Home/Field Notes/MaxTrax Mounting Guide
How to Mount MaxTrax on a Van Without Drilling. Every Option Compared.
Recovery boards only matter on the day you are stuck. On that day, the question is how fast they come off the van. Up a ladder to the roof rack, it is a job. Bolted to a door, it is a few minutes with a spanner. On the side of the van, held by magnets, it is two pins and ten seconds. Here is every way to carry MaxTrax and other recovery boards on a van, what each one costs you, and how to do it without a single hole.
Short answer
- Carry the boards where you can reach them from the ground. Access speed decides whether you use them or dig with your hands.
- Roof rack pins work but need a rack and a ladder. Door and ladder brackets often need drilling. Straps loosen.
- Magnetic quick-release mounts hold the boards on any flat steel panel: side, rear door, tailgate. No rack, no drilling, no glue.
- Each board needs two mounts. 4 mounts carry 2 boards, 8 mounts carry 4.
- Each magnet pulls 56 kg on steel. Curved roofs and bonnets have their own kit with pivoting joints.
- Aluminium and composite bodies do not hold a magnet. Check with a fridge magnet first.
01Where recovery boards usually go
There are four places on a van: the roof, the rear door or ladder, the spare wheel, and the side panels. The roof keeps the boards out of the way and out of reach. The rear door and the spare wheel are reachable but crowded, and they put weight on hinges that were not designed for it. The side panels are big, flat, steel and at hand height. They are the obvious place, as long as nothing has to be bolted through them.
We learned this the practical way. After a year of off-road use with our first magnetic mounts, one thing was clear: faster access to the boards is worth more than anything else on the rack. Lines we would have skipped, we now take, because getting the boards off is no longer a job.
02Every way to mount recovery boards, compared
| Method | Needs a rack | Drilling | Access | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roof rack mounting pins | Yes | No | Ladder, then unscrew | Boards out of reach. Slow when you are stuck and the light is going |
| Straps on the rack | Yes | No | Ladder, then unbuckle | Straps stretch and work loose on corrugations |
| Ladder or rear-door bracket | No | Often | From the ground | Holes in the door, load on the hinges, in the way of the door |
| Spare wheel bracket | No | Usually not | From the ground | Only if you carry the spare outside. Crowded |
| Magnetic quick-release | No | No | From the ground, two pins | Needs a steel panel. Aluminium and composite bodies do not work |
Everything on the roof costs time. Everything bolted to a door costs holes. The magnet costs neither, as long as there is steel underneath.
03Will a magnet hold on your van?
The rule: the magnets need steel underneath. Factory paint is fine. What breaks the hold is aluminium, composite, or a gap between the magnet and the steel.
Holds
- Steel side panels: Sprinter, Ducato, Transit, Crafter, Daily, Master, VW T-series
- Steel rear doors and tailgates
- Curved steel roofs and bonnets, with the curved-surface kit
- 4x4s and pickups with steel bodies
Does not hold
- Aluminium bodies and panels
- Composite bodies: some Land Rover Defenders, Ford F-150, Ford Bronco
- Coachbuilt motorhome walls in aluminium or GRP
- Thick wrap, magnetic signs, dirt under the magnet
Put an ordinary fridge magnet where the mount will sit. If you have to pull to get it off, the mount holds there. If it slides or drops, that panel is not steel. Not sure? Send us your vehicle, model and year.
04Which kit fits your boards
Every board model has its own recess pattern, so every kit is cut for one board. Pick your board, then the surface.
| Your boards | Flat steel panel | Curved roof or bonnet |
|---|---|---|
| MaxTrax MK2, LITE, XTREME | MaxTrax Quick Release | MaxTrax Curved Surfaces |
| TRED GT, PRO, HD | TRED Magnetic Supports | Ask us |
| Sumex | Sumex Quick Release | Ask us |
| Other boards | Generic Quick Release | Generic Curved Surfaces |
Keep your magnets. The Quick Release Upgrade swaps the pins for the quick-release version.
05Fitting it
- Protect the paint.Clean the panel and apply the transparent protection stickers from the kit where the magnets will sit.
- Fit the mounts to the board.Insert the pins into the board recesses until they snap into place. Two mounts per board.
- Place the board.Set it flat on the steel panel. The magnets pull it on.
- Curved kit only: lock the joints.Let each magnet find the panel, then tighten the upper nut with a 19 mm spanner while holding the lower nut with a 22 mm spanner.
- Check before you drive.Pull on each board. Check again after the first drive and after every rough track.
06Keeping them on the van
Boards that come off in ten seconds come off in ten seconds for anyone. On a parked van, lock them. The Anti-Theft Cable is a rubber-coated stainless cable with an ABUS T84 marine-grade lock, in 60 cm or 120 cm. It runs through the boards to a fixed anchor point: a rack bar, a roof rail, a tie-down eye. Measure from the boards to the anchor before you choose the length.
07The numbers
08The honest part
A recovery board on the outside of a van is cargo, and securing cargo is the driver's job. Swiss authorities class our mounts as cargo securing equipment, and that is how we want you to treat them. Mount on clean, flat steel. Use the curved kit on curved panels and keep its nuts tight. Check the boards before you drive and after rough ground. Done that way, they have held on thousands of vans since 2021.
Magnetic Recovery Board Mounts
56 kg per magnet · No rack · No drilling · MaxTrax, TRED, Sumex, generic · Made in Switzerland
09Why us
Tactic Engineering started in 2020 with one idea: fix things to a van with magnets instead of holes. Our first product was a magnetic mount for MaxTrax. Every magnetic recovery board mount on the market today came after ours. We still design, print and assemble them ourselves, in Switzerland, and every part is sold separately at fair prices, from a pin to a magnet. You never re-buy the kit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mount MaxTrax without a roof rack?
Yes. Magnetic mounts hold the boards on any flat steel panel: the side of the van, a rear door, a tailgate. No rack, no drilling, no glue.
How many mounts do I need?
Two per board. The 4-mount kit carries 2 boards, the 8-mount kit carries 4.
Will the magnets scratch the paint?
The magnets are rubber-coated, and the kit includes transparent protection stickers for the panel. Clean the panel before you place the boards. Grit under any mount marks paint.
Does it fit TRED, ARB or other boards?
Each kit is cut for one board. MaxTrax MK2, LITE and XTREME have their own kit, TRED GT, PRO and HD have theirs, and Sumex too. For other boards there is a generic quick-release kit, flat or curved.
Can I mount them on the roof or the bonnet?
On a curved steel roof or bonnet, use the curved-surface kit. Each magnet sits on a pivoting joint that you lock with two spanners once it sits flat.
Does it work on a Land Rover Defender?
Only on steel panels. Many Defender body panels are aluminium, and no magnet holds there. Do the fridge-magnet test on the exact spot first.
Can someone just take the boards?
On a parked van, lock them with the Anti-Theft Cable: stainless steel, rubber-coated, with an ABUS T84 marine-grade lock, in 60 cm or 120 cm.
Where do you ship from, and do I pay duties?
From Switzerland, dispatched within 48 working hours. In the EU the price includes VAT and duties: nothing to pay at the door. Two-year warranty, worldwide.
Boards off in ten seconds.
Magnetic quick-release mounts for MaxTrax, TRED, Sumex and other recovery boards. No rack, no drilling, no glue. Made in Switzerland since 2020.
MAXTRAX®, TRED®, ARB®, Sumex® and ABUS® are trademarks of their respective owners. Vehicle names are trademarks of their manufacturers and are used to describe compatibility only. Rogue Vans is credited as the builder of the vehicle shown. Tactic Engineering is an independent manufacturer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the above companies.
