The Case For/Against Recovery Boards

[Paulyester]

I see recovery boards on every vehicle offroad, and thousands of vehicles that I know will never see a dirt road, and for those reasons I already don't like them. The second reason is I love watching all the recovery channels on YouTube, and I never ever see them help someone get unstuck.

But... am I not seeing tons of people that don't need a recovery because the recovery boards did work? What's your consensus everyone, are they a useful piece of equipment? Have you every used your recovery boards?

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[wildtaco]

I bought mine because I like driving on beach. One of the requirements at my local beach is to have a jack base and shovel, which the traction boards are sufficient for. I went with cheap amazon boards and just keep them in my bed.

 

[kilroy173]

I don’t own any and have never been in a situation that I felt I would need them in my 15+ years of off-roading. That said, if I didn’t have a winch and I was off-roading alone then they would probably be worth having just in case.

 

[DarthAWM]

I personally haven't bought any yet because they are cumbersome piece of kit. They probably wont help if you are seriously stuck but could be helpful if you are just off solid trail and lack 4x4, lockers or LSD. Many I've seen have touted them as great for leveling trucks at camp or bridging gaps while crawling.

 

[ShrimpHappens]

The second reason is I love watching all the recovery channels on YouTube, and I never ever see them help someone get unstuck.

If it's bad enough Matt or Rory is called in, it's probably beyond what a traction board can help with.

 

[Paulyester]

I personally haven't bought any yet because they are cumbersome piece of kit. They probably wont help if you are seriously stuck but could be helpful if you are just off solid trail and lack 4x4, lockers or LSD. Many I've seen have touted them as great for leveling trucks at camp or bridging gaps while crawling.

I don't have a winch so I have thought that maybe it's cheap insurance to have

 

[AmishMike]

They are a MUST for sand, you never know when you will hit a soft spot and sink a tire. They key is immediately stopping and grabbing boards not burying all 4 tires. Which can still be saved .....with 4 boards.
Yes, they can be used for bridging but also do not stick to rocks. They simply slide out so you have to use them like a glorified piece of wood.
They seem to really help 'the other guy'. I mean if you are helping get somebody out then they make a big difference under their tires. Realize that they will probably burn the nubs off of them leaving them smooth. The key to boards is zero tire spin, they are hard plastic.
I carry 4 because I am on the beach a lot and have watched the tide come in over the hoods of trucks stuck in soft sand. On the trail, I have had limited success with them. I did manage to bridge/raise the one side of a trail that allowed me to lean the other way, avoiding body damage from a protruding rock otherwise. (I saw other Jeeps have people hanging off the side to accomplish the same non-damage.)
They are easier to stack (sometimes) than rocks to help with approach/departure angles, but again can slide around. It is a good idea to attach a leash to them, the will shoot under the snow, or take off into the woods with some wheel speed.
They are strong, lightweight, make decent shovels, jack stands etc. but are also limited in their use. Great tool to have, but it takes some getting used to them too.
(Without a winch, a good old fashioned come-a-long is a good thing to have.)

 

[Camaroboi13]

I don’t have them, but our last Jeep run I got my rear diff stuck on a rock. Couldn’t go forward or backward without digging the dirt out from underneath the tires. Used two traction boards from a fellow Jeeper to gain enough momentum to slip off the rock. It took about 10 minutes of small back and forth movements to get unstuck. Could we have winched out? Absolutely. But then I would be dragging even worse on that rock. The boards helped lift me up and over the rock so I was able to reposition myself and make a better line. Since then I have purchased my own boards.

 

[Rusty PW]

I've used them in the past. They do work. Winching out of a mud hole. Used them to get out of the ruts.

 

[Great Offender]

I often drive the beach here alone so I always have 2 boards and a shovel in the bed but I have never taken them out. Really soft sand when you get away from civilization and there is nothing to winch to so they are almost worthless. Good to have kinetic recovery rope too but that's only going to work "if" you find someone out there and hope they are willing to assist.

 

[Jobofly]

I am doing my first over landing trip this coming weekend and ordered a set. I don’t have a winch and figured those and a snatch strap are good to carry with me.

 

[Camaroboi13]

I am doing my first over landing trip this coming weekend and ordered a set. I don’t have a winch and figured those and a snatch strap are good to carry with me.

Good thinking. They say the cheaper recovery boards are only good for a few applications until they fall apart. I’m hoping to not use mine more than a few times, so that should work out perfect.

 

[Steven_B]

I throw them on the Jeep when going out on trips where I know they could be helpful to other people. In most cases, it's much easier to grab the boards to help someone out of the sand versus hooking up a strap or winching someone out.

They live mostly in the garage (not displaying on my Jeep) and come in handy when we get the occasional 1" of snow and someone has issues on our street. Again way faster to grab them than warming up the diesel and hooking up to another vehicle just so they can make the slightly uphill, stop sign-controlled corner.

 

[RHugg01]

I bought mine because I like driving on beach. One of the requirements at my local beach is to have a jack base and shovel, which the traction boards are sufficient for. I went with cheap amazon boards and just keep them in my bed.

I found something I like but have not yet had to use yet. It's called Bogout (bogout.com). it uses it to drape over one of your wheels and uses the wheel to "winch" yourself out. of course if you are on a beach with nothing to tie onto it wouldn't work. I did hear of something that might work as a recovery point but I don't know how well it would work. That was to use your spare tire and hook your winch to it and bury it 3-4 feet deep in the sand. A lot of work but if there is no help in sight....

 

[wildtaco]

I found something I like but have not yet had to use yet. It's called Bogout (bogout.com). it uses it to drape over one of your wheels and uses the wheel to "winch" yourself out. of course if you are on a beach with nothing to tie onto it wouldn't work. I did hear of something that might work as a recovery point but I don't know how well it would work. That was to use your spare tire and hook your winch to it and bury it 3-4 feet deep in the sand. A lot of work but if there is no help in sight....

I have a winch so burying the spare could work in a pinch. I have the traction boards mostly for when I need to change a flat. Its a great jack base.

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