TRED Recovery Tracks ... a maxtrax alternative?

Which track or tracks are you thinking of? Not a lot of sand south of the rail line. I have maxtrax do not know about Treds. As I have a Cruiser (read heavy) I went with the maxtrax. If you ever travel as one vehicle these are great insurance and they give you the piece of mind to tackle a track that you otherwise may not.
Went along the rail line last year from Zanthus to Deakin and there was heaps of water. It got drier as I went east. The roads south between Zanthus and Forest where wet and boggy. I eventually went south at Deakin, a few puddles but no problems.

Hi Laurie
I haven't tried Treds - I have used MaxTraks for years and swear by them. I have tried a number of other brands and styles and found then when bogged in mud the mud acts like grease. From photos online the design of the Tred shows it doesn't have the number of and the depth of points for the tyre to grip on like MaxTraxs does.

See photo below for issues regarding slippage.

Spend the extra money and get the best - Supercheap and BCF currently have them on special at $275.

Laurie,
I have a 2011 Troopie. I've had a pair of TREDS for a couple of yrs. Have used them in sand only, on both Fraser & Moreton islands.
They have worked perfectly each of the 3 times theat they were used. I have absolutely no issue with them.

I have used Max Trax & find tham also to be very good. Personally I could not find any difference between the 2 brands in the way they did the job.

Hi Laurie,

I carry a pair of MaxTrax but have yet to need them under the Troopy. I have used them successfully under a couple of other vehicles on Fraser Island. There were no competitive products when I bought mine so had no alternative to consider, however looking at Treds and others they were cheaper but not as solid.

A consideration of recovery devices is that one may be say 20% cheaper but may not perform when needed so is actually worthless, therefore skimping may mean that you carry the device around Australia for no good reason. Being 20% dearer is simply insurance.

There are some comparos to be found if you Google 'MaxTrax vs. Treds'.

There are some reports of these being stolen from vehicles so it is sensible to secure them with a lockable lanyard.
They can disappear under sand during a recovery so it is wise to attach a length of brightly coloured rope before use to aid in locating them. In fact, you could tie them to the towbar with a length of rope to save wading back into the bog to recover them.

I expect to need mine one day for a mud recovery and from comments I have seen they can be difficult to remove from the mud and to clean following recovery so I am considering drilling a couple of 6mm holes at the apex of each cone to break the vacuum whilst removing from the mudhole and when cleaning.

I grappled with the question of Max-Trax versus the alternatives when Aldi had recovery tracks on sale for $95 a couple of years back.

I bought the $95 Aldi special which are yet to be used. Mind you, I don’t always believe that cheap is the way to go, or more expensive is best, but inclined to buy the best for the job, usually.

What swayed my decision was that up until that time I had nothing in the vehicle to assist with the type of recovery that this type of gear may be called upon to be used – which meant that if I had been stuck somewhere I would have been using sticks, branches, rocks, anything available in the surrounding environment.

I rationalised whether the $95 Aldi special would do any worse in that case than having to improvise with what was available…

I guess time will tell whether I was better off with the extra $200 in my wallet, which, incidentally, Mrs Landy has relieved me of and converted into another pair of shoes…

So the Aldi pair got the thumbs up from Mrs Landy, that’s for sure!


Cheers, Baz – The Landy

I have Maxtrax.
Have used them for my own rescues a few times of some pretty bad beaches, work brilliantly . . . but have used them many more times for rescuing others :)

I drive with people that have TREDS, and they are also great for use in sand.
Have never had to use mine for mud, or seen others used in mud.

I don't have probs with desert sand, only the SE SA beaches when they're REALLY bad, so maybe you just don't really need them ?

I have seen pics on various forums of cheaper type recovery devices that are split right down the middle, or bits broken off, and I believe you have to watch leaving them on racks in UV light for longer than necessary (like a short trip itself) otherwise, should keep inside vehicle or in canvas bag (which is good to put them if dirty too).

You will break / burn knobs off any of them without care.
Should only use tracks while using 2 low, and easy does it.
Of course a little digging at the front of the wheels with a spade or the track device itself, will help drive out very easily 99% of the time.

Laurie, when you say 'a solo run along the Trans Line and in the area between the Railway Line and the Eyre Hwy' are you following the rail corridor ?
How far, from where to where ?

I would like to do this from Maralinga crossing to top of Googs later in the year, but conflicting reports about it being closed to all but rail maintenance crews, and others that say no signs saying no access, and cross paths with crews out there and it's all ok ?

Thank you everyone for your thoughts.
Just one other question, if you have just one set, do you use them on the front wheels, or the back. I would have thought the front, to lift the nose out, otherwise you are pushing sand in front of the wheels. Am I correct, or is the drive from the back more important? Or is it whatever the situation demands?
More than one question actually, but what else would we do with our time? :-)

cheers
Laurie

I have had a set of Maxtrax for 3 years and never had a use for them, so can't comment on them versus other brands.
There are comments about having a length of rope or similar to help find them if buried which makes sense, but I have heard that a few metres of rope tied between the maxtrax and the vehicle means they get towed out to where the vehicle can stop and this prevents having to trudge back through the mud/sand to get them out. Obviously the rope would need to be positioned to avoid wrapping it around the wheels or axles.
Is this a feasible practice or urban myth?
Cheers
Ian

I recently bought a set of TREDs for an upcoming trip to Lincoln and Coffin Bay NP's. I managed to get them on special for $171 for the pair from Rays Outdoors. The 2 factors that convinced me to go the TREDs: 1) they were cheaper than the Maxtrax and reports I have read and seen on youtube etc showed they performed as well as the Maxtrax. 2) lifetime replacement warranty if they break. (That's why I bought them from a reputable store and not ebay. Easier to take back, if necessary ). Have heard stories where cutomers have had TREDs replaced, no questions asked, and Maxtrax wont/haven't replace damaged product.

Hi Laurie

What ever you go for, they can be a real life save. I have MaxTrax and they are fantastic.

That bog that Phil was in is not a real Bog, as you could have got out like this...lol, after all, look how clean that person is with the MaxTrax....





Now when you get into a real bog when travelling Solo, this is what you never want to see......not the car like that but me just in jocks and T shirt....lol









Have fun and keep out of the mud



Cheers


Stephen

We used Treds to get us out of a couple of sandy situations last hear in NW WA. Did the job in dry sandy tracks and damp beach sand.
Would I buy them again ? yes no problems.

Thank you again everyone. I have purchased the Tred version. I have learnt a bit from your replies.

Happy Easter and drive carefully.

cheers
Laurie