Traction boards - worth hauling or forget about it?

[Patsarge]

@OP 90% of the ones I see on Jeeps,Tacomas and other "adventure" vehicles regularly are never going to do anything but get bleached in the sun mounted on the truck. Those are the same guys that have their Rotopaks mounted all the time. Totally for showing off their "build."

But like someone else said above- they're insurance. When you need them you're going to really want them.

Ive carried a HiLift for years. Just in case. Only time I ever tried to use it-- the truck was in muck too deep to get out on its own. I used it as a fulcrum with an old Allis Chalmers field tractor to haul it out. And that thing halfway tore my ARB bumper off.

If you live in the desert like we do boards make a lot of sense. Even a pull pal which is heavy and bulky is almost a required item. If you are into rockcrawling or hard rock wheeling you better have a high lift. Gmrs radio a minimum but a 2 meter radio can keep you alive. 76 years old and these are all for safety. A pistol on your hip might be good insurance too. Hopefully your items like above never get used and only get bleached. Ad a shovel, full tools, extra water, vehicle fluids and all the shackles and extensions for your winch line then spend the time to put your winchline back neatly and stressed under pull on the winch spool. If you dont have it when you need it, prepare for lots of flack when you better half is stranded.

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[Zachanadandy]

I pity the fool who has to open that door to hook up. Man thats going to be some cleaning up to do.

Climb out the window, lay on the hood to pull cable, jump to bank on passenger side. Hook up and have the wife drive out. Everyone's dry, no mud in the truck.

 

[Zsis]

I used to want a set just in case even though I had never needed them prior. Well our mailman got stuck in the snow and ice in front of our house and blocked the road after sliding sideways before getting stuck. I was coming home and couldn't get to my driveway because he was blocking the road. Tried helping him push or slide it out of the way. Not working. My wife and I own our own commercial cleaning company so I ran to the storage building on our property with all the cleaning supplies and equipment in it. Grabbed a couple black buffer pads out and put one in front of each drive wheel. Right out he came. So instead of getting the traction boards, I keep 3 or 4 buffer pads behind the back seat. They squish and take up no room. Also works well in the sand. I buried the truck in the sand on purpose just to test them. Again, the buffer pads are cheap, take up no room, and work well.

 

[sharpsicle]

Traction boards are like spare tires. You can say you'll never use them, and people will convince you that you can go without them, but when you need them you really want to have them.

Traction boards are so cheap and lightweight I don't see the disadvantage in owning a set.

 

[Gvsukids]

I pity the fool who has to open that door to hook up. Man thats going to be some cleaning up to do.

@Lexicus was able to back out.

Climb out the window, lay on the hood to pull cable, jump to bank on passenger side. Hook up and have the wife drive out. Everyone's dry, no mud in the truck.

Except for the water that leaked in through the floor.

 

[BourbonRunner]

If you live in the desert like we do boards make a lot of sense. Even a pull pal which is heavy and bulky is almost a required item. If you are into rockcrawling or hard rock wheeling you better have a high lift. Gmrs radio a minimum but a 2 meter radio can keep you alive. 76 years old and these are all for safety. A pistol on your hip might be good insurance too. Hopefully your items like above never get used and only get bleached. Ad a shovel, full tools, extra water, vehicle fluids and all the shackles and extensions for your winch line then spend the time to put your winchline back neatly and stressed under pull on the winch spool. If you dont have it when you need it, prepare for lots of flack when you better half is stranded.

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Without question and agree completely. Situationally you should always be prepared for any eventuality, especially if you're going into otherwise hostile territory.

But here in the mid-Atlantic, we don't have any deserts and most of these clowns throw all their stuff on their vehicles to look tough, and the furthest off road they'll ever go is a gravel driveway.

Personally, I kept all my recovery gear inside the bed of my truck, which was covered by a cap to avoid prying eyes and fingers out. Don't need to broadcast it... just like an IWB holster.

 

[MPMB]

I've only had to use traction boards to level the JT when camping. We also haven't done any real off-roading. Which will change now that we're in UT.

 

[sharpsicle]

Without question and agree completely. Situationally you should always be prepared for any eventuality, especially if you're going into otherwise hostile territory.

But here in the mid-Atlantic, we don't have any deserts and most of these clowns throw all their stuff on their vehicles to look tough, and the furthest off road they'll ever go is a gravel driveway.

Personally, I kept all my recovery gear inside the bed of my truck, which was covered by a cap to avoid prying eyes and fingers out. Don't need to broadcast it... just like an IWB holster.

Agree 100%. I have tons of stuff for my Jeep, from camping to off-roading to hunting and so on. But it's all modular on the bed rack, all removable and replaceable. Day-to-day it's all off the truck. I don't need the extra weight, and I'm not looking to be a driving advertisement for everything.

 

[smlobx]

I only carry my boards when I know I’m going into sand or when I’m traveling solo. If I’m with other people it easier to attach a strap and pull the Toyota guys out…?

 

[Patsarge]

Without question and agree completely. Situationally you should always be prepared for any eventuality, especially if you're going into otherwise hostile territory.

But here in the mid-Atlantic, we don't have any deserts and most of these clowns throw all their stuff on their vehicles to look tough, and the furthest off road they'll ever go is a gravel driveway.

Personally, I kept all my recovery gear inside the bed of my truck, which was covered by a cap to avoid prying eyes and fingers out. Don't need to broadcast it... just like an IWB holster.

Ditto on the gear under cover and ccw permit on sidearm.

 

[KQL]

They obviously have legitimate use scenarios. If mounted outside, the downsides are UV damage over time and potential for them to grow feet and walk away. Downsides of keeping them in the bed is the space requirement and having to put them there after use (when muddy/sandy). Depending on how your bed is configured/lined, if you use it more as a clean-ish space, that could be a real pain and there’s not going to be a hose handy.

The rest might come down to personal preference. Mine are in the bed based on my own benefit/cost analysis, but I love the look of an adventure-ready truck too. I hope you’re not letting other people’s comments dissuade you from mounting them on the outside if you were leaning that way. It wouldn’t be hurting anyone either way, but people love to offer opinions that throw shade at others’ choices. It’s like people that sneer at someone putting up Christmas lights early: no skin off their back, but feels good to drag someone else through the mud. God forbid someone should squeeze a little joy out of life with some colorful lights or sweet off road gear.

 

[MikeNC]

It remains to be seen if I'm a genius or an idiot yet. I'll let you know.

 

[Jefe1018]

Don't carry them, my expeditions don't seem to call for them as the developed campground are usually pretty nicely paved anyways.

 

[jn2275]

It remains to be seen if I'm a genius or an idiot yet. I'll let you know.

Issue I could see is if you had to use them in muddy conditions and you didn't have room in the bed to store them afterwards.

 

[Hunter#1]

For the beach, we use 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch plywood 2' x3'. They work fine, on the beach you don't need the big army one's.

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