X-BULL Recovery tracks Sand tracks 2pcs Sand / Snow / Mud 10T 4WD Gen 2.0

Boards only earn their space if they are still in the vehicle on the day you need them. This is the shorter Gen 2.0 pair, 910 mm long and 4.7 kg for the two, which is why a set like this tends to travel full time behind the seat rather than living in the shed.

Spikes on top, cruciform grid underneath

The upper face uses a u-shaped reinforcing pattern with moulded spikes that dig into the tread and stop the tyre sliding sideways off the board as it takes weight. The underside is a cruciform grid doing two jobs at once: resisting bend along the length of the board, and keying its raised ribs into soft ground so the board does not squirt out backwards under a spinning wheel. Sand, snow and mud grips run the full underside. Both ends sit lower than the centre so a tyre can walk on without hitting a lip.

Nylon chosen for heat and sun

The pair is moulded in reinforced nylon that the supplier describes as tough, strong in tension and compression, fatigue resistant, corrosion resistant, heat stable and UV resistant. On a roof rack that last property earns its keep, because plastic that chalks and goes brittle in the sun is plastic that cracks the first time a loaded tyre climbs onto it. The corrosion resistance is worth having after a beach trip, where boards spend the day half buried in wet salty sand and then get thrown in the tray.

Key features

• Compact pair: 910 mm boards at 4.7 kg the pair, easier to store than a full-length set.
• Cruciform underside: resists bending and bites into soft ground.
• Moulded spikes: hold the tyre square on the board instead of letting it slide off the side.
• Doubles as a scoop: the supplier notes the boards can be used to dig with when bogged in sand or mud.
• Shaped handle: gives you a usable grip with wet or gloved hands.
• Four colours: Olive, Blue, Red and Black.

Specifications

• Board size: 910 x 310 x 60 mm each
• Weight: 4.7 kg per pair
• Quantity: 2 boards
• Material: reinforced nylon
• Load capacity: quoted by the supplier as 10 tonnes on flat ground. That figure arrives with no test standard behind it and no indication of whether it describes a single board or both together.
• Generation: Gen 2.0
• Carton size: 920 x 320 x 125 mm
• Colours: Olive, Blue, Red, Black

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery boards

The supplier's own heading calls this a kit, but the contents it lists are the two boards on their own.

Working them safely

• Low revs, no wheelspin. A spinning tyre melts the spikes flat and the board becomes scrap.
• Dig the sand away from the front of the tyre and seat the board hard against the tread before you move.
• Check both boards for cracks and melted lugs before each trip. Damaged boards get retired, not repaired.
• Nobody stands in front of or behind the vehicle while it drives off the boards.
• A recovery board carries no load rating for pulling. Never attach a strap, rope or winch line to one; snatch and winch loads belong on rated recovery points.

A pair under the driven wheels handles most beach and mud bogs. Add a second pair if you regularly travel on your own.