One point we noted was that most devices needed the board or matt to be placed at least partially under the tyres to enable the initial recovery process. We also ensured the Cruiser was bogged to a similar depth each time, checking that the diffs and chassis rails were not bottomed out. This gave the tyres the best chance of gripping the boards. Tyre pressures were set at 20psi, front and rear lockers were engaged to provide constant drive to all wheels. We set the whole show up on a soft uphill track that exits the main beach, which is often the most difficult place to drive. Any slight variances experienced would make bugger-all difference in real-life recovery situations. This was to help show which device delivered superior traction to allow self recovery with a minimum of fuss. We undertook considerable effort to ensure the Land Cruiser was bogged and placed in a similar position for each recovery device, plus we always used first-gear low range to idle onto or up each device to minimise wheel spin and momentum. If you can’t pull it out by hand, use your 4x4 to pull them out and save yourself from the hard work of digging them up. Oh, and one last tip – tie a length of rope or a strap to the end of each track to help find and remove them from the sand, water, mud or snow. With a little hard work, a cool head and a light right boot, you should be able to extract yourself from most boggings by yourself. So, low range and a gentle throttle is the go. Doing so will damage some of the products and/or render them a little useless. A point to note about all these products is that you should avoid wheel spin while trying to drive up/on/over them. A bit of hard work prior to any attempt at driving out of the bog will help the situation, so start digging first. One piece of equipment that should be carried and used prior to any of these traction aids (on sand) is the shovel. ![]() To take it further, some of these aids can double as tent door mats, whereas others would be downright uncomfortable to stand on and would cause pain if used as an impromptu seat – you’ve been warned! Some can be easily stored under your vehicle’s seats, while others (due to their physical size) are relegated to the roof racks for storage. ![]() Some aids are great in just sand, some benefit in the rocks, while others can be used as bridging ladders. We filmed each to show exactly how they work, so head on over to the Recovery boards beach test to see the action. We recently rounded up all the various types of traction aids on the market and hit the sand to see how each performed. ![]() That’s where traction aids (sand tracks, bog mats, traction ladders, bridging ladders, or whatever you want to call them) can come in handy.īasically, once a 4x4 becomes stuck, shoving something under the wheels to give them traction is how these devices work you’re introducing a firmer surface for your 4x4 to drive on to (hopefully) free yourself. Sure, winches are great, but there are times when they can’t be used. Getting ‘unstuck’ from a bog hole, sand trap or from being bellied out in the rocks is an art.
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