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Old 06-18-2022, 10:13 PM #16
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Originally Posted by Humble Leader View Post
a good tool to always bring along with a shovel and traction boards is a campers axe or a small hatchet. useful for chopping up some dead branches to wedge under the tires as well

I am going to look at the xbulls as well because I have been thinking of getting some traction boards. for my uses I don't think there'd be a difference in maxtrax vs. another brand given I also don't run MT tires or aggressive aired down ATs. I don't have friends to go with me so it's kind of like insurance to have a good solo recovery set up

where do you plan on mounting the traction boards. I have two cargo boxes and was thinking of getting a 45 degree mount or something similar and having them hang a bit out and to the side of my roof rack. I don't want to store them inside. I've seen people mount them to the top of the cargo boxes but maybe I'll just store them inside one of the boxes who knows
I have my Roam 83L mounted on the passenger side, so these would just mount on the LFD's on the driver side. I don't foresee needing a second cargo box. The one Roam box is enough to hold my Dewalt air compressor (underrated little thing), tire plug kit, snow chains, and other tools.

The only thing is, to mount the X-Bull's, I would need to add a third LFD bar (which I have in storage).

I could avoid installing a third bar if I get Maxtrax. I'd need to move the rear bar up 2.5 inches (6.35 CM), patch two holes in my Roam case with flex tape on the inside and outside, and drill two new holes. I'd go with the maxtrax if they went on sale for father's day tomorrow, but I doubt it. I otherwise don't mind drilling two more holes. No moisture will get in with properly applied flex tape anyway. I don't even think water would get in if I dropped it in to a swimming pool with properly applied flex tape.

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Originally Posted by Ripper238 View Post
I finally decided after much reading and videos that a semi cheap option would suffice for the unlikely event I get stuck. The X-Bull were a fine option.

So I went with the maxtrax. lol

I'm too poor to buy cheap. Some things are worth going all in if you have the long term vision and even small likelihood of using them. Having the extra cash is a help too.

Impressed with the quality, but how they stack in such a low profile is huge too. Well worth the extra $200. My Grandson and his Grandson will thank me.
I agree. If you're keeping something long term, then get the expensive one. So here is the thing. Where the MKII's far-and-away beat the competition is when you need to jack up your vehicle on soft terrain. If you stack two together, they will serve as a surface for the 4Runner's jack. They will flex, but be stable and pop back in to their original shape when you're done. This is HUGE and could allow you to install snow chains in the event the traction boards don't work. I will be buying chains, so Maxtrax is tempting.

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Originally Posted by CutthroatSlam View Post
Buy yourself a good set of v-bar snow chains. If conditions are bad enough to need boards, you will need chains to go any distance.
100%. V-bar chains with cams. Peerless makes exactly those chains for the 4Runner which I think are made in the USA. Waiting for them to come back in stock.
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Old 06-19-2022, 06:38 PM #17
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Originally Posted by Humble Leader View Post
a good tool to always bring along with a shovel and traction boards is a campers axe or a small hatchet. useful for chopping up some dead branches to wedge under the tires as well

I am going to look at the xbulls as well because I have been thinking of getting some traction boards. for my uses I don't think there'd be a difference in maxtrax vs. another brand given I also don't run MT tires or aggressive aired down ATs. I don't have friends to go with me so it's kind of like insurance to have a good solo recovery set up

where do you plan on mounting the traction boards. I have two cargo boxes and was thinking of getting a 45 degree mount or something similar and having them hang a bit out and to the side of my roof rack. I don't want to store them inside. I've seen people mount them to the top of the cargo boxes but maybe I'll just store them inside one of the boxes who knows
Since you and I have the same set up (LFD faring all the way in the front and a second LFD bar pushed all the way to the back), I thought this might give you some insight.

Below is the bar layout I am MAYBE going with.



The middle bar is exactly 6 inches away from the bar all the way in the back. This will allow me to mount the X-Bulls on the front faring without it sitting past the front faring (maybe a very tiny piece will go beyond the faring, no biggie). The middle bar will be the other mounting point. The X-Bull will sit maybe 3-4 inches past the rear-most bar.

I will say, that running two bars the way we do creates zero wind noise. However, adding this middle bar in the orientation pictured has created some wind noise. Probably won't matter for you since you carry two cargo boxes. And there likely would be no added noice if you removed a box for X-Bulls.

Another alternative is to perhaps drill the boards? I may consider it when I get them this week. I run nothing on my roof until I need it, so I have reason to not have a noise-inducing third bar. The noise doesn't bother me, but if I can still run just two bars, why not?
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Old 06-19-2022, 08:06 PM #18
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i went with the cheap boards for years, and they do fine in a pinch. I recently upgraded to maxtrax, many for the maxtrax pins.

i got tired of my DIY mounts, while they were secure, they took forever to mount and dismount and lock up.
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Old 06-20-2022, 09:09 AM #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Something_Awesome View Post
Since you and I have the same set up (LFD faring all the way in the front and a second LFD bar pushed all the way to the back), I thought this might give you some insight.

Below is the bar layout I am MAYBE going with.



The middle bar is exactly 6 inches away from the bar all the way in the back. This will allow me to mount the X-Bulls on the front faring without it sitting past the front faring (maybe a very tiny piece will go beyond the faring, no biggie). The middle bar will be the other mounting point. The X-Bull will sit maybe 3-4 inches past the rear-most bar.

I will say, that running two bars the way we do creates zero wind noise. However, adding this middle bar in the orientation pictured has created some wind noise. Probably won't matter for you since you carry two cargo boxes. And there likely would be no added noice if you removed a box for X-Bulls.

Another alternative is to perhaps drill the boards? I may consider it when I get them this week. I run nothing on my roof until I need it, so I have reason to not have a noise-inducing third bar. The noise doesn't bother me, but if I can still run just two bars, why not?
ah ok I see your set up. I have a very similar set up except it's almost reversed. I have the front faring with nothing attached to it and then about 8 inches maybe I have the second bar, third unused bar after that kind of in the middle and then my rear bar. my rear bar is right up against the back end of the rails. unloaded I get no wind noise

xbulls are on sale now for $99. and it comes with mounting hardware. you could try running some bolts through the unused bar like you have it to see if it helps break up the air flow over the bar, or reposition. you could drill new mounting holes in the recovery boards without structurally weakening them, drilling new holes in the cargo box would be my last resort.
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Old 06-20-2022, 12:50 PM #20
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Originally Posted by Humble Leader View Post
ah ok I see your set up. I have a very similar set up except it's almost reversed. I have the front faring with nothing attached to it and then about 8 inches maybe I have the second bar, third unused bar after that kind of in the middle and then my rear bar. my rear bar is right up against the back end of the rails. unloaded I get no wind noise

xbulls are on sale now for $99. and it comes with mounting hardware. you could try running some bolts through the unused bar like you have it to see if it helps break up the air flow over the bar, or reposition. you could drill new mounting holes in the recovery boards without structurally weakening them, drilling new holes in the cargo box would be my last resort.
Yeah, I am leaning towards drilling the boards now and removing the middle bar. In the below picture, I have marked in blue the holes that I'd be mounting to the front faring. The area in green is where I think I would have to drill to be able to mount the back end of the boards to the bar pushed all the way back (I won't know where in the green area until I get my hands on the boards on Wednesday). You'll have to click the picture to see my markings.



Thoughts? You think I should drill elsewhere? You think drilling that area would jeopardize the integrity of the boards?

I have seen stress tests on these boards. They appear to be quite durable.
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Old 06-20-2022, 01:44 PM #21
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Originally Posted by Something_Awesome View Post
Yeah, I am leaning towards drilling the boards now and removing the middle bar. In the below picture, I have marked in blue the holes that I'd be mounting to the front faring. The area in green is where I think I would have to drill to be able to mount the back end of the boards to the bar pushed all the way back (I won't know where in the green area until I get my hands on the boards on Wednesday). You'll have to click the picture to see my markings.



Thoughts? You think I should drill elsewhere? You think drilling that area would jeopardize the integrity of the boards?

I have seen stress tests on these boards. They appear to be quite durable.
in short- you will probably be fine with that plan. I say probably because there are some considerations

if you really intend to strap those babies down you want the mounting surface nice and flat against the cross bar. I believe traction boards are angled like a ramp. if you are exerting downward pressure via a bolt you want to make sure that the board doesn't bend at the ends if you use the outer points to mount like in your drawing. now if you are only driving short distances to get to trails you might be OK not wrenching down on those bolts too tight and just having them snug

as long as you don't crack the boards when drilling you will be fine as well. drill bits create heat. heat melts plastic. plastic can also be brittle. not the best conditions for drilling

what if instead you put that middle bar closer to the front, vs in the back. you can use the existing holes on the boards and maybe have less unloaded wind noise
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Old 06-20-2022, 02:08 PM #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Humble Leader View Post
in short- you will probably be fine with that plan. I say probably because there are some considerations

if you really intend to strap those babies down you want the mounting surface nice and flat against the cross bar. I believe traction boards are angled like a ramp. if you are exerting downward pressure via a bolt you want to make sure that the board doesn't bend at the ends if you use the outer points to mount like in your drawing. now if you are only driving short distances to get to trails you might be OK not wrenching down on those bolts too tight and just having them snug

as long as you don't crack the boards when drilling you will be fine as well. drill bits create heat. heat melts plastic. plastic can also be brittle. not the best conditions for drilling

what if instead you put that middle bar closer to the front, vs in the back. you can use the existing holes on the boards and maybe have less unloaded wind noise
I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.

I could move the middle bar way up so that the two sets of holes are used to mount the boards. But I wonder then if the boards will hang to far past the rear bar in the case (getting in the way of the trunk). I suppose I could install my 4th bar and see how wind noise is. If the noise goes away then I can just center the boards on the bars and use the center mounting points. We'll see. I think I will know best once I get the boards. I'll need to try mounting at the end first and see how that feels. I am anticipating that the board is going to feel extremely sturdy, even at the ends. However, if I don't feel confident in mounting at the end of the board, then that automatically rules out drilling, so I won't even need to consider if I want to drill at that point.
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Old 06-20-2022, 02:30 PM #23
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I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.
That’s exactly what I do with my x-bulls.


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Old 06-20-2022, 02:55 PM #24
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I have seen people mounting these boards using the holes at the ends. They keep a big washer between the board and a thumb screw or wing nut to increase the contact patch. Of course, the washer does not stay flat because the end is curved.

I could move the middle bar way up so that the two sets of holes are used to mount the boards. But I wonder then if the boards will hang to far past the rear bar in the case (getting in the way of the trunk). I suppose I could install my 4th bar and see how wind noise is. If the noise goes away then I can just center the boards on the bars and use the center mounting points. We'll see. I think I will know best once I get the boards. I'll need to try mounting at the end first and see how that feels. I am anticipating that the board is going to feel extremely sturdy, even at the ends. However, if I don't feel confident in mounting at the end of the board, then that automatically rules out drilling, so I won't even need to consider if I want to drill at that point.
ya sometimes you just have to see the product and lay it out in different ways to see what works best. post some pics when you have a mounting set up so I can steal your ideas lol
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Old 06-21-2022, 01:46 AM #25
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A good shovel and some kitty litter will work wonders in snow. Another old trick is take an old can a candle and some chewing gum. Put the can by your tire use the gum to keep the candle upright in the can light the candle and it will heat up the can melting the snow by your tires. Never tried this personally so I can’t say if it truly works lol.
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Old 06-21-2022, 11:10 AM #26
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Any opinions/thoughts on the GoTreads? Sounds like these would solve a lot of the mounting issues above.
GoTreads - Quick tire traction for any vehicle - Easy to use
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