New Type of Tracks - Chanel Tracks

[jjort]

Well I ordered 19" chanel tracks from Marcel and will be picking them up on Saturday.
My question is...... How do you install them?

[thorn]

Well I ordered 19" chanel tracks from Marcel and will be picking them up on Saturday.
My question is...... How do you install them?

Congrats. I have not ordered mine yet so I can't help with the install. I am sure Marcel will square you away. I think the belts over lap and then bolt together. Old Tucker went to a metal hinge on his and I will probably do the same.

What tires did you end up going with and what did they measure width wise?

[Old Tucker]

Well I ordered 19" chanel tracks from Marcel and will be picking them up on Saturday.
My question is...... How do you install them?

I found that if you let the air out of front and rear tires, Then take one of the mid tires off too give you more room to work. I used a cinch strap to pull them together. The first time is a pain in the a.. but once you get the hang of it its easy. Some on there said they used a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out of the tires to deflate them even more. And that would make things a lot easer indeed.
I think you will be very happy with the tracks. I sure am, and so far I have put them through a lot of rough terrain, deep power snow. What I really like is there ability to turn no matter what your in. One side of the argo can in a deep frozen rut and I still seem to be able turn and climb out of it.

[jjort]

Congrats. I have not ordered mine yet so I can't help with the install. I am sure Marcel will square you away. I think the belts over lap and then bolt together. Old Tucker went to a metal hinge on his and I will probably do the same.

What tires did you end up going with and what did they measure width wise?

I have no idea what kind of arrangement is used to join the two ends together.. I guess I will find out soon enough. I went with the Duro HF243 tires...I was able to get them for $87 each taxes included. I havent actually got them yet but the dealer called the factory and someone went and measured them. They are 21.7 inches x 10.8 inches. They are only 2 ply in the 8 inch tire tho so hopefully they dont get punctured too easily. They are not that expensive to replace tho so that is good.

[jjort]

I found that if you let the air out of front and rear tires, Then take one of the mid tires off too give you more room to work. I used a cinch strap to pull them together. The first time is a pain in the a.. but once you get the hang of it its easy. Some on there said they used a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out of the tires to deflate them even more. And that would make things a lot easer indeed.
I think you will be very happy with the tracks. I sure am, and so far I have put them through a lot of rough terrain, deep power snow. What I really like is there ability to turn no matter what your in. One side of the argo can in a deep frozen rut and I still seem to be able turn and climb out of it.

I am guessing that the argo has to be jacked up front and rear... I have a 2 ton cable winch that I might be able to employ to stretch the track....another idea is to put a rope through two of the crossers and then stick a broom handle in it and turn it like a tourniquet...I still have to get the tires changed (waiting on my beadbuster) and I have to order the 2.5 inch wheel spacers and track tuners from Adair ( waiting for my enhanced DL so I can pick up across the border). That must be some vacuum cleaner that can suck the air out a tire and make it smaller...I think I will call shenanigans on that one hahahaha... maybe a hand vacuum pump might work tho.

[Old Tucker]

It dos not take much at all to create a vacuum in the tire. In doing so the air pressure out side the tire will help collapse the tire in on itself. A 2 ply tire will collapse very easy. Once you have collapsed the tire a little put the valve stem back in or the cap back on. The over lap joint will be the length of, I think two or maybe three crossers And all you do is bolt the ends of the belt together using the crosser holes. I found it easer to jack the argo up. Put a board under the track to support the bottom of the track and take the slack out of it.
Its not like the super track where you can just drive onto them. Let the air out of the front and rear. use some clamps to pull it together put your pin in and away you go.
Unless some else has a better way please let us know.

[Buzz]

You don't have to jack the machine up, but you're going to install tuners/spacers anyway.....There are easy ways around this....but I would install the tuner's/spacers and...to start with put the machine on blocks so that the track crossers will clear under the tires. Remove the valve stems from the corner tires and slide the tracks under. Work them so that you bring the ends together between the middle tires somewhere. Then slowly lower the machine down onto the tires (the middles will still have air) while making sure you have all the slack underneath pulled out.....you won't waste any track length to "sag" when trying to get the ends together. Ratchet strap the ends and put the pins in. If you use some muscle and work all the slack around the end tires (and valve stems are removed...and the slack is out from underneath the tires).....you might not have to even use ratchet straps. The corner tires take care of virtually ALL the track tension. If you are going to "drive" into the tracks after the fact, leave the centers flat and the corners well-inflated until you drive onto the tracks.....you might have to move forward or backward a bit so that the ends come together between axles.....before you let the air out of the corners again. But they won't drive at all with tuners in place unless they are very "inflated."
Hope that helps.

[jjort]

What does the metal hinge look like?...how is it attached to the belt?...and lastly where do you get them from?
I sure hope that when this is over I will be able to answer other peoples questions..

[Old Tucker]

What does the metal hinge look like?...how is it attached to the belt?...and lastly where do you get them from?
I sure hope that when this is over I will be able to answer other peoples questions..

By asking is how we all learn. And when you own a argo you cannot be afraid to jump in. Here is a photo of the hinge I used. I forget what number it was, I will have to go and look for you. Its made for a 1/2 inch belt. I think the Escargo track uses the same hinge. I could be wrong on that one. But there are several different hinges out there. But this is what I used
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Before you put in a hinge. Put the tracks on the argo with the new tires make sure that every thing is going to fit right and the right tension is on the tracks . Then you can mark them where the hinge will go. Just google the hinge and there are vids on Utube on installing them Its very easy. But again first put your new tracks on first with the over lap joint. to make sure.
I forgot, you can get them from any conveyor belt shop. Just look one up in your area and give them a phone call. I will look for the # on the hinge for you.

[Buzz]

flexco #550
bolt hinged fasteners
you need the hinges themselves and the piloted bolts/nuts

you can buy them as singles, doubles, or triples in bulk, or even one continuous strip that you can bend back and forth to break off however many segments you need. If you buy a kit in a long skinny box, it will have everything you need to include the piloted bolts (they have slots cut into the heads to grab the back side of the hinge body) and matching nuts. The bolt heads and nuts are rounded on the underside to fit the hinge body perfectly and work the best. You could use your own bolts if you want, but I would recommend using the flexco piloted bolts and nuts. 550's fit belting 1/4" thick to 5/8" thick. You can get them in stainless or "tougher" grades of steel as well.

rubber supply house or order online!

[Buzz]

If your track comes with an overlap, just use a paint pen (or similar) and draw a line on the side of the belting.....across both layers (top and bottom) of the overlap....at lets say mid-point between the final crossers on either side. This is where you can cut the extra length off....on either end of the track..to install the hinge. Typically you'll need about 1.5" of rubber left beyond the last crosser on either side to attach the 550's to. With 550 hinges on either track end...each butted up against the final crosser, these end crossers fall ~ 5 inches apart (on center) from one another. If the final crossers on either end are currently closer than that, you can move the final crosser on one side "back" a bit (you can move the one prior to that too if need be or to make it "look" more symmetrical) to make room for the hinge. Just try to leave at least 1.5" beyond one end, and adjust the crossers on the other end if need be. Ideally you can leave about 1.5" beyond the final crosser on the other side too...even if it means adjusting it's position on the belting. Remember, the belting length isn't going to change once you've cut the ends. It's all about #1 determining exactly where a "specific" spot on the top belt...hits a "specific" spot on the lower belt....so you know the proper length....so strike a line on the side (cross section) of the belting with a paint pen. Then adjusting crossers to fit the hinge-assembly is very easy and won't change the track length.

Hopefully that makes sense....

If you're going to keep the overlap, flatten you end tires after jacking your machine up to install tuner/spacers, remove one of the end tires and place the track around the other end tire. Insert the loose tire/wheel into the track and see if you can simply install the wheel back on the machine while it's wrapped in the track. You can always enlist the help of more leverage if needed. You can also dis-assemble the overlap and ratchet the ends together....but doing that kind of sucks...especially if the overlap does not fall on either side of the last crosser on one end....or in other words does not fall "between" crossers. It almost requires you to install the overlap bolts at the rear of the machine so you can get your stinking arms in to reach the inner belt. Having to remove crosser bolts (if the crossers are captured) is one more thing that can suck too.
I would install a hinge, or remove a wheel.......unless your overlap falls "between crossers". If the overlap falls between crossers, ratchet the ends together and install the overlap bolts through both layers of belting....at the rear of the machine. Just be ready to cuss a bit and make sure to use a drill to help spin the bolts while they try to line up with the holes to "find their home". Pushing them through with your fingers rarely works unless the holes are very clean and large. The threads really tend to grab the rubber.

Hinge Hinge Hinge can't go wrong.

[Old Tucker]

Flexco #550 ...Thanks Buzz. It was on the tip of me tongue. But dam if It would reach the tip of my fingers. I must be getting old.

[Buzz]

no......you're just getting better
I had to edit my last post several times so that hopefully it would make sense.

[Old Tucker]

(Yup) Your right BETTER
Now what were we getting better at again. I forgot

You have got to have a sense of humour to put that back on the face

[Old Tucker]

What I did in my spare time while waiting for the tide to come in. Is I build some paddles for the chanel track.
Now my theory is Why would wants to have your ice cleats out past your tires. It puts a lot more stress on every thing. I would rather have the ice cleats under the tire. Puts the forces more in line with the tire.. Now as the snow gets softer the deeper the track will sink. And now the paddles will provide a lot more traction. And having the paddles on the inside and outside of the track it will provide equal force to the tire . Now I may be splitting hairs. But I have a excuse. Buzz said I am not getting older just better. Just like the rest of us trying to come up with something that best suites our own riding conditions.

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