MAXTRAX
- Thread starter Samuel Brown
- Start date
Advocate III
Well I assure you they work fine in snow and ice. We used them last winter in -32 celcius to recover our F150 . I give the F150 example because nay Sayers may say sure they work on a light weight Jeep but won't stand up to full size lifted trucks. They work awesome. In the end every one has a story, I maintain you get what you pay for.
Advocate III
Pathfinder I
I've only every had to use them in the winter. Worked fine under a 1/2 ton pick up and my Outback. However spinning my studded Outback tires on them did cause some accelerated wear.
I generally keep them in the Outback during the winter. Rarely take them wheeling.
I generally keep them in the Outback during the winter. Rarely take them wheeling.
Stirring up a slightly older thread here, but bought Smittybilt ones quite some time ago as MaxTrax were just too cost prohibitive to get them in Canada. I used my Smittybilt ones for the first time the other day, and I'm impressed. It took me longer to remove them from my roof mount than to self-rescue with them!
traction plates by e j, on Flickr
traction plates by e j, on Flickr
X-Bull $85 a pair and free shipping on eBay. They come with a carrying bag. Buy two sets and still save money over Maxtrax. Be sure to get the 10 ton model. Check YouTube for reviews. Great product.
Great option for US but unfortunately not Canada. Over $100 for shipping! Smittybilt from 4WP at $200 is the cheapest I've found here.
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I have a set on them and I think the design is superior to maxtrax. However the plastic composition is no where as good as the maxtrax. Check out this vid we made on traction boards...
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I have the X-bull boards now, I have not used them yet, never needed to. I have aired down and dug out before I had them. And my Superior driving skills keeps me going down the road. ;)
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Enthusiast III
I broke my MaxTrax the second time I used them in some snow on the Rubicon. I wont be buying them again. The cheapos have been known to break as well. I spent a good amount of time fabing up brackets to use the MaxTrax mounts (which are great btw) on my rack. If I'm stuck, ill just use my winch. Don't think these substitute for a winch by any means.
I tried the MaxTrax in sand first as a test and they didn't work well. Then when I was actually spinning tires in the snow and really needed them, they cracked badly at the tips. Spend money on a winch.
I tried the MaxTrax in sand first as a test and they didn't work well. Then when I was actually spinning tires in the snow and really needed them, they cracked badly at the tips. Spend money on a winch.
I'm curious about your technique. Did you do any digging before placing them in front of the tires or did you just jam them under the tires and let the vehicles weight shove them down?
Enthusiast III
There was snow and ice on the ground. I can't totally remember since it was almost 2 years ago. Wheels were spinning on ice so we used the MaxTrax for extra traction. I have BFG KM2s and don't let them spin. They helped me out but broke. I also used the winch a few places. The Rubicon in the snow is brutal. After 6 to 8 hours, we got less than a mile... lol...but it was a beautiful day on the trail.
Enthusiast II
Anyone ever try go treads? They fold up nice and neat, they’re like $60 individually, and I think they would be ideal for leveling a truck or trailer. Saw them at overland expo west this year and have been debating between those or maxtrax.
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Pathfinder III
- 5,200
- First Name
- Kent
- Last Name
- Reynolds
- Member #
-
1632
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- K6KNT
- Service Branch
- Retired Firefighter
Amen!!! People need to understand the meaning of, "You get what you pay for". Maxtrax are expensive for a reason. I've seen cheap ones on rigs in my area. They're so thin that they warp super easy smh. Just my 2 cents...
X-BULL Recovery
They measure: X-Bull 10 Ton rated, 41" x 11" and two stacked measure 4 1/8". & MaxTrax 5 Ton rated, 45" x 13" and two MaxTrax stacked measure 3.1/2". So obviously the MaxTrax is wider and longer and stacks thinner but costs $300.00 for two plus shipping . X-Bull costs $65.00 for two and ships to your door for free. That's $130.00 for four X-Bull recovery tracks, half the cost of two MaxTrax's.
$65.00 on eBay. per pair.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/X-BULL-Recovery-Traction-Off-Road-Tracks-Sand-Snow-Track-Tire-Ladder-4WD-Black/332129122306?epid=676771258&hash=item4d54703802:g:1f8AAOSwB-1YpliH
A Single track is about 2 7/16", two stacked is 4 1/8", so each stacked track adds just about 1 11/16" (info courtesy of "brien" member #3553)
You thoughts?
They measure: X-Bull 10 Ton rated, 41" x 11" and two stacked measure 4 1/8". & MaxTrax 5 Ton rated, 45" x 13" and two MaxTrax stacked measure 3.1/2". So obviously the MaxTrax is wider and longer and stacks thinner but costs $300.00 for two plus shipping . X-Bull costs $65.00 for two and ships to your door for free. That's $130.00 for four X-Bull recovery tracks, half the cost of two MaxTrax's.
$65.00 on eBay. per pair.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/X-BULL-Recovery-Traction-Off-Road-Tracks-Sand-Snow-Track-Tire-Ladder-4WD-Black/332129122306?epid=676771258&hash=item4d54703802:g:1f8AAOSwB-1YpliH
A Single track is about 2 7/16", two stacked is 4 1/8", so each stacked track adds just about 1 11/16" (info courtesy of "brien" member #3553)
You thoughts?
If space and size are a concern check out GO TREADS they collapse up nice and you can get extension pieces. Just an option. A set of two @ $100
