MaxTrax MkII Traction Boards (Olive Drab)
MaxTrax MkII Traction Boards (Olive Drab)
The MaxTrax MkII is the original recovery board, sold here as a pair in olive drab. Each board is 45 inches long, 13 inches wide, and 3.5 inches tall, molded from UV-stabilized, fiber-reinforced engineering-grade nylon. Two boards weigh about 15 lbs together and ship with two orange telltale leashes so you can find them once they sink into the muck.
The aggressive cleats are the whole point. They bite into your tire tread on one side and the terrain on the other, so a stuck tire climbs out of sand, mud, or snow instead of digging deeper. A shovel molded into each end lets you clear pack from in front of the tire before you wedge the board in. Six built-in handles make them easy to grab, carry, and seat with cold hands. The nylon is tested to wrap fully around a 33-inch tire without snapping, and it resists cracking or stress-whitening under normal use.
This is the standard MkII size that fits most full-size trucks, 4WD SUVs, vans, and overland rigs, and it works for ATVs, UTVs, and snowmobiles too. Mounting pins to rack-mount the boards are sold separately; for recovery itself, no rack or hardware is required.
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Overview
A pair of MaxTrax MkII recovery boards in olive drab. Fiber-reinforced nylon ramps with aggressive cleats that pull a stuck 4WD out of sand, mud, or snow without a winch.
Key features
- Pair plus leashes — two boards (about 15 lbs together) and two orange telltale leashes so buried boards are easy to find.
- 45 × 13 × 3.5 in per board — standard MkII size for full-size trucks, SUVs, vans, and overland rigs.
- Fiber-reinforced engineering-grade nylon — UV-stabilized, tested to wrap a 33-inch tire without breaking; resists cracking and stress-whitening.
- Six built-in handles and a shovel at each end — clear pack first, then carry and seat the board fast.
- Olive drab finish — low-profile color for blacked-out and military-style builds.
Use cases
Self-recovery in sand, mud, and snow is the core job, and most bogs come loose with one pair and steady throttle. Owners also use them as bridging ramps over ruts and as a flat base under a jack on soft ground.
- Quantity: Pair (2 boards) + 2 telltale leashes
- Board dimensions: 45 × 13 × 3.5 in (1150 × 330 × 85 mm)
- Weight, boards only: ~15 lbs per pair (7.5 lbs each)
- Shipping weight: 7802 g
- Material: UV-stabilized fiber-reinforced engineering-grade nylon
- Color: Olive Drab
- Tire rating: Wraps a 33-inch tire without breaking
- Terrain: Sand, mud, snow
- Vehicle fit: Full-size trucks, 4WD SUVs, vans, overland rigs; also ATV/UTV/snowmobile
- Rack mounting: Mounting pins sold separately
- Warranty: Limited lifetime against faulty materials and workmanship
- SKU: MTX02OD
Is this one board or a pair?
You get a pair — two MaxTrax MkII boards plus two orange telltale leashes. One pair is enough to recover most stuck 4WDs.
Will they melt if my wheels spin?
They can. Sustained wheelspin builds heat and melts the cleats, and that damage is not covered by the warranty. Feed in steady, low throttle instead of flooring it. The cleats grip when the tire bites, not when it spins.
Do they work in snow, or just sand and mud?
All three. They were designed for sand and mud and also work in snow. In very cold, dry powder the nylon can slide, so clear loose snow and seat the boards firmly against the tread.
Do I need the mounting pins?
Only if you want to rack-mount them. Recovery works with the boards loose. To strap them to a roof or bed rack, MaxTrax mounting pins are sold separately.
How long do they hold up?
Owners report 7-plus years of regular use. The fiber-reinforced nylon resists cracking and stress-whitening under normal conditions, and the limited lifetime warranty covers faults in materials and workmanship.
Will the olive drab color fade?
The nylon is UV-stabilized, so it's built to take constant sun exposure without breaking down. Storing the boards mounted in the open is fine.