New Adair 18.5 inch belted snow and ice tracks

[miker89]

Awesome videos - Nice job Doug!

[foxvalley]

And this years prestigous award for the best new film clips in the category of "New Track Performance" goes to...................FOXVALLEY!!!!!

I have to go to the store now.......and buy larger hats..........
Thanks you guys.Comments like these,really make a guy feel good,and gives me motivation to find new and exiting ways to impress. I don't know if I should mention this,but I tried to walk the argo up a pine tree........it was going up......but it was too hard on the tracks,had to let er down.Would have made the ultimate video!
Once again Dan,thanks for straightening out my video.(What am I doing wrong)

[Buzz]

nice..... You are having way too much fun.

[rockrewls]

thanks fox keep em coming!

rock

[kghills]

Cool videos Doug. When can we come up and go for a ride again?

Keith.

[foxvalley]

Cool videos Doug. When can we come up and go for a ride again?

Keith.

Keith, You have been very quiet,starting to worry about you. You know you are welcome up here any time you like, can't wait to see how your new toys preform.

[foxvalley]

Keith, You have been very quiet,starting to worry about you. You know you are welcome up here any time you like, can't wait to see how your new toys preform.

Well, sounds like Keith is coming up for a ride in the muck,this should be a great test,belted tracks/cleat kit, vs. Tims 18" tracks. Keith is running his max 4 with the 18" tracks, and I will have the HDI with the belted tracks/cleats.
Keith will have the weight advantage,as his unit weighs half as much,but I'll still bet serious cash I will be pulling him out at least once.
Yes, I will have video of the whole ordeal,especially lots of footage pulling keith out. Any takers on how this is going to pan out,voice your thoughts now before we start. I'm betting he's getting pulled out 3 times.

[Rock Doctor]

Well, sounds like Keith is coming up for a ride in the muck,this should be a great test,belted tracks/cleat kit, vs. Tims 18" tracks. Keith is running his max 4 with the 18" tracks, and I will have the HDI with the belted tracks/cleats.
Keith will have the weight advantage,as his unit weighs half as much,but I'll still bet serious cash I will be pulling him out at least once.
Yes, I will have video of the whole ordeal,especially lots of footage pulling keith out. Any takers on how this is going to pan out,voice your thoughts now before we start. I'm betting he's getting pulled out 3 times.

I'll Play
Just for clairification...... You have the 14" Belted Adair Tracks with the "Snow Kit" extensions and cleats, and Keith has the 18" "Chained" Adair Tracks....... Is this correct?

I don't believe you will get any footage of Keith being pulled out, but if he does get stuck, I expect to see a vid of you driving around his machine before it gets pulled out

I would like to make a request. After you get stuck and pulled out, I would like to see Keith's machine drive straight into the hole you were pulled out of, to see if he can drive right through your tracks and out the other side, or vise-versa.

Have fun
RD

[foxvalley]

Thanks Doc for getting in on the action. Yes, I have the 14"belted tracks with the snow kit(long cleats) and also the short cleat kit in between the long cleats. Keith has the 18" chained tracks.
I'm charging all my batteries for my video cam right now, because there is going to be tons of footage of Keith getting pulled out, and I don't want to miss not one second of it.
Great idea dumping the one that doesn't get stuck into the hole,the only advantage Keith will have is less weight,this could come into play...........however........still don't think he has a snowballs chance.
Have'nt heard from Keith yet to confirm our outing,maybe he read this and is chickening out.

[foxvalley]

I can't believe it........ he showed up.....let the fun begin!

[Obsessed]

Sounds like fun.. Wish we were there also...you guys got any snow left up there now? Ask Keith to give me a call if he can...I might be coming up to visit him sometime this week! Got a motor project I really need his help with.

Tim

[Rock Doctor]

It will be interesting, light machines can sometimes swim over the bad stuff, but heavy machine can reach down to solid ground for traction.

Come on Keith, we're just waiting on you :-)
RD

[Obsessed]

Keith's unique MaxIV is running tracks over 25" tires, so its not giving up any ground clearance to the new HDI..the big 8x8 has an advantage in footprint size and that might help it jump the puddles a bit easer?!? looking forward to watching some fresh video...

tim

[mightymaxIV]

OK Fox Valley, you had all day, what are the results?????? You should have been able to process thirty or forty major movies in these few hours now

[foxvalley]

OK Fox Valley, you had all day, what are the results?????? You should have been able to process thirty or forty major movies in these few hours now

LOL Dan,Maybe when I was younger,everything now seems to either hurt,or move in slow mow.......

It was another awesome ride in the swamp,the weather was warm and sunny, no bugs,and plenty of muck to play in.
Ok, here we go,first, I was very impressed on Keiths modified max,running 25" rawhide 111 tires with Tims 18" chained tracks. Having the engine in the rear came into play in a couple of holes, as he was able to start out of the hole with the weight in the back. This was the case in the deepest hole where I was always getting stuck last year in my 2011 HDI with chained tracks.
However...... There was one spot at the start,(a hole I had issues with last year), that the max was forced into following the ruts of the 8x8 and did end up getting high centered. Keith was able to wiggle back and forth, but the tracks were in the rut,and that was that.
Other than that one time,the max did a wonderful job,there were a few times that it was touch and go, but the 18" tracks on a light unit as this is just a wonderful thing to watch, and Keith never got stuck after that first time.
However....... where the lighter,6x6 struggled, the HDI with the 14" belted track,with the addition of the winter kit(a third belt that attaches the long cleats to the belted track)breezed thru without even a hickup. I believe that the key to the aggressiveness of this track design is the fact that the long cleats, and the third belt can act, and flex INDEPENDANTLY of the grossers, and the track itself,thus creating a way to grab the sides of the ruts, almost like fingers,metal fingers, that unlike the grosser material, can bite into roots,ice and wood,giving superior traction.
Although this (winter kit) was designed for snow and ice,it is, by far, the most aggressive track/cleat setup that I have tested,not only on snow and ice, but also in the swamp.
Tim, and everybody that has either one of these track designs,should be proud, and happy to know,that , in my opinion, both these designs are some of the best designed tracks out there,and will get you there and back.
We also had a race in the pond,to see what tracks swam faster,it really wasn't a fair comparison,6x6 vs.8x8, I thought, but both designs swam at about the same speed,as far as I could tell, and it was to close to call.
I have lots of awesome video of the Max in action,that baby looks like a cork in an ocean in a few places.Kieths wife, and son did most of the driving in the HDI, and both did an awsome job. Hang in there Dan, some cool vid to come.
Tim, I'll let Kieth know.......if your coming up here anyway.......bring a toy, and stop out.