DIY Ladder Traction Recovery Board for Dirt, Mud, Sand, and Snow

This is for entertainment purposes only. I’m not a mechanical engineer or professional welder so I don’t know when I’m lying! Rushed to be done by the day and a half of weather it could be painted. Don’t have a shop so weld and paint outdoors, freezing or sweating!

DIY sand ladders are traction/recovery boards roughly in the shape of a ladder. Can be used in dirt, mud, sand, and snow. Better for bridging or ramps as they won’t bend like most plastic or composite traction/recovery boards. Unfortunately metal sand ladders cost even more than plastic or composite traction/recovery boards.

Don’t need a high power welder and the rougher the welds, the better for traction. Tell everybody they were done that way on purpose.

1” or 25.4mm square tubing is 10 years old so cost is electricity, paint, and welding wire. Wall thickness is .065” or ~1.7 mm so its strength is from the shape. Thin but free.

Use smaller size tubing with thicker walls for easier and faster welding as thin wall tubing burns thru easily. Used a series of close set tack welds, let cool, a small quick root weld, let cool, and finished with a weave weld over the root weld. Weave weld is deliberately rough to give traction.

Aluminum is lighter but you’ll need to increase the wall thickness as it’s not as strong and more expensive. Still learning to stick weld aluminum.

Avoid excessive speed or throttle when using traction boards or sand ladders as they can get shoved into your vehicle or flung out into surrounding property and people! Speed increases the forces on traction boards or ladders and can cause catastrophic failures.