Best Tire Substitute 8x8 Magnum With Tracks?

[VillageIdiot]

As I tear into my 8x8 magnum build, I know I will be getting to the tires eventually.
Machine is an 8x8 Magnum late 80's with the 18hp Kohler. It came with the 13" plastic tracks.

My question is, what's the best Argo tire substitute out there that will also work with my tracks? My research is saying 22" max diameter if I want to use the tracks.

I would like the tires to swim well in the summer, and still be able to install the tracks in the winter to run across the lake while using the same tires.

*I should mention, I am completely new to the Argo world.

[Bennett20200]

Congrats on your Magnum! I have the same model, mine also came with the 13 inch plastic tracks. 22 is for sure the largest size you can run these with tracks, but you need to make sure you don't have any body sag at all if you're running 22's with tracks. Mine is starting to sag and will need to be fixed before I place tracks on. Some 22 inch tires also only come in 11inch width instead of 10. 11 will give you better flotation when using tires, but I'm not sure how nicely they play with our old plastic tracks. Maybe someone with more experience can help with that.

As for tires.. I've been banging my head off the wall for a while trying to find an acceptable alternative to the new Argo Carlisle tires. At $2,300+ Cad for a set, they are crazy pricy. We're pretty limited with our tire selection for our machines with our 8 inch rims. In the end I ordered a set of Duro HF243's (they are sold under many brands, google them and you may recognize the tread pattern) which I am picking up today and hopefully mounting tomorrow. There has been lots of discussion about them here on the forms, but the general consensus is that they don't swim very well, but by removing some of know knobs between the paddles they become competent enough swimmers. I plan on making a thread and possibly a video to test them out on the water on my magnum to see if the rumored modification really works well or not.

If you don't mind losing a bit of ground clearance, the Carlisle AT101 is another good option. I have heard that it swims reasonably well, and is acceptable in mud. It's a bit more pricy, a bit smaller at only 21 inches, and availability is more limited in Canada, but it's an option that works "out of the box" and I know some members on here have purchased them and are happy. These might also be a good option if you plan on adding any kind of ice cleat to your tracks, because there isn't really the clearance to try that with the 22's. Again, I have ZERO experience with these tires, I'm just parroting what I found in my research over the last few months.

Enjoy your new magnum, I've really enjoyed restoring mine and I hope my new tires help me go places that my badly worn runamucks would not.