Ronny Dahl's Recovery Mat Torture Test

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Down in the YT comments:

"My vision of this video: The purpose of this test will show people IF they are hard on the boards the quality ones will hold up no matter what!!! The lessor ones you need to take more care of and not use as a bridge etc." - Ronny Dahl

Seems like a worthwhile premise, well executed. The complaints remind me of tall poppy syndrome.

 

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Using them in the field or realistic tests? Why would anyone want that? ?

Comparison in a use case that resembles nothing anyone would ever do with them. Everyone knows (if you are not a complete noob or moron) the MT's are made of better plastic and are more durable. So this was an expensive way to prove that while also gathering the least amount of other info possible.

The question most people want to know is which ones work the best for the money or will they work for their use case.

This is what I wanted. I don't understand why people don't have the mental voltage to imagine this kind of test, which then could have ended in the super destruction testing and been just fine. A modern version of this with more brands and Ronnie's production quality would have been Great and provided more content for a guy that makes his living in content.

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Ronny's testing confirms the Seek Adventure testing, doesn't it?
Ronny is also offering something different than many comparisons, and it is applicable to hard usage, so I don't see a problem.

 

[BritKLR]

As I’ve shared before and if I get up to some of the mountain trails this spring before the event season, what I typically find discarded in the ditches, trail head, side of trail is remnants of all sorts of traction devices that stuck wheelers and clueless tourist leave behind.

The typical order of recovery devices by debris left is:

1) Tree branches stripped from local trees
2) Floor mats
3) Clothing (typically designer brand hoody sweatshirts)
4) Cardboard boxes (typically beer boxes.....)
5) Walmart type folding/origami style folding traction mats. (They seem to explode when really cold)
6) All sorts of MT knock-offs. (While it was fun watching this video, these boards behavior very differently in zero degree weather and snow/ice filled trails. It appears they become much more brittle and shatter versus simply bending and stressing)
7) In over 7 years of conducting this formal trash study I’ve yet to see any MT debris. (This study does not include all the crazy straps, ropes, power extension cords, winch lines, tied together clothing items, etc.....people also use and discard to get unstuck.)

Cheers.

 

[roving1]

Ronny's testing confirms the Seek Adventure testing, doesn't it?
Ronny is also offering something different than many comparisons, and it is applicable to hard usage, so I don't see a problem.

With all those brands I would have liked to see the differences in normal use. I also would have liked to see how easy the nubs wear off. If the same wheelspin kills the nubs on all the boards the same or not would have been nice to know.

Everyone knows Icons are a better shock than OME's standard units. I don't need to jump a vehicle off of a dune 40 feet on the air to prove it nor would I want that to be the first test to destruction on a shock comparo.

 

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With all those brands I would have liked to see the differences in normal use. I also would have liked to see how easy the nubs wear off. If the same wheelspin kills the nubs on all the boards the same or not would have been nice to know.

Everyone knows Icons are a better shock than OME's standard units. I don't need to jump a vehicle off of a dune 40 feet on the air to prove it nor would I want that to be the first test to destruction on a shock comparo.

I understand that you wanted Ronny to do more with them. That doesn't decrease the value of what he did. If he'd set fire to them or run them through a chipper, I'd see cause for criticism, but I see real world relevance to what was done.

 

[old .45]

I have 2 sets of X Bulls for my f 150, been used 5 times with success and no damage. 3 times in mud and 2 times in snow the latter was in temperatures in the high 20's. I live in the Northeast and Summer is Summer and Winter is Winter with many temperature swings.