track tuners and track tention

[ARGOJIM]

A flat front tire is "catastrophic" and I only moved a machine about 100 foot from the trailer to the shop, it involved a lot of kinda turn, stop ,back up, kinda turn. NCT it becomes much like running a TB with the pins broken on 1and2 broken and maybe 3.

If I were you I'd bring some stock spacers and a jack, that way you could get the drive from the 2nd axle in an emergency as the weight of the machine kinda pivots there, with the flat and the higher front axle there is no weight on the track. I guess in a emergency one could try to pin the tuner after drilling and taping a hole in the axle side and feed a large bolt through the grease hole on the rim through the outer flange and into the threaded inner flange.

Much like you with the rubber track, I like the idea of the quad track set up, but it's just being curious.

Now, these are all armchair thoughts as I don't do any of the extreme stuff some of you do, and never ride alone.

[North Country Tough]

Yea Jim too be clear I do not run tuners I do the due diligence of keeping proper tire pressures and indexing along with reversing the middle tires as well as putting the machine in a heated shop when ice build up on the track guides is starting as well as sticking my nose in just about everywhere between long journeys,LOL about the pinned units that was a nightmare as in the last year of the pins we purchased two identical 8IC,s with the green 17 Kohlers and what a mess when the front axle pins broke the following year the Magnum came out with splined we dealt both of the others and took home two new ones again bit of a loss but worth it.Its only a matter of time before replacing these tracks just want to be double sure next time as I had figured on these to be my last life long set but no tuners so i got to find the best track for the job (snow) and the easiest on the machine without all the drawbacks of total rubber tracks,I also generally zap strap down my chain adjusters thru the winter to help reduce strain but in the end in 2017 I will be going to the new cast axles from the HDI ones Iam currently using that said we will have to see if these axles have any issues dont really want to go thru the expense and time to have another issue but i have seen a number of broken HDI axles break at the flange with heavy winter track use and have been fortunate myself to not have damaged one "yet" the original press plate ones i broke flanges off all to regular with these cursed rubber tracks.Holiday Cheers NCT

[plott hound]

after plowing snow for 2 hours this morning the tuners in my opinion are great.no chain windup no bumping and thumping sounds emiting from the drive train.think the best scenario for me is to remove the tuners when hitting the bush and leaving them on for use around the house.lets see what I'm going to end up with for holidays NCT,maybe I can get away for a day or 2.we are just finishing up the 4th floor of a 48 plex condo building here in town,ive got 5 more condo pack furnaces to place c/w all the duct work and venting.then I will have some spare time.

[Buzz]

It's easy to remove a track tuner from one of the center axles (out in the field) if you want. You do not have to take off the track. Just raise one end of the machine and play with lug nuts for a few minutes. If you carry a spare wheel spacer, then just install it in place of the track tuner, then reinstall the wheel. Not tons of fun but not hard for fellas like you all, right? To remove the tuner from axle #2, raise the front of the machine (or drive it up on a log etc). To remove tuner from axle #3, raise the rear of the machine. You can easily work the center tires out without removing the track. 2 out of 4 axles driving is better than 3 out of 4 axles driving so long as the (2) that remain driven are corner tires. If you do not drive one of the corner axles, you are severely limited on where you can reliably drive your machine even though you think you have 3 out of 4 remaining. Corners are priority. I'm amazed NCT that you were able to much of anything with a flat rubber track and front tire off the bead. No doubt your track was loose too I like the quad tracks. They also turn easier.

[North Country Tough]

It was no pleasure cruise Buzz ended up backing it up to keep the track from derailing and fortunately we were on a return run and close to our packed trail system then proceeded slowly in forward low with great care taken to round off corners there was alot of crunching banging and the track and the plow mount got friendly we had some inclines to make it back but it never refused forward motion the tire is garbage but that's fine we got back,today finished the job we started the other day and left the plow in the shop kinda hard to determine the exact tire failure but i suspect with the addition weight of the plow in the area we were we hit some forgotten stumps and tree debris while turning here and there I think it just released air pressure at the bead possibly the guides were trying to force the tire off the bead but as I said the tire is toasty so hard to tell,it not the first time we have came in with a flat but the first time on a corner axle its quite doable the fact that I use Frontier tires the width of the track applies more side pressure when it flexes and I believe make the beads more vulnerable.NCT

[SHOTGUN]

There is an easy way to pin a tuner, the sight hole for greasing could just be bolted to the axle sight hole (carry bolts that fit as tight as possible), also I would tighten the bearing nut as tight as I could get it to remove any play. It may wreck the tuner but if you are in a bad situation it would work. I think differently maybe partly because I am a Mechanic, never trust a machine!!!. You cannot carry every part, or have total confidence in preventative maintenance. Have someone with you, let people know where you are going, ride with another machine, have a first aid kit, fire starter, axe, ect. I carry snowshoes also in winter, the whole point of the tracked Argos is to go where you cannot walk or a regular ATV would get stuck. Murphy's Law is cruel, take care of your machine the best you can, carry some common parts, give yourself survival options.