sparx,maybe you should buy a helicopter.lol
sparx,maybe you should buy a helicopter.lol
Rubber tracks are great on snow and ice,very comparable to the pro series tracks with both winter kits,however, the lack of open track design on the rubber doesnt allow for aggression/cleaning.The escargot tracked unit isn't stuck is it?
Man, that is impressive!
Sparx that is NUTS!
Those pics from Sparx is what is normally up here (Boreal and Shield Canada) I would not call that extreme by any means. Everyone has to remember that there are so many variables to what has been discussed like budget, specific terrain, technology available, Total weight vs HP vs Ground PSI, Machine width and length plus others. Unlimited budget and extreme engineering would produce an amazing product, but who can justify that? The Polaris AATV is allowing for some of that by using some of both of those two key ingredients, by having the ability to steal tech from it's huge R&D department and components created from other leading edge main line products they make. Also Polaris can to some extent subsidize the product from other lines to get to it the point of mass production and becoming profitable. Look at the slingshot they make, the price is crazy on those for what you get and I have read that they are sold out as fast as Polaris can make them. One other thing to consider like all things in life once you get to an extreme circumstance, to overcome it, the trade offs usually become extreme in nature also.
Here is a pic where I am actually stuck on Escargo's. I barely made it out on the pic above after some very delicate driving. Those Escargo's are amazing at always finding some traction somewhere in situations like that. The issue is more which is unavoidable is getting hung up due to ground clearance issues with hard ground piled up under the tub and soft ground under the tracks such as in these photos on what I call the death trail. This trail was pushed through for the Fort McMurray Wildfire as an extra fire break by huge dozers and left some pretty nasty ruts.
Would I expect the Rampage to go through this? Not really, but what I expect from the rampage is an actual better ride when I hit the hard land I ride a lot in between the bogs and beaver dams, deep creeks.
Last edited by Sparx; 03-30-2017 at 05:04 AM.
I find the open track designs don't float as good as the full flat design and suffer in the ground clearance area as a result. I was following a Frontier 8x8 on plastic supertracks and was very impressed how well he was doing in the muskeg just because of how well he was floating over it instead of digging trough like I was with the aggressive cleats. But boy are plastic tracks so noisy on hard or frozen ground. I miss my Rubber tracks often and contemplate modifying them to swim and work better, turn easier by adding Plastic grouser paddles. I wasn't too impressed with my Rubber tracks on ice or snow hillclimbing, even after trying to add the factory steel cleat inserts. We really didn't have enough snow this season to compare how well my Escargo's would have done but I wouldn't put them past being the best out there since the metal cleats are hard to beat traction wise. They climb out of frozen water when you break through with ease once the ice is thick enough.Originally Posted by foxvalley
Sparx, I have a simular problem with the pro series/winterkit dropping into a hole just wide enough for the argo, and with repetition, eventually chew a 2 track on the far side,and the front belly gets hung up.In a narrow hole you are forced into the 2 track,not much to do, either back out or winch out.
That's one thing I found nice with the Rubber tracks, the tracks weren't too aggressive and wouldn't tear up holes and actually would pack down ruts everywhere else as a result. Very little overspray as well with the rubber flat tracks. A lot more spray with the open pattern design and believe the open pattern design was the result of my only broken axle so far as well allowing a log to come through the track window and bind up between a front bearing carriered tire and overloading the non-bearing carrier second tire causing the weaker one to break off. It happened so fast there wasn't much noise, just tire rubbing with a broken 3" log just behind the Argo lying on the hard ground.
This is the hole that I was stuck above on the Rubber tracks that I made it through this season on the Escargo. Even now you can see the consistency changed due to rain and there was a bit more water in the hole which I think favors any track setup to make it through easier and not plug up the track cleats...
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