Recovery Board Mounts
Mount generic recovery boards like the builds on Instagram.
You saved money on the boards. That was the smart move. Here is the part nobody told you — you can mount them with magnets, the same way the expensive builds do. No rack. No drill.
You wanted recovery boards on the outside of your van. Boards you could see. The look every overland build on Instagram has. So you found a pair on Amazon. XBULL, Vevor, a no-name set, for a fraction of MaxTrax money. The boards work. Sand is sand. Mud is mud. A traction board does its job whether it cost 60 euros or 300.
Then you hit the wall everyone hits. How do you actually mount them?
You looked at the builds you copied. The boards snap flat to the steel. No rack. No holes. No straps flapping at 120 km/h. You assumed that trick was reserved for the expensive boards and brackets that cost as much again. It is not.
We make the magnetic mount that holds a standard recovery board to your van. Including the budget ones. Including yours.
Tactic Engineering invented magnetic mounts for recovery boards in December 2021. The copies showed up four years later. This is the original, made in Switzerland, and it does not care what badge is on your boards.
The mounting problem nobody warns you about
Budget boards save you money on the boards. They give you nothing for mounting. You get one of three outcomes in the box:
Nothing at all. Or a set of plastic clips designed for a roof rack you do not own. Or a vague instruction to 'use the holes.' None of that puts boards on the side of your van where you want them.
So you start pricing the mount. And the brand-specific brackets cost more than the boards did. You saved money buying generic, then the mounting hardware hands the saving back. That is the moment most people give up and leave the boards rattling around inside the van.
Three ways to mount recovery boards
All three work. They just suit different builds. Here is the honest trade-off on each.
01 — Drilled bracket
The most solid, permanent fix. The trade-off is just as permanent: holes in your panels, bare metal to seal against rust, and a mark on resale value.
02 — Roof rack
Ideal if you already run one or want one for other gear. On its own to hold a pair of boards, it adds cost, weight, height and wind noise.
03 — Magnetic quick-release
No holes, no rack, no glue. Boards bond flat to the steel and lock with pins, tool-free in under a minute, movable anywhere. The fit if you want the boards outside without committing the van.
If you bought budget boards to save money and don't already own a rack, the magnetic mount is the one that keeps the saving. It is also what most of the builds you copied are using.
How the magnetic mount works
Two parts. A rubber-coated neodymium magnet that bonds to the steel body of your van. A stainless quick-release pin that passes through the board's moulded hole and locks it to the magnet.
You place the magnets. You press the boards on. You drop the pins. Done. When you need the boards in the field, pull the pins and the boards come free in one second. No tools, ever. Two mounts hold one board.
Does it fit your boards?
Almost certainly. Nearly every traction board on the market shares the same idea: a moulded body with lug holes near the ends. Amazon generics, XBULL, Vevor and most no-name pairs follow that pattern because they were copying the boards that set the standard. The quick-release pin goes through that hole.
The generic mount is the universal one. If you happen to run MaxTrax or TRED/ARB boards, we make versions cut for the exact fit of those bodies. Pick the one that matches your boards.
Does it fit your van? The 10-second test
The magnets bond to steel. Most vans are steel. To be certain, do this before you order:
Take any fridge magnet. Put it on the panel where you would mount the boards. If it holds firmly, our 56 kg magnets hold with room to spare. If it slides off or barely grips, the panel is aluminium or composite. Land Rover and the new Ford Bronco are aluminium, so the magnets will not attach to those bodies.
Not sure about your model? Check your van against our list in a few seconds.
Check compatibilitySteel body required. Aluminium bodies excluded.
The specs
| Magnets | 56 kg pull · rubber-coated neodymium · 90 mm Ø |
| Pins | Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic · 3D printed at 270 °C |
| Fit | Most standard recovery boards |
| Install | Magnetic · no tools, no drilling, no glue |
| Per board | 2 mounts |
| Made in | Switzerland · hand-assembled in-house |
| Warranty | 2 years · every part replaceable at cost |
The Original. Invented Here.
The boards can be generic.
The mount can't.
A budget board is a fair trade. A weak mount holding your boards to a moving vehicle is not. The mount is the part that fails on the motorway, scratches your paint, or snaps in the cold. It is the one place not to cut a corner.
We invented this in December 2021 and have refined it ever since. OWL Vans distributes it in the United States. Burkhart Engineering in Germany, Hobus in Belgium, Dutch Van Parts in the Netherlands, Montpellier 4x4 in France, Van Creed in Australia, Nirvana Outfitters in Canada. The biggest names in the industry sell the original, not the copies that arrived four years later.
No outsourcing. No shortcuts. Made in Switzerland.
How it compares
| Tactic | Drilled bracket | Look-alike | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original design | Dec 2021, the first | Generic | Recent copy |
| Made in | Switzerland | Often Asia | Often Asia |
| Holes in your van | None | Permanent | None |
| Pull strength | 56 kg / magnet, tested | N/A | Often unspecified |
| Track record | Thousands since 2021 | Generic | New entry |
| Warranty | 2 years | Typically 1 year | Variable |
One more thing on a busy car park
Magnets and pins hold the boards against the road. They are not a lock against hands. If you leave the van in cities or trailheads, run a cable through the boards. Marine-grade lock, 60 cm steel cable, done.
Lock your boards to the van with a marine-grade cable when you leave it parked.
Add the anti-theft cable60 cm steel cable · marine-grade lock.
Questions people ask before they buy
Do they work with budget Amazon, XBULL or Vevor boards?
Yes. The generic mount is built for standard boards, and the budget brands followed the standard hole pattern. The pin passes through the moulded hole. If your boards have the usual end holes, they fit.
Will the boards fly off on the motorway?
The magnets hold the board flat. The stainless pins lock it so it cannot lift or slide. For long highway runs and peace of mind, add the anti-theft cable.
Do the magnets wreck the paint?
No. The magnets are rubber-coated and each kit includes transparent paint-protection stickers for the contact points. Keep the surfaces clean of grit and the paint stays intact. No holes. No glue.
What if I break or lose a part?
Every part is replaceable at production cost, from a pin to a magnet. You never rebuy the whole kit. Two-year warranty.
The Original. Built in Switzerland since 2020.
Put your boards on the outside. Keep your panels intact.
Any board. The original mount. No rack. No drilling. No rust. No resale hit.
Mount my boards
