Go Tread vs Max Traxx?

[Desert Runner]

Amazon, or better yet on E-Bay right now...............

$48.68
Free Shipping
Was $64.90 Save 25

Prices fluctuate, so what is 1 price today, might be $5-15 dollars more a couple of days later. Another E-bay offering below is this.
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10T "Black" Sand Tracks Recovery Traction Track Snow Mud Tire Ladder 4WD Off Road,.............
US $48.36/ea

Check back and let us know what you have decided on. There is a thread on what color you decided to choose, and why you chose it.

There is also another thread on X-Bull vs other alternates (TRED/MAX TRAX),.....quality, brand, durability, price, etc.



EDIT:
Between Aug. 8, and now Aug. 22, the prices have jumped to around $55-$59. This is still less than I paid a month (+) ago for mine. But at that time you could still get either Olive Green (me/2 sets) or Desert Tan. You do not see them listed in those color choices any more. Red, Orange, Blue, Black, and the Lime Green. That color, although still listed, has seen fewer Companies offering that color choice in the standard X-Bull configuration. Which means Vender stock has been depleted for that particular offering. It still is seen in the Tred-Pro copy version at around $99-$130 range .

 

[Scrambler84]

great review, I don't have any recovery gear yet, but I'm stuck between those two when it comes to traction boards

I have a set of Maxx Traxx although I have not had to use them yet but thinking in advance that also to have additional gear would like a set of the folding traxx . Thank you for letting me know how they preform. Just expanding my gear. Thanks

 

[Brumby 2002]

Looking at X-Bull it seems to me it is a Chinese copy (slightly modified) from the TRED 4x4 1100 sandboards, made in Australia from a special plastic compound.
Big competetor to Maxtrax.
Now also available in USA and Europe[emoji123]
Tred has the TRED Pro with special heath resistant teeth.
Just new are TRED HD and TRED GT.
Model as TRED PRO, but both different plastic compound.
Just google tred 4x4[emoji106]

 

[Wlfhntr]

For those interested in the X bull, amazon has a flash sale right now $69.00. Amazon X bull

 

[ToddT_503]

For those interested in the X bull, amazon has a flash sale right now $69.00. Amazon X bull

grabbed a set of those thank you.

 

[Wlfhntr]

I'm still on the fence on which to get but had to at least pass along a good deal.

 

[Desert Runner]

I'm still on the fence on which to get but had to at least pass along a good deal.

6 weeks ago on E-Bay, they were as low as $42.00. Now the lowest I've seen, has crept up to $56.00. Other offerings side by side with them are now averaging $63.00-$75.00. I get E-Bay alerts every day, and each day, the price creeps up....Every Day!.....

X-Bull copy's, but at this point whose complaining. The 2 colors that have become...vapor ware,..... are the Desert Tan, and the Military Olive Green options.
I bought the ORSICH copy 8 weeks ago @$69.00 and $65.00 on my 2nd set (Olive Green both pairs). They at the time came with a transport BAG & TETHERS.

 

[Scrambler84]

I

I have a set of Maxx Traxx although I have not had to use them yet but thinking in advance that also to have additional gear would like a set of the folding traxx . Thank you for letting me know how they preform. Just expanding my gear. Thanks

Bought a set of Maxx traxx also better safe to have em , just being prepared. Also wanna grab a set of the folding traxx style. More gear is never a bad thing !

 

[MrCoffee]

Great thread!

I just saw these Speedmaster boards but found these by Smittybilt to be a good bet too. Going to grab a pair of the X-bull, even if they end up in my daily driver for getting to work during snow season.

 

[Desert Runner]

Great thread!

I just saw these Speedmaster boards but found these by Smittybilt to be a good bet too. Going to grab a pair of the X-bull, even if they end up in my daily driver for getting to work during snow season.

When reading thru these threads, the 'Speedmasters' get fair to good reviews, along with some on-line reviews like on Amazon, but the Smitty's overall have been disappointing to many, due to cracks and fractures as soon as the first time they were used. The plastic material seems to be very fragile, especially in cold environments. Not sure why the review differences between them, as one is the copy of the other. Choosing the X-Bull or a copy there-of, has seen much better satisfaction reviews from users of them, along with being cheaper in cost.

Before buying, check Amazon vs E-Bay, as there are significant price differences right now. On E-Bay there are still some deals, but color selection has diminished for the ones that are cheaper due to color purchase choices . The color black seems to now be the cheapest. As low as $ 39, but only a few left, to about $56 for black or orange as the next cheapest. Blue, green, and red are a few dollars more. Most of us have come to the conclusion that all these....X-Bull and it's copies, all come from the same factory in China.

Saw this video, on the Orsich website (X-Bull copy), and the following comment on Tacoma World Forum, is what made me pull the trigger on 2 sets!

"Wow, for under $100 it's hard NOT to justify these. Immediately after looking at the product I was skeptical on how tough they would be. That picture of the damn fork lift on top of it sold me on durability. Those things are damn near 10,000lbs".
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EDIT:
Just saw that Orsich is back on Amazon with a lower price in Olive and Tan once again. Price with bag and tethers are $68 right now

 

[MrCoffee]

When reading thru these threads, the 'Speedmasters' get fair to good reviews, along with some on-line reviews like on Amazon, but the Smitty's overall have been disappointing to many, due to cracks and fractures as soon as the first time they were used. The plastic material seems to be very fragile, especially in cold environments. Not sure why the review differences between them, as one is the copy of the other. Choosing the X-Bull or a copy there-of, has seen much better satisfaction reviews from users of them, along with being cheaper in cost.

Before buying, check Amazon vs E-Bay, as there are significant price differences right now. On E-Bay there are still some deals, but color selection has diminished for the ones that are cheaper due to color purchase choices . The color black seems to now be the cheapest. As low as $ 39, but only a few left, to about $56 for black or orange as the next cheapest. Blue, green, and red are a few dollars more. Most of us have come to the conclusion that all these....X-Bull and it's copies, all come from the same factory in China.

Honestly, I hadn't run into any bad reviews of the Smittybilt, but I am glad I didn't grab a pair! (Thanks!) Ordering a pair (maybe two) of the X-bull boards. I have a very thin working budget at the moment.

 

[Clark Griswold]

I drove to my local sportman's club today. It's located on top of a mountain at the end of a closed, dead end road. After driving up the unplowed road without incident I got stuck in the flat parking area by the pavilion. Lucky for me I used a shovel and firewood from inside the pavilion to make my own road out of firewood in order to get unstuck. As soon as I got home I ordered the Go Treads. Before I got myself out I called a local towing service. They quoted me at least $500 because I was so remote and they would need to send in a piece of heavy equipment to get me out. For $120 I'll have the Go Treads which will serve double duty as levelers too. As far as storing them I will be able to keep them in a bin full of gear that I keep in my Jeep. I don't see how you can go wrong at this price point.

 

[sea_ledford]

I've had go-treads for a couple years now, they are nice and compact and stay in my tool box. In the past few months, I've actually attempted to use them three times, all of them other people stuck in sand at the beach. It was all fairly wet, clay and shell sand, not really nice beach sand. They have yet to work. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it seems pretty simple: Dig out as much sand as possible in the direction you want to go, put the treads under the tire and go. Granted these were all people with road tires with various levels of tread left on them, but haven't even seen any movement out of it. The ridges on the go-treads just don't seem to provide much grip when they are wet.

0 for 3 with the go-treads. I'll probably just get some maxtrax.

 

[smritte]

For this exact reason is why I take my new item out and try it. In this case it would be in an area I can be extracted from easily. You never want to be somewhere and find out what you have doesn't work. In this case it's a piece of extraction gear.
I find myself watching people try to figure out how something works for the first time while their camping. Its one thing to find out your new tent didn't come with a pole or how to fold up those pop up bathroom tents but, to find out your winch controller doesn't work or your traction board doesn't grip can be a problem.
Nice that you figured this out in non emergency situations.

 

[armyRN]

I know this thread is a bit old, but I'm another user of the X-Bulls. I've used them once, and they worked just fine. And they stack just fine (just probably a little taller than the MaxTrax). Depending on what vehicle I'm taking, I can put them on the roof rack of my truck, in the roof rack on my Jeep, or on the lid of my trailer.

 

[Baipin]

Anyone given these a shot?


BUNKER-INDUST

They're a radically different design than any other boards I've seen, but I understand it might be more suitable in distributing weight and providing superior grip. I like that they are made of nylon. I think that should do better in colder temps? My main gripe with the X-BULL and similar boards is that they keep cracking on me in the colder, winter temps.

 

[MegaBug]

I am convinced traction boards are a necessary part of my recovery gear but I too have been struggling with all the options (and prices!!) out there.
I finally stumbled on this YouTube by Ronny Dahl of 4 Wheeling Australia (great resource by the way):


Based in large part on the results of that comparison I am going to ”bite the bullet” on cost and get the MaxTrax.
YMMV

 

[Desert Runner]

I am convinced traction boards are a necessary part of my recovery gear but I too have been struggling with all the options (and prices!!) out there.
I finally stumbled on this YouTube by Ronny Dahl of 4 Wheeling Australia (great resource by the way):


Based in large part on the results of that comparison I am going to ”bite the bullet” on cost and get the MaxTrax.
YMMV

As I, and other's have opined on. It is winter and the occurring COLD, that seem to be the biggest challenge to both longevity and durability to the multitude of board choices out there. It still seems that the material used in the construction of the Max-Trax is the most superior of those offered out there. Although their competitors are getting better at the game. looking at over-all desighn, I think how it is shaped that edges out material construction when compared with the plastic/nylon used. This for a 3 season board. For a 4 season, both material AND.....design will determine how durable they are in use.

I have the ORCISH...aka X-Bull- gen 2 clone and the deep edging will hinder the bending/flex parameter's. Not a big disadvantage in hot summer temp's, but I can see it being a problem at temp;s below freezing.

I had seen that video before and found it educational. Reading the comments, I thought some people did not get what Ronnie was trying to test overall. Being able to test gen1, gen 2, and gen3-4 boards, brought both options and improvements to the foreground. A very expensive endeavor, that had never been attempted before. Kudos for the video. Leaving it up to the viewer to decide on what styles, and what price range they were willing to shell out for a set of traction boards.


Post Edit"

Bought 2 sets ORCISH (4 total) recovery boards because i have a full-size rig, and definitely would need them in a application (8000 # truck) if bridging was expected.

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

I am convinced traction boards are a necessary part of my recovery gear but I too have been struggling with all the options (and prices!!) out there.
I finally stumbled on this YouTube by Ronny Dahl of 4 Wheeling Australia (great resource by the way):


Based in large part on the results of that comparison I am going to ”bite the bullet” on cost and get the MaxTrax.
YMMV

As I, and other's have opined on. It is winter and the occurring COLD, that seem to be the biggest challenge to both longevity and durability to the multitude of board choices out there. It still seems that the material used in the construction of the Max-Trax is the most superior of those offered out there. Although their competitors are getting better at the game. looking at over-all desighn, I think how it is shaped that edges out material construction when compared with the plastic/nylon used. This for a 3 season board. For a 4 season, both material AND.....design will determine how durable they are in use.

I have the ORCISH...aka X-Bull- gen 2 clone and the deep edging will hinder the bending/flex parameter's. Not a big disadvantage in hot summer temp's, but I can see it being a problem at temp;s below freezing.

I had seen that video before and found it educational. Reading the comments, I thought some people did not get what Ronnie was trying to test overall. Being able to test gen1, gen 2, and gen3-4 boards, brought both options and improvements to the foreground. A very expensive endevor, that had never been attempted before. Kiddos for the video. Leaving it up to the viewer to decide on what styles, and what price range they were willing to shell out for a set of traction boards.

I ended up settling on Smittybilt, since I was picking up the 12k winch. I'll probably have to tie some reflective cord or tape to them since they come in a greenish gray that could easily be lost in deep snow.

 

[greedyg76]

Here’s my experience. I have (had) the X-Bull tracks and used them successfully in the sand a few times. Under my Ram 2500 diesel no less. Just tried to use them in the snow last weekend, sub 30* and they cracked and splintered apart almost immediately. What ever that material is, it does not like the cold at all. Now contemplating the Go Treads but I’m not quite sold. Pic is warm weather use as a ramp/leveling aide, no problem there...