Using Maxtrax in Sand

Sand recoveries can be very difficult, especially when you have a high tide which gives you limited room to work with. Even worse, if your car is near the water edge and the tide is coming up, you want to get it out of there as fast as possible. The traditional way of recovering your four wheel drive would be with a winch or snatch strap, but now there is an alternative; Maxtrax. Snatch straps and winches require careful rigging (to rated points) and put a considerable amount of stress on both vehicles when you are pulling them out. The risk of something going wrong is much higher than using Maxtrax.

To top it off, you will get a four wheel drive unstuck on the beach with Maxtrax in about half of the time it takes to rig up a snatch strap or winch correctly. There is no risk of anything breaking, and there is much less stress on your vehicle.

Steps for recovery on the beach when using Maxtrax:
- Check your tyre pressures. If they are above 15 PSI you need to let them down!
- Identify which direction you want to drive out. Sometimes you are better off driving out in reverse than forwards, depending on the situation.
- Use the Maxtrax to dig a small amount of sand out of the way of your tyres (in the direction you are going to drive). This should create a little track for the Maxtrax to sit in.
- Place the maxtrax in the track and ensure they sit at no more than 30 degrees of angle.
- Get back into the car and place it in low range, and 2nd gear (or reverse if this is the case). Slowly take off (ensuring the wheels don't spin) and your tyres will grip onto the Maxtrax.
- Drive to firm ground and then pick the Maxtrax up.

These steps can be done incredibly quickly, and you don't risk injury or damage to people or vehicles. Whilst the explanation might seem a little too simple, it really is just like that. You will be amazed at how fast and simple it is to get a four wheel drive out of soft sand! What is even better, is that you can use these in the snow and mud, as well as when you go to launch a boat. They distribute the weight over a larger surface area ensuring that your rear wheels don't sink when you are launching or retrieving the boat!

If you want to know if these are really worth their money have a look at Maxtrax Review and for more information see Maxtrax MKII

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