power vs. traction

[john swenson]

just curious, if you don't need the traction of all 6 wheels on say a max 2,if you removed the front wheel chains would you gain much power ? just interested what you think. how would it effect turning, etc. ? johnboy

[Noel Woods]

Its been tried, many of the early Attex were run in high torque mode, that is without the front chains. They were quick, agile in the dry, but lost a lot of traction when in the mud. Steering was heavier without the front chains working.

I've run two machines before and lost a chain on the front of a Max 4 and on my Swamp Fox, dropping down to 5 wheel drive you lose a lot of traction but the machines still made it back home. On another trip my Swamp Fox had tracks, I sheared an axle bolt on both the pinned front axles and drove the machine for several hours before I realized what had happened. With tracks the machine seemed only slightly sluggish.

I still think if you have 6 wheels that are powered, to run them that way, if something comes up with the front chains, or sprockets, you can probably make it back. Tracks make it even more capable.

[john swenson]

thanks noel , just like understanding sometimes the engineering and design aspects. actually when i was running my homemade halftracks on my max 2 i was wondering if it would do just as well in mud if the front wheels were'nt chained. johnboy

[amphibious drew]

Swift and Hydromike attempted racing without front chains on. They only did that once. You can ask them how well it worked for them, but the fact that they didnt do it again speaks volume.

[akcrawler]

I think the half tracks change the dynamic somewhat. The only way you will know for sure is to try it.