Ever since the world wars, sand ladders have been a common method for four wheel drive recovery. A four wheel drive usually gets stuck due to a lack of traction and often this results in the wheels sinking. By placing sand ladders under the wheels a greater level of traction is made available as well as keeping the wheels above the surface. Sand ladders have been made from a number of different materials, ranging from steel through to aluminum, plastic, timber and several combinations. Today, sand ladders are regularly carried by four wheel drivers, all terrain vehicles, off-road trucks and even motorbikes.
The alternatives to sand ladders take a considerable amount of time to set up for a recovery, and they often result in a higher level of risk. Driving onto sand ladders reduces almost all of the risk, and it is so simple to do. My favorite sand ladders are known as Maxtrax. These are made out of engineer grade nylon and have a number of 'teeth' which your tyres can grip onto. They are lighter than the aluminum ones, easily packed away and can also be used as shovels. To top it off, they come with pins which allow you to bolt them onto the roof rack, or inside of your vehicle. You can join them together with 'links' and they come in a variety of colours.
Since buying a set of Maxtrax, I very rarely use my snatch strap. Maxtrax are not only much safer, but they are quicker and easier to use as well. When using a snatch strap you risk something breaking and doing damage, but Maxtrax reduce the risk to virtually nothing. There are alternatives to Maxtrax, but none are anywhere near as good as something designed to take the weight of a laden four wheel drive!
If you don't have a set of Maxtrax, anything that you can use to give a bit more traction for your tyres is very valuable. Whether it is just moving a few rocks and logs around, you will find these make a huge difference when traction is hard to find. There are many advantages of using sand ladders over a winch and snatch strap, asides from the obvious safety reasons. There are times when getting near a vehicle is impossible, and as a result being able to get them out without a tow is difficult (unless you have a set of Sand Ladders!)
Have a read of my Maxtrax Review and if you want to know more about them see the new version of Maxtrax
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