X-BULL Recovery Tracks Sand Track Mud Snow 10T 2 Pairs 4PC 4WD 4X4 Gen 2.0

Sand gives way under a spinning tyre faster than most drivers expect, and by the time the diffs are sitting on the beach you are digging rather than driving. Recovery tracks give the tyre something solid to bite into, so the vehicle climbs out under its own power instead of waiting on a snatch strap and a second car.

Rivet pattern is what makes Gen 2.0 grip

These are X-BULL's second-generation boards, and what separates them from the longer Gen 3.0 tracks is the arrangement and density of the rivets across the face. Packing more of them into the contact area puts more biting edges under the tread, which is where the friction comes from when a tyre is turning slowly and hunting for purchase. The face is moulded in a reinforced U-shaped section that stiffens a board otherwise inclined to flex, and the raised spikes stop it skating sideways as the tyre loads it up. Underneath, a cruciform rib pattern resists bending and digs into whatever you have laid the track on.

Nylon that survives a summer on the roof

The boards are moulded from a reinforced nylon mixture rather than a plain plastic, and that is what gives them their combination of toughness, tensile and compressive strength, and resistance to fatigue and corrosion. Nylon of this type is also thermostable and UV-resistant, so months strapped to a rack in full Australian sun should not chalk the surface or leave it brittle. A pair weighs 4.7 kg, light enough to lift down one-handed at the end of a long day, and the reduced height at both ends lets a tyre step up onto the ramp instead of butting into it.

Four boards, not two

A single pair covers the two wheels that are actually spinning, assuming you have picked the right two. This kit is two pairs, four boards in total, so a bogged 4WD can be set up under every wheel at once. That counts in dry sand and in deep mud, where the vehicle has to keep rolling for several metres rather than simply break free of one hole. The boards also work as scoops for clearing sand or mud from ahead of the tyre before you seat them, which saves carrying a shovel for the light work.

Key features

• Two pairs supplied: four boards means all four wheels can be set up in one go, or two spares stay clean while the first pair does the work.
• Spiked U-section face: the ribbed profile carries the load and the spikes stop the board sliding out sideways under a turning tyre.
• Cruciform underside: a crossed rib pattern that resists bending and keys into soft ground instead of skating on it.
• Tapered ends: both ends sit lower than the middle so the tyre rolls onto the track rather than climbing a step.
• Moulded ergonomic handle: shaped to a hand, which matters when a board is caked in mud and you are carrying two.
• Four colours: Olive, Blue, Red or Black — bright ones are easier to find again on a beach at dusk.

Specifications

• Board size: 910 mm x 310 mm x 60 mm
• Material: reinforced nylon mixture
• Load figure: the supplier quotes 10 tonne load capacity on flat ground, and separately says the tracks accommodate vehicles up to 10 tonne. No basis is given for that number — it does not say whether it is a breaking figure or a working figure, or whether it applies per board or per set. Treat it as a supplier claim rather than a rated capacity.
• Weight: 4.7 kg per pair
• Pack: 2 pairs, 4 boards
• Generation: Gen 2.0
• Colours: Olive, Blue, Red, Black
• Carton size: 920 mm x 320 mm x 125 mm

What's in the box

• 4 x recovery tracks
• 2 x stickers

Before you use them

• Clear the sand or mud from in front of the tyre and push the board hard up against the tread before driving on. A gap means a run-up, and a run-up means damage.
• Drive on and off gently, at low revs, in the highest gear that will pull. Spinning a tyre on the face melts and shears the lugs, and it is the most common way tracks are wrecked.
• Nobody stands behind a board under load. A track can be fired out backwards when a tyre spins up on it.
• Check each board after a recovery for cracks, melted lugs and bent ribs, and retire anything damaged.
• These are traction aids. Do not use them as a jack base, a bridging plank or a load-bearing ramp, and do not read the 10 tonne figure as permission to do so.

Strapped to the rack or laid flat in the tray, a set of four earns its place the first time the sand goes soft a long way from the nearest tow.