Thread: Recovery tracks - do you own them and do you use them?

For those buying remember the main difference between the two Maxtrax and Treads is you can bridge across with Maxtrax and not with treads... Have Maxtrax and never used them. There's some powder like beaches around though and you never know....

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I picked Maxtrax as the weight of the fibreglass ones that were recommended was far greater than Maxtrax.

AFAIR the recommended ones were 1.5 inches thick and weighed about 17Kg vs about 8 for Maxtrax.

As they are stored on the top of my hard floor camper trailer so I didn't want another 10Kg to lift and swing.
But if you can get them free why not?

Regards Philip A

Someone once told me anything needed for the car should be carried on or in the car .
This has stuck with me for ever simply if you drop your trailer somewhere and go for a drive those treads ect or parts are going to be of no use sitting back at camp when you most need them

I went for the Tred's because they were $120 a pair cheaper that the Maxtrax's and I wanted 2x pairs so it was a saving of $240 and because the Tred's have more resilient traction lugs on them (The Maxtax lugs are easily ripped off with wheel spin)
Tred's are also Aussie made.
The Aldi and eBay "Knock Offs" may look the same But I have serious doubts as to their durability.
I haven't had to use my Treds as a ramp or a bridge yet But I have heard that the maxtrax are better for this purpose.

This has stuck with me for ever simply if you drop your trailer somewhere and go for a drive those treads ect or parts are going to be of no use sitting back at camp when you most need them

Well I am pretty experienced at sand driving having driven in the Sahara including the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia and driven a 2 wheel drive (VW Type 3 Wagon) on Fraser several times.

I figure that I am most likely to get bogged when towing on sand, which saves me the hassle of fitting roof bars with the resulting fuel penalty. I have never been sand bogged except in the Empty Quarter ( once and I had sand ladders) and at the petrol pump at Eurong in my VW and I had a bus load of old ladies who helped push me out. LOL
I can always take the Maxtrax off the camper when going alone, and that is what I did at driver training when they were used to debog a RR Evoque.
Regards Philip A

I last used my Treds to unbog a bloke in a Landbarge who had bogged himself on a track on Straddy last Christmas. When I suggested he lower his tyre pressures to avoid a repeat he drove off in a huff. I later saw him bogged on the beach, but as I was out for a walk without any equipment I left him to figure it out for himself.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Well I am pretty experienced at sand driving having driven in the Sahara including the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia and driven a 2 wheel drive (VW Type 3 Wagon) on Fraser several times.

I figure that I am most likely to get bogged when towing on sand, which saves me the hassle of fitting roof bars with the resulting fuel penalty. I have never been sand bogged except in the Empty Quarter ( once and I had sand ladders) and at the petrol pump at Eurong in my VW and I had a bus load of old ladies who helped push me out. LOL
I can always take the Maxtrax off the camper when going alone, and that is what I did at driver training when they were used to debog a RR Evoque.
Regards Philip A

I last used my Treds to unbog a bloke in a Landbarge who had bogged himself on a track on Straddy last Christmas. When I suggested he lower his tyre pressures to avoid a repeat he drove off in a huff. I later saw him bogged on the beach, but as I was out for a walk without any equipment I left him to figure it out for himself.

The amount of people that spend thousands of dollars on buying a 4WD and won't spend a couple of hundred dollars on a decent air compressor so that they CAN deflate their tyres when needed without worrying about how or where they are going to be able to air up again amazes Me.
The same goes for any type of recovery gear, Think of all the Tossers that venture onto the beach without even a $50 snatch strap so that at least someone else can pull them out.

Originally Posted by trout1105

the Tred's have more resilient traction lugs on them (The Maxtax lugs are easily ripped off with wheel spin)

You obviously believed the Tred marketing - if fact the opposite it the case - the standard knobs on the Maxtrax are more resistant to being ripped off (melted) than the Treds - OK if there is no wheelspin though. On every trip I have been on where both were used the Treds lost more lugs than the Maxtrax and a few Treds broke in two. I know Maxtrax knobs can be repaired with metal knobs but not sure about Treds.

Neither are any good bridging with a heavy full size 4wd but if they are stacked 2, 3 or 4 deep they survive but not using a single unit.

However I do accept the discussion will be a bit like the Engel vs Waeco fridge discussion or the Toyota vs Nissan discussion (but we all know the answer to that - Land Rover).

Garry

Originally Posted by trout1105

The Aldi and eBay "Knock Offs" may look the same But I have serious doubts as to their durability.
I haven't had to use my Treds as a ramp or a bridge yet But I have heard that the maxtrax are better for this purpose.

The aldi ones look realky different, and don't stack like the others.

They're also made out of a stiffer plastic, which may be a benefit, and i think i could put some short steel bolts through quite easily to replace melted knobs.

Originally Posted by garrycol

You obviously believed the Tred marketing - if fact the opposite it the case - the standard knobs on the Maxtrax are more resistant to being ripped off (melted) than the Treds - OK if there is no wheelspin though. On every trip I have been on where both were used the Treds lost more lugs than the Maxtrax and a few Treds broke in two. I know Maxtrax knobs can be repaired with metal knobs but not sure about Treds.

Neither are any good bridging with a heavy full size 4wd but if they are stacked 2, 3 or 4 deep they survive but not using a single unit.

The aldi ones also look like they'd work as a bridge, and they're rated to 2T.