TRED vs Maxtrax

I use offcuts of FRP grating. The ability to safely make a bridge is way more useful to me than just being able to get some traction in sand / mud (which these also work great for)

This video shows what I am talking about.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNAcPhBn1xI"]GoPro HD Gratemates Ford Territory 4X4 - YouTube[/ame]

I have mine bolted down to my crossbars on the roof. They make an excellent rack which doubles as a recovery device in the rare case I need it.
 
+1 for frp (that fibreglass grating/flooring stuff) used it before works great. But personally I used to just carry a couple planks of planks of laminated white oak board offcuts from a tabletop (don't used tas oak/vic ash stuffs has not tensile strength). And a shovel.

I did see an episode of 4wdtv were they used treds as a bridging device for a convoy, not the designed purpose but does work. I looked at buying some at sca when they were on sale, only downside i could see was they dont stack as flat as the maxtraxs
 
NachaLuva said:
Tie hi-vis rope to the end so even if they sink in deep mud you'll still be able to find them lol :iconwink:
Click to expand...
I do have some high-vis rope of a couple of sizes in the kit (mainly for trailer tie-downs) so that's easy. However, TRED actually have their own leashes (scroll down to the accessories on this page) with floating handles, and when you buy a pair of TREDs you get a voucher: email them the code, a copy of your receipt, and your contact details and they'll send you a pair of leashes for nix.

So anyway, I went ahead and got a pair of 800mm TREDs. They fit neatly up against the back of the rear seats, and weigh ~2.1 kg each. TRED do have ~$40 bags to house each pair (keeping the mud/etc inside) but SuperCheap only has the bag to suit the 1100mm TREDs so I'll either track down one from elsewhere or just use one of the small tarps from the kit (although a bag would be neater in the long term).
 
Here is mine:

2010012702326777_200x146.jpg


Good review on all alternatives here..

https://www.toughtoys.com.au/4wd-recovery/sand-tracks-sand-ladders-and-maxtrax-alternatives/

:biggrin:
 
Thinking of buying some 800mm tred's in the coming weeks. Have seen them in shops, they look alright, and the reviews seem pretty good too. It's either them or a roofrack, and I'm thinking these might be more valuable!

I have seen many vids using maxtrax over and over again and they seem very durable but the price puts me off, hence why I am thinking of these things.

Have you had a chance to use yours yet Athos?
 
Not yet, no. Will be off down around the Otways next week so who knows... :)
They're in their bag strapped up against the back of the rear seats for now.
 
Well hurry up and get bogged!!:ebiggrin:

Handy they fit up against the back seats so well.
 
After a week photographing around the Otway Ranges, obviously I wasn't trying hard enough. Roxsie just keeps walking out of stuff I expect might get her bogged! :)
On the one day I had another vehicle out there with me (at the end of the trip) and I was thinking I should get really silly, the forest floor had dried up!

The "free" TRED-branded retrieval straps are apparently still in the mail, but i the meantime I just cut some orange light poly rope and spliced a length of it into one of the holes at the end of each TRED. Probably the first time I'd done an eye-splice since I was a Sprout...
 
Athos said:
After a week photographing around the Otway Ranges, obviously I wasn't trying hard enough. Roxsie just keeps walking out of stuff I expect might get her bogged! :)
Click to expand...

Good to hear she's so capable :biggrin:

What are you doing with the VDC when in slippery conditions? Do you turn off the TC?
 
Always good to hear!

On a better note, did you get any good photos?
 
Sweet! From the looks of those car photos, looks like a pretty awesome place to shoot!
 
So, Expedition Portal tells me that the TRED is no good as a bridging device...not strong enough...did the job for a 4,000 lb Pathfinder but was done afterwards...so not total failure, exactly, but still...

Hm...105 for a very good traction device that is easy to carry and that can be used in emergency as a ramp over supporting rocks (allowing better traction, track) vs 230 for a great bridging device that would be less useful for traction, can hit the vehicle's rocker panel badly (I suppose) and is a pain (comparatively) to carry around...
 
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t4xMdc1DYQ"]4wd TV Episode 345 - YouTube[/ame]

might be worth a quick look, 4wd tv using treds as a bridging device, starts @ 11.25min
 
idw said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t4xMdc1DYQ

might be worth a quick look, 4wd tv using treds as a bridging device, starts @ 11.25min
Click to expand...

Many thanks, idw, very helpful.

So, I did purchase a set. I had planned no purchases till summer but 105$ looks like a fire-sale and there is speculation on Expedition Portal that the US distributor is going out of business...so I went on and got them. Of course, for any somewhat reliable bridging two sets would be necessary but...rocks or firewood will have to do.
 
We always track build. I've only ever had to use traction devices a few times in clay. Sounds like you got a bargain! :monkeydance:
 
Good point about clay; it can be very treacherous. Clay is a big factor in southern Utah. The B9 has seen a lot of it, including on the cheap Sumitomo HTR Sport tires which the dealer had put on when I got the car used. In fairness, the Toyo AT I later got--great off-pavement tires on the whole--did not make much of a difference in clay. Despite the ineffective tires, I did not get stuck even in sections where one half of the car was plowing through mud well exceeding ground clearance.

As for the TRED, in the morning, I had the usual second thoughts:lol:

But at this price, I am glad I got them.

I will still carry bundles of firewood. These could be used both, well, as bundles to climb steps, or individually to make a track. Has any of you ever used firewood this way? I have carried it regularly, but the one time I needed to use it I just turned around. It was the day after a major drive and I did not want to bother with building my way through.
 
Using the wetware in one's head will generally save a lot of pain and suffering ... :poke: :biggrin:.
 
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