X-BULL KIT1 Recovery track Board Traction Sand trucks strap mounting 4x4 Sand Snow Car

Sand does not care how much tread a tyre has. Once a wheel has dug itself a hole, spinning it only makes the hole deeper, and the only way out is something firm under the rubber to climb on. These 910 mm nylon boards give the tread a ramp to grab and a set of teeth to bite into.

Teeth on the face, cross-ribs underneath

The top face is moulded as a U-shaped reinforced channel with rows of spikes across it, so the tread has something positive to key into rather than skating over smooth plastic. Underneath, a cruciform pattern grips down into sand, snow or mud, which is what stops the board shooting forward when the wheel loads it up. That same cross-ribbing resists bending along the length, and the ends taper to a lower profile so the tyre gets a shallower climb onto the board.

Nylon that survives life on the roof rack

Boards live outside, strapped to a rack or a rear bar, baking in the sun for months between uses. That is where cheap ones fail, going brittle and cracking on the first cold morning. The blend used here is a reinforced nylon the supplier describes as tough, resistant to fatigue, corrosion and UV, and stable across a wide temperature range. The pair weighs 4.7 kg, so it can be lifted down one-handed, and the moulded handle is shaped to be gripped with gloves on. Each board also works as a scoop for clearing sand from in front of a buried tyre.

Key features

• Supplied as a pair: 4.7 kg for both, light enough to stow on a rack without adding meaningful roof load.
• 910 mm length: enough run for a wheel to climb and keep rolling rather than dropping off the end straight away.
• Moulded handle: a genuine grip point for pulling a board out from under a vehicle, not a decorative cut-out.
• Doubles as a shovel: the tapered end digs sand and mud away from the tyre before the board goes in.
• Cruciform underside: keys into soft ground instead of sliding forward under load.

Specifications

• Board size: 910 x 310 x 60 mm
• Material: reinforced nylon
• Load figure: 10 tonnes on flat ground, as quoted by the supplier; it is not stated whether this is per board or per pair, or how it was measured
• Weight: 4.7 kg per pair
• Carton size: 920 x 320 x 125 mm

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery tracks

Mounting pins, leashes and carry straps are not part of this pack.

Getting them under the tyre

• Dig the sand or mud clear of the tyre first, then push the board hard up against the tread so there is no gap to spin into.
• Use the lightest throttle that will move the vehicle. Spinning wheels melt and shred the lugs, and that damage is wear caused by the technique, not a fault in the board.
• Nobody stands in front of or behind the vehicle during the attempt. A board can be flicked out from under a loaded tyre with real force.
• Recover the boards and stow them outside the cabin or behind a cargo barrier. Loose boards become projectiles in a crash.
• They restore traction and nothing else. A recovery track is not a jack, a loading ramp or an axle stand.

Two boards, a bit of digging and a light right foot will get most bogged 4WDs rolling again without waiting on a second vehicle.