track tuners and track tention

[plott hound]

as per our previous discussion on the subject here=http://www.6x6world.com/forums/argo-atvs/34692-true-no-bs-buyer-review-3.html

I finally got a chance to mess with the tuners.removed both tracks and argo spacers and replaced them with my adair spacers and track tuners.put the larger wheels on the corners and inflated all tires to 4psi.right hand side track has a little less then 2" of sag measured at the second wheel.left hand side track has 1-1.5" inches of sag measured at the second tire.i reduced the air preasure down to 3psi on the lft side but it made no difference in the track sag.

so my question is should I put the smaller tires back on the corners or should I put the spacers back in the tracks?when I experienced the track slippage before with the tuners the track spacers were removed and I cant remember how much track sag I had.i just don't want to twist an axle off because of incorrect track adjustment.

thanks

damn I spelled tension wrong.lol

[thorn]

Hey Plott what tires are you running inside your tracks?

[Buzz]

Either way would work so long as you shoot for 2-3" of sag at a running pressure of approx 5 psi.
You don't want to have to run your tires at super low psi to prevent your track from being too tight. You want your tires to be fairly firm (5 + psii) so they can do their job properly to keep your rubber track mounted. Rubber tracks are harder on your machine when tight, but at the same time, they're prone to tire slipping if loose and the machine is under load when the inside of the belting is icy or muddy.
With your tires in their current position, and the track @ it's current length, it almost seems like the track is about 1" too short. If you leave the track "as is", I bet moving the smaller pair back to the corners will get you pretty close to where you want to be.
It can be a challenge with a rubber track. You can get away with a looser track if you remove the tuners, but you'll give away hp, and your center chains/bearings/axles will see more load. Running a looser track is sometimes a pain out in the bush too because it doesn't want to stay mounted in some situations.
Hope that helps

[plott hound]

the tires are 25" at-101 argo tires thorn.thanks for the info buzz,i will try moving the tires around when I get time.sure is a lot of work getting these suckers set up right lol.thank god I have a handy dandy track puller.

[Fox Valley Argo Sales]

Hey Plott,
I also agree that the way it sounds you could move the biggest tires back into the center,which will help in turning,and you can adjust the tension on the corners via air pressure up to 7psi. I would run it the way you have it now,before switching it around to see how it preforms.

[plott hound]

thanks foxvalley,i went for a good run yesterday through the bush.machine felt good although our snow is almost gone.the thing that worries me is the tightness of the track.its not singing tight but I don't have the 3" of sag either.the machine drives straight on the road as is,does not drift to the left or right.i suppose I can take a couple more hours and switch the wheels around again if need be.sure would be nice to have a hoist to lift the machine 3ft.lol

thanks guys

[plott hound]

so I pulled the tracks off again and inflated all tires to 5psi and put the biggest in the middle smallest on the corners.installed the track and measured the sag,still was under 2" so I put the spacers back into the track.now at 5psi I have 2.5"-3" of sag on both sides.will try the machine out later today and see what it feels like.at least as was recommended I can always air up to tighten the track up.damn thing better not slip after all this or those tuners are going are going to become boat anchors,lol.

[Buzz]

how much of a difference in circumference was it between the smaller pair and the larger pair, for example (+/- 78" vs. +/- 80")? I'm sure you're probably sick of lug nuts, tire valves, and ratchet straps by now!

[plott hound]

tires were real close in size buzz.left side I had 2 tires at 79" and 2 tires at 80".right side I had 2 tires at 80",one at 78.5" and the fourth at 79".i got something better then ratchet straps or I would have given up long ago,will post some pictures tomorrow.

[john swenson]

just to mention, not the same machine ... but we had snow yesterday and me and ruth took a spin today. i had removed the front chains on my max 2 with the adair shackle style tracks and the kenda tires they sell with them. trying to go up a hill the rear and center tires just spun in the tracks. i know that uhmv is slippery stuff. i've got plenty of tub clearance so only run about 3-4 p.s.i. i think i need to reinstall the front drive chains. worked o.k. on fairly level ground though. i believe buzz said those are more forgiving of '' chain windup ''. it was a good test. but like you plott, i have had those tracks on and off so many times i can do it in my sleep !! almost. have fun and am enjoying your experiment. fun to learn !! johnboy va.

[Fox Valley Argo Sales]

thanks foxvalley,i went for a good run yesterday through the bush.machine felt good although our snow is almost gone.the thing that worries me is the tightness of the track.its not singing tight but I don't have the 3" of sag either.the machine drives straight on the road as is,does not drift to the left or right.i suppose I can take a couple more hours and switch the wheels around again if need be.sure would be nice to have a hoist to lift the machine 3ft.lol

thanks guys

Plott, here is the lift I use,works great,and you can just drive over it, as it fits nicely under the unit.

MC625R HEAVY DUTY AIR LIFT

[plott hound]

DSCN0221.jpgDSCN0222.jpgDSCN0223.jpg

so here we go again.installed the spacers on the tracks and inflated corner tires to 6psi.measured the track sag and got 2.5" to 3",perfect I thought.went for a ride all was good until I went down a snow covered hill to the lake,spun the sucker around and the slipping started.walked home and got truck to pull argo up the hill.then put argo back into garage walked back and got my truck.looks like I'm gonna have to pull the track spacers back out and see what that's like.heres a couple of pictures.

I like that lift fox,where did you buy it?

[thorn]

Those tracks look too loose to me. They definetly have more sag than my Chanels. I believe my sag was slightly under 2".

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14361[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14362[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14363[/ATTACH]

so here we go again.installed the spacers on the tracks and inflated corner tires to 6psi.measured the track sag and got 2.5" to 3",perfect I thought.went for a ride all was good until I went down a snow covered hill to the lake,spun the sucker around and the slipping started.walked home and got truck to pull argo up the hill.then put argo back into garage walked back and got my truck.looks like I'm gonna have to pull the track spacers back out and see what that's like.heres a couple of pictures.

I like that lift fox,where did you buy it?

[flippy]

Those tracks look too loose to me. They definetly have more sag than my Chanels. I believe my sag was slightly under 2".

I agree to loose.My home made snowmobile tracks came off with with that much sag.Of course I was on solid frozen ground,no snow.I got my sag to about 1.5" then they stayed on.My snowmobile tracks have a million ice studs that I should grind down to help with the skid steering,but I dont know if they should be left on for deep snow.

[Buzz]

You might just have to remove the track spacer and run with the track a big tighter (captain obvious I know) If the rubber track belting gets slippery on the inside at all, the tires can fail to drive the tracks under load. Can even happen if the track stays fairly clean. It's just one of those things with a rubber track. It's just very flat on the inside surface. Making it tighter will help some, and it's the best you can do. Track belting should also be straight over the top of the tires (with a slight tension to it) without any waviness. You probably already did this, but measure your track sag after you've driven around a bit. The track will settle out, and your tires will also adjust to whatever temperature you are operating in (if you did your initial set up in a heated garage for example).
I don't like tracks that require high tension to be reliable. Keep us posted!