J-Wheelz Test Run

[NorthOf60]

After spending a lot of time weighing the merits of tracks vs J-Wheelz I went with a set of J-Wheelz.

These videos are a quick look at my first run through some swamp near Yellowknife, NT.

Will make and post more if there is interest...

Part 1

Part 2

[guyfox]

Great vids. Would like to see more when you have a chance.

Any reason why you choose the J-Wheelz over the different style tracks that are out there?

[Rock Doctor]

Nice vids, at first there I was thinking you should have bought yourself a Kayak, lol
Is that your Moose Hunting area, or just a place to play?

RD

[NorthOf60]

Great vids. Would like to see more when you have a chance.

Any reason why you choose the J-Wheelz over the different style tracks that are out there?

Cost was a big factor. J-Wheelz were less than half the cost of tracks I looked at. I gather that J-Wheelz have about 80% of the performance of tracks so the cost tradeoff for slightly less performance is worth it to me.

The terrain on which I use the Argo was also a consideration. Where I live, it's either very hard packed trails or swamp/muskeg conditions. As long as there is vegetation under the Argo it will push through and I think the J-Wheelz will perform well in that situation. Tracks would likely outperform the J-Wheelz in snow but that's what I have a snowmobile for.

They add extra buoyancy to the Argo, about 600 pounds worth. On top of that the wheels have negligible weight relative to a track kit.

They are very easy to install. Took me about an hour to put all eight on the Argo. Given the way they are constructed and assembled I'm expecting that any maintenance will be easy to do.

I can't state this for a fact but I believe the J-Wheelz place a lot less stress on the Argo's drive train.

By the end of the summer I should know if J-Wheelz were a good purchasing decision. I may do up some type of review after I've had them for awhile

[NorthOf60]

Nice vids, at first there I was thinking you should have bought yourself a Kayak, lol
Is that your Moose Hunting area, or just a place to play?

RD

I sort of view the Argo as a Umiak. Probably 95% of the snowmobile trails up here have never been ridden in summer because they're wet and swampy and are mostly portages from one lake to the next. The Argo provides a bit of extra opportunity to go places.

Moose??? There are no moose here. Never seen one in my life. The dog just wanted me to take him out for a swim. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[john swenson]

north, i think they are cool. especially for your application. does'nt look like you need to be concerned about narrow trails either.there was another video somewhere on here with another aatv with j-wheelz and he was plowing along in some good mud, etc. enjoyed the video. beautifull place to ride. johnboy va.

[riotwarrior]

I've looked at the J wheelz but they are designed for a larger tyre, I'm 22" and that's it, I would like to kick down to 20" and then add some home made rubber tracks from paddle sled tracks, cutting off a few here n there for tub clearance.

Those are quite impressive and if I didn't have narrow rocky terrain I'd think more strongly on those for the cost/vs tracks...I feel they would perform quite well if space is available!

[akcrawler]

North,

Those look pretty good for your terrain. It looks to me like you do almost as much swimming as you do other terrain. I have a lot of the same stuff where I live. The problem with our area is we also have a lot of treed areas and I am finding extra width can be a problem.

I am currently running factory rubber tracks from Mudd-Ox/RI to get me across the soft swampy areas, but I'm told they don't swim well at all. I also saw a video of a ride in Wisconsin with similar terrain to what you were traversing and they didn't work well there either, so I have not even tried them areas that look marginal in that respect. That said, they do "float" me over areas where I am not able to walk. I am pretty happy with them for my purposes. I just have to keep in mind that lakes and deep water swamps have to be bypassed with these tracks. I am thinking that, eventually, I may end up with bigger wheels/tires. That may lead to duals or j-wheelz for summertime use over the soft wet stuff. I still have the width thing to think about, but I also have a chainsaw!

Winter is another matter. I am sure the rubber tracks will take me where I want to go all winter long (more on that later...with videos). I do have snowmobiles, but I am planning on using my Max to pull heavy loads to my cabin in winter. The snowmobiles work for this too, but the ones I have are pretty light for that kind of duty. I have the heavier machine now, so why not use it?

I guess the bottom line is that no solution works for every situation in which we find ourselves with such capable machines. I wish I had an endless supply of money so I could try all of the options and see which one works most often.

[mightymaxIV]

North, that was a very impressive video, I have always been a fan of J-wheelz, in many cases they will out perform a track and I have always wondered how they would do on an Argo 8x8. Seems they would be much easier then tracks on chains and bearings. As much as I like the floatation and ability they would severely limit the places I could go in my area. I believe they would be great in the open marsh but mix in some trees and I would be in trouble.

Wish you could get someone outside the machine to film your Argo so we could get a good look at just how nasty that area really is.

[NorthOf60]

Here's another video I put together this weekend. This is only my second week with them but I'm making some interesting discoveries. Hard packed and rocky trails won't do J-Wheelz any favors. I haven't found any trails yet that are too narrow but I do carry a chainsaw just in case.

[guyfox]

Great vid.

Noticed at one point you had the J-Wheelz taken off the machine. Are they hard to take off/put back on? How long do it take you to do this?

[NorthOf60]

Great vid.

Noticed at one point you had the J-Wheelz taken off the machine. Are they hard to take off/put back on? How long do it take you to do this?

You have sharp eyes. As I mentioned in the previous post J-Wheelz do not well on rock. The camera doesn't capture it well but that rock was sharp and jagged in many spots. I was doing less than walking speed with the rubber tires.

Now to your question. With the J-Wheelz installation tool, that comes with each kit, a 3/4" nut driver and a battery powered drill you can take them off in 2-3 minutes. Putting them back on is about a 10 minute process. Most of that time is spent alternating between nuts as you tighten them up. A wrench is needed for the final tightening as the portable drill likely won't have the torque to do it. It would take considerably longer to do it all with just two wrenches.

[Shawn H]

Great video, I've been kick the idea of buy this too. What size tires are you running with on your Argo?

[NorthOf60]

Great video, I've been kick the idea of buy this too. What size tires are you running with on your Argo?

They are stock 25x12x9's that came with the Argo when I bought it.

[NorthOf60]

North, that was a very impressive video, I have always been a fan of J-wheelz, in many cases they will out perform a track and I have always wondered how they would do on an Argo 8x8. Seems they would be much easier then tracks on chains and bearings. As much as I like the floatation and ability they would severely limit the places I could go in my area. I believe they would be great in the open marsh but mix in some trees and I would be in trouble.

Wish you could get someone outside the machine to film your Argo so we could get a good look at just how nasty that area really is.

Here's a quick video taken mostly from outside the Argo. Unfortunately I don't have a cameraman so it's the best I can do. My experience so far in mud is that you keep pushing forward until high centered, back up and repeat until through the area or pick a different route. Do a YouTube search for Max IV J-Wheels Nasty Mud Part 2. It illustrates what I'm talking about quite well.

http://youtu.be/B8rAiXwxkLE