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i am in the middle of making tracks for an 04 big foot with an 18horse vanguard motor. how do i prevent chain wind up? if i unhook my rear chains and run the rest at normal tension will that work? what other things should i look for while running/building tracks? i am using 15inch snowmobile tracks and 2inch flat bar for the guilds. thanx again guys for all the advice along the way!
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You can try unhooking some of the drive chains, but it will probably cause the tires to slip in side of the track s when you are under a heavy load or in the mud. The best thing to do is to size the tires and make sure that they are in the right order to minimize the damage caused by the chain windup...you will also need to switch the tires to a smaller size to allow enough fender clearance. You might also need to add wheel spacers to keep the tracks from rubbing on the back side of the fenders or offset the wheel guides on the track to move them outward from the center of the machine.
Good luck:-) -
when you say to size the tires do you mean to keep them the same diameter side to side?Comment
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Not exactly...when you size the tires on a 6x6 argo (because of the newer style chain tensioners and the placement and configuration of the drive train components) you stager the tires in a pattern of smallest in front and largest in the back...this will put the stretch on the top of the chain loops (and off of the self adjusting chain tensioners) when rolling in a forward direction and should be done whether or not you run tracks...will save a lot of wear and tear on the chain and tensioners...
To figure out size, just take the tires off and inflate them to a common preasure and then measure around the center of each tire and write it on the inside of the rim for future use...your original 25x12x9's should average about 78-79" each but could vary as much as 6 or 7 inches and thats what causes chain windup
Let me know if you need additional help or if this doesnt make sence
Have funComment
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it does make sense and I'm glad i asked! i learn something about this thing every day. i appreciate all the advice i can get. i want to keep this buggy in premo condition. any idea on how long of a track i will need with 22" tires? how hard are the tracks to put on? Thanx again!Comment
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You can get detailed info on correct tire pressure, size placement ect from a Argo dealerComment
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My understanding is that removing the rear chains does help on the 8x8's, but not so much on the 6x6's. Personally, I don't do it. I have noticed that chain windup is a bigger issue with rubber tracks than plastic (I have both).
Make sure your guides are very smooth, it doesn't take much to slash a tire sidewall.
Are your guides just running along the edges of the track, or are they running across the width of the track with a guide on each side?
RDComment
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i am planing on using 2" flat bar for the guides. going to put a 2" lip to bolt threw and a small bend at the top to keep it away from the tire. unless someone has a better idea of what to use?Comment
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In a perfect world...track length on you 6x6 bigfoot with 22" tires would be 173" long...Comment
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Hi All,
I installed Argo brand rubber tracks on my 97 Conquest last winter and I have to date had no issues with Chain Windup. I have read different logs during to last year regarding this and and from what I have read the Argos with the problem seem to have the newer style rachet type chain tensioners. These tensioners tigthen and don't release. Why not change the tensioners on the back set of chains to the old style as in say a 97 argo and see what happens.This may let the chains slip. My Argo tensioner has a set of arms on a rod with plastic blocks for slids for the chain to run on and a spring to keep the tensioner tight. I don't know if this is a cure for the problem but if it works in may be an inexpensive cure.
PaulComment
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Post some picture of your homemade tracks. It's something I've been thinking about for my Frontier.Comment
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That s an excellent observation and in my opinion..the previous style chain tensioners that argo used were superior in terms of function and efficiency..in the fact that they allowed the chain to get tight on either side or direction (when going forward or reverse or turning) and not bind up chain movement...
What people didnt like is that when the load on the chain changes (again, forward or reverse or turning) the system allows a rapid change in movement and results in a banging feeling under foot...typically gave the feeling that somthing wasn't right or even broken, when in fact it was more efficiently keeping slack out of the chain loop than probably any other design...other problem with that system is, if the chain or spring gets worn then the constant shocking motion from driving, or even chain windup releasing can and will eventually throw the spring off and then most likly jam and break one of the little aluminum arm assemblies and try to grind up the spring between the chain and sprocket....in your case the tracks probably help control a lot of the sudden shifting in the chain loads as the tires are all rolling together as one synchronized unit...
from a comfort and maintenance standpoint the new style tensioner is much smoother, quieter, and more "bullet proof", but not as efficient, and their success is more contingent on correct tire sizing and air pressure, and are most efficient when the machine is rolling in a forward direction and the tension is on the top (in most cases) of the chain loop and not on the tensioner itself (in all cases)...(for a short while the new avengers had a tensioner installed upside down on the front chain loop as that chain had the load on the bottom of the loop while rolling forward)
In either case and either with or without tracks, if you have imperfect tires or air pressure, chain windup is inevitable unless you are on a zero traction surface such as mud, water, or ice...but if you understand it you can do a lot to minimize its damaging effect...
Keep havin funComment
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I'm not saying its a better idea, just putting it out there. How about alluminum flat bar across the entire track just to keep it from flexing and poking in a tire. Its lighter. Might bend and keep its form though. I guess my concern is, the snowmobile track would flex where the guide is but how much is the question?Originally posted by trainguy438 View PostComment
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that's another good thought mike bar... my first thought is that unless you have a lot of extra fender clearance, I would be cautious about putting any metal on the outside of the track where it might damage the lower tub...your idea on the inside of the track might work pretty well and I think is kinda similar to the tracks that mudd-ox builds...
Lots of good ideasComment
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Another thing to keep in mind is tire pressure. Once your tires are measured and the track installed, you want the right tire pressure. On a 6x6, 5psi, front tire, 6 psi on middle and rear tire. 8x8 is different.Comment
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