X-BULL Recovery tracks Sand 4x4 4WD Snow Mud Car Vehicles ATV 2pcs Gen 3.0

Most bogged vehicles do not need a winch. They need something solid under one spinning tyre, a firm surface the tread can bite while the other wheels do the work. A pair of these boards, jammed hard up against the driven wheels, usually ends the situation before anyone has the shovel out.

Where the traction comes from

The upper face is covered in moulded rivets set at a range of contact angles, so a tyre meeting the board off-square still finds an edge instead of skidding across it. The underside carries a separate grip pattern designed to key into sand, snow or mud so the board stays where it was placed while the tyre loads it. That combination is what stops a board being fired out backwards, the usual failure with a smooth plastic ramp. Both ends drop away in a shallow taper so the tread walks on rather than butting into a lip.

Built to bend and come back

These are moulded in X-BULL's reinforced nylon blend, which the supplier describes as tough, strong in tension and compression, fatigue resistant and UV stable, and which flexes more than the earlier generation did. Under a wheel, that flex lets the board conform to whatever it is lying on instead of bridging two high points and snapping in the middle. Left on a roof rack through a Queensland summer, the UV resistance is what keeps the plastic from going chalky and brittle. Each board measures 1060 x 310 x 60 mm.

The end that doubles as a scoop

The tapered ends are stiff enough to dig with, so the sand piled in front of a buried tyre can be scraped clear using the board itself before it goes under. It is no substitute for a proper shovel on a deep bury, but on a beach it saves the walk back to the trailer. The moulded handle is shaped for a comfortable grip, which you notice carrying two of them back up a dune covered in wet clay.

Key features

• Pair of full-length boards: 1060 mm each, enough contact under one axle.
• Multi-angle rivet face: grip regardless of how the tyre lands on the board.
• Keyed underside: sand, snow and mud grips hold the board still under load.
• Flexible nylon: conforms to uneven ground rather than bridging and snapping.
• Colour options: six to choose from, including Olive Green, Black, Blue and Red.
• Boards only: no carry bag, leashes or mounting pins are included in this pack.

Specifications

• Board size: 1060 x 310 x 60 mm each
• Quantity: 2 boards
• Material: reinforced nylon
• Load capacity: 10 tonnes on flat ground, as stated by the supplier for vehicles up to that weight. The supplier names no test standard and does not say whether the figure applies to one board or to the pair.
• Generation: Gen 3.0
• Carton size: 110 x 36 x 13 cm
• Colours: Olive Green, Olive, Black, Blue, Red, Green

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery boards

Before your first recovery

• Keep the throttle low. Wheelspin on a board welds the lugs flat and ruins it in one attempt.
• Seat each board firmly under the tread and clear loose material from in front of the tyre first.
• Inspect for cracks, deep gouges or melted lugs before every trip, and retire anything damaged.
• Stand well clear of the vehicle's path. A board can be flung out from under a spinning wheel with real force.
• These are traction aids only. Do not attach a strap, rope, shackle or winch line to a board. A snatch or winch recovery is rigged from rated recovery points, nothing else.

Two boards stow behind a seat or on a rack easily enough, which is the main reason a single pair gets carried on trips where four would stay home.