Argo on a railway line?

[Alienation]

Well where I live there is a dead track from end to end of the island. It has been decommissioned... I've done the measurements, but has anyone actually taken their argo on the railway tracks? Would it be straddling the rails?

[john swenson]

that would be really fun . i have watched videos of guys who have made homebuilt carts to ride closed tracks . if you measured the rails width outside and in , maybe the argo rims would be the right space ..if not, some custom rims ( only need 4 ) could work . just hit the throttle and off you go i guess . no steering needed . or you can always build a simple motor cart like on u tube jboy va

[Noel Woods]

I wouldn't try it. These machines ride rough enough with air in the tires. I could only imagine the beating on just rims. I would think the bearings and chains would be even shorter lived than they are now. The upside would be you could go a long distance without touching the laterals, not that it would do you much good if you needed to make a steering correction.

No offense, but if you want a machine to ride the rails, an old golf car with a suspension would be a better choice.

[Alienation]

My thought was to keep the tires on if possible, for traction more than anything. Where I live, the railroad goes into some pretty deep country. I was hoping to be able to ride the rails into deeper areas, then hop off and find a nice lake or river to let the kids swim at. My problem is in my area, most forestry roads are gated, and access to nicer areas are limited. When the whole island congregates at these few accessible places, it makes for not such fun times. I appreciate your input!

[john swenson]

i agree with rims , no tires would be too rough . if the tire width did match the rails , it may be possible to fabricate a setup where 4 rubber casters that would bolt to the tub of the machine , 2 on each side . they would be spaced for the outside rail distance or inside rail distance at the right height to roll along the edge of the rails as guides . sort of like roller coasters have . the dolly wheels would be mounted so they rolled along the rail edge . just a thought ...i like making stuff ! jboy va