22" vs 24" tires with adair tracks

[Breadstain]

I have a set of the older chained adair tracks that I'm running on 24x10 argo tires. I don't feel there is quite enough clearance with this setup. I do have a bit of sag that I cannot cure, also. I get a lot of rubbing on the part of the top above the tires and this is confirmed.

I was thinking about replacing my 24" with some 22". Is there any major difference besides ground clearance? With adair tracks?

[ARGOJIM]

Tracks would have to be shortened, may suffer minor speed loss but should gain power.

There is a recent thread in the Argo section on body sag where a bunch of radiant heaters and blocks cured the sag, for now anyway.

[Rock Doctor]

You might be able to shim out the wheels a bit to stop the rubbing. Depends where it's touching, how much it's touching, ext.

RD

[Breadstain]

Gain power you say?

I read the thread about the sag. I didn't use the heater, but I did build some stilts and let the argo sit on those stilts with a few hundred pounds for a month. I worked nearly everyday for a month so it wasn't that big of a deal to leave it like that. I can't imagine that the plastic is the issue, but rather the metal frame that goes around the outside of the tub.

RD, what do you mean by shim the wheels a bit?

[ARGOJIM]

Are you running the 1/4 inch spacers from Adair?

Metal frame around the tub?

Is this a 6x6 or 8x8?

Is it possible someone over tightened a strap across the body while hauling it and and bowed the lower seat support frame? It would take a lot to do it but not impossible.

[Breadstain]

I don't have any spacers on there. The tracks are hitting the part of the tub that is just above the tires. The clearance between the tracks and the body isn't even enough for me to slide my hand in between.

I think the frame I'm referring to is the lower seat support frame you mention. Like I said, I built two frames and rest the entire argo on these frames for a month in the part that was bowed the most. Didn't seem to fix the problem. I'm not sure how it became bowed but it is and it won't go back. I think I'd have the replace the entire thing, which I'm not equipped to do. I am, however, equipped to replace the tires.

[Buzz]

some machine tubs just don't have the clearance that others do. Some tires just seem to run bigger too. Typically if you have clearance problems running one particular track, you really don't have enough clearance to run ANY track until you're able to gain more clearance.
I like to state the obvious.
The benefit of dropping 2" in tire diameter is that you only lose 1" above and 1" below the axle. So you'll pick up a full inch of tub clearance and only lose an inch of ground clearance. Give or take depending on actual tire heights. But you do gain the full 2" additional tire-to-tire clearance between axles.

[Breadstain]

That's where I was going. It's only an inch clearance gained, but that would be just enough IMO from looking at my machine

[Noel Woods]

I think the 22" tires will work great for your machine. I would do a dry fit before shortening the track however. I take you are considering the Argo 22" tires? These will have the same dimension width wise as the 24" Argo tires. If you are going with another make like the Goodyear brand, the width will vary and may not work for these tracks.

[Breadstain]

Yes I'll be using the argo tires.