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Recovery boards are one of the most convenient and effective forms of vehicle recovery as their uses go far beyond recovering a vehicle from sand.
In today’s article we go over the situations in which recovery boards will prove useful.
Sand, Snow, and Mud
These are the three obvious ones as the main reason these boards were made was to provide traction on slippery surfaces. Whenever you get bogged on the beach, in mud or snow place the recovery boards in front or behind your wheels, and off you go.
Uses for Recovery Boards: As a Ramp
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When approaching an obstacle on which you know your approach angle isn’t enough and therefore, your bumper is going to hit use the recovery boards to build a ramp to drive onto and over the obstacle.
As a Bridge
Traction boards can be used as small bridges over deep ruts or even sections of a wooden bridge that are missing. Keep in mind that you will need to stack at least 3 on top of each other to stop them from flexing too much.
Learn More:
- 10 Recovery and Safety Items You Need When Overlanding
- Winching vs Snatching – Why You Might Not Need a Winch
Uses for Recovery Boards: Additional Traction on Steep and Slick Hills
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If a hill is too slick to drive, grab your traction boards and place them on the exact spot you get stuck. This will give the vehicle the grip it needs to drive past that section.
Track Building
Similarly to the bridge and ramp, traction boards can be used on sections of track that are too difficult to drive due to big rocks, ruts, and holes. Simply place the boards on the obstacles you cannot drive over – this will make the drive far easier.
Uses for Recovery Boards: Winch Assist
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Imagine you are on an off-cambered muddy road and are sliding into the rut, your only option here is to winch out of it but your rear wheels keep on falling in again. Place the traction boards under the rear wheels to give them the traction needed to stop falling into the rut or get out of the rut completely.
Lifting a 4WD
If you have broken down and need a bit of extra space under the truck to work on it, stack 3-4 boards on top of each other and drive on them. This will give you some additional high to comfortably work on your 4WD.
Uses for Recovery Boards: As a Shovel
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Traction boards don’t work that great as shovels, but in a pinch, they will do the job. Always remember the shovel though – it can be very useful.
Keep in mind that all the points mentioned above are meant for the more expensive traction board brands such as Maxtrax. The cheaper brands will break as soon as they get the slightest bit of weight on them; therefore, use the good ones!