Traction Boards

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.

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   )

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 ?

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.

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

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.

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

I got stuck at Thirsk and the wardens let me use grip mats. They worked well and I now carry two Milenco mats and a 5 ton tow rope.

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.

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