Hello, I’m unable to find anywhere to post a review (I’m not the best with tech though). It’s a review that I believe is long over due and well deserved.
So I found this email and thought I’d send a review through to it. I originally purchased 2 sets of the TRED recovery tracks back in about 2014 I believe (can’t find receipt at the moment). They were the TRED red 800 recovery track and had been used on a hilux and gu patrol in mud/clay with great success with nothing to winch off, I then lodged a warranty claim in about 2015 due to the boards cracking from one degree to another if I recall correctly, to my disappointment and delt with Paul Wilkie I believe. Top bloke and quality assistants, warranty claim was delt with quickly and approved.
When the replacements arrived the 1100's had been sent and when I contacted paul he sent me new bags to put them in, so that I could still store them in bags out of the sun. No extra cost to me, now thats service at its finest, replacment and upgrade and bags to match with no hassle.
I had some doubts after the 1st set failed, now though I’m as happy as a kid with candy. We’ve used the TRED 1100 red recovery tracks in so many places. Mainly with our gu zd30 patrol wagon (stolen about 3 months ago) and gq td42 patrol wagon and a friends suzuki vitara swb early 90's model. We've also used them to assist so many others from hilux's and landcruisers to rangers and dmax's and so many more. With the 3 main vehicles they have been used, they have been used in mud, clay, snow, rocks, sand, on flat surfaces, up hills, hill decents, side on hills, bog holes, gap fillers/surface builders, creek beds and probably so much more and have been the bees knees, a lot of VIC country to NSW rangers and a recent trip to Tassie west coast.
Recently in Tassie on the sand dunes down the back end where the sand is so soft/loose you sink ankle deep just walking, we couldn't resist the challenge and took the vitara and gq patrol in and in the sand we went! I had to go 10psi in the 33's mtz on the patrol just to get enough surface area and the vitara on 30's down to 6psi. It sure was a challenge, we soon discovered we took a wrong turn and we ended up getting stuck in a tight section of the dunes. We had inadvertently ended up on an ATV trail by mistake, a small but tight s bend in the bottom with dunes tops all round, dare I say like the valley of doom it became. The patrol had the weight to grip with the tracks. Though with one side hard up against the inside corner and the other side starting to push into the dune with its nose, the patrol was too big to fit though, some drivers error on my part had put it and me in a bad position. Leaving us with the only option to go back the way we came. Using all 4 of the TRED tracks, multiple repositioning of them and we managed to turn the vitara around on the 1st small climb out, the sand was too loose and steep for it to continue, the vitara was too light and the climb too steep that way out for it to continue. This meant that the patrol would have to reverse up the dune it just came down with only the TRED tracks to get it out as the vitara couldn't get out and come back round to assist with a snatch. 1st attempt reversing the patrol up with the tracks, was hairy at best. The second I went back, as the nose came away from the dune. Part the dune came down, barring the patrol from quarter way down the doors on the drivers side. We were in trouble and we knew it, we got luckily and got it out from there with the TRED’s before more came down which would of barred the patrol half way up the doors in sand. From here on we would have to back it up at a snails pace. The sand dune was a lil steep and wouldn’t have been a problem if it were mud or something firmer. We tried to offset the TRED’s so two tyres were on whilst the other two were positioned in place, the sand was too loose, no lockers and an lsd that wasn’t working right meant it was all 4 TRED’s or no chance. This worried us as it meant going up in reverse on them till the patrol cleared them back into the loose sand. So that the TRED’s could be put behind and under the tyres again on the incline. To our surprise, with a lot of care and attention and doing it many times over. Bit by bit we got back up and were able to snatch out the vitara.
Without the TRED recovery tracks, there was no other way we could of got ourselves out we believe. There have been so many times we have been impressed with these and the other people they have helped, this by far was the best. Going up a sand dune with a slight bend in reverse at a very slow speed with these TRED tracks was simply amazing. My wife, kids, friend and I would like to say thank you, thank you to everyone who has anything to do with inventing, making, selling, supplying, customer service (big shout to Paul Wilkie who I mentioned previously) and so forth of this incredible product, yes I’m aware it’s also how its used. Without having these, the day could of ended badly or very expensive. So thankyou and keep up the great work too all, some of you may not realise it, but you make a difference in this world and a dam good one at that, especially when the tough puts its big boy pants on like it did to us.
- Steve (one very happy TRED customer).