How to Use Traction Boards to Get Unstuck
Traction boards are the recovery tool that works when you are alone. No second truck, no winch anchor, no strap. You give the tire something to bite, and the truck drives itself out. Used right, they work. Used wrong, you chew the teeth off them and stay stuck.
Before the boards come out
- Stop spinning. The moment the tires stop moving the truck, get off the throttle. Every extra second of wheelspin digs the hole deeper.
- Air down. Dropping tire pressure lengthens the footprint, and in sand and snow it is often half the recovery on its own. A deflator kit makes it quick.
- Lock it in. 4-low, and lock what you have.
- Look at the way out. Forward is not always the answer. If you drove into it, backing out on your own tracks is often the easiest exit.
Placing the boards
- Dig. Clear the mud, sand or snow from in front of the tires you are driving out on, and from under the frame if it is high-centered. The sloped ends of the boards double as a shovel.
- Wedge the board in tight. Push the end of the board hard against the tread, angled down into the hole, so the tire meets the teeth immediately instead of spinning before it reaches them.
- Pick the tires. With two boards, put them under the two tires that are spinning, or in front of both front tires if you are in four-wheel drive and going forward.
- Clear the area. Nobody stands in line with the boards. A spinning tire can kick a board out hard.
Driving out
Low range, steady and slow. Let the tire climb onto the board and roll. Do not spin the tire on the board: wheelspin melts and strips the teeth, and the board stops working. If the tire spins, stop, re-seat the board tighter, and try again.
Keep rolling until you reach firm ground. Then walk back for the boards.
Do not lose them
Boards get buried, and boards get left behind. Bright colors are easier to find in mud, which is why the SAO boards come in red and orange as well as black. A length of cord tied to the board and left above the surface makes them easy to pull back out.
What they are not
Traction boards are for traction. They are not ramps or bridges across gaps unless the maker says they are rated for it, and they are not a substitute for a strap or a winch when the truck is truly buried to the frame.
The boards
The SAO recovery traction boards are a pair, $119.99, molded from high-strength polypropylene with a cross-tooth and U-groove face, sloped shovel ends, and a socket underneath for a farm jack base. The supplier rates them for vehicles up to 10 tons. Black, red or orange.
More recovery gear is on the air & recovery page.
How do you use traction boards?
Stop spinning, air down, dig out in front of the tires, wedge the boards tight against the tread, then drive out slowly in low range without spinning.
Which tires do traction boards go under?
The tires you are driving out on, usually the two that are spinning, or both fronts when going forward in four-wheel drive.
Why do traction board teeth wear off?
Wheelspin. A spinning tire melts and strips the teeth. Stop, re-seat the board and drive on slowly.
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