Chaining Up?

[rockydog44]

I'm pretty bummed out with the plastic supertracks. The other day before the snow came, I was spinning out on a stretch that would have been easy with just the tires, frozen mud was all it took. Had to winch up the hill. I've got the ice cleats, but might have just as well have been on skates. They make for a noisy brutal ride on the road before the snowline, and the machine seems to heats up using them. I get the feeling the tracks are hard on everything.

Its pretty common where I live to run into ice on mountain trails, even in winter, so my confidence in taking a tracked machine up into the hills past October is shaken.

Thought I'd try out studded chains. 6 of them weigh 81 lbs, half the weight of the supertracks. The unit might still get high centered on the snow, but I'm hoping it will be way better on the steep trails and sidehills, especially in the fall. Also, I'm keen to see if this rig can break through thin ice and climb out again.

I've attached a pic of the new chains. Has anyone tried this?

[trevorakm1]

interested to hear the results. Also are they tight to the tires? Hate to see any slack cut into the tub while running.

[rockydog44]

They fit pretty snug. I installed the with tires deflated, then aired the up. Hopefully they stay on!

[Grizzly10]

That looks awesome. I like that. Would you mind putting up a link to where to get those chains? Hope it performs decent. I have Adair tracks but I like the chains too.

[rockydog44]

https://wescovan.com/traction-tire-c...pattern-chains

Wescovan Burnaby BC. Solid company, caters to industrial clients. These ones fit the Carlisle 24-10-8 inch tires on my Frontier. Took about a week to show up in 2 boxes.

The tire size compatibility chart is below.

https://wescovan.com/sites/default/f...it%20Chart.pdf

[rockydog44]

Tried these things out tonight. They are pretty awesome. The machine rolls so much better than with the tracks, runs way cooler, and very quiet in the snow. They claw their way up steep snow that you would need to kick your boots into to stay standing. Haven't tried them in snow over one foot deep, I'll need to wait a bit for that. So far I'm loving them.

[Grizzly10]

Thanks for the link. Yeah, I agree the ride is gonna be better with just the tires. I don’t care for the ride with tracks, gotta go much slower. The chains give you some extra traction which may work better in other conditions, rocks, wood, those situations where the tracks get slippery. They look good. The high center is what cripples these machines. Nothing’s perfect I guess. Cool set up tho. Post your reviews, it helps us all. Your rig looks good. ����

[john swenson]

yea rocky..those look really good . i've considered them before but never knew how well they would be in mud . look forward to hearing more reports on them . i went to half tracks on my max 2 to save some weight and better power . they seem to be almost as good in mud than the full tracks . will test them when we get some good snow here in no. va. let us know if you test the chains in muddy terrain . thanks , johnboy va.

[max4]

I like it and that has to be way cheaper than tracks.

[rockydog44]

For sure. Half the weight and 1/10th the price. Had it out again today, I'm able to climb a 35 degree incline with snow with a Marlon 1605 trailer in tow. The chains seem to like a little bit higher pressures. Today I ran 5 psi, they didnt budge. Totally impressed.

[john swenson]

sounds good ...of course the main purpose of tracks is to spread the weight out on a large footprint so it's least likely to '' bottom out '' the machine . but you can still hang up a tracked machine . but those chains can really claw thru some tuff trails . glad it works good for you . i'm going to add those to the front tires on my half track max for even better performance . johnboy va.

[mightymaxIV]

I have a set of those chains in my shed, I tried them on a couple of machines in swamp and mud conditions and was very disappointed, how ever, I am sure they are great in snow and ice as long as you don't try running them in soft powder. Their are excellent snow and ice tracks that won't kill your machine, check out some of the video posted by Buzz using his own Bush track design, I don't thing you can get a better track for powder conditions without killing your machine.

[449fitter]

Rocky dog - chains look impressive. May want to put chain spreaders on to keep tight

[vigilante]

Hi did you ever try thin ice and climbing back out with these chains? Im wondering if anyone has experience with getting out with a 6x6. I can only find videos of 8x8?s. Chains seem like the way to go on ice to climb out but i haven?t been able to find anyone who's done it. Thanks

[john swenson]

awesome ...good for you .. sounds like a nice balance between tracks and just tires . johnboy va