Test Swamp (with tracks)

[DerekF]

I have a small test area consisting of "Northern" swamp (bottomless, loon poop, weeds), Canadian shield rock, and some hard pack dirt. I should say that it is full of trails in the mud, but they are from the quads in the spring, when the ground is still frozen but the top bit is thawed. Makes for fun quad riding BUT later when the swamp thaws completely it "LOOKS" like the quads have been all through the area and anyone can drive through it. It is very misleading to the newcomer, as some parts you still may be able to quad through, but 5 ft later it is bottomless! I know because last year I tried to do a loop through a portion of the creek (where it looked like quads had driven) with my vampire tires on, and got no further that 10 ft off the trail into the swamp and got hopelessly stuck. Fortunately a fella I know in a rhino was out running his dogs and saw me and winched me out. (he stayed ON the hard packed trail). Turns out we both hunt in the same area in the mountains. I was telling him I was just testing to see if I could actually go through some of these types of conditions, as I come across in the mountains and never really tried.

He was telling me that no machine, even an argo, could go through that type of area, there was just no propulsion through it. (too much loonpoop and weeds to be water conditions where the tires would swim, not enough harder type mud or substance to be drivable). Hard to argue with a guy as you are being winched out.

HOWEVER, what I lack in brains I more than make up for in stubbornness. I put the tracks on and went through the "un-drivable" area. All I can say is, WOW. Man do tracks make it effortless. My next thing will be to get a set of Adairs, and then head to the mountains this fall!

Here is the short video.

[Rock Doctor]

Nice spot.
Must have been a bit embarrassing getting pulled out by a Rhino, haha. Good to hear that you conquered that swamp though.

Nice machine you have there

RD

[Noel Woods]

That looks like a cool place to ride. I agree w/RD, you have a nice machine.

[Obsessed]

Great video...looks like fun!

Love the color of your avenger....it looks like a beast and no doubt the king of that swamp :-)

tim

[moose man]

Sweet video got me excited to go moose hunting,go threw the same kind of loon s!@t with my old argo with tracks and going to update to a 04 conquest,cant beat a argo with tracks!

[mightymaxIV]

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!! Awesome video Derek, thanks for taking the time to video your machine and then post it up! WOW!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for telling us the story behind the video and what a difference the tracks make, Awesome!!!! It's good to see an AATV go where no one else can go!! Love it!!

[guyfox]

What type of tracks were you running? If it was that good without adair then why get the adair tracks?

By the way great video.......

[DerekF]

Good question, I have been asking myself why I want the adair tracks too. Maybe because all the cool kids are getting them?

The rubber tracks are really good in the muskeg, when compared to tires. Actually, they are really good in the muskeg. Period. But I have thought about it a lot and I still think rubber tracks are not the best overall set up for an Argo.

Two reason why I think I will go with the Plastic Adair tracks.

1. I just made another video of the same area. If you look, you can see that the rubber tracks "fill in" so to speak when you get into the gooey mud , they still work, but once the tread gets full, they loose bite, they spin much easier and you loose propulsion. When I look at the adair tracks (or the escargo too), they are made to not fill. They clean out so that you always have bite.

2. The rubber tracks don't slide easy in anything but snow or loose mud. So turning the machine on dirt or rock is really tough on the drive train. That is why to date, I have hesitated running tracks at all. I have tried to go with more aggressive tires. However, my understanding is that the plastic tracks "slide" sideways easier. This is a good thing for dirt and rock, not so good when you are crossing a wet wooden plank bridge (right RD?). For me, where i hunt is a combination of hard-pack gravel, dirt, bottomless muskeg, and hills (steering on sidehills being a huge problem). I think the plastic tracks, if they slip easier sideways, and theoretically then turn easier, would be the best overall setup for what I need.

On another note, I do think the rubber tracks would be the best overall track for snow. Maybe the new adair wide track setup will be as good.......

I have used rubber tracks in 5ft for fluffy powder and they go anywhere. However, the Argo itself is no comparison to a snowmobile and toboggan for getting from point A to Point B. A load that takes 1 hr in the Argo to take to my cabin can often be done in 15 minutes with my Yamaha Venture and big boggan. Do I don''t use the tracks in anything but summer/fall.

So to answer your question, I am looking for something that can take me where ever I want to go in the mountains but do it as easy on the drive train as possible.

Derek

PS. Here is the second video I shot of the area. You can see parts of the area are actually quite hard packed and dry, but where it is loon crap, whew, it is not a place you want to get stuck!

[Rock Doctor]

I agree with your points
Not only have my rubber tracks "Filled In on the outside effecting traction, they have also "Filled In" on the inside making the tracks tighter and tighter.
I would always cringe when I heard the chains cracking and popping due to Chain Windeup with the rubber tracks. Even before I installed the Track Tuners I noticed that I was having no Windeup issues with the Adair's

Out of all my tracks, I am most happy with the Tire Guides on the Adair's. They are the right hight, and shape to guide the tracks well and I've seen no tire sidewall damage or rim damage from them yet (Believe me, I've tried to drive out of the tracks, I've driven between trees and in ruts that have the guides ratcheting and cracking against the rims).
Nothing is perfect, but they are working for me right now. I have managed to drive out of one, but it was due to lack of attention on my part. They do seem to have a "Break-In" period where they will stretch from initial use, I was not attentive enough to notice how loose the tracks had become on the machine.

Hard to beat Rubber Tracks in the Snow. Hard to beat the Adair Tracks in the summer (In my conditions)

RD

[DerekF]

Thanks RD,

What I am always surprised at is how little the rubber tracks seem to sink into the mod, or maybe "dig" into the mud is the right term. The places I went on the second video I had tried to step out a few times and sunk my leg up to my knee in mud/swamp. Maybe it is the Gopro's wide angle that makes it look not as bad as it is, but when I watch the vids I think that the mud is not that bad, but when I try to go through the area with tires, (or walking to tie the winch line onto something after I try to go through with tire) I remember just how bad areas of the trail are. But the tracks make it look effortless.

in the end, whatever get me to where the moose and bison are is what I am looking for................

[Rock Doctor]

There is no denighing that a closed face track has huge floatation abilities in mud/Muskeg, and I know just what you mean about the camera not doing justice to the trail. I chucked more than half the vid I shot last weekend just for that reason. If I had been on tires, I WOULD have been stuck, but with tracks, it looked like I was driving on a groomed trail.
I agree that "Whatever Works" .................... works, but I'm also one of those that believe Rubber Tracks are hard on equipment, especially in wet summer conditions.
When I first started looking at these Adair Track Things I was more than a little skeptical. Now, I would not even consider putting my Rubber Tracks back on for summer use, and I've decided to order another set of Adair's. In the end it may turn out that Tracks are not the answer for me, and if I come to that conclusion, I will tell you about it and give reasons why.

Just thinking about trying to turn my Conquests, on Rubber Tracks, with a Bison or a couple Moose in the back just sends a shiver down my spine.

RD

[guyfox]

Thanks for taking the time to write such an in depth response. I guess that there are no "perfect" setup for "all" conditions. From what I have seen here a lot of it comes with experience driving. I currently run 13in plastic on my 6 wheeler. Do not have any tracks on the 8 wheeler (yet). Here in Newfoundland (east coast of the island) we have not had much snow in the past couple years. Can go most places I want to with just tires or use the 6 wheler. As for summer time that is a different story. There is a lot of rock and hard pact wood trails that I ride with the occasional swamp. I can usually get past them with little to no problem. I can leave my house and drive 100 meters (300feet) and then I am on an abandened railway track. All tracks have been removed. From there I can go almost anywhere I want. For me I would have to do a lot of driving on terrian similar to a dirt road to get anywhere. I think this may be hard on any track system. I do not trailer my argo to go for a ride or even to hunt or fish. Just jump on and within 10 minutes I can have a line in the water.

[mightymaxIV]

Wow Derek, that second video is really impressive. Keep it up and you'll soon be right there with Rock Doc, MudBug, and Foxvalley.

[Rock Doctor]

PS. Here is the second video I shot of the area. You can see parts of the area are actually quite hard packed and dry, but where it is loon crap, whew, it is not a place you want to get stuck!

Do you carry some type of Anchor to use in the swamp if you can't reach a tree when you get stuck?

RD

[moos-a-boo]

DerekF, I noticed a shadow of a winch hook swinging on the back of your seat, do you have a winch mounted on the back of your top? Did I see a top??