Hey guys, I have a question. Here is the Tomb Raider Defender 90 truck

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...aidertruck.jpg

My question is, what is that on the rear 1/4 panel? I see a lot of rovers around with them over the windows or on their racks. I just seen 2 disco's this week locally with them... what are they for? Sorry if this is a dumb question, the only thing I can think of is they are ramps or something for mud etc etc. What are they called?

 

I do believe those are traction aides. lay em down under the wheels and they help when your stuck. at least thats what we used them for when i was driving cement mixer. they look very similar, only ours were a touch bigger...

 

Yeah I tried looking those up and couldn't find anything that looked like that, I mean if they work they are pretty neat, I wouldn't mind having a set, here again if they work

 

that looks expensive, 2x4's and shovels aren't

 

I'd rather have real equipment than a 2x4, but thanks

 

That's exactly what they are, they provide traction. For example, say you are stuck in mud, put them down in front of your tires and work your way onto them and they will provide a solid surface to get traction on. Same goes for sand and snow...I believe they are just called traction ramps or traction strips...something else that would work pretty much the same that you could use would be a motorcycle ramp kinda thing like this:

 

Sand ladders.

http://www.okoffroad.com/stuff-sandladders-aluminum.htm

Or bridging ladders.

http://www.rangerovers.net/outfittin...c/ladders.html

 

Yeah, a couple years ago, I saw an imported Toyota Land Cruiser Diesel with those ramps. I guess people use those to get traction in sand, and stuff. Also, it looks like they protect the rear windows from damage.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123...opping-143755/

 

thanks for the info, they seem like a good thing to have, I never see them on anything but rovers though why is that

 

anyone know where to get them in the states?

**edit** nvm I didnt see the OKoffroad link

 

Those are more used here in Europe.

We carry them when going to the desert in Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Lybia, etc., mostly for unstucking trucks from the sand but you can use them also in mud, but are a PITA to recover later...

Cheers,

David

 

To grill steak, that's what they're for.

 

Also serves as a nice ramp to get your Land Rover on, so you can fix it.

 

haha yeah i wouldnt suggest using them in the mud, just winch out or have a buddy pull you out, ive lost ALOT of stuff in nasty muck...shoes, flip flops, cell phones yada yada lmao

 

i have a set, and when my neighbor got his huge excursion on 35's stuck in the 2ft of snow thats what we used to get him out.

he was only 6ft from his driveway

 

You can use them in the mud just fine, ONCE.

 

Another option, Sand Tracks

 

A guy here has a set of these but made from fiberglass mesh that he got for next to nothing from a shipping company. They are used for putting under cargo, IIRC, and the strips he has will hold the weight of his tundra in the middle when only supported at the two ends.

Let me tell you, they are AWESOME. Ideal for back country travel. They work great for mud, snow, sand, etc... but also for bridging gaps, or ramping a washout, or whatever. They are incredibly useful.

 

They are the proper and gentlemanly British version of 2x4s and shovels.

 

I dont think Sean is on here, AxleIke.

He is devinsixtyseven on ExPo and TTORA though. He brought the truck by the house the other day, and I saw they were in th back, but forgot to ask him about them.