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rebel
12-15-2011, 10:15 PM
A lot of possibilities and the performance in mud and snow is outstanding. Just check out the youtube vids. Anyone else looking at the options? 4 wheelers, UTV's, 6 wheelers, trucks and tractors. I saw a home built half track that was almost unstoppable. It was pulling out all the wheeled vehicles. With half tracks the steering is much easier. You can leave the wheels on or add skis. You can use about any vehicle. I was looking at the old Ferguson's and Ford 8N's with tracks. A Ferguson tractor on tracks was the first vehicle to make it to the south pole. Anyway, unable to find tracks or the extra wheel set-up for a tractor half track and, not having a 20 or 8N, I was wondering about a home built. I was thinking about fabricating the support wheel hub support. Attaching it to the tractor axel allowing for up and down travel with springs to give resistance. The track could be made with chain. The cross track could be made with chain. However, in the original tracks they were metal bands and maybe for a reason. That would be difficult to replicate. So, any ideas? The commercial tracks are pricey and if all that's needed are support wheels and a track surely we can engineer a decent system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VKoF9Y8Fug&feature=youtube_gdata_player

rebel
12-15-2011, 10:23 PM
I was also thinking about an old Toyota 4x4 with skid steer tracks on the back.

Sparky93
12-15-2011, 11:27 PM
I was also thinking about an old Toyota 4x4 with skid steer tracks on the back.

Funny, I was thinking a Ford Ranger 4x4 when I read your first post. It is small and light to fit through small place and float over mud and snow. Supe up a 302 for it and put some 35" super swampers on the front and half tracks on the back and you would have one mean machine!

rebel
12-15-2011, 11:39 PM
Yea. Ford Ranger! What was I thinking?

Sparky93
12-15-2011, 11:46 PM
Temporary insanity I suppose....

rebel
12-15-2011, 11:52 PM
Temporary insanity I suppose....

Temporary? Nah.

rebel
12-16-2011, 07:26 AM
If you could find a willys jeep that would make a good start too.

rebel
12-16-2011, 08:30 AM
Oh! Check out this vid...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2E0tWHnTlI&feature=relmfu

Rick
12-16-2011, 09:43 AM
God help anyone that is dumb enough to invade us. There can't be anything more dangerous than a red neck with a cutting torch and some bailing wire. There's no end to what they can build.

Rebel - Depending on the type of tracks and the vehicle you can set up a pretty good static charge on the vehicle. The old M3s would knock your socks off after driving it a short distance on roadway. The tracks were metal and they would act like a generator. It's not something I've personally experienced but I've talked to a lot of guys that have pointed it out.

kyratshooter
12-16-2011, 12:06 PM
There was a saying back in the "old army"

The half track combined the worst characteristics of the truck with the worst characteristics of the tank.

There was a reason the armies of the world abandoned this concept after WW2 and went to all wheeled or all tracked vehicles.

Tracks are single purpose off road devices usable only on ideal terrain. Maintainance intensive and having a short life span, they require their own separate transport carriers for long road trips.

hunter63
12-16-2011, 12:32 PM
On my travels across the state to the cabin and back, there is one of these sitting along side the road for sale.....
http://www.litefootatv.com/html/mini-truck_tracks.htm.....
Haven't stopped to see what they wanted for it, but did have plow blade mounted on it.

Kinda made me wonder why it was for sale?..........Cool, but maybe not THAT cool?

tipacanoe
12-16-2011, 12:33 PM
You do see a few of this type in Maine, mainly for grooming the snowmobile trails but they hold up well. http://www.americantracktruck.com/index.php?page=testimonials

southard
12-16-2011, 09:49 PM
There are a couple for sale in different military surplus stores in Idaho. there's one you can buy Hueys. One set up I saw was a dual axle set up on a trailer pivot that came down to a horizontal bar like a seesaw (over-sized leaf spring) and an axle on both ends only one has to be a drive. Track connects both and an adjustable tension pulley mounted on the vertical support.

Sparky93
12-16-2011, 09:57 PM
Oh! Check out this vid...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2E0tWHnTlI&feature=relmfu

Holy crud, I NEED THAT!!

shiftyer1
12-18-2011, 01:44 AM
15 years or so ago there was a shop in minnesota that put rubber tracks on pickups. Not one per side but 4 independant tracks, don't know if they're still around or not.

Oops, just looked at hunter63's post. Those look like the tracks they used.

rebel
12-18-2011, 07:32 AM
These tracks, and ones like them, are nice but out of my price range. For ATV tracks it's around $3500. I've heard that truck tracks are > $20,000. http://www.mattracks.com/vehicles/

rebel
12-18-2011, 02:23 PM
Yea, another video. You'll have to scroll down. Check out the half track. Bad-A$$! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prowler-ST-Rubber-10x16-5-Steel-Skid-Steer-Tracks-10-/260702592306?pt=Skid_Steel_Loaders&hash=item3cb315dd32#ht_3028wt_1398

Rick
12-18-2011, 05:13 PM
Yeah but what kind of mileage would you get?

rebel
12-18-2011, 08:06 PM
Yeah but what kind of mileage would you get?

Not good. One tank full. I was thinking about snowmobile / people recovery.