Practical

Where to carry the boards and how to mount them

A board you do not have with you does not work. That sounds obvious, and it is the most common reason boards fail to help — they are in the garage, because "this trip definitely won't need them". Below are three ways of carrying them, each with its trade-offs.

Three ways

On a roof rack

The most common and usually the most convenient option: boards lie flat on rails or a platform, held by dedicated brackets through the mounting holes. Upside — they take no space inside. Downside — they raise the centre of gravity and are visible to everyone in a car park.

On the tailgate or spare wheel

Typical for the Wrangler and other vehicles with a tailgate-mounted spare. The boards are within reach, with no climbing on the roof. Just watch the load on the tailgate hinges and remember that some brackets block access to the boot.

Inside the boot

Safest for the boards themselves and the least conspicuous. A board is 113 cm long, so it fits flat in most SUVs and estates with the rear seats folded. Do secure it — 8 kg of plastic flying forward under braking is a genuine hazard.

Dimensions you need when planning a mount

Dimensions you need when planning a mount
Board length	113 cm
Width	32.71 cm
Recovery Trax height	9 cm
Metal Teeth height	10.79 cm
Recovery Trax pair weight	7.25 kg
Metal Teeth pair weight	8.16 kg
Mounting holes	factory-made, in the board

Mounting hole spacing — what fits without drilling

Every ActionTrax board has factory mounting holes laid out in a rectangle of roughly 88 × 27 cm (34¾ × 10½ inches), one in each corner. They are not plain round holes but keyhole slots: wide at one end, narrow at the other. You drop the board over protruding studs or bolts, slide it a centimetre and it is locked without undoing anything. Taking it off takes seconds, which matters more in the field than it sounds.

That spacing matches what most recovery board bracket makers use, so off-the-shelf mounting kits — Rago Fabrication, Finn Fabrication, OverlandGearGuy and similar — fit directly, with no modification. If you buy a bracket elsewhere, check that exact figure in the description: 34¾ × 10½ inches.

Mounting pins are chosen by the number of boards: one length for a two-board stack, another for three or four. Work that out before ordering — buying longer pins afterwards is trivial but annoying. The cheapest fallback is plain ratchet straps through the keyhole slots; it holds well, looks worse and has to be undone every time you use the boards.

Theft is a separate matter. Brightly coloured boards on a roof are visible from a distance and do disappear from parked vehicles. Lockable brackets or security-head bolts solve 90%% of that; taking the boards off overnight solves the rest.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I carry ActionTrax boards?

Most often on a roof rack, using dedicated brackets passing through the mounting holes in the board. Alternatives are tailgate or spare-wheel mounting, and carrying them flat in the boot. A board is 113 cm long and a pair weighs 7.25–8.16 kg.

Do the boards need securing against theft?

Boards on the roof are an easy target, especially in bright colours. Lockable brackets are available; for longer stops in town the simplest answer is to put the boards inside.

Will the boards fit in a car boot?

113 cm fits flat in most estates and SUVs with the rear seats folded. In a smaller car a board will go in diagonally or upright behind the seat back — in which case it must be strapped down.

Does sun damage boards carried on the roof?

ActionTrax boards have increased UV protection precisely because they are carried outside. Even so, if the vehicle stands in full sun for months, keeping the boards inside makes more sense.

Guides

Other guides

Basics

All guides