Recovery -- Traction Mats & boards

[rmel]

More often than not I end up trekking solo. Before a trip I wake up with holy carp thoughts on all the things that could
go wrong. Got worried about getting stuck and finding no anchor point to grapple to; Sand, Mud, or a washout I shouldn't
have attempted but did.

I researched various recovery traction devices; Aluminum sand ladders, Fiberglass Waffle boards, and numerous traction
mats. I settled on 2" thick Fiberglass Waffle boards as the most versatile trade-off for my treks which tend to have obstacles
requiring bridging and muddy conditions. These boards also pack well not taking up as much room as other devices. At 12" x 48"
they are wide enough and long enough to be decent bridges and for traction if stuck.

Waffle Board.jpg (27.8 KiB) Viewed 7262 times

I got these at OKoffroad, http://www.okoffroad.com/. You can see on their WED site the 2" version of the board under load with
little deflection. Ironically they also carry Pinz limit straps made of high test webbing, A lot less expensive than the steal woven Pinz straps.
Ask for Mark.

If interested, here are some pointers; as usual good testing and products from Oz, but one link referencing Overland Journal Winter 2009.
http://www.4x4australia.com.au/gear/150 ... each-test/
http://www.toughtoys.com.au/4wd-recover ... ernatives/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95m6VHEWvFk

Hopefully I never have to pull these Waffle boards out for recovery, rather use them for a makeshift camping table. But from what I have
researched, these are the best trade-off for diverse applications; bridging, ramping, or stuck. They are not the best in each category. There
are better Bridging ramps but they are physically cumbersome and expensive. For Mud and Sand the best product out there is from Oz from
Maxtrax, closely followed by TRED's -- all other products I have looked at in this area are not in the same league, even ARB's X-TraX. In Mud
and Sand Maxtrax is #1, they can also be stacked to bridge (2 minimum), they are very expensive and what swayed me away from Maxtrax
was the need for 4-6 for bridging, the Waffles are longer and stronger and I just needed 2

ron

[krick3tt]

Fiberglass splinters. Wear gloves.

[ako]

If you are short on cash you can liberate two milk crates, cut them up into 5 squares and zip tie them into a foldable long mat

[acebee]

Ron - interested to know how they work for you..how much did you pay for these..

btw - myself & og were there in your neck of the woods with 10 wheels.

[rmel]

A pair were $260 inc. shipping. Good PIX's on OKoffroad's WEB site on usage.
You can also get them from Tracmat across the pond, http://tracmat.com/index.php.
Good description of the materials composition and testing there as well. They were
originally developed for heavy industrial applications then seem to have been discovered by
the Rover community.

I'll post results, even if their sole use is as a BBQ table

[GenevaPinz]

I have a pair of Tracmats that I bought last year, but I haven't had to use them yet (Quite a bit of my recovery kit is here "just in case"...).
The reasons to buy these instead of other similar products are the double possible use (traction / bridging) and the relatively limited cost compared to Maxtrax. They are rather bulky and gloves are highly recommended to move them around, because of the fibers and the fact that one "face" of the ladders is covered in anti-slip material which is quite abrasive.

[Garrycol]

You might be interested in this.

http://www.muputrax.com.au/

[acebee]

I want..

scratch that..

need to... find a dealer across the puddle

asap.

[Czechsix]

If you are short on cash you can liberate two milk crates, cut them up into 5 squares and zip tie them into a foldable long mat

Genius. I like it. I'm stealing that idea.

[rmel]

Well these Waffle boards just paid for themselves

Did Mojave Rd this past week -- in the reverse direction; West to East.
The section starting from Harvard Rd. to Afton Canyon Campground
is fraught with misleading trail signs and easy to find yourself off the
beaten trail. We ended up taking a wrong turn into deep sand and
getting my 710K (with trailer) and my buddy's Jeep wedged into sand.
Pulled out these waffle boards and they worked great -- establish enough
momentum in one try to get out of this Sand trap and back onto the trial.
They also worked good as a camping table too

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

Yeah that what I was saying about the section I was on. If it wasnt for the topo GPS, I'd have been much further off or maybe even just let myself go on another trail altogether... very difficult to stay on it.

What was your tire pressure?

[rmel]

We initally aired down to about 24 lbs but after we got stuck went to 18 lbs
and pulled out the waffle boards. Below 18 lbs there's risk of break the bead
which would have been no fun. I did have GPS and a track I was following
even still we went off course but by only a few hundred feet -- that's all it
took to find ourselves in deep dodo. All the sections thereafter were a piece
of cake to follow.

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

It wasn't just west of the lake, was it? I got slightly off-route there somewhere and the trail turned into sand. I came close to getting stuck within 50ft. I stopped and backed up quickly and went around the softer spot. I was thinking of how much I wanted some of these! I just need to get a roof-rack first.

That spot was just a few minutes before this one.

[rmel]

That area looks East of Mojave river crossing near Soda Lake -- no?
Where I got stuck was West of the river crossing, man was that sand
deep and devious. I didn't see one Carin in this area as a guide to stay
on trail. There were many Carin's East of the river so it was harder to go
off course. Was scary getting stuck, other than us we didn't see anyone
all day long. A winch would have been useless with no anchor points.

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

I think so. I should have put a way-point there on the GPS to make sure to avoid it next time.

Without a pull-pal, the last resort technique might be the spare-tire in a hole method. Dig down 4ft or so and anchor the cable to the wheel.

This is another interesting, sort of similar, method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv507kqSruc