X-Bull Recovery Tracks...another inexpensive alternative

[brien]

Yep. The way I look at it is that at ~$300 a pop for MaxTrax it was not worth it for me to have the tiny bit of insurance it would give me, and really, the insurance was only in that it will possibly make it easier/faster for me to get unstuck from certain situations. I have enough other gear that I can use to get me out, it just takes more elbow grease - shovels, hi-lift, snatch lines, etc. At less than $100 for the X-Bull tracks, it reached a suitable ratio of price vs reward that it was worth it for me.

 

[Badmeat]

I agree 100%. I have a winch on order so these are an initial recovery tool, not the last resort recovery tool for me. I find a great value in these for ~$100

Just got my set in the mail today. They seem to be solid and I'm glad that they are stackable. They juuuuuust fit in my roof basket (length-wise) so I'm excited about that.

I'll be putting them to their first use Sept 22-24 on my trip I have planned.

 

[OffroadTreks]

Buying quality is one thing, but taking advantage of your customer is another. I find it hard to believe that manufacturing costs of MaxTrax are so much higher than those of TREDs, X-Bull, Smittybilt, etc. The astronomical mark up strikes me as a marketing ploy to be a "status" brand (or just greed). I suspect many of the professionals we see using them either had them supplied by MaxTrax for free or those people were able to write them off. I would be happy to buy the MaxTrax if their profit margin wasn't so offensively jacked up. They have clearly brought the competition on themselves.

Yup, Maxtrax is positioning itself as the "original" and as the PREMIER brand in the segment now. Part of that is maintaining the high price even though the market is now flooded with competition.

The thing about Maxtrax though, is it becomes blatantly obvious that they aren't that special when they use marketing terms such as "engineering grade plastic", that doesn't even make Fing sense and is stupid. 100% marketing nonsense. It's like Mil Spec, which is also just another trendy term designed to make the uninformed public think something is magically better because it says Mil Spec.

Made of UV-stabilized, flexible, super tough engineering-grade reinforced nylon, MAXTRAX provides traction and a firm base to get your vehicle quickly back on track. They have been tested at the University of Queensland to wrap completely around a 33-inch tire without breaking.

If this was really a high-grade nylon they'd label it proudly. They don't. So I suspect it's not different from many of it's counterparts in the market. The only real difference will be mm thickness of materials. Probably just common High Impact Modified Ultraviolet (UV) Stabilized Nylon 66.

Not unicorn blood.

 

[RainGoat]

I agree 100%. I have a winch on order so these are an initial recovery tool, not the last resort recovery tool for me. I find a great value in these for ~$100

Just got my set in the mail today. They seem to be solid and I'm glad that they are stackable. They juuuuuust fit in my roof basket (length-wise) so I'm excited about that.

I'll be putting them to their first use Sept 22-24 on my trip I have planned.

I would appreciate it if you could measure the height of the initial board & then the additional height of the 2nd stacked board. I'm planning my rack & want to leave room for the possibility of 4. Thanks!!


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[brien]

I would appreciate it if you could measure the height of the initial board & then the additional height of the 2nd stacked board. I'm planning my rack & want to leave room for the possibility of 4. Thanks!!

Mine just showed up, so here's some measurements:

Single track is about 2 7/16", two stacked is 4 1/8", so each stacked track adds just about 1 11/16"

 

[RainGoat]

Mine just showed up, so here's some measurements:

Single track is about 2 7/16", two stacked is 4 1/8", so each stacked track adds just about 1 11/16"

THANK YOU!!

 

[Quicksilver]

Mine just showed up, so here's some measurements:

Single track is about 2 7/16", two stacked is 4 1/8"

That surprises me. Everyone talks about the biggest drawback to the Maxsa boards is that they don't stack well, but I asked a guy to measure his for me recently, and they came in right about 4".

 

[Badmeat]

That surprises me. Everyone talks about the biggest drawback to the Maxsa boards is that they don't stack well, but I asked a guy to measure his for me recently, and they came in right about 4".

That's just possibly the justification of the price they paid for their MaxTrax....?

 

[RainGoat]

Well, I bought a pair-going to try them out in Southern Utah in a couple weeks


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[Michael Kinnett]

My experience is, and I don't intend this to sound elitist, but these are clearly Off-shore-made knock-offs of the TRED 1100's (as we already know) and if you want them for decoration, that is an awesome price.

But if your life, or a quick, safe vehicle recovery depends on them, pay once for the real deal and use them hard as they were intended.

I have used my TRED's and other's MaxTrax in recovery situations, it would have been a bad scene had they cracked or broken, let alone embarrassing that someone bought the wrong thing.

TRED's have a lifetime mfg warranty (no affiliation here), not just a one-year warranty.

Thanks for posting this thread up, it's good to know the alternatives and the competition, but there's no replacement for quality.

I'm all for going quality the first time around, but Maxtrax are not worth what they're charging. I used my X-Bull's last weekend for the first time while being stuck, unfortunately had to spin a bit to get onto the board (hard packed dirt/grass) and they held up perfectly. Granted this is one use, but I don't see them falling apart unless abused, which Maxtrax and the like will ALL do. I got a chance to see them side by side with Treds and the Smittybilt ones and I would pick the X-Bull over either of those based on material quality alone. Both were far more rigid and couldn't be trusted to bridge a gap without breaking, the X-Bull can, I've done that too. I think these deserve some time to be used and abused before passing judgment because I can buy 4 sets for the price of one pair of Maxtrax. This is all my opinion though, we shall see what time does.

 

[Jeff_SLC]

I just got my X-Bull 10T's, haven't had a chance to use them yet but the quality appears to be good.

 

[Edward Gentle]

Well I'm a guy fixing to retire so I have to watch my funds. For the few times I'd be out by myself, without help, I think I'll try these out. I just can't make myself spend what the others want.

 

[joe_brausch4]

Everyone's honest opinion on these and MaxTrax is highly appreciated. Went online a few days ago to purchase a set of MaxTrax to have on my truck for all the ski trips in the Rockies I'll be doing this winter-- (I had never seen the price of them before)-- and was flabbergasted by the price!! Holy s***, $300+ for 2 giant pieces of plastic?!?

Im not one to cheap out on parts for my rig (always choose the higher quality option when I can), but after seeing review videos I'll be ordering some X-bulls tonight!

 

[RainGoat]

I carried mine around Southern UT, the Mojave Trail and Owen's Valley. Didn't get a chance to use them but I agree they appear to be very nice quality and I actually really like the little carry bag as I threw them into the back of my ExBrotherInLaw's Sequoia for our trip and it was handy to keep them contained and the rest of the truck clean if I used them. I left that pair with him as a thanks for borrowing his truck and plan on buying a pair for both myself and my Mom.

 

[Juggernaut]

X-Bull Tracks work flawless. Used them this past week to free three trucks at Oceano Dunes Ca

 

[CM_USMC707]

I just ordered a set of these yesterday in black, glad to see this discussion on here. I’m not as “active” as most on here, so didn’t want to give my left nut for some maxtrax, only time will tell!


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[Mike G]

For the price, you cant beat it. @picklejuice check this out! We could have used these on our last trip.

 

[Tavo726]

The real-world experience on these are great! I've been looking at these for a few days now and have been a little hesitant. But since I've been seeing good things about it, gonna order a pair now!

 

[MTNGOATFJ7986]

I was literally just looking at these on eBay and wondering how well they hold up compared to the other brands on the market. I cant afford to drink the Maxtrax Kool Aid just yet so thanks guys!

 

[Tavo726]

Just received my X-Bull tracks yesterday. Feel very sturdy and similar to the MaxTrax. Hopefully I will get to try them out in about a month or so on my weekend trip.