johnboys half tracks max video

[locolouie]

john ,you look like a kid in the candy shop, lol, great job on the redesign, they work great, nice place you got there also, hope to be at busco in oct to ride again, I found a couple of places to ride within 2/3 hrs from the house , checked out one already going to check the other in a few weeks , hoping to make it to ohio also for the races and trail ride

[trevorakm1]

I'm not being a jerk but I thought you just had this machine fully tracked at Busco, what is the advantage of this half track set up? I like the home made tracks you made.

[hydromike]

Alright, I vote for the Swenson Homestead as a cross-country AATV race site. You've got it all John; hills, swamp, lots of open fields... tons of potential!


Oh.. nice tracks.

[john swenson]

trevor buddy, i did have the full tracks at busco.i'm running 22'' tires so there was'nt much clearance at the front wheel. also i had only the outside angle and belt on. lost one track due to the rear wheel coming off, then lost the other track in a deep mud hole. thank to lewis, we winched it off the machine. when i got home and started to try again, i thought i would do the halftrack first and test them. the max seems to turn easier and i have the clearance i need with just the back 2 wheels. seems simpler at least for my homebuilt design. for my needs atleast now i think they are fun. will put them to the test at busco in oct. someone said you get maybe 80% more traction with just halftracks. maybe someday i will buy a full set. these only cost me about $150 apiece in materials. hydromike, you set it up and we'll go for it !!!! thanks, johnboy va.

[hydromike]

hydromike, you set it up and we'll go for it !!!! thanks, johnboy va.

I'm picturing something like this... how's your septic system?

[JoeMeg]

[QUOTE=hydromike;171047]Alright, I vote for the Swenson Homestead as a cross-country AATV race site. You've got it all John; hills, swamp, lots of open fields... tons of potential!

Cross-country AATV racing,sounds interesting!

[trevorakm1]

I got ya. Yeah I was just curious. Looks cool like that and I didn't realize there was clearance issue on the max2. Thanks for the reply.

[john swenson]

i am having so much fun with my half tracks, i don't want to take them off. i can;t seem to stay away from my mudholes !!! atleast one trip thru the swamp and mudbog everyday. plus we are getting regular rains, so things stay soopy. so far i have'nt had any real issues with them. johnboy va.

[riotwarrior]

Wow, thanks for posting the video, those look great.

Clearly you put some time and effort into those. Can you provide some good clear close up shots of the tracks and how you built them?

Love to see some pics to better understand how they are put together.

Great job looks like fun

Thanks again

Al

[john swenson]

riotwarrior, if you look under tires,wheels and tracks section in this forum under homemade half tracks,you will see my original pictures.i used 3/16 x 1 1/2 flatbar for the guides and bent them to fit the tire profile. then purchased 8'' wide x 1/4'' belting for the tracks.i laid out all the guides on a 2x8 board spaced about 6 '' apart. the board was on sawhorses. i ofcourse had measured about how long the tracks would need to be,i have 17 guides for the half tracks. i then laid the belt on top of the guides, and then took 1'' x 3/16 flat bar cut and slightly bent on the ends ,clamped it on top of the belt and welded it to the guides on each end. basically the belt is sandwiched between the 2 metal bars. i only bolted the guides on each end thru the belt so i could use a ratchet strap to pull the track tight for connecting. you can see in my latest modification, i got rid of the chains, welded angle pieces on each side of the guides alittle lower and added 2'' belt to each track side.when i tightened them around the tires, i just overlapped all the belts and bolted thru the rubber using 1/4 bolts with fender washers and lock nuts.if you build a set, make your guides first, then weld the side angle pieces next.then the belting ,etc also i cut out squares in the main belt to get mud out. if you have more questions, happy to help johnboy va.

[Sol]

Very cool !

[john swenson]

hey friends, i found out today how really well the half tracks perform. took them off a couple of weeks ago. went into the swamp in the video this afternoon and almost didn't get out. we had some rain and it was pretty gooey in there. looking forward to busco !! johnboy va.