Maxsa 20322 Metal Gripped Escaper Buddy Traction Boards for Off-Road Mud, Sand, & Snow Vehicle Extraction, Bendable, Unbreakable, Orange, 2 Pack

TLDR: they work great for me, even after many recoveries, but as with any tool you have to use them properly.I have a Promaster van and have traveled to many places in the US and Canada with it. I also like to go a bit off the beaten track so I do end up getting stuck from time to time. I have used these to get unstuck many times in many different conditions, from the middle of nowhere in Canada to behind the house in muddy ground.As with most tools, they're not a cure-all for any situation. Prevention is of course the best cure; if you think you'll get stuck, reevaluate and ask yourself if you really want to spend the next hour (or three) getting down and dirty. I keep these inside the vehicle so even in the best case scenario it's a whole process: Getting them out, setting them properly, using them, and then cleaning them off can easily take an hour.How to use them is pretty simple - if you're only slightly stuck, just kick the metal bit of these boards under your tires and slowly drive free. If you're moderately stuck, air down the tires first (assuming you have a way to pump them back up.) If you're REALLY stuck, air down the tires, jack up the vehicle, pile some more dirt under the tires and THEN lower the vehicle down onto the recovery boards. This method will get you out of even the worst situations. Ideally you will want to always carry a jack, a shovel, and an air compressor in addition to these boards.After two and a half years and quite a bit of use, they're holding up great. No damage, chips, cracks or anything at all.

I read the 1-star reviews to see what the complaints were. Several people noted "wheels spin" or "the plastic melts," among other complaints. After reading all of the reviews (6 at the time of this review), I came to the conclusion the individuals who gave one star didn't use the product correctly. The plastic melted because the wheels were spinning. And if you're spinning your tires, you're doing it wrong. Period.They failed the product, the product didn't fail them.I rarely write reviews. But after my experience this past weekend, I think this product deserves one. I bought these for $97 back in May 2017 to add to my off-road recovery gear and I wanted to wait until they got some use before writing a review. They've been used successfully (and correctly) about 8 times: once in loose, wet river rock, and the rest in the snow.I drive a 2004 Toyota Tacoma 4WD double cab that I've built up for weekend trail runs and camping in areas not accessible without 4wd, proper tires, and some ground clearance. Went on a snow run with some folks this past Sunday after a few storms finally dumped a lot of snow (Mormon Emigrant Trail in California if you're interested). My boards were used once by a 2018 Toyota Tundra and a newer Ford F150, three times by a 2nd gen Toyota Tacoma, and once by me. They've never failed and only have minor damage on the bottom. The little tractions nubs are all intact. That's what you can expect if you use the right.So, how do people have such different experiences? It all comes down to the person using them. I'm guessing some tossed them in their car or truck without bothering to learn how and when to use them. And when the time came, they thought they knew what they were doing and ended up breaking their new traction boards because it turns out they didn't know what they were doing. In frustration, they decided to blame the company for making an inferior product. Inferior product? My experience says otherwise.Bottom line: They're not magic, they are tools. And like all tools, they must be used correctly in order to effectively fulfill their purpose.

We had a snowstorm and decided to take the two 4x4's for a spin around the house several times. Not the best idea. Got the truck stuck to the frame and tried to use the Jeep with lockers to pull it out. Jeep immediately dug itself to sitting on the axles.By themselves, these have to be somewhat flat to work best. I had my vehicles stuck in huge holes and tried the traction pads with just jamming them between the tire and mud. Didn't work, which isn't too surprising. After putting cinder blocks/wood under the tires and using these to cover other mud holes, drove right out. Also, Jeep go re-stuck in another pool of mud while turning around and used these, worked great.I have these and the Smittybuilt traction pads. These are tough. Didn't melt or break. The Smittybuilt pads have one with missing traction spikes and the other cracked width wise. The Escaper buddy seems to be the better buy and worked great.

I bought these as an alternative to maxtrax and tred. I read all the reviews and I did a great deal of research to see if these were trustworthy. Everything came up saying these were a very viable alternative to the expensive name brand stuff. I received my new toy and immediately went and got myself stuck in 3ft of snow to try it out. These worked great to get me out first try. Just a little digging, stuck these under the tires, and drove right out. THEN, while picking them up to mount them back on my tire carrier I saw one had a huge crack going all the way down the middle. Although the price is very attractive compared to maxtrax, the quality of these don't quite match. Now I bet you're thinking this must be an isolated incident. Even if it is uncommon, these felt very weak to begin with. You can bend them with your hands. Even if these don't break on you immediately, I wouldn't trust their quality in a situation where it matters. These are definitely not for serious 4x4 users and seem a little large and expensive for the everyday user.UPDATE: I Exchanged this set for another and have used it successfully for 8 months. They have been lifesavers in multiple situations. Grip is very good on aired down tires. Although they still feel flimsy and have not held their shape (they're curved now), they have not broken. The thing is you can replace these 3 times for the price of 1 set of Maxtrax so they are more than worth it.

Muy pesado

Yeah yeah yeah... "if you know what you're doing you'll never need those"... but sure as hell they make life easier.I used them in a couple of occasions and they worked a treat.Very nice quality and they're easy to store coupled.Worth the cost, they can really make easy work of sticky situations...pun intended.

Worth every penny. When I found my self stuck in the back country with no cell signal and no winch, these guys helped get me out without any difficulty. I've even used these to reduce an approach angle without any supports underneath and they never snapped. Very sturdy! I bought another set so I have 4 now. My only negative comment about them is that they don't stack well when stored away, but that's not a big deal to me really.

Los compre porque tengo un arenero que es tracción trasera, y me lo llevo a una playa que se llama playa de oro donde todos los vehículos se atascan. Lo utilice varias veces y siempre me saco a la primera, mucho mejor que un winch si te encuentras en un lugar donde no haya puntos de anclaje para el winch. Estoy muy feliz con el producto en arena, luego les aviso como se comporta en lodo.

Have been using them winter and summer for more than a year now, bending them to the extreme sometimes, they did a great job and are still like new! Only downside is they don't stack well, besides this great product!