Adiar Tracks, all others need not apply

[kghills]

I made the decision and decided my next machine would have tracks. But what tracks to buy? After much research I headed out to see Tim at Adair Argo and had him fit my Argo with a set of his world famous tracks. Doug (foxvalley) is just a couple hours north of us and invited us for a ride on his property to test our machine with the new tracks.

Here is a picture of our machines. All equipped with Adair tracks.



This picture shows the type of trail and terrain that is Doug's marsh. We rode for hours and none of the machines ever needed to use their winch.



And lunch on the island were no machine this time of year has ever been without Adair tracks.



This was another destination in the marsh. It was built in the winter as before Adair tracks that was the only time of year the spot was accessible.



In this picture taken in the ditch you can see we are on a mat of marsh grass. The Adair tracks keep the 750 HDI afloat when just standing you start to sink. the ditch is 6-8 feet deep below the mat of marsh grass.



This was the most intense day of offroading I have ever experienced. Hours of trail riding and going were no one else has been without really getting stuck. And did I mention we were clean at the end of the day.

A big thanks to Tim at Adair Argo for his tracks, and Doug and Gail for a the use of their land.

Keith.

[mudbug3]

Keith

Once I drove my new 2011 Argo Frontier with the Adair tracks into the places that I had serious problems with very aggressive atv mud tires with ease, I had no desire to run tires again. You can drive though places with confidence that you'd never drive through with tires.

[kghills]

Keith

Once I drove my new 2011 Argo Frontier with the Adair tracks into the places that I had serious problems with very aggressive atv mud tires with ease, I had no desire to run tires again. You can drive though places with confidence that you'd never drive through with tires.

The Adair tracks are amazing. I know what you mean about going places you you could not go with tires. The reason I looked into tracks was on our own property there was a mud hole that was just plain impossible to get through. I was stuck in it for hours on three occasions before I just gave up and made a trail around it. Now the trail not only goes through it but you can take a turn in it and go under a fallen tree and out to join the outer trail if you want. All effortlessly.

What was cool about riding in Doug's marsh with Doug was he was able to tell and show us how far he was able to get with tires AND different style tracks. With the Adair open style track I was able to climb out of holes that would stop other styles of tracks. I am really happy I went with the Adair tracks for the types of terrain I ride on and in.

Keith.

[mudbug3]

Keith

I drove my Argo frontier with Adair tracks all over a low swamp area while a group of side by sides and 4-wheelers were all watching me in disbelief. Just as soon as I drove out of the swamp a brave 4-wheeler rider on a Polaris with a 6 inch lift kit and outlaw tires on it thought that he could take the exact same trail that I drove out on. He made it about 6 feet out from where my Argo 6x6 was parked at and then his four tires dug deep ruts on either side of his atv and sunk him all the way down to the frame. I turned my Argo around and then winched him out.


This is what the swamp looked like that day.

[kghills]

That is a great video. It really shows how you just sort of pick where you want to go and go there with the Adair tracks. That mud looks really gooey and you can tell you dropped in some nasty holes but just kept motoring through. Doug should have some video up soon. His trails force you to take one route. You really cannot go around any of the obstacles, you just have to manage them. There is marsh, stumps, bogs, muck and water. It is crazy.

Keith.

[mudbug3]

Keith

When I was running Gator's, Executione's, and Terra Tires on my Max IV 6x6 I knew where I could drive my amphib. Some places I might drive my amphib, and in some places I knew I'd be a fool to drive into with out getting stuck really bad. That's all changed now with the Adair tracks that I,m running on my Argo Frontier. Now I just drive into places that I'd never even attempt to drive through before with any brand of tires ,and with complete confidence that I'll drive right through it. It never ceases to amaze me where I can go now with the Adair tracks. I'm Looking forward to your video with Doug.

[Castro]

I am getting sick I want a set so bad........

[mudbug3]

Catro

Patience my friend, your time with come.

[Castro]

How much for a set for an Argo Bigfoot, I have tires (the ones I run in my standard tracks should be fine right?

[mudbug3]

Castro

I think a set for a 6x6 Max or Argo run $2,500 ,and you'll need to run 22" inch tires with the Adair tracks to have enough lower tub clearance. The good thing about running 22" inch tires is that you have better gear reduction compared to running 25" inch tires. Plus, when running a 22" inch tire you have a whole lot more side grouser wrap , making it VERY hard to walk out of a track.

[thebuggyman1]

How much for a set for an Argo Bigfoot, I have tires (the ones I run in my standard tracks should be fine right?

They are not cheap. Adair Argo Tracks But my biggest fear was the lifespan being short.
From what I'm hearing they far outlast the tires inside them.

[kghills]

How much for a set for an Argo Bigfoot, I have tires (the ones I run in my standard tracks should be fine right?

I think there are different tire wheel options for different year and model Argos. Tim seems to have a pretty good handle and what works best with his tracks and what the pricing is. I know the tires they used on my 05 Bigfoot are the same tires used on a JD Gator. They are bigger than the Vanguard's but smaller than the HDI's. Maybe Tim will chime in here and give a breakdown of combinations that can be used.

They are not cheap. Adair Argo Tracks But my biggest fear was the lifespan being short.
From what I'm hearing they far outlast the tires inside them.

Hey Jim, well I guess I have to come clean and confess my tracks are not new but about a year old from what I understand. It seems Tim's tracks at Adair are sort of evolving and there are a couple generations out there now. My set was traded back into Adair for a new set of the latest greatest. Since my needs were for recreation I figured a rebuilt set of tracks would be great and save me a couple bucks. This brings up another point. Adair tracks are rebuildable. All the components can be serviced. Mike at Adair rebuilt my tracks in about an hour. They replaced the chain and added three grousers to each track. the difference between the new and year old grousers was barely noticeable. Just rounding on the edges. And when compared to a set one weekend old I really could not see a difference worth spending more money on.

Also if you take a closer look at this picture you will discover another interesting thing about the Adair tracks.



You are looking at three generations of machines in this picture. 2011 HDI, 05 Bigfoot, and late 90s Vanguard I believe. All fitted with Adair tracks. Doug's HDI has 18.5 track, I have older 14" tracks and the Vanguard has new 14" tracks. What you are seeing in this photo is the fact that you can take just about any machine and basically add Adair tracks to it and take its performance to an entirely new level. New OR old. The Vanguard was also featured in the Mud National videos posted on that thread. A 15 year old machine with over 700 hours is now basically unstoppable. I think this, with the fact that the track can be serviced make it a real bargain. I do not think you can say that about any other set of plastic or rubber tracks out there.

Keith.

[mudbug3]

They are not cheap. Adair Argo Tracks But my biggest fear was the lifespan being short.
From what I'm hearing they far outlast the tires inside them.

The Adair tracks are made out of UHMW material which is very similar in hardness to house hold cutting boards. It's some very hard and durable material. I expect these tracks to last a very long time.

[thebuggyman1]

Each type tire has a different profile, and width. The grousers need to closely match this, and Tim came real close with this grouser he sent me to try. Too bad there's not a "one size fits all" track, because my bigfoot is a one of a kind, I think it's going to take a little more R&D time.

[kghills]

Each type tire has a different profile, and width. The grousers need to closely match this, and Tim came real close with this grouser he sent me to try. Too bad there's not a "one size fits all" track, because my bigfoot is a one of a kind, I think it's going to take a little more R&D time.

Wow Jim great shot of the grouser profile on your tire. I think the one size fits all will sort of work for you. I was able to see the rebuilding process when I was at Adair. They start with an extra long length of chain and just add grousers and support links to get the length they need. With your Max II Bigfoot I bet you would use about the same length as my Argo Bigfoot or a grouser less.

Tim and Mike actually fit the used tracks to my machine while I was there. First they measured all the tire diameters at a given pressure. The two largest tires are used for the rear on an Argo 6x6. You then try to match diameter tires side to side with the smallest tires being in the front. The front and rear tires are then deflated and the tracks are fit to see how many grousers need to be used and if you use a full or half link to connect them. You then inflate the tires to get the correct track tension. Your final step is to drive the machine a little and see how it tracks. I had to add a couple pounds of air to the tires on the right side of my machine to get it to track straight but that is sort of the nature of the beast when using tracks.

Keith.