Recovery Boards

[AzScorpion]

I think I finally have it narrowed down to 3 recovery boards. One thing I need to take into consideration is these will be used mostly in my Bronco. It’s a 2 dr and doesn’t have much cargo room but the rear seats will be folded down probably 80% of the time. Rough dimensions with them folded are 46” x 43” and most of the boards are 47”- 48” in length but could always be placed Kitty-Corner but that takes away a lot of center space.


FieryRed (Sids) Boards: 45X13….$100

Good reviews which some have actually used them and reasonably priced with a 2 yr warranty

https://www.amazon.com/FieryRed-Tra...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CRECXY5H174Q9FH8YCVP


Maxsa Boards: 48X14.5….$132.00 (priced on another site)

Very good real world reviews. I actually slummed over to Tacoma World and did a search there. These were mentioned by several as being very good boards for the price and several have used them on more than one occasion. 1 yr warranty

https://www.amazon.com/Escaper-Trac...ncoding=UTF8&refRID=TX29YFB6PA4GNJHPN17J&th=1


MaxGrip Boards: 42X12….$130.00

What I really like about these are their size. They just might fit width wise and will definitely fit length wise. Plus the lugs are replaceable. Warranty ?

Is there any downside to these having just 2 channels and the lugs all in a row opposed to the others where they’re more in a spread out pattern? I’m leaning towards the MaxGrip & the Maxsa but more so the MaxGrip only because of it’s size….Thoughts?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SDBLNN...0DER&seller=A1XHBJGGS102AI&tag=offroad-shp-20

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[CoreyHendo]

I just wanted to weigh in here as an X-Bull user.

I bought a set of these boards a little less than a year ago and have had them with me on about 15 beach excursions. We've used them to recover anything from small cross-over SUVs to full size heavy duty diesel trucks (250/2500 and 350/3500 American pickups) and they have yet to crack/break. Some of the little spikes/nipples for traction have worn/broke off, but they still work great. We've dug out tires and buried the boards with gaps causing the boards to bend quite a few inches and have yet to have one snap even under the load of a truck weighing well over 6000 lbs. I wouldn't discount them so easily. I've yet to use them to bridge a ditch, but based on previous use, I think they'd do it.


As for research, I've seen the 4wd Offroad Australia guys do a test of Maxtrax vs. cheap knockoffs and as for recovery, they held up. The cheap ones don't stack as well so they take up extra space. The plastic is more "brittle" so they make not hold up as well in extreme cold. Overall, for my uses and about $70 spent, I'm quite happy with them. My dad (Titan XD Cummins) and brother inlaw (second gen tundra) both have them as well and are happy with them.

 

[Colo_Ranger]

True, if it's the ex I would use both boards and make a sandwich with the teeth facing up.

 

[Rene Michaels]

@zscorpion.2231

Still finding stuff to spend money on for your rig after 2 years eh? Crap, you've got me thinking I need a pair as well!

I know your search centered around what would work best in rocky terrain, but do you have any comments or advice on which ones night be best for soft beach sand? I've got relatives at the beach and don't want to be embarrassed if I happen to get in too deep one day

 

[AzScorpion]

@zscorpion.2231

Still finding stuff to spend money on for your rig after 2 years eh? Crap, you've got me thinking I need a pair as well!

I know your search centered around what would work best in rocky terrain, but do you have any comments or advice on which ones night be best for soft beach sand? I've got relatives at the beach and don't want to be embarrassed if I happen to get in too deep one day

Rene, I haven't bought much lately but there's always something you find you need. They're all good for multiple terrain I was just wondering if there was one out there better for rocky terrain. The Maxsa boards have really good reviews and I didn't see a whole lot of them that failed like with most of the others. They have a nice wide spread out set of lugs on them which would look to give you a good grip. There were many on the Tacoma World site who have been using these and all had very good things to say about them. One thing about being in sand is you can get yourself into trouble really quick and get buried fast. These should get you out as long as you don't dig yourself a grave to deep. ?

Per your comment on another thread about Amazon not being the cheapest you're correct, I've found that out too lately. These boards were a little cheaper here than on Amazon.

 

[AzScorpion]

I feel your pain in trying to figure out which to buy. I ended up buying these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NV6VG2M

I haven't used them yet, but since I only got them "in case" (I don't do heavy duty offroading), I'm hoping that the worst would be that they get me out of whatever jam I need to get out of, even if I break them in the process. I liked these because it sounded like they weren't as brittle as some of the other cheap ones. I had a hard time shelling out for the max tracks when I hope I never need to use them. Between these, my new winch and snatch blocks I hope to never get myself stuck in any significant way again.

Let us know what you end up getting.

After watching to many YouTube videos I did a complete 180 and went with a different recovery board called Exitrax. I hate being so OCD! They were designed in Australia and are based in New Zealand and have a lifetime warranty. I called the vendor who I purchased them through and asked a bunch of questions mainly how do you go about submitting a warranty if needed? She said the main distributor is based right in Ontario, CA and they use to handle the TRED boards but since ARB now has them they switched to the Exitrax. So far none of the boards she has sold have had any issues and they only require you submit pictures of the damaged boards for warranty. If there’re questionable they might have you return the boards but usually only require pictures.

I went with the mid grade 1110’s and they were $116.85 with free shipping and no sales tax. I ordered them Wednesday and received them today. The quality seems very good and they’re light weight and have good carry handles and good mounting points. Here’s a few links with write ups and video on them and the first link is where I purchased them at Boss 4x4. They were excellent to deal with and have a good selection of off road equipment at very reasonable prices.

https://www.boss4x4.com/searchresults.asp?Search=exitrax&Submit=

Reviews:

https://unsealed4x4.com.au/exitrax-recovery-boards-review-with-video/

https://trailtacoma.com/2021/03/17/exitrax-ultimate-series-recovery-boards-review-overview/

 

[Clank]

After watching to many YouTube videos I did a complete 180 and went with a different recovery board called Exitrax. I hate being so OCD! They were designed in Australia and are based in New Zealand and have a lifetime warranty. I called the vendor who I purchased them through and asked a bunch of questions mainly how do you go about submitting a warranty if needed? She said the main distributor is based right in Ontario, CA and they use to handle the TRED boards but since ARB now has them they switched to the Exitrax. So far none of the boards she has sold have had any issues and they only require you submit pictures of the damaged boards for warranty. If there’re questionable they might have you return the boards but usually only require pictures.

I went with the mid grade 1110’s and they were $116.85 with free shipping and no sales tax. I ordered them Wednesday and received them today. The quality seems very good and they’re light weight and have good carry handles and good mounting points. Here’s a few links with write ups and video on them and the first link is where I purchased them at Boss 4x4. They were excellent to deal with and have a good selection of off road equipment at very reasonable prices.

https://www.boss4x4.com/searchresults.asp?Search=exitrax&Submit=

Reviews:

https://unsealed4x4.com.au/exitrax-recovery-boards-review-with-video/

https://trailtacoma.com/2021/03/17/exitrax-ultimate-series-recovery-boards-review-overview/

How have these held up for you? I am considering Maxtrax, ActionTrax( Ford branded), ARB Tred Pro( Ford site as well), Exitrax 1110 or ultimate, and GoTreads. Mostly wanting them in case of getting stuck in snow/ ice. It looks like all of the Exitrax ultimates are sold out at this time however.
https://www.boss4x4.com/product-p/mm6-et1110.htm
https://www.boss4x4.com/ultimate-exitrax-p/mm6-et1150.htm
https://gotreads.com/
https://maxtraxus.com/products/maxtrax-mkii-signature-orange
https://accessories.ford.com/products/arb-tred-pro-recovery-boards
https://accessories.ford.com/products/off-road-recovery-board-pair

 

[AzScorpion]

How have these held up for you? I am considering Maxtrax, ActionTrax( Ford branded), ARB Tred Pro( Ford site as well), Exitrax 1110 or ultimate, and GoTreads. Mostly wanting them in case of getting stuck in snow/ ice. It looks like all of the Exitrax ultimates are sold out at this time however.
https://www.boss4x4.com/product-p/mm6-et1110.htm
https://www.boss4x4.com/ultimate-exitrax-p/mm6-et1150.htm
https://gotreads.com/
https://maxtraxus.com/products/maxtrax-mkii-signature-orange
https://accessories.ford.com/products/arb-tred-pro-recovery-boards
https://accessories.ford.com/products/off-road-recovery-board-pair

I've only used them once and they worked good. I honestly didn't really need them but more to try them out. Terry @FoD bought a set too but I'm not sure if he's had a chance to use his yet. I didn't want to spend $200-$300 for ARB ones and these had great reviews and I figure they're just added insurance if I really get stuck and need them.

 

[Clank]

I've only used them once and they worked good. I honestly didn't really need them but more to try them out. Terry @FoD bought a set too but I'm not sure if he's had a chance to use his yet. I didn't want to spend $200-$300 for ARB ones and these had great reviews and I figure they're just added insurance if I really get stuck and need them.

Exactly what I am thinking about, the Exitrax 930s are even on sale for 81 bucks. Kinda considering those now too. At the same time I love how the GoTreads are so easy to store and will likely at least help in any given situation

 

[AzScorpion]

Exactly what I am thinking about, the Exitrax 930s are even on sale for 81 bucks. Kinda considering those now too. At the same time I love how the GoTreads are so easy to store and will likely at least help in any given situation

That's a good price. It doesn't look like they went up much on price since I bought mine which is nice to see for a change.

 

[Msfitoy]

You get stupid...Come on man. ? Let me know if you get a chance to try them out. I'm in no rush to get a set and ultimately will be using them more in the Bronco but would like to have them in the Ranger too.

Haven't used them for "stupid" but after having them on top of my RTT for 3 years, I can't recommend this particular set...they're not UV stabilized and faded into grayish black...

 

[LookARE]

i have 4 maxtrax and they’re great but i’d only recommend them for someone using them frequently and in strenuous circumstances. i use mine mostly for tough off-roading where you would normally pack rocks and as an assist to winching or just to level out the truck with my rtt. I think the best benefit of name brand boards is their ability to support the vehicle weight but if you’re just using them occasionally for sand mud or snow it doesn’t really matter. i would also add i have 4 broken xbulls at home and 4 max track that have been abused but are still in good condition

 

[ReigleCM]

You get what you pay for. I've had 2 sets of X-bulls and they both have melted nubs after about 3 uses, one cracked in half last time we used it in the snow. MaxxTraxx are the only way to go IMO. Unless its something you use once a year or only have for emergencies, pay the extra $ up front and get one set of MaxxTrax instead of having to buy a new pair of cheap ones every other time you use them.

 

[FoD]

I've only used them once and they worked good. I honestly didn't really need them but more to try them out. Terry @FoD bought a set too but I'm not sure if he's had a chance to use his yet. I didn't want to spend $200-$300 for ARB ones and these had great reviews and I figure they're just added insurance if I really get stuck and need them.

No, thought I was going to once this winter but was lucky ?

 

[lazynorse]

I've got a pair of Go-Treads I bought when I had my Subaru Outback. Used them once to rescue our mail man who slid off the road, near sheet ice condition. I could only access one rear wheel but one Go-Tread provided just enough traction to get him out. I can't attest to other conditions but its what I own and what I bring on my adventures.

I engage 4wd as necessity to get to camp, trailhead or other destinations. I'm not 4 wheeling for the sake of it and don't anticipate getting stuck, needing traction. I never did in 20 years of Subaru ownership and I put those vehicles in many precarious situations.

I'm sure MaxTrax are better, but you might not need better.

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