GETTING bogged in mud or sand or stuck on the wrong side of a gully can be an almost weekly occurrence for those of us who like to live close to the ground. I've always been a 'jack and pack' type of person. If my vehicle is stuck, I jack it up, pack underneath with rocks and wood and attempt to drive out. Sometimes I have had to repeat that a few times before I'm clear. (On one memorable night I spent from midnight until 5am working to move 10 metres and that was with help...).
Anyway all that might be about to change. Hand-On Hunting has been given a pair of Maxtrax to destroy.
So what are Maxtrax? Well this is how the story goes according to www.maxtrax.com.au
Brad McCarthy, author of Dirty Weekends "The Essential 4WD Guides", devised the idea for MAXTRAX in 2001 after a particularly stressful incident on a remote north Queensland beach where he almost lost his bogged vehicle to the incoming tide, despite being equipped with all of the traditional recovery equipment. Brad's passion for the Australian bush, exploration and adventure sent him out, often solo throughout Queensland, to research bush tracks and locations to feature in his guide books.
From his experiences, Brad recognized the need for a system that makes vehicle recovery and extraction a safe, simple, one-person task and eliminates the need for any outside assistance such as towing, snatching, or winching. MAXTRAX came from Brad's idea to develop a foolproof and fail-safe quality Australian made product to make extracting or recovering a stranded or bogged vehicle a safe, simple, quick and easy procedure. Due to Brad's experience, ingenuity and "hands-on" research, the idea of an alternative and innovative vehicle recovery device that was safe, simple, quick and easy to use eventually came to fruition in the form of MAXTRAX.
We tested several types and grades of super tough nylons to create a lightweight, yet durable product that provides superior performance with our focus on the key issues of strength, effectiveness, usability and aesthetics. MAXTRAX was trialled countless times using typical (and not so typical) bogging scenarios and after many late nights and product refinements, MAXTRAX was ready to launch onto the Australian 4WD accessories market in late 2005. Not long after, MAXTRAX won Australian 4WD Monthly Magazine's award for Best New Product under $500.
Since then MAXTRAX have been discovered by 4WD adventurers around the world as the safe, simple, quick and easy method of vehicle recovery. MAXTRAX are now widely available around Australia at most ARB, TJM, Opposite Lock, BCF, and Supercheap Auto stores as well as a number of independent retailers, and from stockists in over 30 countries including the USA, Chile, South Africa, Egypt, France, England, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and UAE, to name just a few. Our customers now include mining, energy and exploration companies, government agencies, 4WD trainers and tour operators, rural fire services, State Emergency Service branches, off road rally drivers and the United Nations.
In November 2010, the new MAXTRAX MKII won 2 Global Media Awards for Best New Product at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Not a bad result for a 5-year-old 'little Aussie company' on its first visit to SEMA!
All well and good but you'd expect the company to say stuff like that wouldn't you... Ours will be taken out pig catching in some swampy mountain country this weekend for a trial. It's not that I don't believe the advertising. It's just that if there is a way to break gear and ruin reputations, I can find it. I am not an 'equipment person' so I tend to push things to their limits because my focus is on whatever I am hunting rather than the gear I am using to do it.
I've had the Maxtrax out of the box for a bit of a play already. They certainly look the goods and to tell the truth I can't wait until I feel the truck sink and the wheels start to spin.
How many times in your outdoor life can you imagine saying that?
Equipment supplied by
Inverell 4wd Centre 250 Byron Street Inverell, NSW 2360 (02) 6721 2516
Review to come
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