Maxtrax, TREDs whatever. Used them? Would you buy again?

I have 6 maxtracks, don't leave home without at least 4 on board.
Work brilliantly.

Yes you can burn off the studs if you are stupid and just sit there spinning the wheels - maybe why you are stuck in the first place.
You can buy aftermarket replacement studs to repair Maxtraxs.

Yes I'd buy again as they work.
Other brands are shorter, bulkier and don't work so well as shovels etc

Wouldn't go without my Maxtrax - more likely to be used than a winch or a snatch in my view (though wouldn't be without the latter either).
Have used the Maxtrax myself a few times, including on the Simpson and Googs - and many more times to help out others.
Wheelspin can do damage, and one guy I helped using shortened a few lugs for me - but they are pretty durable.....an essential piece of kit if you're serious about off-roading.
Cheers

Hi Matt

They are brilliant and are worth their weight in gold if you have to use them.

I have the original ones and my pair would have to be over 8 years old. Yes you can damage to the small studs, but if you follow the instructions, you should have no problems.

I have only used our twice in mud and given them for another person to use in a recovery in a real bad mud bogging again. I have never had the opportunity to use them in sand, which is a pity, as I prefer a sand bog any day over mud....

On our trip last year, I did not take them thinking we would not have to use them..but with luck on our side when doing the Cape Arnhem beach drive in Arnhem Land , we survived any worrying beach bogs. So the lesson I have learnt from that drive, never leave home without them.

Would I buy them again....yes and in fact I am after another set seeing that we now tow a camper.

The only bad reports that I have heard of are for the cheap knock off copies of MaxTrax.

Stick to the original and you will be more than impressed if you have to use them.



Cheers



Stephen

I got a set for fathers day one year. I can report that they are a good base for a trailer jockey wheel when setting up camp in sand. Other than that they are in mint condition.

Bought a set in 2010 after getting stuck with 2 other vehicles watching my car fill up full of water until one helped after assuring I would buy a new set of work boots for her if they got damaged :(

Had to use them twice but numerous times for others and yes they have faded over time but still work brilliantly - I do not go off without them.

Just bought another set as BCF had them Club Members rate of $239.00 but noticed they have shrunk in size a little so don't stack onto the old ones but I will carry 4 now.

As Stephen stated, the only ones I have heard about having issues are the copies of the Maxtrax

cheers

I have 4 and have used them a few times in sand towing a camper trailer. They were invaluable - once was in the Gasgoyne River with no trees anywhere near me to winch off. The other times they were great - a bit of digging then the car escaped from the sand and away we went.

I carry a set of 4 maxtrax with an additional two if towing the trailer.

I'd like to say I've never used them, but that would be telling porkies.

Are they worth having - absolutely.

Would I buy them again? Hope not too as they are still in mint condition because I've used them correctly and carefully.

Quick to deploy and store and super effective if used properly.

Cheers

Anthony

I have some of the first batch of Maxtrax manufactured, they have had a lot of use been de-lugged in places and have only just started to crack. (Had to use them as a bridge for 3 vehicles) Probably the quickest and most generally useful bit of recovery gear going. Have even used their bright colour on the bottom of Nolans brook in Cape York to guide our vehicles over the shallowest path through the crossing. Made from glass filled nylon so likely as strong as you will get.

I've a pair of Maxtrax, never used them. No doubt I will one day! Michael

We use Tred Pros which supposedly have a harder studs than Maxtrax but as others have mentioned with careful use wear is minimal. These look like being a great replacement for worn studs

I bought X-Bull tracks off ebay for $100. They work fine, seem like sturdy construction because there's decent weight in them and they aren't shorter like some of the copy cats.

I have treds and have only used them a couple of times in sand. They did the job with just a bit of scuffing on them.

Thank you all for your very useful replies and information. Hearing that most of you would buy them again tells me more than reviews, as reviews can be written to say anything.

But when it comes to shelling out money, that's when it becomes more honest.

Thanks again.

I have pair of these - http://www.muputrax.com.au/ and a pair of Treds , haven't used either yet .

MaxTrax, so no experience of these cheaper brands. Worth their weight in gold when you really need them. MaxTrax recommended we get a set of four, but as were are carvanners not "four wheel drivers" we just got two.

When our 7.5 tonne laden rig went down in the stones at Carawine Gorge, with no way of using a winch, and with all eight tyres lowered and still not getting moving for long, it was a pair of MaxTrax to the rescue. Worked a treat. I can understand why they say to put a rope on them to find them when buried in the sand, because even in these stones, they were buried out of sight after they did their job.

If you are a solo traveller, they are good insurance.

If you travel with others they are rarely ever needed.

I've carried a set on many trips and yet to use them in anger. Maybe I'm less adventurous, maybe I pull up short of a bog, and I do avoid mud.

But there's plenty of other ways to unbog yourself. Last week I was down near Robe and just doing a bit of sightseeing - followed a track down to a beach and reached some soft sand in a place I couldn't turn around. Still had high pressures and couldn't be bothered airing down - Landcruiser couldn't go forward or backwards - so I put the 200series in low range, activated crawl control in reverse and it crawled its way out when it wouldn't reverse any other way. Had seen this done on videos but nice to do it yourself.