TRED 4x4
Ryan Barnes for SPLIT REED
Usually, with articles I write, you read interviews, tips, news and history, and an occasional product description. This one is a touch different. I was given the assignment to write about TRED 4x4. I did my homework, studied the company and the product they made, and then decided I needed to invest. Living in the Rocky Mountain country, where I spend a lot of time hunting the marshes of the Great Salt Lake, to the rough mule deer terrain of the Wasatch Mountains, I quickly realized this was a product for me.
TRED 4x4 makes a product that takes away the need to worry about getting stuck in nasty places. They make recovery boards (along with other products) that can keep you from getting stuck, or simply make it easier to keep you moving to where you need to go. Let me give you an example:
Deep snow and uneven rutted-out roads are pretty common for the territory I hunt. When you get stuck, you’re stuck. Usually, your attempts to get out start with futile attempts bouncing between reverse and 4-wheel drive. Then maybe busting out an emergency shovel to try to dig yourself out. If that doesn’t work I’ve tried anything from rocks to kitty-litter to try to give myself traction to try to gain the ability to move even just an inch forward. The brilliance of TRED? Their recovery boards that you can simply “chock” underneath your tire to give yourself the traction needed to get out. I was in such a scenario a couple of weeks back looking for ducks on a shoreline when I found an overgrown rut that was muddy and deep. My side-by-side was stuck to the axles. Luckily for me, I had thought to load my recovery boards into the back. I threw those underneath my tires, pressed for a little gas, and popped out without any issue. Something that could have been a complete nightmare requiring trucks and tow straps was solved by Tred 4x4. This Australian off-road company has created something that is truly brilliant.
It isn’t just a great thing for waterfowlers either. If you take a vehicle off-road, I highly recommend having their product. With a lifetime warranty and boards designed from the tread of the tires with the best grip in the world, it’s little wonder that their product is taking over the off-road world.
I noticed a few of these boards on jeeps down in Moab this summer. I really didn’t think much of it. Then I realized why they’re so popular. They really can save you from some dire circumstances. There have been times hunting big game in my life where I’ve been in knee-deep snow, with a heavy-duty diesel buried trying to get out. These would have made life a whole lot easier. I can’t recommend these enough!
No one ever plans on getting stuck, but when you do (which inevitably you will), it’s a helluva lot easier to pull out these recovery boards and chock them underneath your tires to get on your way than it is to call your friends and see if they can come to tow you out.
I’ve been recommending these to any and all hunters I know because they work! My advice to waterfowlers, or any hunter in general, buy yourself some TRED 4x4s and save yourself some headache when you get stuck. Or simply make the trail ahead of you easier to navigate. You’ll be thankful you did!
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