MaxTrax recovery boards mounting

Just ordered 2 sets of MaxTrax recovery boards - https://us.maxtrax.com.au/products/

Wondering now what the most functional place to mount them is.

Mounted on top, sand & mud gets all over rig after using them and a ladder is needed to get to them.Cant see where that would be a good thing in thick sand or mud.

Mounted on the back allows for easier theft but is easiet to get to.

Mounted on the side or anywhere else creates wind drag.

Where do you guys think is the best place? What method would be best to secure them?

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On top. Its not they get used all that often. Only used them in snow so far so haven't had to deal with mud and or sand.

I have a rear mounted spare and use it to mount my MaxTrax and lock them with a cable lock.

Here is a couple of u-tube how to's. The second one shows some mounting tips.

One of the slickest setups I've seen was a member who mounted them under the bed overhang above the cab. Here is how I had them on my Silverado. Its half a Yakima Megawarrior basket. Also has a shovel and axe. Haven't tried this on my F250 yet. If my camper had a rack on top thats where they'd go.

I roofed mine on my FWC. Didn't need them, but I agree that it would be a major PITA to get them down, I do carry a very thin folding ladder.
Curious, is the drag much different if they are mounted on the side vs roof? I am considering using some 80/20 aluminum slotted track between the forward and rear jack stand mounts to hold the tracks.

I mounted mine with straps on the rear of my camper. I don’t bring them along on every trip so this works for me. There are more slick mounting options that people have done but I have an aversion to drilling into my camper or other more intrusive mods. Adding Yakima towers and bars added an expense I felt I could not justify.

I just use the straps to basically keeps the Maxtrax snugged up against the camper. I cut a yoga mat to go between the MaxTrax and the camper so I don’t scratch the camper and it also seems to prevent any movement. I don’t cinch the straps down too tight so as not to put too much stress on the grab handle one of the straps attach to. I also put a cable lock on them to deter theft but like with anything, a determined thief with some bolt cutters would foil my efforts.

I’ve had them on the truck for around 5,000 miles with no problems so far.

They seem kinda pricey at $299.99 or is that AUS dollars? Do you get a pair of them for that price or just one?

There are very similar and much cheaper options available:
https://www.amazon.com/Escaper-Traction-Off-Road-Extraction-20333/dp/B00AV2HONS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1514044053&sr=8-3&keywords=recovery%2Bboards&th=1

or even less:

https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Emergency-Trapped-Recovery-Extraction/dp/B073FB9TX2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1514044053&sr=8-6&keywords=recovery+boards

I have some of these mounted across the back of my flatbed between the jack brackets - but if I had a slide in and the space I would mount them under the cab over as someone else suggested.

That's for a pair, Dano.

I haven't made up my mind but I'm leaning toward fabricating a custom mount and mounting them dead center on my spare tire .... if I can ever get a bumper with a rear swing out tire mount fabbed. My tires are pretty damn big so there would only be about 6" of Maxtrax above and below the spare.

If you haven't got a swing out carrier fabbed yet then I would consider mounting them on the backside of the swing out. Locking the swing out would help deter theft also. Ron

nikonron said:

If you haven't got a swing out carrier fabbed yet then I would consider mounting them on the backside of the swing out. Locking the swing out would help deter theft also. Ron

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Excellent suggestion!

Bombsight said:

That's for a pair, Dano.

I haven't made up my mind but I'm leaning toward fabricating a custom mount and mounting them dead center on my spare tire .... if I can ever get a bumper with a rear swing out tire mount fabbed. My tires are pretty damn big so there would only be about 6" of Maxtrax above and below the spare.

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MaxTrax makes a spare tire mount that straps around the spare. That and a cable lock is what I use.

rando said:

There are very similar and much cheaper options available:
https://www.amazon.com/Escaper-Traction-Off-Road-Extraction-20333/dp/B00AV2HONS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1514044053&sr=8-3&keywords=recovery%2Bboards&th=1

or even less:

https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Emergency-Trapped-Recovery-Extraction/dp/B073FB9TX2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1514044053&sr=8-6&keywords=recovery+boards

I have some of these mounted across the back of my flatbed between the jack brackets - but if I had a slide in and the space I would mount them under the cab over as someone else suggested.

Click to expand...

I have the Maxsa, 32F and they flexed well, I have heard that some of the imitations will crack, so far so good on these. They seem softer and bend well. I have used them a few times on rocks, dirt and sand. So far so good.

Josh41 said:

I have the Maxsa, 32F and they flexed well, I have heard that some of the imitations will crack, so far so good on these. They seem softer and bend well. I have used them a few times on rocks, dirt and sand. So far so good.

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Good to know. The originals are very pricey!