another track idea

[truckinwagen]

I really like the design of the adair track, but finances being what they are I am not going to own a set anytime soon. even a used set of supertracks is more than I can afford.

I have been playing with ideas for homebuilt tracks, and have an idea that I may go forward with.

the adair tracks are made up of plastic plates that are both the grouser and the guide, which are strung on a chain to tie them together, yes?

I was thinking about making u-shaped pieces of PVC conduit(light, abrasion resistant and rigid) and bolting them to two lengths of chain. like the adair tracks.

larger grousers could then be bolted to these u-shapes if deemed necessary, they could be studded with roofing screws for icy conditions too.

PVC conduit is cheap, easy to work with(can be formed with a heat gun) and holds its shape really well.
I priced out some materials and it looks like I could build a set for about $300 chain and bolts included.

what do you all think?

-Owen

[mudbug3]

The material that the Adair grousers are made out of is called UHMW , which is MORE WEAR RESISTANT than plastic is when driving over rocks ,gravel and concrete. I really don't know how well PVC conduit will hold up long term if used for tracks material?

[truckinwagen]

one of the reasons PVC is used is its wear resistance, the PVC used for conduit is listed as a high molecular weight plastic.
its probably not as good in the long run as UHMW, but it is much cheaper, I could afford to replace the PVC part of the track many times for what UHMW would cost.

that and forming the PVC would be much easier than cutting UHMW to shape for al the sections.

I'm gonna try it and see, nothing ventured nothing gained.
-Owen

[truckinwagen]

taken from PVC.org:

Durable
PVC is resistant to weathering, rotting, chemical corrosion, shock and abrasion. It is therefore the preferred choice for a range of customers for many different long-life and outdoor products. In fact, medium and long-term applications account for some 85 per cent of PVC production in the building and construction sector. For example, it is estimated that PVC pipes will have potential in-service lives of up to 100 years. In other applications such as window profiles and cable insulation, studies indicate that over 60 per cent of them will have working lives of over 40 years.

Cost-effective
PVC has been a popular material for construction applications for decades due to its physical and technical properties which provide excellent cost-performance advantages. As a material it is very competitive in terms of price, this value is also enhanced by the properties such as its durability, lifespan and low maintenance.

[spookum]

Go for it buddy! Just make sure to use schedual 80 pipe. I would only worry about it shattering if it impacted a pointy rock. what would keep a guy from filling it full of cheap expanding insuative foam to add compression to the inside of the pipe? it would also keep them from becoming filled with mud, water or snow and i think that a case (another forty bucks from wall mart) would go a long way. it will also increase your floating capacity

[amphibious drew]

Go for it buddy! Just make sure to use schedual 80 pipe. I would only worry about it shattering if it impacted a pointy rock. what would keep a guy from filling it full of cheap expanding insuative foam to add compression to the inside of the pipe? it would also keep them from becoming filled with mud, water or snow and i think that a case (another forty bucks from wall mart) would go a long way. it will also increase your floating capacity

I had a similar thought to filling it, but would suggest a self leveling driveway filler manufactured by sika. its like rubber in a tube. More expensive that foam but adds rigidity where foam doesn't. Also it is a misconception that filling something with foam adds boyance. A hollow hogs capped at both ends will weigh more filled with foam than filled with air hence reducing boyance. Want it does do is prevent water, a much heavier material, from filling the space if a hole is present.

[truckinwagen]

filling the tubes is a thought, but I don't think they will really need more rigidity. as for buoyancy, we will see if that is an issue or not. the possibility of cracking one of them on a pointy rock is there, but I probably wont be running them in that kind of terrain anyway, more thinking about mud/snow(really snow, about the only place my maxII falls on its face with just tires) and if one does break, the materials to make more are cheap, and replacing one would be as easy as taking off two bolts(could probably do it with the tracks still installed on the machine)

I have a long weekend ahead of me that is free of other stuff to do, so I might get a start tomorrow.

here is a question though, should the chains holding them together be attached close to the grouser(near the face of the tire) or down the side of the guide part(down the sidewall of the tire more)?

-Owen

[amphibious drew]

Attach the chains as high up the tired sidewall as possible.

[truckinwagen]

ok, that was my inclination, but wanted someone else to say it too.

I built a test tread, I have high hopes for the track idea, but there is not enough room between the tub and tire(damn maxII!) so some way of spacing the tires out will be neccicary, and possibly even a smaller tire(I have 22" runamuks on it now)

the price quote from my local argo dealer for spacers is really stupid, so something else will have to be figured out for that.

I'll try to get the photos of the test tread up soon.

-Owen

[Obsessed]

I had a similar thought to filling it, but would suggest a self leveling driveway filler manufactured by sika. its like rubber in a tube. More expensive that foam but adds rigidity where foam doesn't. Also it is a misconception that filling something with foam adds boyance. A hollow hogs capped at both ends will weigh more filled with foam than filled with air hence reducing boyance. Want it does do is prevent water, a much heavier material, from filling the space if a hole is present.

Good point...air is more buoyant than foam as long as it is in a sealed cavity...i do like the added rigidity that you might get from foam. I built several sets out of solid 1" thick gray pvc and machined them out to the right shape...if you look in my photos you'll probably find them, they worked great, but as already mentioned above and confirmed in our studies, they can be brittle and shatter into sharp pieces upon impact especially when cold...the hdpe, was an improvement that eventually led to uhmw

I still go back to the idea that a simple set of homemade tracks could be built from plastic deck lumber or real wood, the guides could be made from angled cuts in small 4x4 blocks and all connected by sandwiching over rubber belting material

Best of luck!

Tim