New Type of Tracks - Chanel Tracks

[jjort]

the track fails to drive at all too right...under those conditions. Sorry to beat a dead horse

correct...when the wheels are spinning in the track, the tracks are stationary and I am dead in the water so to speak...then I have to reverse and either pick a different path of try again faster

[Buzz]

being as your channel crossers look to be the wider ones and your tires have less void-space lengthwise, you're probably going to have to run a more standard track tension (like 2 inches of sag). Switching your corner tires to the biggest ones and running more psi in them is probably needed. This might get you more tension before you move to shortening your track....(which is easy enough to do if it comes to that).
Just remember make the front axle tire smaller than the rear

and run less pressure in the centers so it doesn't ride like a brick sh*thouse

[jjort]

being as your channel crossers look to be the wider ones and your tires have less void-space lengthwise, you're probably going to have to run a more standard track tension (like 2 inches of sag). Switching your corner tires to the biggest ones and running more psi in them is probably needed. This might get you more tension before you move to shortening your track....(which is easy enough to do if it comes to that).
Just remember make the front axle tire smaller than the rear

and run less pressure in the centers so it doesn't ride like a brick sh*thouse

how much pressure can I put in the corner tires?....I was running with 5 psi all round

[jjort]

Ok

I just put 7lbs in the back tires and 6lbs in the front... (my gauge only goes up to 7 so I didnt want to go higher)... center tires are 5 lbs
anyway... I think the problem is solved... I climbed some dirt piles that I couldnt get up before because the wheels would spin in the tracks
I didnt get any wheel spin this time.

If I remove a crosser to shorten the track, I think its too tight so what I might do is buy the belt hinges and shorten it half the distance...that way I can run with less tire pressure
mind you...I dont care how rough the ride is as long as the wheels dont slip in the tracks


I really appreciate all the tips and help everyone has provided...this is half the fun of owning one of these machines.... Once I get sorted out and the snow is gone, I will be posting some videos

[thorn]

Ok
Here is what I have setup...these are the duro hf243 tires 22x11-8
under normal conditions it works great..its only happening when I am plowing, trying to climb a steep hill or as I found out yesterday, stuck....



Here is the right hand side of the machine up on jacks


The left hand side sags an inch lower but the same number of crossers...hmmmm

I am wondering if you actually measured the width of your tires for Marcel. How wide are they when you put a tape measure across them? Like Old Tucker was saying even if the tire has 22x11x8 stamped on it that spec is with a certain width of rim. It looks like there is way too much room/gap between the sidewalls and the track belts. Four wide rims on the front and rears will help fil taht gap and flatten out the tire face, which will give you more purchase (=grip) on the track and on the tires that can use/need it the most.

With my 8 Carlisle strykers I ended up having 4 that were 23" tall and were visually narrower and rounder across tha face and 4 that measured 22" tall, but were much squarer and flatter across the face. I hope this all ends up to be a good combo. I ended up putting the 4 tall/narrow tires in the middle on the tuners and the flat/smaller tires on the the corners or drive wheels. This should help it steer even easier by giving the machine a "banana" type configuration like the Avenger has with the corner axles raised 1". My corners would be "raised" 1/2".

BTW Marcel said my tracks are shipping today! Bad news is I might have to wait till next season(winter) to use them. Well see.

[jjort]

I am wondering if you actually measured the width of your tires for Marcel. How wide are they when you put a tape measure across them? Like Old Tucker was saying even if the tire has 22x11x8 stamped on it that spec is with a certain width of rim. It looks like there is way too much room/gap between the sidewalls and the track belts. Four wide rims on the front and rears will help fil taht gap and flatten out the tire face, which will give you more purchase (=grip) on the track and on the tires that can use/need it the most.

With my 8 Carlisle strykers I ended up having 4 that were 23" tall and were visually narrower and rounder across tha face and 4 that measured 22" tall, but were much squarer and flatter across the face. I hope this all ends up to be a good combo. I ended up putting the 4 tall/narrow tires in the middle on the tuners and the flat/smaller tires on the the corners or drive wheels. This should help it steer even easier by giving the machine a "banana" type configuration like the Avenger has with the corner axles raised 1". My corners would be "raised" 1/2".

BTW Marcel said my tracks are shipping today! Bad news is I might have to wait till next season(winter) to use them. Well see.

I myself didnt measure the tires when I ordered the tracks but I had the dealer call the factory and someone there measured them.
The best that my mk 1 eyeball can come up with is 10.5 inches wide. The information that I gave Marcel was 21.7 x 10.8
You put the small wheels on the corners but everyone else is advising to put the biggest wheels on the corners.
I never thought of changing the rims. Mine are the stock 8 inch rims (not sure how wide they are)
I plan on using these tracks all year round especially in the swamps

[Old Tucker]

Thats the way to mount the tires Thorn. It should work out great in your favour. Less trouble, more traction in the tracks. And with the tuners you do not have to worry about the size of the mid tires.

I hope they come in soon so you can give them a try in the snow.

The snow around here is disappearing fast at low elevation. But still falling higher up. The freezing level around here is hanging around 4000 to 5000 feet. I hope to go out and play some more soon

[Buzz]

sounds like you're getting somewhere. Just needed more tension with your particular tires/crossers. Since your tires are are the same size and "model", you're not going to get a banana-type set-up by putting the smaller ones on the corners. We're just trying to get you more tension w/o having you readjust your track.

you just want #1 to be smaller than #4 (with tuners)
...and additionally...
#2 to be bigger than #3 (if running w/o tuners). But the centers don't necessarily have to be the biggest pair like argo's normal indexing pattern, as they'll overdrive first (with an elevated belt track) no matter what, if they remain driven.

so you have 2 pairs of tires. By placing the bigger pair on the corners, you're getting more tension the easy way. Adding more air will help even more in your particular situation.
I personally don't like to go over 6 or 7 pounds on any tire. Your corners determine tension. So if you need more air than that to get your 2 inches of sag, I would opt to shorten the track.

2-3 pounds in the centers might be worth a shot. You'll appreciate the ride.
Your belting looks to sit far away from your tire sidewall, so a lower psi in the center tires is okay w/o having to bevel your belting.

Looking forward to some videos- have fun!

[thorn]

I myself didnt measure the tires when I ordered the tracks but I had the dealer call the factory and someone there measured them.
The best that my mk 1 eyeball can come up with is 10.5 inches wide. The information that I gave Marcel was 21.7 x 10.8
You put the small wheels on the corners but everyone else is advising to put the biggest wheels on the corners.
I never thought of changing the rims. Mine are the stock 8 inch rims (not sure how wide they are)
I plan on using these tracks all year round especially in the swamps

The stock Argo rims are 7" wide which is about as narrow as they get. If someone measured them at the factory unmounted you are not going to get a accurate size. I purposely looked for a tire that was specing out a bit oversized in both height and width to gain ground clearance and to still be fairly wide when mounted on the narrow Argo rims. I also wanted something that had a fairly square profile for the tracks and that I could use on the machine w/o the tracks if necessary even though my Argo is 99% used as a snow machine. I got a lot of good info from Old Tucker about getting my machine set up for Chanel tracks.

[jjort]

Well here is a quick 2 minute video of me driving over some dirt piles left by a backhoe.
Nothing too spectacular but I had fun

[Buzz]

now the fun begins!

[Old Tucker]

Well I went and played in the hills today. What snow we got is almost gone at low elevations But there is still lots higher up.[IMG][/IMG]
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[guyfox]

Those are some beautiful pics...Looks like a great place to have a little piece of mind.

[Old Tucker]

Those are some beautiful pics...Looks like a great place to have a little piece of mind.

It sure is, Just me and my little argo cursing around. Nobody around for miles. Its about a 5 mile trip up the mountain side. When you make the tree line is starts to open up. This year we only have about 50% snow pack so she is a lot harder going. The chanel tracks stick like glue on the snow.

[jjort]

I know I am really impressed with these tracks....now that I have my slippage issue sorted out, I will be really putting them through some nasty stuff this summer.
I still have some ice with about 2 feet of water on it in my ditch so I am a little leary of going in there in case I get high centered. I am pretty sure I could winch myself out but I really dont want to get out of the argo if I dont have to.
Once the ice is gone, it will be a nice soupy mud pit. I should be able to swim it too