Should you buy these $80 BUDGET Traction boards?

Рет қаралды 41,286

Күн бұрын

Bunker Traction Boards from Vicoffroad seem to be some pretty quality boards and for almost 1/3 of the price of the big brands. Are they any good, or do the big brands just mark up the price because they can? I test the durability of these traction boards in a series of tests to see how they hold up. I will be making these my new boards and as we go into winter I'm sure I'll be using them a lot more!
Traction Boards HERE : bit.ly/2VMzBN3
Farm Jack HERE : bit.ly/3nCngGT
Vic Offroad WEBSITE : vicoffroad.com/
Traction Board Farm Jack Combo : bit.ly/399RBnG
Sir William Goes video from the clip: bit.ly/3luSKft
How to use a farm jack : • Operating a Hi-Lift Jack
#offroadrecovery #tractionboards #maxtrax

Пікірлер: 85

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Hey guys here’s a link to the Traction Boards: bit.ly/39lNSU7 The Farm Jack: bit.ly/3ArFONH

@jwat2396 2 жыл бұрын

In AZ the "fading" is the start of braking down the plastic. If things are left in the AZ sun to long there isn't many things that can deal with that. It's good to see that they handle sun damage pretty well.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah we get pretty decent amounts of sun out here in Colorado but I think you guys have us beat by a lot. I had mine for about 3 months so not long enough for sun damage to really kick in. Daniel from @afrooverlander ha had his a lot longer and it looks a lot like mine. I’d love to see what they look like in a few years time.

@jwat2396 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT I would too. But even if they work one time they'd be worth the money compared to having to pay someone to come out with equipment to get your vehicle unstuck. Or worse losing your vehicle to vandals because you had to leave it for a month trying to work out some way to get it out.

@Ninjalisha 2 жыл бұрын

Nice demonstrations. Not gonna lie the jumping on it looked fun. hah

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

It was fun tbh. Almost as fun as a trampoline.

@Patriotalliance 2 жыл бұрын

Appreciate your post. I was considering buying a set of the mx trx. I'll take a closer look at these.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah check out some more info and check around Instagram. They fit a lot of the same mounts that other boards fit with but like most boards under $300 they don’t fit the maxtrax specific locking pins.

@trailrunnah8886 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like a good option, I like how flat they stack. Maybe do an update once you get some snow, to see how they actually work for getting unstuck?

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I’m going to be doing a ton of winter camping and I’m sure I’ll be needing them. I’ll try to do some follow ups. I plan on going back to filming trail/camping videos this winter so I’ll update.

@trailrunnah8886 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT sounds good! I think I'll probably pick up a set anyway, the price is good and I really like how low they stack. I was going to order X-Bull soon, but I think I'll give these a shot instead. I checked the site and they have a lifetime warranty, that's impressive.

@SLickev92 2 жыл бұрын

@@trailrunnah8886 I didn’t see a lifetime warranty on the site . I saw one year

@trailrunnah8886 2 жыл бұрын

@@SLickev92 I could have sworn I saw that, but I could be wrong. Or maybe they changed it. Even a year warranty is pretty good on something like this. Honestly for this price, if it gets you unstuck once or twice it's worth the money.

@Cowicide 8 ай бұрын

@@OXFOOT how did they do in snow?

@tpseeker3367 2 жыл бұрын

Nice to see how much they Flex instead of cracking & Breaking apart. Would like to see a Winter test of all your gear wince it's coming around the corner (I HOPE).

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

I have a whole winter haul coming up. Winter camping is my favorite time of year. I have a video dedicated to winter gear but I will be testing my gear as I camp this winter.

@tpseeker3367 2 жыл бұрын

Love winter camping as well @@OXFOOT. We can Always bundle up to stay warm & hate trying to go to bed all sweaty when it's over 85 even with a fan. Keep up the great work.

@livingworkingoutsidebox 2 жыл бұрын

What a great option 👏 thanks

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

No problem. I think they are really great and at an actual feasible price.

@AntphanyL 2 жыл бұрын

Not sure if this was mentioned, when using a farm jack near your door I recommend opening the door so the handle doesn't smash into your door if an accident occurs.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I think that’s a smart idea. I almost had it hit my door filming this shot which is why I didn’t lift it up all the way. I’m fairly new to farm jacks so I tried to point out a good safety video in the description and mention it in the video. I really like the one I have but I really need to get 100% comfortable with it before I really show me doing too much more with it.

@swidahooverlanding2867 2 жыл бұрын

I bought the even cheaper set for $45.00 off ebay. Got me out of a sticky situation first time out with them. Well worth the $45.00 even if they did break, which they didn't. Thanks for the video! George.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

We’re they the roll tracks? I hadn’t seen any at that price point before.

@swidahooverlanding2867 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT No. X-Bull gen 2. I just checked they are now $59.90 free ship on ebay. Gone up from when I purchased earlier this year. I bought two sets for $89.98 last January.

@amorton94 2 жыл бұрын

I wish I would have saw this months ago, before I bought my Xbulls. Those things stack sooo much nicer for about the same price.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

The XBulls are nice. I like them, but yeah they just stack down pretty poorly. You can always sell those on marketplace. I see them for sale here in Denver a lot. But like I said they are fine other than the stacking.

@TheChris1500 10 ай бұрын

i have been looking for some, was wondering if had any experience with them in freezing temps, cause i hear that's when cheaper brands tend to brake. i am almost sold on these but would like to hear something about that before buying. reason I'm not buying the higher brands cause i don't wheel in crazy places just mild trails and probably won't ever get used but i like that extra insurance if ever needed.

@kineticenergy1085 5 ай бұрын

Sheeeeit, I paid $75 for a set of Reindeer brand. Haven’t had to use them yet but they have all the knobbies and shovel grooves the $300+ ones do

@OXFOOT 5 ай бұрын

Hm I haven’t heard of that brand. I’ll check it out, thanks

@SoufGPZ 2 жыл бұрын

Good fair review. Just one point for the farm jack use - NEVER put anything on the edge. Shove it as much as possible towards the base of the lifting arm (unless it’s an emergency and there’s nothing else you can do). If that thing slides of it’ll shoot all the stored energy towards the release direction which can be extremely dangerous. I will sacrifice the vehicle body before I take that risk.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I only pushed it up a tad for this video. I wasn’t willing to risk my 4Runner for a video but someone mentioned what I should have done was open the door and jack that way and I tend to agree. If I was needing to do it while offroading I would push it all the way on the sliders and probably open the door like someone else suggested.

@mgysgtk8835 10 ай бұрын

I agree. Bunker plenty fine. Besides, you can buy 3 sets, for the price of the Max for one $300.00 set.

@roryreid3124 10 ай бұрын

Them farm jacks can really ring your bell if you're not careful fortunately i grew up on a farm and i made my mistakes early on in life lol

@jojoveggies 2 жыл бұрын

Do these come with mounting hardware? Or what's the best way you mount it? I'm looking for t-slot mounts

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

I've owned three different brands and none of them came with mounting hardware, I wish they did but it's really rack specific. They should be able to mount with many of the universal mounts that other brands fit with. They do not work with maxtrax locking pins, I tried because I used to have maxtrax and used their mounting pins before. I also have a front runner mount laying around and the ones that come with that can be made to fit. Depending on what rack you have you might check and see what mounting options they have.

@edwardkopper8625 2 жыл бұрын

I just bought a 2015 SR5 4Runner 4wd. It came with nice 'running boards and a 'push bar' (for lack of a better term). I really want to do a mild lift or leveling kit with nicer tires / wheels.. I know you probably get this question a lot. I'm new to the channel and have only owned the 'runner for 5 days. Do you have any recommendation of lift kits, and wheel tires that are mildly aggressive? I won't be off road that often at all, but I like the beefier look. I have about $5k budget. Thanks in advance and again, my apologies if this is too elementary of a question. Love the channel. Thank you for it.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

I would say see if you can’t find an old man emu lift “OME” and just go with that. You can do basically anything with that but it’s in the low end of lift prices, but it’s also very trusted in the land cruiser community. As far as tires, I’d either go with falcon wild peak or the BFG K02s if you want really good road performance. If you want a mud terrain check out the klever kenda (my buddy @Coloradomallcrawlers has a review on them.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

That lift and tire combo would be on the low end. If you have 5k to spend give or take you could go with a dobinsons lift also, swap the UCAs for SPCs slap for a nice adjustability for alignment. I’d still stick to those suggestions for tires. There’s a ton of good brands out there though. If your lifting it and want a really aggressive look go with 295/70/17s. Might require a body mount chop though.

@edwardkopper8625 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT Thank you!! Great info!

@ricdonato4328 8 ай бұрын

Very good explanation for those traction boards. Lately I have been looking to purchase some, however I am not willing to pay $300-$400. Suggestion, turn off the background music. It is beyond me why KZfaq content creators think playing background music over their voice is somehow enhancing their videos, it is not, it is distracting. We came to hear you, not to fight background music which quickly becomes extremely annoying and intrusive. Many folks have hearing difficulties, thus while concentrating on your voice they must also concentrate on tuning out the music; frustrating. Your background music ruins an otherwise exceptionally good presentation.

@billredding2000 2 жыл бұрын

My recovery/traction boards are ARB TRED Pro (the dark gray ones with orange "teeth")...didn't mind spending $300 on them. ;-) -- BR

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I really like those, for sure. I’m sure they’d last a long time.

@billredding2000 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT I hope so...but one guy on KZfaq used them in the Winter in the snow (don't know what the temp was but TRED Pro boards are only good down to 5F or above -- especially important to know here in CO), laid them at about 45 degrees with almost no support under them (didn't deploy them correctly), drove forward onto the boards and broke them in half. Then said ARB boards were crap. No, HE was. ;-) Happy Trails, -- BR

@GuerillahFU 2 жыл бұрын

Are these compatible with maxtrax mounts (I.e., are the mounting holes in the same spot)?

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

No, as far as I know the o Lu ones that fit those mounts are the action tracks and the max trax because it’s not a circle hole. I do believe that there is a budget mini offbrand one that Vic offroad carries but if you want to use those locks you have to pay a lot more, or drill into the boards.

@somethingawesome9547 2 жыл бұрын

So the Bunker Indust boards are great for the price. However, if you are intending to use them as a ramp or a bridge, 2 stacked X-Bulls are probably better than 2 stacked Bunker Indust. The issue with the Bunker Indust boards is that they are not cupped the way typical boards are (be it X-Bull, Maxtrax, or Actiontrax). However, they will probably grip to the mud or snow better because they are not cupped. Perhaps it is less likely that the Bunker Industs will slide out. I personally do not mind how the X-Bulls stack. They go on the roof, driver side. On the passenger side I have a Roam 83L which sits about 8.2 inches high.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

That is true. They work as a bridge but the more sturdy stuff probably works better in that instance. I didn’t hate my XBull boards, I still reccomend them to any one asking about them, I just personally liked these a little better for my situations. I more often than not need boards for snow rather than making a bridge.

@somethingawesome9547 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT Yes, the Bunker Industs will probably grip better in snow AND mud when not used as a bridge.

@rodx5571 Жыл бұрын

My concern is how they work for self recovery on fine beach sand. I live in Texas and i really like doing the 70 mile federal beach that runs down to Port Mansfield. Once you are on the beach civilization ends in 5 miles. Naked old fat guy surf fishing for 2 or 3 more miles and then nothing but sand and ocean for the remaining 60 or so miles.

@tylernelson2288 2 жыл бұрын

Hey I'm just getting started and I want to get some decent recovery gear without spending a crazy amount of money. Any recommendations?

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Depends on how far you want to go with it, like as far as getting a winch and all that. If you just want a basic recovery kit, I’ll list some stuff below.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

amzn.to/3aMpDiv (soft shackle) Or amzn.to/3BULHUi (hard shackle) amzn.to/2Z6aRkz (towing strap) amzn.to/3aLnRhT (snatch strap) amzn.to/2XpbwNh (hitch recovery) amzn.to/2Xm6ktk (if you are tight on space) Or amzn.to/3DRJ6ed (regular boards)

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Do you have bumpers/sliders?

@tylernelson2288 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT I don't I just have xp predator side steps from toyota

@trevorsgaragemusings 2 жыл бұрын

Your links to Vic's are returning 404 errors and now you can only buy the boards with the jack, pushing the price point up. :(

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting me know. I put the links up a long time ago. Still like the boards but not sure what’s going on with the links.

@GIGrandpa 6 ай бұрын

Why were you testing them doubled instead of as a single board?

@OXFOOT 6 ай бұрын

Why would you only use one when you have two?

@GIGrandpa 6 ай бұрын

@OXFOOT don't know, I never needed to double up my MaxTrax and I carry four, one for each wheel

@OXFOOT 6 ай бұрын

@@GIGrandpa yeah if all 4 tires were stuck I would go for the winch. I usually use two or three on the one or two tires that are stuck at worst case. Typically 1 or 3 wheels won’t be stuck in most recovery situations. If I was stuck with 1 tire I’d generally create a path and put two under that one. If 3 or more were stuck I would use a winch most likely.

@GIGrandpa 6 ай бұрын

@OXFOOT good point, but you don't always have a good winch anchor and the two times I need all four, one on each wheel, I was in deep sand and it was easier then digging a hole to create one 😉

@TalesoftheScales 9 ай бұрын

Dude the same company in china probably manufactures both they just package them in at Australia same thing for the American brand one but Potato potAto

@justintorres08 2 жыл бұрын

Who was wincing waiting for the farm jack to slip and carve a hole in the door. Only asking as person who has done that. Lol whoops

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah if I was really going to jack in an emergency I would open the door when doing it. I’ve seen that very thing happen before. Ruining a door to try to fix a tire.

@rickanator65 2 жыл бұрын

So is it 70 or 84 dollars??

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

I swear it was 70 when I first uploaded it. Just looked. Must have gone up!

@marceld6061 2 жыл бұрын

So really they cost $170 each! ( You show them doubled up for every test.... 🤦🏼‍♂️) They look so flexible I doubt they would hold up when used individually.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

No they should be $80 for both. Has inflation hit them that bad since I released this video??! Individually they are a bit flexible but would work to get out out of a situation. I usually double them up though.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

These are them. amzn.to/3L4W9Mt they are still $84 for two traction boards.

@marceld6061 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT I misunderstood when you said how much they cost. $84 is a pretty good deal but they still seem a little too flexible to me. But, I am not an expert either.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

@@marceld6061 I’ve had a few budget ones and these are the most flexible but also the longest I’ve had any without them breaking/cracking or even doing that thing where the color gets lighter in spots where it bent. But yeah they are more flexible for sure.

@usmcdoc2512 2 жыл бұрын

American made?

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

I very much doubt it. Vic offroad is an Australian company they likely get it from China. I have some American made stuff coming soon, even some veteran owned. Smaller channels usually don’t get the American stuff but I’ll try to make it known if it’s US made in the future.

@usmcdoc2512 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT oh hell yeah, I will definitely buy from a Vet business! Let me know cuz I need some. I'm up in NorCal in the mts and finally got stuck in the snow. 4wd didn't get me out. Had a another truck pull me off a berm that kept my rear wheels off the ground.

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

@@usmcdoc2512 oh man sorry I meant that I had some products that were vet owned coming soon not necessarily traction boards… I will however hunt down some American made ones, there has to be some out there. They are going to be a bit more but I’ll see if I can find some. Got a lot of people that would want to buy American and especially vet owned.

@usmcdoc2512 2 жыл бұрын

@@OXFOOT life's an adventure, sometimes being stuck is just taking a break.

@mauriciorobles5132 8 ай бұрын

It’s funny how 80$ worth of plastic is considered budget. Or them just tRNA make it seem cheap

@OXFOOT 8 ай бұрын

Yeah I’d prefer it be way cheaper but hadn’t seen much out there

@Sayfeijai 2 жыл бұрын

Just put the damn board in the garage for daily driving and put it on while heading out wheeling. It’s not like y’all going off road everyday 🤦‍♂️ fading issue solved

@OXFOOT 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah during the summer I won’t run it all the time but in the winter here I’ll run it from November until March due to the nature of where I live. But yeah you don’t always need it.