Mounting traction boards on the side ?

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by yonah

There is a company in Australia, or maybe South Africa, that manufactures a Maxtrax mount that secures to the side of a 70-series Land Cruiser. The cool thing about this mount is that it pivots down and transforms into a table/flat space- giving the mount a dual use capability. Given the fact that a 70-series LC's body is a giant box, like an E-series van, it may be possible to incorporate this product on an Econoline.

That is a slick set-up...i inquired with this outfit (Mission 4x4 PTY LTD) a while ago, quote came back (with shipping) ar $1,130

[CDACamper]

Do you have a rear bumper with bars? I used this as a mount and it works very well.

[nyyankees588]

Originally Posted by drobinson

Just saw these the other day. Might be worth a look.
https://owlvans.com/products/magneti...b9e79dd0&_ss=r

Wow... those are very cool and relatively inexpensive at only $180 (half the price of the seasuckers). I would highly consider this, as you could easily remove them when you're parked at home for a while... put them back on when you have a trip. Being able to store recovery boards outside is essential, once they're covered in mud, putting them back in your van or roof box isn't the best.


I would be hesitant to go the sheet metal route. I definitely think that it's feasible, especially with plusnuts, but the sheet metal is truly pretty flimsy. If nothing else, it would likely lead to paint cracking/chipping over time.

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by nyyankees588

Wow... those are very cool and relatively inexpensive at only $180 (half the price of the seasuckers). I would highly consider this, as you could easily remove them when you're parked at home for a while... put them back on when you have a trip.

I had never come across either of these options in past searches so i agree 'pretty cool' seeing them introduced here. Both have appeal, and your mind immediately starts to explore other applications these could make possible.

I would have gone just the opposite; Seasuckers over magnet.
My concern with the magnet is if/when they move from vibration or from the jaring associated with body-bounce, you'll more than likely end out addressing a lot of paint wear (scratching) on the contact areas. Can't see this would happen with suction devices. Just my observation.

[nyyankees588]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

I had never come across either of these options in past searches so i agree 'pretty cool' seeing them introduced here. Both have appeal, and your mind immediately starts to explore other applications these could make possible.

I would have gone just the opposite; Seasuckers over magnet.
My concern with the magnet is if/when they move from vibration or from the jaring associated with body-bounce, you'll more than likely end out addressing a lot of paint wear (scratching) on the contact areas. Can't see this would happen with suction devices. Just my observation.

Yep - you are probably correct in regards to the risk of dinging paint with magnets. Based on the video OWL vans has on the product page, you would definitely want to wipe down the surface of the magnets/van to make sure there wasn't anything between them that would scratch/prevent full connection... which, if you dropped one of the magnets or put the traction boards on the ground with the magnets still attached, I could see it being a big hassle to remove the tiny metallic pieces of dirt/rock that inevitably would be attracted to the magnets.



I was carried away by how (relatively) cheap the magnet mounts are. Even though it makes complete sense, because they aren't complex, the overlanding products always seem to have a pretty significant "tax" on them.

[yonah]

The magnetic mounts are going to damage the vehicle's paint. There's no way around it. Dirt and grit is going to work its way between the magnet and vehicle body; the mounts/boards are going to vibrate when going down the road. Essentially turning the back of the magnetic mounts into high grit sandpaper.

This is same issue people run into when utilizing magnetically mounted CB antennas. They're good in a pinch but shouldn't be considered as a long-term solution. There's also the issue of security, or lack thereof, with this type of mount. It's a risky way to hang $700 worth of kit on the side of your vehicle.

[Ben10281]

I wonder if you could apply some sort of adhesive PPF type film to the areas that the magnets would attach to?? Like a rock guard PPF that is used on some sports cars. Again, doesn't solve security but maybe helps maintain the paint. Do the suction cup mounts deform the sheet metal over time? I would think if they are strong enough not to come off there would be some amount of deflection occurring to the sheet metal, no?

[yonah]

Originally Posted by Ben10281

I wonder if you could apply some sort of adhesive PPF type film to the areas that the magnets would attach to?? Like a rock guard PPF that is used on some sports cars. Again, doesn't solve security but maybe helps maintain the paint. Do the suction cup mounts deform the sheet metal over time? I would think if they are strong enough not to come off there would be some amount of deflection occurring to the sheet metal, no?

You could probably go the PPF route (I've seen guys do this when installing aftermarket fender flares) or find a set of anti-abrasion adhesive pads that are marketed for magnetic antenna installs. These pads are available in different diameters and are designed to adhere to the sheet metal side of the install. They solve the abrasion problem.

I installed a WeBoost cell booster in our family minivan and used an anti-abrasion pad for the magnetic exterior roof-mounted antenna. My eventual plan is to move the antenna to the roof rack once I find some time to fabricate a suitable mount, but this got us down the road with a functional cell signal booster.

Photos:

[Orv]

As a temporary solution I've used the "wipe down the paint surface and put a thick layer of wax on it" method, but my experience with mag mounts is the same -- eventually grit will work its way in and scratch the paint. This is especially true if you live in an area with a lot of iron in the soil, because the grit will be *attracted* to the magnet. In fact just wiping all the magnetically-attracted grit off the magnet before you put it in place can be pretty difficult.

[Big_ern_101]

The issue with using PPF or another pad between the magnet and the paint is magnetic force is inverse squared to distance, so a little distance makes a lot weaker magnet. Will the thickness of PPF make a significant difference? Not sure, but it will weaken the rated holding power.