Off Road 4x4 Recovery Board Comparison | Aren't They All Just Cheap Plastic?

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Күн бұрын

Recovery Board Comparison | Aren't They All Just Cheap Plastic?
Do you have an off road 4x4? If so, you might be wondering which recovery board is the best for you. In this video, we'll compare FieryRed recovery boards with some of the other popular brands and see if they're all just cheap plastic.
After watching this video, you'll be able to make the best decision for your off road 4x4 recovery needs. You'll know which recovery board is the best for your vehicle and which one you should avoid!
So, whats the difference between these things? Lets find out!
00:00 Intro
05:00 At The Dunes
06:00 Reverse Recovery
12:15 The Rut Climb
15:51 HiLift Surface Tension
17:53 Bridging
22:45 Final Thoughts
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Пікірлер: 71

@Iamtheoverlander 2 жыл бұрын

So I own the maxtrax extremes with the aluminum teeth and this past winter in the cold during a snow recovery, one of those boards shattered into multiple pieces. At $250 a board I was a bit tender about it. So I took the board back to maxtrax USA in Prescott Arizona and with no questions asked they gave me a new board. I don’t think anybody knows the maxtrax come with a lifetime warranty.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Yup, the warranty is a big deal and makes the extra cost even more worth it. Not sure they would warranty mine since I'm abusing them intentionally, but who knows. I'm undecided on the Extremes for the next truck build. I want to get 2 sets, and 2 sets of the Extreme are near the cost of a winch.

@remoterivermanaustralia 5 ай бұрын

Here in Australia, everyone who can afford it (and understands value for money) buys MaxTrax. Ronny Dahl has done a comprehensive comparison video between MaxTrax and the usual competitors, and the results are conclusive - buy the best, forget the rest. Cheap recovery boards are a false economy.

@IndependenceOverland 5 ай бұрын

I am with you 100% on that. Cheap stuff fails at the time you need it most. I think the only exception is a winch, since basically all of them are Chinese at this point.

@usmc6157 9 ай бұрын

Stumbled across your vid here looking for alternative traction boards to MaxTrax. Damn good vid and informative, no sugarcoating, no bullshit and no crazy ass, punishing music to have to put up with. Subbed and keep up the good work. 10/10

@IndependenceOverland 8 ай бұрын

That is a very honest and awesome comment, thank you!

@Bblindsey3572 2 ай бұрын

I recently came across your channel. Thanks for putting in the time to make this video!

@IndependenceOverland 2 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@jabeuerlein86 2 жыл бұрын

Thought I was watching Holes there for a min. Great vidya ol chap!

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks for checking it out bud! Looking forward to getting stuck in some beach sand before too long!

@crashjump1849 Жыл бұрын

Wow that was a real cliffhanger watching you take the different traction board through the pace. I can see why people pay so much more for the max tracks. Good video 👍

@IndependenceOverland Жыл бұрын

Thank you! Yeah, Maxtrax hard much more expensive but will worth the cost! Thanks for watching!

@cic-400 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video... this is awesome!

@IndependenceOverland 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for checking it out man!

@skindude9251 5 ай бұрын

Great video and comparison. I’m looking for boards for my two wheel drive Campervan as we are off to Morocco. I reckon the cheaper versions will be ok for sand but maybe I will drill holes in the boards and add metal bolts/nuts/lugs in a few strategic positions to add traction and avoid melting. Saw this done by another channel and it seemed to work well.

@jamesmcgraw4584 11 ай бұрын

I just got some good value from this. Thanks!

@IndependenceOverland 11 ай бұрын

I’m glad it helped, thank you!

@offroadaddiction2073 2 жыл бұрын

If you are on a budget and don’t go off road to extreme places cheap ones we’ll do the job for the just in case scenario. But if you like the extreme off roading Maxtrax is the way to go for any situation and durability. Great review.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! Yeah assuming they survive my winter testing, we will use them a bit in Baja here in a few months. Traveling solo a lot, I prefer having the highest quality, but having a group of people like we will in Baja it will be nice to have boards to hand off to each truck so everyone has some form of self recovery.

@offroadaddiction2073 2 жыл бұрын

@@IndependenceOverland My wife and I do a lot off road on either our SxS Can am X3, ATV’s or an 07 FJ Cruiser we use to explore and overland, currently doing upgrades to it little by little, a lot ideas for our FJ Cruiser I am getting ‘em from your channel. Hopefully in the future we have the pleasure to meet you in person and may be join your group on an adventure. Have fun in Baja and looking forward for those videos.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

@@offroadaddiction2073 likewise man! You never know who you might run into on the trail or at one of the Expos. I appreciate the support! I look forward to going on an adventure at some point!

@trevorschroeder6745 2 жыл бұрын

Can’t wait for other vid I have cheap xbull and was like pink instead of orange so got arb treads and love thos

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah my color grading on this video makes them look orange, but they are pinkish looking in person.

@livingworkingoutsidebox 2 жыл бұрын

Great job with your review and going that extra mile in creating real world scenarios. Questions; would a recovery line buried in the sand be a better option? A/b winch or tire wrap line? Great comment about plastic and flexing. You sir are a bridging mad man 🤯💥💯👍💪🤙

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Be a better option for recovery vs the traction boards? If that's what you mean, then no. Traction boards are so easy to throw down and use that its much better than dealing with a winch by far. I would say 95% of the time traction boards will do the trick. If I misunderstand your question, please clarify. I appreciate you watching!

@livingworkingoutsidebox 2 жыл бұрын

@@IndependenceOverland I have seen traction boards do the trick quickly and easily. Winches are what they are . My main question was around those new types of recovery Ropes and netting. There is one that looks like a slingshot band which is buried in the sand then used to pull the rig out. At the level of needing to burry a tire in the sand. I've seen another that wraps around the tire like a snow chain but is a poloy nylon rope material that once wraps around the dire the winding by tire spin pulls it right out. Sorry for my layman's explanation. Our Expedition camper is in design phase and we are around 15k lbs Dry weight so looking at options that would compliment or surpass recovery boards.

@GrandPapi95 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mazzy!

@vincenzodemarco7983 2 жыл бұрын

Great Review. Good Show. I'm now just a bit confused as Nothing Seems to work 100% as we would wish. Well actually I have a slight issue with the price of the MaxTrac but maybe should Shut Up as they have such a solid warranty. THX👍

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

A solid warranty is worth a lot in my opinion.

@Espinal_424 Жыл бұрын

I got the cheap amazon orange one with the hi jack center and i've gotten a lot of u-haul box trucks including 26' ones out of mud here in FL

@IndependenceOverland Жыл бұрын

If it works, it works!

@DJTheGX 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😊

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Your welcome man thanks for checking it out!

@madcratebuilder 2 жыл бұрын

Great review. I picked up 2 sets of X-Bull tracks on sale for $60 ea. I've used them in sand and snow, no plans on using as a bridge. Not spinning the tires on the board is key. If these wear out I'll replace with Max Tracs.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, spinning is a huge no-no with all the brands. Thanks for watching, Steven.

@tykenneth1 2 жыл бұрын

I stacked the x-Bull boards on top of each other to get back over a downed tree. Worked great.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

@@tykenneth1 Glad to hear it. When you need them to work, they better do their job.

@skiboot1 6 ай бұрын

Have they worn out yet?

@madcratebuilder 6 ай бұрын

@@skiboot1 Not yet, I have broken a few studs off. May try the bolt head mod.

@gwilli1754 5 ай бұрын

Anyone thought about old tires? Taking the round side walls off and then cutting the metal circle into a straight line. Then put the circle below the line and see if can get out. It may work, or not, but they would not shatter

@IndependenceOverland 4 ай бұрын

I suppose that would work fairly well, but if a tire already isnt hooking, I think having a rigid board helps a lot.

@marcusj4467 2 жыл бұрын

Great review, be great to see you test Exitrax Ultimates or there other two models. And I assume you like Maxtrax over Actiontrax?

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

If I get the chance I’ll test them all out. I’ve never used Actiontrax yet. Maybe one of these days I can get my hands on some and I will post up my results.

@michaelmatchee 2 жыл бұрын

Drill a bunch of holes thro plastics. No more suction well less for sure. Straps also help, old ratchet straps cut to length work good n cheap. Nice vids

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael. Yeah straps can get you out in a pinch. I would assume drilling holes would effect the integrity of the plastics on the boards, assuming they were designed in a proper way that it was all designed for strength. I will be posting a video soon of these same boards being used in the snow, and some cracked immediately.

@michaelmatchee 2 жыл бұрын

@@IndependenceOverland drill holes on the earth flat side even a dozen should unstuck them n should not affect strength. Lots of items made have holes or cut outs n they remain their strength. But it's only my 2 cents haha n not my boards. There is another channel that tested a few diff boards . Good to see more reviews n tests. Happy trails and safe travels everyone.

@VeryCoolJeep 2 жыл бұрын

I got an FJ for my wife and going to get her Alu Cab tent next week :) cant wait

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

You are going to LOVE the Alucab. I seriously like it more than my camper. The ease of use makes it the #1 tent in my opinion.

@VeryCoolJeep 2 жыл бұрын

@@IndependenceOverland I have Bush Company tent on my Jeep and i Love it.

@IndependenceOverland 2 жыл бұрын

@@VeryCoolJeep those look pretty sweet as well. I’ve only seen one up close and person once. They look pretty well built!

@johnarcher9480 Жыл бұрын

The “stress fractures”, where they discolor, can be quickly repaired in a few seconds with a heat gun. Once torn, then no, but discoloring is not a big deal.

@IndependenceOverland Жыл бұрын

Perhaps visually but I’m not sure if a heat gun would melt the plastic back together totally. Might be worth an experiment on my part.

@ongoingcoyote5601 9 ай бұрын

When I bought my gladiator about a month ago I ask if they could give me a discount for shit in the dealer part store and I got them to give me maxtrax and a hilift for 250

@jamestaylor9258 Жыл бұрын

Time on each board?

@IndependenceOverland Жыл бұрын

You mean how fast I got unstuck? I didn’t go that far but a good idea for next time.

@proyoutuber3406 Жыл бұрын

Same model of FIERYRED costs 20$ in my country. So I will just buy 4 of them?😂 still does the job and cheap.

@IndependenceOverland Жыл бұрын

Whatever works best for you man!

@robeveridge8329 10 ай бұрын

I feel like you coulda just drove out of all of those after you dug it out.

@IndependenceOverland 10 ай бұрын

Your feeling is incorrect, sir

@patrickdoyle6519 5 ай бұрын

My tale away is, buy the cheaper boards no matter what. Look if i can get 2 pairs for the price of one pair... Then im way ahead. Watching those cheaper boards get you out of sand and then you are pubishing them in a climb making them flex loke that? Come on dude, at least 70% of us are never going to use then in that fashion and i just think that the few times we need to use them to get out of some sand or snow are well within the cheap boards likits of usability even multiple times. And in the rare event that we need them to clear a gap or whatever... I have 2 pairs! Abuse the shit out on one pair and use the other pair for general use. I have lived by "you get what you pay for" but sometimes common sense needs to prevail, especially when a market is flooded with a bunch of newbie consumers eager to spend cash on the top gear. Anyone following the mountain biking scene since 2020 and covid-19 should know and understand this.

@IndependenceOverland 5 ай бұрын

Common sense isn’t part of it, that’s kind of asshole way to word that. In the second video I did on these in the snow, the black ones shattered pretty much right away. The pink ones got so stiff that they basically no longer functioned because the knobs aren’t good enough to really hook a tire when they are cold. If I take a cheap set down to Mexico/Arkansas/ PNW on a 2 week trip and they break, I am instantly at a disadvantage if I planned to get remote. One of my tools is now gone. Actually using them to bridge a gap isn’t common, but if your in a mud pit and stuck them under a front tire trying to to climb out of something, you have a rounded hole with a flat board. Your putting forward force on the center of the board, similar to bridging it. If they can’t hold up to bending then it’s a problem for more than just a bridge. If your someone who bolts them to the roof rack so the neighbors think your cool and you camp 3x a year, the cheap ones might be perfect for you. For those that actually find themselves in squirrelly circumstances fairly often, I recommend the Maxtrax.

@patrickdoyle6519 5 ай бұрын

@@IndependenceOverland hey sorry if you felt like I was taking a shot at you personally. I don't have the experience required to go toe to toe with you on this. I will say this though, at $60 for a pair (I think that's what you said, I'm not going to go back to get the exact quote) but maybe you can spend double that, get much better quality and still buy a second pair for the same or close to the same as the max trax... I rarely, if ever buy the cheapest. Most of the time I buy the best that I can afford. And seeing as how these are plastic and they're just never going to be a 1 time buy, especially if, like you just said, not just a weekend camper 3x a year.. Also, if you're not the weekend camper you are almost certainly going to have additional means of recovery. I don't know man, feels like common sense to me. 1 is none, 2 is one.