half track max

[john swenson]

i have been wondering how a max 2 with tracks on rear and center tires and the front wheels '' freewheeling '' would work . front wheels would be unchained so there would be no chain windup. otherwise you have to go to a bigger tire on front to match other 2 diameter tracked tires. front wheels would be smaller and not touching the ground all the time . been thinking of giving it a try just for fun and see the results . j.b.

[Dw89xj]

I'm interested in the outcome.

[ARGOJIM]

i have been wondering how a max 2 with tracks on rear and center tires and the front wheels '' freewheeling '' would work . front wheels would be unchained so there would be no chain windup. otherwise you have to go to a bigger tire on front to match other 2 diameter tracked tires. front wheels would be smaller and not touching the ground all the time . been thinking of giving it a try just for fun and see the results . j.b.

Give it a try John,
I believe in most machines it will be an issue as your weight is over the center tires and forward like in the Max II causing the machine to bob, along with the bob effect when applying the steering brakes the downward force may cause the tires to scrub and defeat the results you are after. Along with this thought would be attempting to climb a steep, muddy or not, bank (imagine a 2wd vehicle trying to climb a large curb) the rear tires/track would push into an obstacle instead of over or up it
.
You could, and perhaps should (always thinking out of the box), give it a try and dispel or confirm any of my negative input, your 1/2 tracked machine with the larger tires seemed to work ok even with your old tracks and the Hustler offered half tracks but with the front wheels driving.

[dirtdobber]

Why only half, JB. Go big with full tracks!

[john swenson]

thanks guys .. that need to be always creating and designing won't let me leave well enough alone. ( probably true with alot of us ) i think jim's explanation is right on about the bobbing , etc. on my homebuilt original half tracks the front tires drove also and i must say i think they worked in mud and snow just about as well as my full tracks now , the front tires were larger to match the diameter of the 2 tracked tires to eliminate chain windup. the difference with the half tracks was less weight and more power. when you think about the short distance on the ground between 2 tires , it's not much . most of the advantage of tracks is they spred the weight out of the machine on snow or mud. so you do loose a bit more support , but it does'nt seem to make a major difference . and i realize it would be a different situation with each machine . so if i carry on , instead of buying new rims and larger tires for the fronts , i have extra grousers so will make separate '' tire chains '' type things to wrap around the front tires for the right matching diameter . sounds silly and crazy , but there's not much else to do !! keep you posted , j.b.

[john swenson]

also i think it may be harder to throw a halftrack than a full track and easier to drag back thru the mud and put back on. ( like i spent hrs. doing last october at busco) j.b.

[Dw89xj]

Johnboy, was that you that made the bear paws for front tires with half track rears? Would something like those allow the front tires to skid around any easier? Or maybe something like those but uhmw? As soon as my wife's hustler is done then my next projects are designing and building tracks for both of our machines.

[john swenson]

yes , i made those and they worked great ..they are a add on to rims that add extra '' grab in mud and snow . there are some pretty easy ways to build tracks , just takes a llittle time. the ones those russians make for their homebuilt machines are a nice design. j.b.

[john swenson]

well i ended up splitting my tracks in 2 pieces ...one part to run half tracks or add on the other section for full tracks. i had fun in 6'' of snow we got overnite . i really like the way the half tracks feel and perform on my max 2 highboy . it does have more power and turns on a dime. i'm running 3 lb.s of air in the 2 back tires and aired up the fronts with 8 lb.s so the tire diameters match. left the front chains on and no chain windup problems . plowed thru some '' muddy snow '' spots with ease. it just feels 'more nimble and takes less power to turn than with just tires . that's my report for now .. johnboy va.

[Dw89xj]

well i ended up splitting my tracks in 2 pieces ...one part to run half tracks or add on the other section for full tracks. i had fun in 6'' of snow we got overnite . i really like the way the half tracks feel and perform on my max 2 highboy . it does have more power and turns on a dime. i'm running 3 lb.s of air in the 2 back tires and aired up the fronts with 8 lb.s so the tire diameters match. left the front chains on and no chain windup problems . plowed thru some '' muddy snow '' spots with ease. it just feels 'more nimble and takes less power to turn than with just tires . that's my report for now .. johnboy va.

This has me curious how well half tracks would do on a hustler.

[john swenson]

dan...hope your doing well , i don't see any reason half tracks would not be fine on a hustler . in fact if you look at richards relics website , they show a half tracked hustler. i'm heading to busco ride next month,so i will get some good testing again with my half tracked max and will give a update on the performance . at this point for my machine and it's uses , they do just as well...maybe better than full tracks . only in deep powder snow would the full be better i think . j.boy