Originally Posted by
BigMerv
The Carlisle Stryker in 22x11-8. It has a bit of a chevron tread in the middle and is essentially a 3-ply tire. Tougher than the 2-ply tries I've looked at and a softer ride than the 4-plies. I've heard that it won't swim at all, or that it will 'barely' swim, that it will swim if you modify (cut off) some of the knobbies, and I've heard that it swims fine if you mount the chevron backwards like the ARGO tires. I've even heard that it will swim, but backwards to what a typical ARGO owner would suspect (i.e. - with the chevrons mounted as the ARGO tires are - open end of the chevron forward, the tire swims backward)! I guess I'll have to try a set and find out for myself. I they do swim, I'll post pics.
Down here in the deep south, swamps are where it will typically operate, so I'm leaning heavily toward a tracked vehicle, though it would be nice to take the tracks off and still have some ability to swim. That's when I was considering the new, improved, ARGO tires. The 24" idea is nice, but I didn't want to take on the hassles of proper fitment, and I am concerned about re-weighting the torque converter to offset the 9% effective gearing increase the taller tires provide. Also, my Conquest still has the 20 HP Kawasaki engine and I am not sure if it will have the power to pull the larger tires in the deep, sticky mud down here. So...I checked out the ARGO 22" tires and then the Adair tracks. I was going to accept my fate, swallow hard, and spend the dough to get that combination. It's tried and tested, plus no other modifications are necessary.
I got the Conquest for a really good price and it only had 106 one-owner hours on it when I bought it. It was in storage for many years and the owner did pamper the vehicle. Even considering all of that, I am a bit concerned about sinking a touch over $4,000 into the ARGO 22" tires and Adair tracks. That's a lot more than I paid for the vehicle. If I ever want to move into a newer ARGO, I'll lose my rear end on the sale of the Conquest. I don't expect to MAKE money if I trade up, but I do want to limit my losses.
When I saw the thread about the Chanel tracks low cost and being able to run on "any" tire, my interest piqued. Maybe this could be a workable solution that most of us common, hard-working, middle-class folks can afford.