Cheap DIY tracks idea

[wildmanargo]

I really can't justify spending thousands on tracks for my old Argo I/C so I'm trying to make my own.
I know they will likely rip apart in no time but I like the challenge.
This is my thoughts on guides and cleats
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I bought 2 sets of ramps at Canadian Tire for $120 each
I cut the sides of the ramps exactly every 4". These are used as guides.
Each set of ramps comes with 40 "cleats". so 40 per side.
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The rubber is athletic mats used for under equipment ($20 x 4 at costco), cut in to 13" strips. This likely wont last very long so I've sandwiched fairly heavy straps ($26 x 2 at Costco) between two plys of rubber mats
One of my big concerns is the wight. All these materials combined adds up.
Im not going to get in to a lot of details for now but maybe it will inspire others on a low budget.
When I get one side done, I will test it and report back.

[john swenson]

i've made 3 or 4 sets of tracks . the solid rubber ones like your doing are best for snow as compared to mud. the cleats look good and hopefully the guides are tall enough to keep the tracks on the tires. one thing i have found is after the first tests , you may need to do a little tweaking or modifying to get any bugs out . remember when installing them to let the air out of the tires and pull the tracks tight with a ratchet strap. a easy way to connect them is just leave enough rubber to overlap the ends and bolt them together. or you can use a couple of hinges on each end and pin them together . anyway it's a good project and looking forward to the results of the first trys . johnboy va.

[wildmanargo]

Thanks Jon! Yeah, I'm not looking to use these in summer months, mainly just for snow and ice.
I am also worried about the height of the guides--
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Like you said, its going to take some trial and error.

[john swenson]

w. man....i think they look pretty good . once you test them and find a problem if there are any , it's usually not hard to come up with a fix. i will surely give you any ideas on anything that comes up . so we will keep in touch ! johnboy va.

[wildmanargo]

A few pics of my progress!

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[john swenson]

looking good , i think you have plenty of guides so that should help keeping the tracks on the tires . the only thing you may find after testing is that you may want to go back and cut out a small rectangle out of the rubber between the grousers , maybe 4'' long by 1'' wide . this can help from snow building up in the tracks . it can be thrown out as you drive . easily done with a jig saw. but do some testing first . looking forward to the results ! johnboy va.