How to Attach MAXTRAX Traction Boards to the Leitner Designs’ Active Cargo System
Whether you’re an overlander, camper, fly fisherman, hunter, or surfer, MAXTRAX, along with other traction boards, are essential pieces of gear for off-road backcountry adventures. That’s because they enable solo recovery. With traction boards, you get your rig unstuck and out of a jam (sand, mud, or snow) without having to break out the recovery straps, unspooling your winch, or waiting for some small-town tow company to come save you.
Though traction boards are essential, they’re not small or light. And finding a good place to mount your MAXTRAX isn’t always quite as easy. You will want to keep them close at hand, so you can get at them quickly when you need them. But since they’re big and heavy, especially when grouped together, mounting traction boards can be a struggle.
For example, putting them way up on your roof is great … until you actually need them. Then it’s a literal wrestling match to get them down — as well as back up. Don’t forget, if you’ve used your traction boards successfully, that means they’re often covered in heavy mud. This makes them even heavier and harder to get back up on your roof.
Luckily, Leitner designed its track and accessories to solve this common problem.
Active Cargo System
Company founder and chief designer and engineer, Bernhard Leitner, is an off-road enthusiast. With multiple off-road trucks in his fleet, Bernhard loves to push his trucks to the extreme every weekend. So, Bernhard has firsthand experience with the frustrations and pain points that come with relying on your rig in the backcountry. That’s why he founded the company and created the Active Cargo System (ACS); no other company made the rack that he wanted for his trucks. So, Bernhard designed his own.
Leitner’s patented Active Cargo System (ACS), engineered and built to welcome all active lifestyles, is the toughest, most functional modular rack-based cargo solution available today. With its ergonomic eye-level storage, adjustable sliding rear load bar and full line of accessories, the ACS delivers the ultimate in versatility, performance and durability, just like the dependable lineup of Chevrolet Silverado trucks.
Attaching MAXTRAX
Bernhard designed multiple ways to attach MAXTRAX to the ACS. The aptly named MAXTRAX Mounting Plate. The ACS MAXTRAX Mounting Plate is designed to securely attach MAXTRAX sand ladders to the ACS rack. Simple installation using the ACS quad rail. The Plate fits any size ACS truck rack. That means that no matter whether you have a Tacoma with a 5’ bed or an F-350 with an 8’ bed, the ACS MAXTRAX Mounting Plate will give you quick, easy access to your traction boards right off the side of your bed. This is perfect for those moments when you need to get unstuck fast.
The second way Bernhard designed for his customers to attach MAXTRAX to the ACS rack is to the backside of the GearPOD XL. Manufactured from roto-molded high-density polyethylene (same as kayaks), the eye-level mounted GearPOD XL is just about the same length as MAXTRAX (no accident). Strong enough to hold up to 150 pounds of your gear at eye level. It’s also sturdy enough to support a set of four MAXTRAX off the back, too. Simply attach the MAXTRAX GearPOD XL Mounting Bracket to your GearPOD XL and you have a great spot for your expensive recovery boards.
Admittedly, mounting the MAXTRAX to the back of the GearPOD XL puts them slightly more out of reach than having them off the side of the rack. This means it takes an extra second to get at them on the trail. But the benefit of having them inside the bed is that it also puts the traction boards further away from thieves and prowlers. And slowing down would-be criminals is never a bad thing.
No matter whether you mount the traction boards to the exterior mounting plate or to the GearPOD XL mounting bracket, the MAXTRAX-designed pins allow for padlocks, which we recommend customers utilize when they’re not on the trail.
The third Active Cargo System storage solution for traction boards again lies with that GearPOD XL. And it’s the best way to prevent eyes from spying your $400 traction boards. With 40 gallons of interior volume and at 48 inches of interior length, the GearPOD XL leaves just enough room for the 45-inch long MAXTRAX boards. Having them inside your GearPOD XL adds that much more protection against thieves. That’s because not only are the latches on the GearPOD XL lockable, there is provision in the GearPOD XL door for padlocks, further enhancing the security of the storage compartment.
For more information on MaxTrax Recovery Boards please visit their website HERE
Bottom two photos courtesy @KenHoglund @HoglundOverland
