New Type of Tracks - Chanel Tracks

[Buzz]

it does look like jjorts tracks have a lot of extra room on either side of the sidewalls, which is primarily going to allow the track to move side to side (the main concern is getting close to the tub)....so I would be concerned primarily about belt/tub clearance. But my opinion is that with adequate track tension, they should still work just fine, and he should have no issues with walking out of the tracks. This doesn't sound like one of those scenarios. The channel guide area is very shallow, but it's not that big of a deal. Anytime you drag/skid/roll an unweighted track over a ledge, it can easily get pulled off. It's one of the "watch-out" scenarios. It usually has to be a very steep bank that you are straddling if that makes sense. But a little slop side to side in a channel crosser shouldn't cause big problems other than the track moving closer to the tub.

I'm with Old Tucker- A wider tire would be more preferential (and it would prevent some rocking), but don't feel obligated jjort to go change out your tires. If I'm understanding you correctly, I am fairly certain as to why you got to throw one of your tracks in the back of your machine...sorry man!

[Old Tucker]

Buzz Your right, With adequate track tension they may still work fine. It may just take a little more playing around to get things just right. The sideways movement of the track mite be a little concerning. But if its not hitting the tub jjort may be ok.

[Buzz]

I don't have a lot of experience with a really shallow guide-radius like that.... I know the guides won't move or tilt on that channel track, but the tires are definitely a bit sloppy width-wise.

[plott hound]

if you can walk out of those tracks by just pissing around in a mung hole,i would imagine that a bad wheel bearing would spell disaster.

[jjort]

If I get a chance later today, I will set up the gopro, put on my chest waders, load up my 3 foot winch picket and try to recreate the walking out of the track.

[North Country Tough]

Plott have got myself into a position a couple times with the Argo tracks where damn near derailed one had the guides twisted under the tire,and felt the resistance and had too as Buzz said back up slowly to reset.This was with all tires sized, and correct tire pressures,just boiled down to circumstance very uneven surface and turning it can happen,tracks are fantastic no doubt but you have to constantly be aware of the surface and take precaution,s to keep those tracks on as even a surface as possible or attack obstacles at 90 degrees,derails are not common but when finding the limitations and gaining experience with them no matter what the brand its a possibility if you use them over different terrain and condition.NCT

[jjort]

Plott have got myself into a position a couple times with the Argo tracks where damn near derailed one had the guides twisted under the tire,and felt the resistance and had too as Buzz said back up slowly to reset.This was with all tires sized, and correct tire pressures,just boiled down to circumstance very uneven surface and turning it can happen,tracks are fantastic no doubt but you have to constantly be aware of the surface and take precaution,s to keep those tracks on as even a surface as possible or attack obstacles at 90 degrees,derails are not common but when finding the limitations and gaining experience with them no matter what the brand its a possibility if you use them over different terrain and condition.NCT

I know what you mean..however when you are floating and trying to get up an uneven bank, sometimes the optimum angle is not in the cards... I really was just seeing what kind of trouble I could get into and I found out ... climbing out of streams where you are floating or one side is floating and the other grabs is really tricky... I actually had water coming over the side at one point (I had to use the bilge pump) had some crazy angles happening. I am really not surprised at all that I came out of the tracks.

[North Country Tough]

I know what you mean..however when you are floating and trying to get up an uneven bank, sometimes the optimum angle is not in the cards... I really was just seeing what kind of trouble I could get into and I found out ... climbing out of streams where you are floating or one side is floating and the other grabs is really tricky... I actually had water coming over the side at one point (I had to use the bilge pump) had some crazy angles happening. I am really not surprised at all that I came out of the tracks.

Completely understand jjort,but what Iam on about is you track up you stand the chance,we ran into more or less the same situation today,a late trip to the cabin to take down some trees and drag up for firewood its been a bad winter here and pretty bad for getting in the bush waaay to much snow depth,and we have to cross a lake/river system and its getting late the ice has pulled back from shore so finding the best place to enter and leave with the most level and gradual slope hard to do,not only was that a problem but broke off some small floaters of ice that where getting in the tracks extreme caution and we prevailed,like to go back tomorrow but rain in the forecast with wind and the lake is lookin kinda rotten,so we will see I had to recover it last year dropped it in with the plow on(very stupid)was a bit of a day,its hard to keep the tracks out of trouble in varying terrain and my point really is doo diligence and a gentle hand in a bad situation you can generally pull it off without incident,the only other thing that I cannot attest to is tuners,I do not use them so I have no idea whether it makes any difference on derailment I would not think it would,NCT

[Buzz]

tuners will not affect your machine manipulating your track guides. Dragging an uphill (unweighted) track down over a ledge is one way to help a loose track off. It's good information for people to have.

[jjort]

I can confirm that these tracks do not swim at all
I might make some rubber paddles to see if that will help

[Buzz]

I can confirm that these tracks do not swim at all
I might make some rubber paddles to see if that will help

well if you're in deep open clean water...there's always a troller motor. That is if your tracks can't grab any weeds or anything else.

you definitely want some vertical surface area either bove or below the horizontally-travelling belting. Did you by chance take some video for us to reference? I haven't seen any swimming or swimming attempts on an 8x8 with these tracks (I don't remember anyway).

If you're going to experiment, maybe try placing decent height pieces of vertical conveyor belting...maybe 3" tall..on the main belts at a 45* angle. All you would need to do is take short/narrow pieces of light gauge angle (even aluminum) and miter the ends at 45* and then affix them to the main belt..so that the vertical leg is at 45* while the mitered ends are perpendicular to the belting. (hope that makes sense) If you keep the distance between the mitered ends to 2 inches, the main belt should have no problem bending around the end tires. You could even grind the points to be safe. Then you affix pieces of conveyor belting...oh I don't know...4 or 5 inches long to the vertical legs of these small pieces of angle. You only want to affix them in one spot...they're just kind of floating pieces of vertical rubber. The two ends need to move independently. But, they're 45* to the direction of travel of the main belt in the water. My hope has always been that it would throw water back and to the sides of the main track...similar to the chevron tread on a swimmer tire.
Going perpendicular to the main belt (like the crossers) like Old Tucker did would probably help too (It works on escargo tracks), but I've always wondered if a large 45* paddle would help even more. I hope to test it where such a paddle would butt up against an escargo paddle face for an even greater effect..but at this point it's just speculation.

Anyway, if you're looking for something to try...

[jjort]

well if you're in deep open clean water...there's always a troller motor. That is if your tracks can't grab any weeds or anything else.

you definitely want some vertical surface area either bove or below the horizontally-travelling belting. Did you by chance take some video for us to reference? I haven't seen any swimming or swimming attempts on an 8x8 with these tracks (I don't remember anyway).

If you're going to experiment, maybe try placing decent height pieces of vertical conveyor belting...maybe 3" tall..on the main belts at a 45* angle. All you would need to do is take short/narrow pieces of light gauge angle (even aluminum) and miter the ends at 45* and then affix them to the main belt..so that the vertical leg is at 45* while the mitered ends are perpendicular to the belting. (hope that makes sense) If you keep the distance between the mitered ends to 2 inches, the main belt should have no problem bending around the end tires. You could even grind the points to be safe. Then you affix pieces of conveyor belting...oh I don't know...4 or 5 inches long to the vertical legs of these small pieces of angle. You only want to affix them in one spot...they're just kind of floating pieces of vertical rubber. The two ends need to move independently. But, they're 45* to the direction of travel of the main belt in the water. My hope has always been that it would throw water back and to the sides of the main track...similar to the chevron tread on a swimmer tire.
Going perpendicular to the main belt (like the crossers) like Old Tucker did would probably help too (It works on escargo tracks), but I've always wondered if a large 45* paddle would help even more. I hope to test it where such a paddle would butt up against an escargo paddle face for an even greater effect..but at this point it's just speculation.

Anyway, if you're looking for something to try...

Hmmmm I will give it some thought...I didnt take any videos but picture an argo just floating and not going anywhere lol. I tried different speeds but didnt make much difference.
I am not sure why you would only affix the rubber in one place. wouldnt you want it to be stiff where it attaches to the belt?
My biggest problem is I have no idea where to find conveyer belts... I tried google for Kingston but came up with nothing
Does this drawing make sense?

[Old Tucker]

Used conveyer belting can be found at any gravel pit yard I found. Some pits may want to charge for it others will say take it all, just to get rid of it.

[Buzz]

Hmmmm I will give it some thought...I didnt take any videos but picture an argo just floating and not going anywhere lol. I tried different speeds but didnt make much difference.
I am not sure why you would only affix the rubber in one place. wouldnt you want it to be stiff where it attaches to the belt?
My biggest problem is I have no idea where to find conveyer belts... I tried google for Kingston but came up with nothing
Does this drawing make sense?

yes kinda like that. Just flip the track around the other way to possibly paddle better in the other direction. You don't wan't to connect the pieces of conveyor paddle nearest both ends because it's not compatible witht he movement/flexing of the belt as it wraps the end tires. There will be times when you'll see daylight under the paddle on either side of where you affix it because when the main belt rolls around the end tires, there is an "elevation change" for lack of a better description of the main belt....forward to back. Conveyor is pretty stiff, so it doesn't need to be bolted down everywhere. You're just trying to provide some angled, vertical surface area.

At least I "think" so. My hope was to butt one end of the paddles against escargo cleat face (they would actually be semi-folded over against the main crosser paddle face)...and then let them angle back to the main belt where they would be affixed. The crosser side is free to move a bit, but shouldn't move out of place and would provide a continuous chevron paddle.
Affixing the angle in the middle of the paddle would probably work. But I'm just guessing.

[Old Tucker]

Here is why I went to HD axles, Bearings and a good track system. I cannot have any brake downs here. This is a Easter sunday trip 2014 http://youtu.be/v885PubARp0 Chanel tracks rock