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C00P
13th May 2012, 10:10 PM
Had a chance to experiment with a material called "Fibregrate"- a fibreglass grating used in places where corrosion is a problem for ordinary steel or aluminium. Got a couple of lengths about 250mm wide by 1.2 metres long.

The sand we were playing in had been wet so it was pretty firm and heavy. We couldn't get Sandy bogged on the flat so we found a nice lump, drove Sandy at it slowly and then gunned it so he buried his wheels to the axles.
Got out the shovel, dug some sand away from in front of the rear wheels, and placed the tracks there, and tried to drive out.
First tip- the friction material on this stuff isn't coarse enough to get a good grip on tyres, so you they don't pull in the way MaxxTraxx do. But with a little rocking, once the tyres got up onto the track we drove forward to the other end quite easily. So the stuff works, but not quite as easily as the MaxxTraxx. A few serrations cut into the grating at the ends might help solve this problem.
When we picked the grates up they were full of sand, but a quick tap on the tow bar and it all fell out.
Conclusion: not as good as MaxxTraxx, they weigh about 5kg each, so a tad heavy, but they do the job. This was a pretty severe test, we had Sandy buried far deeper than we would normally allow, and the sand was very heavy.
Cheers,

Coop
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PhilipA
18th May 2012, 04:18 PM
AFAIK the advantage is that you can use them as bridging ladders, but I bought Maxtrax as they are much lighter.
Regards Philip A

weeds
18th May 2012, 04:27 PM
I carried a set around for ages, they were given to me but never really tested them. I did use them as a ramp at the 60 th land rover gathering. They are quite heavy for there size. Great idea but I think max trax has captured the market

Reads90
18th May 2012, 05:01 PM
Used to use hem on my winch challenge truck for bridging and other stuff great things but dont let mud dry in the squares can be a git to get out

I have a set of carbon fibre sand ladders in my truck. Came from a car that did the Dakar. Very light and strong. Hand to have when I did my trip around Australia

Mick-Kelly
18th May 2012, 06:19 PM
Where does one get these fibreglass thingies?

goingbush
18th May 2012, 10:07 PM
sounds like these

GRATEMATES (http://www.gratemates.com.au/)

meybe someone could organise a aulro group buy,

for all my poohooing of this type of thing they actually look pretty good

gusthedog
18th May 2012, 10:18 PM
I used a set of these round oz. Very handy when digging out a cruiser stuck in sand with an incoming tide in WA. Landy didnt get stuck! Used them to level the camper trailer on the odd occaision too.

ade
19th May 2012, 01:09 PM
the exact gratemate types can be bought from a place in mandurah WA for 120 a pair, cheapest in OZ

goingbush
19th May 2012, 02:17 PM
the exact gratemate types can be bought from a place in mandurah WA for 120 a pair, cheapest in OZ

Seems they are the manufacturer, Thanks have sent them a msg .

C00P
21st May 2012, 06:47 PM
Looks like someone has done what I hoped they'd do- put them on the market!
I'll have to go and take a look to see if they are made of the same stuff that mine are made of. They certainly look the same.
Mine are "recycled" grating- offcuts from much larger pieces used in an industrial construction project.
Cheers,

Coop

Reads90
21st May 2012, 07:00 PM
These are not new to land Rovers

This was my winch challenge 90, 10 years ago

I had the bridging ladders mounted on the back of my 90 made from Fibergrate

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/05/457.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/05/458.jpg

C00P
21st May 2012, 09:28 PM
[QUOTE=Reads90;1687616]These are not new to land Rovers

/QUOTE]

That's right- your pictures in an earlier post is where I got the idea from!
Took me a while to track down a source, but got some eventually.... but I couldn't find any posts showing how well they work, so decided to try them myself and photograph the results.

Coop

Reads90
22nd May 2012, 04:54 AM
[QUOTE=Reads90;1687616]These are not new to land Rovers

/QUOTE]

That's right- your pictures in an earlier post is where I got the idea from!
Took me a while to track down a source, but got some eventually.... but I couldn't find any posts showing how well they work, so decided to try them myself and photograph the results.

Coop

Here is a pic of me using them , had a look but can't find a lot of pics of me using them

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/05/402.jpg

This was a brick works in Northampton and it was in the LRO santa's challenge. This place was very very muddy and they came in useful

rrturboD
22nd May 2012, 10:19 PM
I've just got some 'bridging ladders' for a couple of local members, worked out at $180 +gst delivered
They are 1220x320 and these ones were yellow or green
Happy to facilitate Aulro members buying them.

I ordered a set of thinner ones (not suitable for bridging) but should be good in sand and mud. Chasing a price, so will let you know when I have the quote.

Hoges
23rd May 2012, 09:39 PM
[quote=C00P;1687754]

Here is a pic of me using them , had a look but can't find a lot of pics of me using them

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/05/402.jpg

This was a brick works in Northampton and it was in the LRO santa's challenge. This place was very very muddy and they came in useful

That's totally disgusting:twisted::twisted::twisted::D

ade
24th May 2012, 01:19 PM
yep thay are the same as industrial use for pplatforms, oil rigs etc

rrturboD
24th May 2012, 01:35 PM
I've just got some 'bridging ladders' for a couple of local members, worked out at $180 +gst delivered
They are 1220x320 and these ones were yellow or green
Happy to facilitate Aulro members buying them.

I ordered a set of thinner ones (not suitable for bridging) but should be good in sand and mud. Chasing a price, so will let you know when I have the quote.

The material is available in two thicknesses, 25mm and 38mm. The costings for 25 and 38 is very close, as most of the cost is in the labour, cutting and sealing etc.

1220x310x38mm, suitable for bridging, $180 +gst
1220x310x25mm $164 +gst

I got a couple of 1000x310x25mm, as easier to store in vehicle, and should do the job in sand or mud, plus could be posted to me.

I've been advised that if I ordered say 20 sets, almost any colour, would save more as they would get made in China to our size etc. and shipped out with their next bulk supply. Chinese labour is cheaper than Aussie!

When I get back from my forthcoming OLRHD trip I'll investigate.

Bones97
29th May 2012, 09:59 AM
the exact gratemate types can be bought from a place in mandurah WA for 120 a pair, cheapest in OZ



Where abouts in Mandurah are they?

goingbush
29th May 2012, 10:40 AM
Where abouts in Mandurah are they?

try this link,

Grating FRP Australia - (http://www.gratingfrpaustralia.com.au/recreational-aids.html)

DT-P38
31st May 2012, 12:13 AM
That stuff can also be bought in Melbourne in similar sizes for recovery use... OR, you can buy big sheets and cut a few sets out of it. I did that a few years ago with a mate, a circular saw and a dust mask!

We did it with the intent of making some money on it but some other mob beat us to it. I often see them with a ute and a trailer load at shows like Wandin. They work, but function a lot differently to Max Trax.

Easy DIY $ saver.

ade
1st June 2012, 06:08 PM
Where abouts in Mandurah are they?

I will check the reciept and let you know

ade
1st June 2012, 06:13 PM
Grating FRO
4/33 thornbourogh road
mandurah WA 6210
I got mine for 120 a pair.

NavyDiver
5th June 2012, 10:22 PM
Overland Journal: Sand Ladder Test - YouTube

The glass mats (gratemate) look pretty good. Anyone selling them in the eastern states?

Edit- found Bridging Ladders - TrackMats sold by Composite Engineering Pty Ltd 4 Monterey Road, Dandenong South VIC 3175 p: +61 3 9791 3305

weeds
2nd February 2018, 05:41 AM
Muputrax - multi-purpose recovery tracks / sand ladders / 4x4 & camping equipment - YouTube (https://youtu.be/NLe71YjrUkI)

Complete with landy

cripesamighty
2nd February 2018, 06:44 PM
I bought a set of the Muputrax a couple of years ago and they come in their own heavy duty bag. As others have said, they are heavier than the plastic type tracks (eg maxtrax etc). Mine came with accessories to turn the pair into a table and bench seat, which I have used several times in that form. Still haven’t needed them for a recovery though!

W&KO
15th September 2020, 03:18 PM
Found these in the garage during the weekend clean out.

No direct sunlight, I assume the material would still be sound.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200915/91eac8aa3ada4b3ec1f10fccaa4de1cd.jpg

donh54
15th September 2020, 06:19 PM
Muputrax - multi-purpose recovery tracks / sand ladders / 4x4 & camping equipment - YouTube (https://youtu.be/NLe71YjrUkI)

Complete with landyWe used to use that stuff for walkways, etc.
Pretty good stuff, but make sure you wear gloves when handling them, especially after they've been used. Lots of lovely fibreglass splinters just waiting for a new home!

W&KO
15th September 2020, 07:36 PM
We used to use that stuff for walkways, etc.
Pretty good stuff, but make sure you wear gloves when handling them, especially after they've been used. Lots of lovely fibreglass splinters just waiting for a new home!

Ditching them, have offered up to some mates if they don’t take it I’ll cut a piece to go under the hot water system and send the rest to the dump.

Blknight.aus
15th September 2020, 08:02 PM
Ditching them, have offered up to some mates if they don’t take it I’ll cut a piece to go under the hot water system and send the rest to the dump.

bugger too far and covid...

I've been thinking about getting a set and modding them so they fit in the gate panels of arkie

INter674
16th September 2020, 11:02 AM
Set of those saved son's GU in a sand sink hole. They work better than max tracks and a lot cheaper too.