X-BULL Recovery tracks Sand tracks KIT Carry bag mounting pin Sand/Snow/Mud 10T 4WD-OLIVE Gen3.0

The awkward part of owning recovery boards is not using them, it is finding somewhere for them to live. Loose in the tray they slide around, on the roof they need something to bolt to, and after a beach trip they come back covered in wet sand. This pack bundles the boards with the tote, leashes and rack hardware.

Pins that hold the boards on the rack

The mounting set is four threaded pins, eight nuts and eight flat washers, enough hardware to fix two boards to a roof rack or platform. Fitting is straightforward: the boards drop over the pins on the rack, the black plastic retaining plate goes on top, and the nuts pull the lot down tight. The pins carry an anti-rust coating, and the supplier notes this makes them look darker in the flesh than they do in the product photos. The set weighs 0.72 kg and packs into 138 x 108 x 62 mm.

A tote and leashes for the wet, sandy end of the day

The tote is sized for the boards and designed to work alongside the mounting pins, so muddy boards go into a bag rather than onto the back seat. Two leashes come with the pack; X-BULL supplies either a plain style or a version with an iron buckle depending on the kit. A leash matters more than it sounds, because a board that has been driven over and pushed under the sand is very easy to lose, and a length of bright webbing trailing out of the ruts is often the only way it gets found.

Key features

• Complete pack: two Gen 3.0 boards plus tote, leashes, sticker and mounting hardware.
• Roof-rack ready: four pins, eight nuts and eight washers hold two boards.
• Multi-angle rivet face: different contact surfaces across the board so a tyre finds grip at any approach angle.
• Full-length boards: 1060 mm each, the current Gen 3.0 profile.
• Colour choice: Olive, Black, Blue, Green, Orange and Red are all selectable here, even though the listing title names Olive only.

Specifications

• Board size: 1060 x 310 x 60 mm each
• Board material: reinforced nylon
• Load capacity: the supplier's figure is 10 tonnes on flat ground, for vehicles up to 10 tonnes. It is published without a supporting standard, and without saying whether it covers one board or two.
• Mounting pin set: 4 pins, 8 nuts, 8 flat washers; 138 x 108 x 62 mm; 0.72 kg
• Generation: Gen 3.0
• Carton size: 110 x 36 x 13 cm
• Colours: Olive, Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Red

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery boards
• 1 x tote
• 2 x leashes
• 1 x set of mounting pins (4 pins, 8 nuts, 8 washers)
• 1 x sticker

Before you mount them

• Check your roof rack's own load rating and that the pin length suits your rack. The pins mount the boards, they do not change what the rack is allowed to carry.
• Retorque the nuts after the first few hundred kilometres. Corrugations loosen roof-mounted hardware.
• Keep revs low driving onto the boards. Wheelspin melts the surface lugs and ruins them.
• Inspect for cracks and heat damage before each trip and retire damaged boards.
• Boards, pins and leashes are not rated for towing or snatching. If a strap or winch recovery is needed, rig it from rated recovery points only.

Between the pins, the tote and the leashes, this is the version of the boards that ends up mounted and ready rather than rolling around loose in the tray.