Conveyor belt tracks

[Anthony]

Hi all I am thinking of buying a used Argo frontier 580 6 wheel it has hd axle extensions and homemade tracks made of 3/8 inch thick conveyor belt material fiber re nforced 12 inches wide the seller said the hardware is plated steel pins from Argo would this be ok for traction in snow mud and in shallow creeks please any advice would be appreciated since I never had anything but 4 wheelers 4 wheel drive thank you anthony

[thebuggyman1]

Without knowing what your expectations are, it's very hard to say.
12" tracks are narrow, and tracks work by spreading the weight over a larger area.
Home-made tracks could be as good as factory ones.....OR worthless.
Without any traction devises, the flat conveyor belt is unlikely to have good traction......think of bald tires.
What keeps the tracks from walking off the tires?

[Anthony]

buggy man.....this link shows pictures of what I'm looking to purchase. Curious what you think of the traction....
ARGO 580 FRONTIER 2010 For Sale ATV*Other

[thebuggyman1]

The tracks look very well made. They even used the factory retainers. They have some tread, so I'd say they would do well in the snow, but the tread isn't very tall, so I don't know about the mud performance.
The top on the other hand....well, it isn't very aesthetically pleasing. The machine would look much better without it.

[Noel Woods]

That looks like a stealth kit attached to an Argo.

[xbunsenx]

Introducing the new stealth mudder. They will never see you coming.

[Rock Doctor]

Those look very similar to a set that I have, Mine are 14" wide, and will go pretty much any place that Supertracks will go. There are advantages and disadvantages to any track, my biggest issue with these tracks is the Chain Windeup. They are very particular about tire circumference.
[IMG]

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RD

[Anthony]

Hi rock doc. Iam sorry I don't understand what the chain windup means. I never had an Argo before please excuse my ingnorance would appreciate if you can explain thanks for your time anthony

[thebuggyman1]

If the tires are not all the exact same circumference, and they never are, the tires do not slip well inside the tracks. This puts a lot of strain on the chains, and makes them (and bearings) have a reduced life.

[guyfox]

You may be able to reduce the chain windup by using track tuners. RD or Obsessed can speak more on this item. I am sure other members can give you good info on the tuners as well.

[Rock Doctor]

Hi rock doc. Iam sorry I don't understand what the chain windup means. I never had an Argo before please excuse my ingnorance would appreciate if you can explain thanks for your time anthony

Imagine having the tires on one side of the machine at different circumferences (This can be due to different reasons, like different air pressures, or just the fact that quality control is not great on these tires). So, the tires are a little different in circumference, but they are all locked together with your chains, so they are forced to turn at the same RPM. The different sized tires will want to travel different distances, which makes little difference when running "Barefoot", the tires can just slip/spin a bit on the ground, but if you now put tracks on, you have the tires locked together with the axle chains, AND you have the tires locked together with the Tracks. Something has to "Give", the Axle Chains will not slip, so the tires are forced to slip in the tracks but that is NOT easy. When chain windeup builds tension on the chains, eventually a tire HAS to slip in the tracks, this can be rather violent "BANG", and a shock runs through your entire drivetrain.
Track Tuners help, they are a device that will "Freewheel" your center wheels/axles, and can be had from Arair Argo for a minimal fee.
Another good thing to do is "Map" your tires. Start by measuring all your tire circumferences at 4psi, and every half pound above that, up to about 9psi. This way you will be able to match tire circumferences easily. (It is easily possible to have tires at 4.5psi, 6psi, 5psi, and 5.5psi along one side of the machine, and have all circumferences the same)

Hope that helps
RD

[tattooman]

Is chain windup as big a deal on a six Wheeler as it is on an eight Wheeler. I understand the extra two wheels. I run tracks(plastic ). I do not notice an issue, I don't want one either!

[Rock Doctor]

Is chain windup as big a deal on a six Wheeler as it is on an eight Wheeler. I understand the extra two wheels. I run tracks(plastic ). I do not notice an issue, I don't want one either!

It is way, way, way easier for rubber tires to slip inside Plastic tracks than it is to slip inside rubber tracks, and of course there will be a little less windup with a 6x6 than an 8x8.
I have 6 sets of tracks, and the only tracks where I feel it's needed to have Tuners is with the Rubber Tracks. The Tuners will allow you to be a little more lax with your Tire Pressures (As in having them just right), when running Plastic, and do help, but the difference is not as noticable as with the Rubber Tracks.
I do have a little plan in the back of my head to use Tuners on my 8x8's and run 22" tires front/back, with 24" tires in the middle. Have not done that little experiment yet.

RD