homemade tracks question

[martz694]

what about the spacing in between them? is 8 inches too much? (the originals are 8 inches) i might try running them as is and if they don't stay on i will add more. i found the fiberglass rod and i will most likely use that if i do need more

[Buzz]

what about the spacing in between them? is 8 inches too much? (the originals are 8 inches) i might try running them as is and if they don't stay on i will add more. i found the fiberglass rod and i will most likely use that if i do need more

they might stay on over flat ground, but that's about it. A lot of turning and especially uneven ground will do you in.

[john swenson]

marts, i thought you were going to leave the old guides on and then add new angle with new guides inbetween the them, then spacing would be 4'' right ? that would keep the tracks on. just make sure new guides are not too long so they don't bang the old ones when they wrap around the tire. johnboy va.

[martz694]

i don't have a plan for new guides yet. the previous owner is a friend of mine and he used them like this for a couple years and he said it worked fine. he bought a newer one that came with the 18 inch rubber tracks so he didn't need these ones anymore. he said the only issue was that they would ride really rough on hard surfaces. i figured just adding more angles would solve the rough ride problem

[martz694]

here is a clear view of the guides around the tires.

[john swenson]

marts, it looks like your good to go with the guides. just add the new angle inbetween the old for a smoother ride. that should be a pretty easy project. johnboy va.

[martz694]

i'm thinking i'll be alright too, its easter weekend so i can't work on it much. (gotta spend time with the wife and kid) but next week i'm going to try and have them finished. Then i have a body sag issue to fix. The tracks touch the body at the 3rd axle. she used to have a massive 300+ lbs rops on her, i'm thinking thats what caused it to sag ....all the weight was distributed to the outside metal rim that was put on.

[martz694]

I thought i would post an update. I have one side finished, i have it back on and starting work on the other tomorrow. No pics or vids until the project is complete but i think it will be really really good. (i have tried them just a little bit) It's finally in the low 10 degrees here so i can work without gloves making it a whole lot faster. i will post pictures when complete and then when i take it to glass falls for the ultimate test i will post a few videos.

[john swenson]

martz, sounds good. look forward to pictures. just got back from the busco beach ride. had my homebuilt tracks on my max 2. really a good test for them. it is one thing making them but get them out in some heavy duty mud and terrain and i found my weak spots. one came off in a deep pudding mudhole. what a mess. anyway i know the next modifications i need to do. that is part of designing your own. keep us posted. maybe i will get some ideas from yours. johnboy va.

[martz694]

She's done!!! took her out for a rip this afternoon and i was very impressed, got high-centered once, backed up, turned a bit in the hole and out she went. floats pretty decent on snow too. yea we still have a bit of snow here...for now anyways, +24 tomoroww so that should take care of it. I'm uploading pics and a little video atm, I will post as soon as its done

[john swenson]

martz, good for you to keep at it !! sounds like there great. looking forward to a video. was working on mine today. i had extended only one side on mine . lost a track in the deep gumbo mud at busco beach. now i am adding to the other side. i think with one side only when i was on a slope, the extension just lifted the guides off the other side. i unbolted the full track back to the half track point. i want to test run with the new modification to see if it works. if so i will modify the other 4 feet and go back to full tracks. johnboy va.

[john swenson]

martz, also what do you and buzz think as far as cutting out the center of a solid track. do they stay on better with the tires being exposed between the guides and the side rubber belts? my tracks are a solid 8 '' wide belt in the center. then i welded a 2'' piece of 3/4 '' angle on both sides of the guides and added another 2'' belt on each side. so it is 12 '' wide total. maybe i should cut out a square between the guides on the 8'' piece. do you lose much floatation if you do ? maybe mud staying in the solid section tends to make it easier to lose a track. johnboy va.

[martz694]

i haven't had much time to test as it is raining today and i don't have a lot of places i can go right from my house. Here are the pictures and the video as promised. My little cousin drove it for the video. I forgot to take one earlier on our little trip so all i had was shallow mud holes because well the ground is still pretty much frozen here -_- ... gotta love Canada . As for your question from what i read online and what i was told your better off with no belting at the tires because it helps clear the mud out so you get more traction. you lose a little flotation but i can't see it being by much. When i bought mine the guy had 14 inch solid belting with guides taking up 3 inches on each side roughly. I just cut the belting at the end of the guide so about 8 inches in the middle. i was on snow a bit today and the belly was touching the snow but it never stopped. Do you have pictures of yours so maybe we can see what's going on. I posted some closer pictures of mine so you can see how they are made. I might be going up to glassy falls next weekend that should really put it to the test.

[martz694]

Not sure what to do for videos so I put it on youtube. Here's the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eait...ature=youtu.be

[john swenson]

martz, wow they look very professional ! seem to stay on well . how about in turns ? you did a great job. i could see in the video the tracks clearing out the mud and water. i think i will cut some out of my center belt. if you don't lose much floatation it seems they function better. the only thing about my tracks is the tire guides are flat bar because with 22'' rawhides i didn't have clearance with the tub. but that was before i bought wheel exstensions. when i put my redesign on i may be able to weld a piece of 3/4'' angle on them for better bite. but as i said before my outer 2'' belts bolt to angle. that may be sufficient traction. will get my wife to take a picture after ones on. also the side belt angles are a little higher than the tire guides. that way they don't touch on hard ground. just in mud and snow. johnboy va.