Any one using the new beaver Dam 19.5 inch hybrid track????

[mightymaxIV]

Looking at some pictures of the 19.5 inch hybrid track tracks designed by beaver dam. They are a combination of pressed and heat treated steel grousers and UHMW. They come with a three inch spacer to move the track away from the body. They look bad to the bone. The grousers are pretty far apart and the belts ride pretty low on the tires. They look like they would be almost impossible to stick, But:

My thoughts are as follows: Seems that with the belts being so low they would gear the machine down and lower your top speed. Will they swim????? They claim they will, but how well????? Are the tires going to be able to slip a little in the grousers so your bearings and chains don't get destroyed?????? I already know that a combination UHMW and steel is superb for most conditions but will they be so heavy that they cause problems on bearings, chains and drive train?????? THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WOULD RIDE REALLY ROUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen a hybrid track like this on Noel Woods Argo Frontier at the mud nationals and I can testify that they will go anywhere but they lowered his top speed down to about 12 MPH.

This may be the best rack out there but they are expensive and I am deeply concerned they will tear up a machine.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH THESE TRACKS THAT CAN TELL US ALL THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES?? PLEASE GIVE US A SHOUT AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beaver-Dam-Argo-Hybrid-19-5-wide-tracks-for-6x6/174201443697#shpCntId

[john swenson]

hey dan...hope your doing well . just took a view of those tracks . without trying them .. they do look plenty agressive and probably claw thru anything . but seeing the grousers so thin and a pretty good space between them ..i too think they would be a rough ride except in gooey and soopy mud , or snow . and they do look like they could swim fairly well. interested in hearing some input on owners . johnboy va.

[allwheeldrive]

This is what the full steel set looks like in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk5BlLSy3mo
This is what the full steel set looks like in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk5BlLSy3mo
The Plastic teeth every other blade should give better grip on rocks (the weakness of all steel)
They are incredibly heavy duty, really beat on them this outing and all of them looked good at the end of the day. They are likely high tensile strength heat treated if I had to guess, which keeps them from deforming on rocks and bending out of place.

They are tough on chains, they are extremely aggressive, If you want to run them on high grip ground having the center two wheels on free spinning trailer axles bearings is the best way to go (that way only the front and rears have to power the tracks)
Under enough load the tire will slip in these, but it takes borderline destructive levels to get wheel spin. (which is good since spinning wheels in tracks just seem like a way to make tracks not useful) in my opinion.

These are one of the best swimming tracks I know of.

They do weigh a ton.

They will not change gear reduction. Top speed may be limited from the effects of so much extra resistance, but the position of the belt relative to the tire has no bearing on the rotation speed of the unit. That is measured from the furthest most point of contact to the ground, in this case the tips of the track blades. These will overall make your tire "bigger" not smaller so you'll actually end up with less gear reduction as the tire moves over a longer distance per revolution. Best way to think of this is the fact rim size does not affect tire rotation speed. Only the outer tire diameter.

That said if the machine is under twice as much load with the tracks being turned, expect your CVT to never "up shift" so your speed is reduced.

These tracks ride very rough, they make my coot feel like a Cadillac in comparison. The softer the ground the less you notice this. On swamp and mud they ride smooth as tires, but on hard dirt and rocks its... jarring.

There are many tracks, these are the "Superior Traction" brand tires of the track world, they are a no compromise design that trades everything for performance. They are heavy, rough riding, and more abusive to the machine than any other track, but in return they are the best off road track style you can buy. I'd wager an Argo with these tracks is literally unstoppable, the machine will have to flip or break before you get stuck. A sherp isn't even on the same level of what these tracks can do. *

[john swenson]

great explanation and overall assessment . thanks allwheel.........j.b.

[Buzz]

I’ve built lots of steel/UHMW hybrids in Alaska over the years- a couple things:
I decided long ago that mixing steel and UHMW grousers was a mute point and was not worththe added weight (especially in water). The main reason was that the UHMW grousers would limit the amount of bite that the steel grousers could achieve. In fact a much much lighter and more aggressive traction all-UHMW track can be made. The all UHMW track has the benefit of being much lighter in the water since UHMW is less dense than water. I always tell people that the weight difference in the water is roughly equivalent to an an additional grown man as a passenger. Furthermore UHMW will not rust and will not bend/break. I quit building steel/uhmw hybrids probably 6-7 years ago because it just made the track heavier, and when we would damage grousers on the hybrids, it was only the steel grousers that would be damaged. UHMW if thick is very stiff but can flex slightly- it flexes back. Squishing against trees, in ruts, and on rocky river bottoms does not cause damage.
I noticed that Chris’s version uses an overly wide ground contact patch and requires 3 inch or larger spacers.
Width wise, I feel it is always better to design around factory wheel spacers or reversible rims. If more track width is wanted, you simply add it to the outer belt. Wider is always better in the worst mud /swamp ect, but it should not require larger than factory spacers.
I feel the ground-contact patch on the beaver dam track is wider than it should be (I also tried this years back and no longer do it, it allows the ground to leverage the grousers more than it should. There are better ways to gain paddle-specific surface that is lifted off the ground and that cannot be manipulated by the ground. Ive had the best luck with grousers that rise up from the ground just outside of the actual tire width.
I also quit using metal hinges with bolts/hinge pins. The convenience of easy installation can be accomplished by using a much stronger and meaty overlap hinge only between the final grouser on either end of track (same positioning as metal hinge).The vertical through-bolts can never work loose, are not sibject to hinging motion or wearing out, cannot come out, and can never scratch sidewalls or the lower corner of machine skid plates. Though rare, we have broken both grade 8 hinge pins and worn through thick metal flexco hinges. So I no longer do it that way and use the much better modified meaty overlap joint.
Elevated belt tracks will reduce ground speed by approx 25% (depends on belt height) but this is a non-issue in argo type vehicles. I don’t remember the last time I needed to travel over 12 mph or even when I was in terrain where it was a good idea to do so for very long (considering wear and tear on machine). The lower power requirement of an elevated belt track is actually exactly what the dr. ordered in our low hp (but heavy) machines. For example the track only requires the power of driving with 18 or 19 inch tires, even though your machine gets to enjoy the ground clearance and bouyancy of 25” tires (in the case of an Avenger. This benefit is especially true in older machines that do not have newer, more efficient admiral transmissions. In either case high-range becomes more usable as well.
Track tuners on middle axles mandatory. Doing this actually makes a proper All UHMW elevated belt track the most forgiving and easy track on your drivetrain. It does not need to be tight, can actually be run with flat tires, and allows for as-needed tread repositioning as the grousers cenripede around the corner tires. All while the center tires free-wheel and roll 25% slower on top of the slower moving elevated belt. Many people (dealers included) say tuners are not needed. I just smile because I know eventually they will figure it out. We have tested identical machines and tracks side by, one with tuners and one without. The results are laughable. Tracks with tuners just works better and allows your CVT system to adjust for “terrain” resistance/grade, and not exponentially more tire slipping that has to be forced.
If anyone needs more info please feel free to call anytime. Jeff (Wasilla) “Buzz” 907-354-5319. Seems like this comes up every few years.

[john swenson]

buzz...i can see by all the experience you've had with building and testing tracks , you have gained alot of knowledge . just the little bit of making and remaking my own tracks plenty of times ( which is fun) i see from each use what works better or not as good. of course it too depends on what type of terrain , etc. each person is going to be in mostly. my next try on my max 2 is to see how the tracks and machine do with the center wheel freewheeeling. may have to make a custom hub that i can switch to for the track use mode . thanks , johnboy va.

[Hog Rush]

If anyone needs more info please feel free to call anytime. Jeff (Wasilla) “Buzz” 907-354-5319. Seems like this comes up every few years.

What are the specs on belts?
Where do you source them?
Thickness?
Width?
I looking at building a set for my Avenger
Thanks

[Buzz]

What are the specs on belts?
Where do you source them?
Thickness?
Width?
I looking at building a set for my Avenger
Thanks

I use 4-ply 4x1 domestic belting (pick your source) close to you. 4” wide inner, 6” wide outer belting. I’m in Alaska, so you likely have many options with less added freight