Can chain wind up on a 8 wheeler be eliminated by only tracking 2 of 4 wheels?

[spookum]

SO i know that eight wheeled argos are especially suceptable to chain wind up. This is caused by tires traveling at different speeds, and the full length rubber track transferring that different speed into the chains. If you only rubber track two tires together, would that cause less wind up? I think it should allow two to travel at the same speed, rather than binding all four. To clarify i want to track two and two.... on each side.

Some one chime up here... what do you think?

[Obsessed]

SO i know that eight wheeled argos are especially suceptable to chain wind up. This is caused by tires traveling at different speeds, and the full length rubber track transferring that different speed into the chains. If you only rubber track two tires together, would that cause less wind up? I think it should allow two to travel at the same speed, rather than binding all four. To clarify i want to track two and two.... on each side.

Some one chime up here... what do you think?

Hi Spookum...good thought, and there are a few good reasons for dual tracks, but chain windup isn't one of them...dual tracks will increase the problem and create a few new ones. Let me know if you want more details....

Take care

Tim

[mudbug3]

Spookum


If I had an Argo 8x8 and I was running rubber tracks , I'd buy some ' track tuners ' from Adair Argo sales. The track tuners allow the middle two wheels on either side of the tub to ' free wheel ' and this eliminates your chain wind up problems.

[spookum]

Hi Spookum...good thought, and there are a few good reasons for dual tracks, but chain windup isn't one of them...dual tracks will increase the problem and create a few new ones. Let me know if you want more details....

Take care

Tim

Really? it creates more chain wind up issues? You have also perked my curiosity sir, What do they run best in? A buddy is dropping off 2 144X15 1.5 paddle tracks today. they will cover two tires, just not three. I was hoping that only covering two tires would help with chain wind up. Take me to school buddy! My argo is cool with the geo metro motor in it, but at the end of the day it isnt half the machine it could be with tracks on it. I have two snow mobile and a car up for sale so i will be in the market soon!

[spookum]

Spookum


If I had an Argo 8x8 and I was running rubber tracks , I'd buy some ' track tuners ' from Adair Argo sales. The track tuners allow the middle two wheels on either side of the tub to ' free wheel ' and this eliminates your chain wind up problems.

As a matter of fact i already have the recomended 2 and 3/4 wheel spacers from adair.... i KNOW i will have track tuners some day (they free up HP and that is good) i just dont know when. I just want fast and easy tracks for a moose hunt that is approaching rapidly.

[guyfox]

Spookum,

Member Rory Mcw runs tracks on just the front 2 wheels. You may want to msg him and get his opinion as well. Here is a pic of his machines......

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/argo-atvs/5-post-pics-your-argo-atvs-37.html#post122355

[Obsessed]

Really? it creates more chain wind up issues? You have also perked my curiosity sir, What do they run best in? A buddy is dropping off 2 144X15 1.5 paddle tracks today. they will cover two tires, just not three. I was hoping that only covering two tires would help with chain wind up. Take me to school buddy! My argo is cool with the geo metro motor in it, but at the end of the day it isnt half the machine it could be with tracks on it. I have two snow mobile and a car up for sale so i will be in the market soon!

Hi Spookum...short answer is that it creates more surface tension between the mismatched tires and the inside of the track(s)...all other things equal.

more detail.....for example lets assume its a new 8x8 argo frontier with 24" tires...let me start by saying that i have seen this tire measure anywhere from 72.5" to 79.5" which could be a difference of 7" on the same machine...lets be conservative and say that the four tires on the side of our machine measure 74", 75", 76", and 77"...on a single track setup the factory would ask you to put the 74 on the front then the 77 then the 76 then the 75 on the back...this would help minimize the binding and keep the chain windup on the correct side of each individual chain loop (away from the chain tensioner)...if you followed this recomendation on a split track, you would have a similar amount of bind on just the rear track that had the 76 and 75 tires, but a huge bind on the front 74 and 77 track on the front...given the fact that it is usually the back tire in a track that has to give inside the track, the front track will now resist rolling and will end up covering about 74" of ground per axle rotation while the rear track will end up covering about 76"...assuming you have effective tracks with a lot of grip, one track is going to have to try to slip and bind 2" for every single axle rotation and eat up the two rear chain tensioners within a few hours...................if you are going to try this, i would recommend the tire placement of 74 and 75 on the front and then 76 and 77 on the back so that while you still have a lot of bind, it is about half of what you would get if positioned the other way (common factory recomendation) and it will also releave most of the wear on the chain tensioners.

just so that you understand what happens with track tuners...with a single track setup, and with the tires in the correct (factory recomended location) you have eliminated the 3" of scrub on the second wheel (77) and 2" of scrub on the third wheel (76) ..pretty important on a machine that has the two center axles dropped 1" and the majority of the weight of the machine and cargo is on those two tires....this still leaves the front and back tire available to drive the track and it still leaves 1" of bind remaining...this is not all bad because with a slight adjustment of air pressure you could get it closer to zero, and some difference is necessary to make certain that any remaining stress is completely off of the plastic chain tensioner pads

if you didnt mind re-enginering your machines drive line, you could simply remove the 3 axle's drive sprocket and take the drive sprocket off of the second axle and put it on the fourth (back) axle and drive the rear axle off of the idler shaft....if you do, then take a short chunk of plastic 2" PVC pipe and slip it between the two bearing on the second and third axle so that the long chain can bounce over the two middle axles with minimal damage, use the two rear chain tensioners to take up the slack on the very long chain....this will give you the same effect of track tuners, but require a little more effort to change back and fouth...this will work best on a single track setup

other downsides to dual tracks...
heavier and more expensive because of additional length and parts needed
less floation
more likely to bind up objects and debris between the two counter rotating tracks

upside to dual tracks...
more durrable than a single track
less likely to cause an issue as each of the shorter tracks wear or stretch in length
nearly impossible to throw a track because most of the track is wrapped around a tire and held securely in place
and most important...they definitely look super cool!

hope this helps...let me know if any of this doesn't make sense

tim

[spookum]

if you didnt mind re-enginering your machines drive line, you could simply remove the 3 axle's drive sprocket and take the drive sprocket off of the second axle and put it on the fourth (back) axle and drive the rear axle off of the idler shaft....if you do, then take a short chunk of plastic 2" PVC pipe and slip it between the two bearing on the second and third axle so that the long chain can bounce over the two middle axles with minimal damage, use the two rear chain tensioners to take up the slack on the very long chain....this will give you the same effect of track tuners, but require a little more effort to change back and fouth...this will work best on a single track setup

Some day im going to get a pinned argo key the front and rear sprockets/axles on a pinned machine, PVC pipe the middlle axles and adair track it. It would cheaply breath new life into a old machine! I just got the old argo together with brand new HDI axles and sprockets..... looking forward to spining a track with the geo metro engine. OH, and your explantion was super easy to follow. Thanks for the time to put it together buddy!

[Obsessed]

Some day im going to get a pinned argo key the front and rear sprockets/axles on a pinned machine, PVC pipe the middlle axles and adair track it. It would cheaply breath new life into a old machine! I just got the old argo together with brand new HDI axles and sprockets..... looking forward to spining a track with the geo metro engine. OH, and your explantion was super easy to follow. Thanks for the time to put it together buddy!

I got a feeling that with the geo motor it's not going to matter how you track it, that things gonna fly...lol...i can't wait to watch some video of it tearing up some mud and snow!

Keep us posted :-)

Tim

[spookum]

did you see the vids of it throwing gravel? Im waiting on a green clutch spring. If you watch the vids, it gives me whiplash every time it engages LOL I never meant for it to fly, i just wanted fuel injection and an alitinator for under 1K It seemed like the cheapest way! I have got to get tracks on it some how.... want wide rubber tracks wiht ice pics for the winter (20 inch wide for flotation) i think i have a bead on them for DIRT CHEAP.... and after i graduate colledge a set of adair tracks

[Rock Doctor]

Maybe I should have read down the forum a bit further before starting a very similar thread,

RD

[JohnF]

Argo did it. Check out The video MudBug posted here.

Don't know the details. Probably super matched tire diameters but RockDoctor's tuner idea might work for this setup.