WD pickup with street tires and got stuck in the muddy field I had to drive through. I put the boards under the front tires to help steer, as the truck wouldn't go anywhere. I'm an idiot."
Timroo
New member
Just reviving this thread to offer some info. I bought the Xbulls because I don’t generally find myself stuck enough to justify Maxtrax. I treat most of my recovery gear as an “in case”, since I often travel solo throughout Alaska and I try not to get too crazy. I’ve used my xbulls twice. The first time they performed as they should, although they lost some teeth in the process. The second time I found myself stuck in mud the consistency of axle grease in a rainstorm, with large rocks and and deep ruts . I used the xbulls throughout the recovery (which saved me from a long winch pull). Afterwards, both boards had large cracks running lengthwise, numerous teeth missing, a 1”x1” square missing from the middle of one of them, and a 4”x2” section missing from the end of the other.
I only have a Tacoma that isn’t loaded all that heavy. I travel solo and don’t try to thrash my equipment, and try to use finesse in technical terrain. The xbulls did their job, but they got trashed in the process. If you purchase these as an “in case”, they’re not bad. But if you plan on multiple recoveries I’d go with a more durable option. Hope this helps someone!
Timroo
New member
no joke. Finding all the teeth was a chore.
This 100%. I bought some fiberglass boards from a restaurant supply 5 years ago for $50 bucks each) (I think they are 2 in. thick and 5 ft long.)
My truck weighs 8k pounds. I've been able to bridge with them easily- where the expensive expo plastique would have buckled. They've been used countless (literally) times on rocks, mud, ice, snow etc., etc. Look the same as the day I got them.
Also they GRIP ice and tires- much better than any of the plastic options available today. The only place I've found other options to be better is in loose sand. However they still work great there too.
The only downside is they do weigh maybe 2x what plastic ones do. I think for lighter trucks the 1.5 inch thick ones work fine. However, worth their weight in gold. I'd rather them than a winch (which is saying a lot).
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
Got a pic of them? I'm really curious.
grizzlypath
Active member
That's kinda my experience as well. We used them for like a 10 hour recovery in snow and at some point they started evaporating. They worked well enough, but aren't quite as long lasting as some of the higher end brands. Far right are Maxsa Escaper Buddies. We didn't have any of the high-high end boards to try that day.
They also make them in 2 inch thick for heavier trucks. You can get them cheaper locally at restaurant and other industrial supplies.
They just work.
