Traction Boards
Does anyone have any experience of using traction boards? I got stuck in soft ground on a site in the Autumn and the more I tried to get out the deeper I went! Had to rely on a caravaner with a 4x4 to pull me out the next day. Would a pair of these been any use to me? If so what type?
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Hi Hotormomer
Got stuck on arriving at pitch with our motorhome about a year ago. The pitch was hard standing but had a grass between it and the access road. Did not have traction boards but a friendly caravaner lent me his and I got out of trouble immediately.
As soon as we got back home I ordered a set and of course have not got stuck since so they are still brand-new but would not leave home without them! Also transferred them to the car during the last snowfall for peace of mind.
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Traction boards { if you mean plastic boards about 1 foot wide, approx 2 ft long with raised gripping strips } I've had some of these & discarded them. the grip strips have to be standing fairly proud -- at least an inch or more, and on both sides.
I've seen the boards with shallow strips across them take off at Warp Factor 5 backwards when they gripped the tyres ok, but not the slippery stuff beneath
I also have some "Grip-Track" -- rather like a ladder with the end 'rung' deep & strong and which is knocked with a rubber mallet under the driving wheel -- again less than a total success
Now I've got a couple of B & Q rubber mats, {the type with inch hexagonal holes }, folded lengthways & kept that way with Ny-lok ( zip ) ties . better than boards, about as good as Grip-track but easier to use & clean, cheap, & disposable.
All said & done nothing short of an army tank track will save you in the worst situation, but many use simple boards under the caravan or motorhome wheels when pitching up. Then a light touch on the throttle should save the day.
All else failing A B M recommends a sturdy local tree & a winch
!!{ Which, of course, I do not have
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Having traction boards, rubber mats and grip tracks will get you out of some situations but it's 'Sods Law' that your situation is the one they don't work on.
Taking a good strong tow rope with you is the best option then at least you have something that will probably be required to get you out of your predicament.
We needed one a few years ago, luckily we had one with us, and a very helpful group of French people helped us extract our MH from the sand by towing us out.
I posted the video on my Youtube channel - okay to watch if you have a few minutes to waste.
PS - Where are the avatars ?
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We have some waffle boards, super strong, available from 4x4 websites. Not the lightest you can get, but we did two weeks of none stop rain in Wales, on grass pitches at times with ours. We didn't get stuck once. Long enough to give you that first oomph to get some motion! Around £30-40. We park on them at slightest hint of soft ground.
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Perhaps that is what Club sites should hold for members to use since they do not provide a towing off service. I have "Grip Track". Its advantage is it is easy to store, I have never had to use it with the current rear tandem wheel drive motorhome but from previous experience I rate it as good as rigid plastic board.
peedee
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If you can get them the bottom of bread trays (the type you see usually around the back of supermarkets) haven't found any yet myself but believe they are good to get you off the mud/sand. We tend to put the grip mats down under the front wheels if we think there is going to be a problem getting off the pitch, always park nose out just incase
The other year in Salamanca we watch endless Dutch and German vans getting towed off a site. When we arrived the owner did mention that the area by the river was soft and advised we went to a different area, can't think they didn't tell the other's, so makes you wonder why they insisted on parking up there.
EDIT: Peedee some C&MC site wardens do have good grip mats should they be required, seen them used on a couple of sites.
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What this thread highlights is how important it is to assess the pitch before you drive onto it particularly in bad weather. We have had some pretty wet trips to Europe in recent years and witnessed lots of people getting into trouble you wouldn't have had they thought about what they were doing before driving onto a pitch. I do use the boards mentioned but I also try and make sure I am the shortest distance possible from the site road.
David
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Waffle boards are the thing. Don't stop sinking but grip tyres and ground. They seem to be sized to fit nicely on the sides of a hard top Defender/Series Land Rover so they should mount fine on the outside of a motor caravan as well.
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Navigateur, I've never heard of Waffle Boards before, might just take a serious look at them.
Can I make one point here -- I've never been stuck on a Club Site but my pastime is, as many know, Steam Traction Engine Rallies which are often held with parking on farm fields.
Last September I got caught out on the Bedford rally at Old Warden, where we were parked on a sloping field with some green growth ( not grass ). a Heavy rain storm for an hour before leaving softened the ground badly, which allowed me to move from 'Parked' but after about 25 - 30 yards the 'van slowed and I had nowhere to go but DOWN !! Tried the 'mats' & a plastic grip board to no avail, so yelped for help from the Army Cadets to be told, " You're on our list, about 20th we think"
Eventually Nice Mr LandRover came & pulled me out but not without difficulty -- with both of us slipping & sliding like Anton Du Beke etc. The rigid Waffles I've just checked on ( thank you Navigateur
) might, just might have helped but I think they would have had to be deployed a fair few times !!Brian A B M
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First thing if you get stuck stop, just spinning your wheels is just going to dig a hole and make it more difficult to tow off.
I have been involved with a couple of stuck motor homes in the last couple of months. First thing 2 different makes but neither of them had anywhere at the back to attach a rope. Check your MH and make a decision if you need to reverse onto a pitch rather than drive on. I the second MH the towing eye at the front came out this is potentially very dangerous so towing out isn’t really a spectator sport. Also same incident One of the boards as described by ABM came flying out and I despite wearing fairly substantial boots ended up with a bruised foot. Finally I have a 10m 5tonne Towing strop, this has few times invaluable in either towing me off or me towing someone else off.
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Ours fit neatly behind roof ladder and bike rack on back of MH. Dont always take them, but have been fantastic when we have used and needed them. As I said earlier, we encountered torrential rain in Wales last September, but we never got stuck, unlike others in both vans and MHs. They will easily take the weight of a LR if used as a bridge, robust bit of kit. Owners of a couple of CLs we use were very interested. Both had had grass churned up badly by visitors.
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TDA, I had a look at a couple or so adverts for the "Waffle Boards" as mentioned by Navigateur and there are several photos of them taking the full weight of a L/R Defender
. I'll be looking at 4x4 accessory outlets in person in the very near future !Envious, Crewe
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Interesting aren't they?
My OH has done a lot of off roading, and it's a matter of family honour on his side of family that you don't get stuck in anything, so when we got MH, we got what we thought might work. It didn't, but it was a lesson quickly learned, and we bought these next day. Not everyone will want to carry them, depends on what sort of load you can carry, but for us they are great, and have meant that we aren't reliant upon HS pitches, which would limit our options a lot more. We keep a big bag handy for after use, and just hose clean. Interestingly, he was on a Club Site touring alone, and the Warden was rather miffed that he wouldn't use the mats the Club were offering at the time, preferring ours. Might not be same as what Club is currently trialling, it was a few years ago. 0 -
A wee hint to anyone getting waffle boards that has not used them before.
Tie about ten feet of rope onto the short end of each board, with a loop in the free end. Put this over the towball (some motor caravans might struggle at that bit though). Once moving there is no need to stop to recover the boards - they follow along!
They DO take the full weight of a laden Discovery - that is nearly three and a half tons.
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The PVCs normally have a fixed t / loop at the rear, with ( in my Ducato's case ) a screw in version in the tool case under passengers seat.
It is nice to know that the pictures of the W/boards holding up a Defender are not 'photoshops' best
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You're less likely to need them with a RWD Merc, Q.
Without a bike rack, I guess under a bunk is the only place left.
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Hi Forgive the ignorance but is a " waffle board " the same as a traction mat.
Can anyone recommend a particular brand ?
We have an Ace Genova Swift Fiat Ducato and if the ground is wet or not really firm it has always been a problem. Used to carry pieces of wood but they are no good if the ground is very bad.
thanks
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We carry four of these, upright in our rear locker https://www.fibregrid.com/Catalogue/GRP-Grating/GRP-Moulded-Grating/Waffle-Boards-Sand-Ladders/Sand-Ladders-Track-Mats-Pack-of-2
We have four because it means you can have one under each front wheel then, in tricky situations, put the spare ones in front again, and keep doing that until you are clear of the soft ground.
We use to have milenco mats but they were worse than useless. If the ground was soft, they just went down under the wheels and gave no support. These waffle boards will take the weight of a fully laden Discovery.
Naturally, since having them, we have never needed them
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This morning I had an email from Tracmat in response to my query about which product to use for my 3500kg motorhome. This is an extract from the email:
"Our 25mm sand ladders would be ideal for your motorhomes. I personally use these for my 3.5 tonne motorhome and find they provide the necessary traction in muddy conditions, whilst being relatively light-weight to carry, when compared to either our 38mm or 50mm ladders, which are more intended for more extreme off-road vehicles."
I shall be ordering a pair to use along with my near useless Milenco mats.
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The only time we were at risk was last Summer at Lac de Liez near Langres. The reception warned us of the soft ground and lots more rain to come, so we found a pitch at the end of a cul-de-sac, reversed in and kept our front driving wheels on the tarmac. No problem...
BillC
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For me this is topical because I got stuck in mud at our storage location this morning. Fortunately the owner of the smallholding was around to help and had far more experience than me! Tractor no good because it was not practical to tow forward, we needed to tow backwards - not possible on a Motorhome without a tow bar as far as I know? (Any thoughts?).
So, he had long metal traction trays and initially unsuccessful until I suggested digging behind the front wheel. We got some grip and he jumped in and, quite skilfully, rocked backwards and forwards using the gears until he got traction. I had paved our storage spot with heavy slabs so once in situ we were OK.
As a caravan owner and only two years with the Motorhome I learned a valuable lesson about ground conditions. I am not sure what got the most mud, the Motorhome or my clothes!
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My lady just moaned about standing in the rain and cold for an hour then having to wash all my clothes. Apparently it was all my fault!
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