homemade tracks question

[martz694]

so far in turns they seem to stay on but like i said i was only out for about a half hour this afternoon in between rain showers. i'm guessing it will be harder on the bearings and the machine overall since I'm turning a bigger footprint but on the flip side i have less weight per square inch of footprint so your guess is as good as mine. i put in a lot of work on those and i wanted them to work well. i just hope they last. i thought of getting a bend into them to have the belting off the ground like yours if i'm understanding you right but i'm not equipped to bend steel yet. Maybe in my 2.0 version i will bend them. So far it seemed to work well with the full 14 inches on the ground but time will tell. I'm really interested in your design because i want to make a setup with the extra belting i have now to make snow extentions ;P ...always a new project before finishing the last one

[john swenson]

martz, i would leave them just the way you have them and run awhile to get good testing. i don't think you need to bend them, let the full 14'' stay on the ground. later for snow exstensions, just cut pieces of angle long enough to bolt to your existing belts width plus how wide a new belt will be (say 2''). then just drill 2 holes on each end of the angle, bolt to your track belt right in front or back of the angles, then bolt the exstension belts to that. you can easily remove them whenever you want. johnboy va.

[martz694]

i was considering using flatbar to connect to the existing belting on the tracks. mount the flatbar to the extentions and pre-drill holes in the tracks. Simply bolt on to the tracks when winter comes around. I'd only be looking at about an hour to bolt them all on which isn't too bad

[john swenson]

martz, i am not sure flatbar would'nt bend unless it was maybe 1/4'' thick. if it is not too costly use 3/4'' aluminum angle.lighter weight. also i think you only may need to add them at every other angle piece on the main track. i almost finished my first half track mod today. need a couple of more bolts. i will get a picture soon. it is nice connecting with other members who have the same interests . we are enjoying sharing our homebuilt track projects. too bad we don't live close by. johnboy va.

[Buzz]

very cool! Since you have a flat track...Opening up the middle will help it clean out in the mud, but it also makes it possible for the guide-tips to move more easily when the belting is at ground level. Your traction cleats (and therfore the guide tips) can more easily be tilted or folded over as there is less belt width for them to be secured to. This is okay, but if you're up for doing some more tedious and repetetive work, you might consider using some aluminum flatbar (2" height, chopped to the correct width) laid flat and bolted under your guides to give them a little wider platform. It might help to keep them from tilting over so easily. It's about all you can do other than make the track belting tighter.
There should be enough daylight under the outer edges of your tires to accomodate the guides being raised up 1/8" or so if you want to add this extra platform.
And of course, miter the edges of your angle iron the best that you can.
If you did find a way to reliably bend your cleats up on the edges (equally) - to raise the belt - You might affect the guides (location and angle). I think it might be a big pain in the butt also because- belting likes to stay horizontal when wrapping anything. It might be forced to ripple up as it wrapped the end-tires. At any rate I like it, and thans a bunch for posting and sharing, you've done a lot of work! I hope that made some sense.
I agree that aluminum angle is best for winter-kit style add-on.

[martz694]

i need it to climb out of mudholes and up riverbanks without having to winch myself up all the time. its mostly swamp (beaver dams) and fields with a little bit of bush trails. I went to see the road that leads to the beach and well the picture pretty much sums it up

[rodp]

That would be a motorway (freeway ?) in some parts (most) of Australia

[martz694]

Oh that's not the trail, that's the road. it's funny because my gf says she is from the country because she grew up on a farm. I'm a bushman and we were arguing on if it was a road or a trail we were driving on. I'll take pictures of the trail when I go next weekend. the neighbors have a brand new quad they don't want to get wet so i'm gonna make them a bridge this weekend

[john swenson]

martz, well i finished my modified half track today. made a run down in my swamp, had to come back and do alittle tweeking. went back to the mud slop section and they seemed o.k. you sure find out all the technical things when you make your own tracks. all the guides have to be parallel to each other. also when i weld the angle iron extensions on each side of the guides, i did'nt get them exactly the same on each side, so the belts don't track exactly the same. it seems o.k. cause the belt flexes. also because the side belts are a little lower than the main belt, they ripple when going around the tire. but that seems o.k. too. i may still just remove the center belt. want to ride more, see how it holds up. atleast when i modify the second one i will be sure to be more precise. if you look in the track section under homemade half track, there still may be a picture before i added the side belts. will take new picture when i know they work . johnboy va.

[martz694]

sounds good i will try and look that up. I really want to see your setup. I think i have a pretty good idea of how you have it done but a picture is worth a thousand words as they say. I'm going on thursday to build a bridge over that little creek for my quad driving friends haha. Should have some feedback on how well the tracks work.

[martz694]

are these the ones you made? if so, how much space is between the grousers/guides. if you have 4-5 inches in between them ditch the belting i get a whole lot more traction without the belting. if you have them spaces further than 4-5 inches just add one in between each and it should be good without any belting. other than that its a sweet design, i was thinking of making guides like that for mine but they were already made so i just kept what i had. If i end of damaging some, (which i will) i will make them like that to replace the broken ones.

[john swenson]

martz, thats them' the first design. they worked good the first time at busco beach. did i get better traction and floatation in the mud....it seemed so. next i made them longer for a full set after i bought the wheel exstensions. worked better. then i added the angle and a 2'' belt on one side, went back to busco and lost one track in deep pudding mud hole !! since then i put one back to the half track length, added angle and 2'' belt on the other side. rode around today in my swamp and mud. stayed on good and great traction. the guides are 6'' apart. it seems if i remove the center belt i will sink deeper in the mud. ofcourse the tire tread .will be more exsposed. may not matter in mud, but what about snow ? but i do see if the tires are on a solid belt, they will slip on the belt in some cases. maybe that's why the plastic tracks are not good in mud, but great in snow. i could always pull the center belt out for mud, then replace it for winter snow. it's fun figuring it all out, as long as your patient. johnboy va.

[martz694]

i took mine out to go fishing yesterday and they went great until i got home turning into the driveway i was starting to lose one on the back end, i backed up a little and it popped right back into place on its own. Not sure what happened as the terrain was much worse near the creek than in my driveway.

[john swenson]

martz, if you look at the guides on an adair track, they are a plastic about an inch wide. i think on a harder surface in a turn they spin easier. with a angle iron guide, there is a edge that cuts in easier, so they don't spin as easy in a turn.good in snow or mud. so maybe on semi hard surface a wider turn while moving would be best. lot's of science to it. i'm learning by trial and error. nice to hear from guy's like buzz who seem to really know the mechanics of tracks. started on my other track cause it seems the first one is working good. may cut out some center belting on this one, then i can compare the performance of the two. will take pictures when all is done. johnboy va.

[Buzz]

I'd love to see some more pictures guys! One thing that will help keep your flat tracks on is - make every attempt to "stop" the inside track when turning, especially if on a side-hill. Sweeping turns where the inside track is allowed to continue rolling...can help your track right off your machine. The problem is compounded if the inside (slowed) track is uphill from the outer driven track.
The problem really exists irregardless of whether the track grouser is wide/flat UHMW or angle iron, especially if the tracks aren't fairly snug. There are ways to make the guide tips on flat tracks a bit more stable, but it's very difficult on a narrow track or a narrow "open" track. You need more grouser thickness, which helps a little- either the grouser itself (if the grouser and guide are integral), or metal placed under the guide and both the grouser+guide secured to the belt. What you are trying to do is limit the "guide tilting effect" that any belt-shortening will cause. You can never get your track belting on this style track...so tight (safely) to eliminate this altogether. Instead, you attempt to reduce this effect when building your track, and then adjust your driving style.

You could always attach additional guides to the narrow belting- this will help, they do not necessarily need to be secured to the full-width metal grousers...as the belting itself is the platform in a sense. Add pressure, additional/taller guides (up to a point), or additional backer plates under the guides which cover more belting to reduce to some extent this tilting.
And, be very careful in how close the metal grousers get to the tub. I really prefer to have approx 1.5 to 2 inches of daylight between the inner track and the tub/skid-plate area. Unless your tire fits snugly, (and even then sometimes), your track will move inward/outward a bit. It's okay, all tracks do it...if you get occasional "belting" contact to the tub during those extreme off-camber skid-turns where the tracks are really biting the ground...it's usually just fine. But, you don't want the belting so close that even small, less agressive turns cause the track belting to touch very frequently all the time. That's asking for trouble. And, I prefer to have the "belting" be the thing that makes occasional contact....if anything decides to make contact at all, that's what you want. If you've got minimal tub clearance...and metal to the belt edge, consider increasing your tub clearance.

That track should turn okay on hardpack...it's the semi-hard/soft stuff...dirt, grass, shrubbery where you can sink in just a little bit to really "bite" and/or possible plow your belts that will give you trouble. Just be careful when turning in these conditions and try not to make wide/sweeping turns while slipping your inside track. Trying your best to stop it (or get as close as you can w/o totally killing your momentum) will help a little in preventing walking the inside track off. And keep some decent tension in it if possible (2 inches of sag). It will help limit guide movement anyway.
Keep us posted in anyway you can...when you have a chance that is!