JD-
I have only used my recovery boards (granted, they're TRED brand) in the snow. I used them on both my 4Runner (rear wheels) and a Subaru Outback (rear wheels as well).
On the 4Runner it was too easy... Simply scooped some snow out from behind the tire, and placed the boards as far under the tread of the tire as I could. I put it in 4lo and back out as if I had never been stuck.
The next time I made sure to get myself good and buried... Again, scooped some snow out from behind the tires and placed the boards as far under the tread as I could. However, this time I also dug a little ramp behind the front tires as I had buried my 33" tires so far that I was resting on my skid plates. Put it in 4lo, and backed out as if I had never been stuck.
The Subaru was a little more tricky. They had buried themselves to the point that their tires were not even touching the ground anymore. For this one I used their bottle jack and lifted the rear tires (one at a time) far enough off the ground to get some sticks underneath, then placed the board on top of the sticks, and lowered it down. Once both rear tires had the sticks/board under them, myself and another passenger pressed down on the hood of the car while the driver backed out. In this situation they DID spin their tires a little bit, but not enough to melt the traction "nubs" on the boards.
I was (and more importantly, my wife was) immediately sold on these things. Wish I would have had them when I was stuck in the dunes a couple years back.
The biggest thing, I think, is to avoid spinning your tires. If you're not getting traction on the boards, let some air out of your tires. If you're STILL not getting traction, lift the tire up and add some material (sticks, rocks, sand) under the boards.
