Different track setup.

[Oldskool 6,644]

19 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Diamond pattern?

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1 hour ago, Oldskool said:

Or 4x4 articulating with canadian link chains?

I kept looking and thinking "articulation" but I'm not sure that the rears need it and the fronts would have it already.  Trying to keep it somewhat simple.  Doable for most.  I do think that a rigid rear would be a mistake.  Got to at least go up and down/

Edited February 12, 2021 by DennisThornton
spelling

[DennisThornton 4,769]

37 minutes ago, Oldskool said:

 

I've wanted those for my TC35@  But $$$ stopped me.

[ebinmaine 67,484]

14 hours ago, Oldskool said:

 

Those are just about rugged.   got a link?

[ebinmaine 67,484]

Looking around at a few ATVs with four tracks.

Seems as though they've got 25 or 30 inch Long by 10 or 12 wide on the ground.

 

Would I be right in assuming that we would want to have at least that much if we were going to have a tractor with rear tracks and front skis?

 

Seems as though you would want to have a good grab of the snow for sure but also not want to sink in to soft deep snow so far that you would get mired up.

I've never had a snowmobile so I don't know how those are set up.

Looks like all of these ATVs are quite high off the ground. Maybe because they sink some?

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[Oldskool 6,644]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Those are just about rugged.   got a link?

I do not. 

[Oldskool 6,644]

1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

Looking around at a few ATVs with four tracks.

Seems as though they've got 25 or 30 inch Long by 10 or 12 wide on the ground.

 

Would I be right in assuming that we would want to have at least that much if we were going to have a tractor with rear tracks and front skis?

 

Seems as though you would want to have a good grab of the snow for sure but also not want to sink in to soft deep snow so far that you would get mired up.

I've never had a snowmobile so I don't know how those are set up.

Looks like all of these ATVs are quite high off the ground. Maybe because they sink some?

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

I thing your assumption of ground/snow coverage would be correct.

A big difference between our tractors and a snowmobile is HP and RPM most are 2 stroke so the throttle response for rpms are alot quicker. Thats going to help alot in deep powder rite along with track design.

I think alot of the ATV being higher is again track design. Power wheel on top. Another is more clearance for the torsion rods. Without then the tracks will flip over. They limit the swing of the track.

[Oldskool 6,644]

I think no matter what we put on a tractor  for tracks deep powered snow will be an issue. I think alot of the snowmobile tracks are around 15in wide. They are fairly solid in design as far as letting snow push UP thru. I think that's thier key factor. The old model T style let's alot up thru. Skinny open tracks lend more for digging down to something solid. So IMO the track style comes down to usage.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Very interesting thread right here on this site.  Setting the drive well off to the sides eliminates clearance issues.  It's a long thread but worth the time I think. 

 

[Oldskool 6,644]

3 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

Very interesting thread right here on this site.  Setting the drive well off to the sides eliminates clearance issues.  It's a long thread but worth the time I think. 

 

I have checked this build out before. There are several builds like it. Some hydraulic and some chain drive. Hub to hub. VERY COOL. One had the front wheels up a bit higher then the rest.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1 minute ago, Oldskool said:

I have checked this build out before. There are several builds like it. Some hydraulic and some chain drive. Hub to hub. VERY COOL. One had the front wheels up a bit higher then the rest.

No end to imaginative approaches!

Hard to know how it will end up until done and then sometimes it's too late.  Some of these ideas just don't end well.  

[Oldskool 6,644]

Just now, DennisThornton said:

No end to imaginative approaches!

Hard to know how it will end up until done and then sometimes it's too late.  Some of these ideas just don't end well.  

True enough. Sometimes it's just the fun of trying.

[Handy Don 12,217]

ISaveTractors did a video on the build for that Deere 317 setup. Another discusses the shortcomings and his plans to overcome them (that's when the weight and rear idler articulation got added).

[ebinmaine 67,484]

40 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

ISaveTractors did a video on the build for that Deere 317 setup. Another discusses the shortcomings and his plans to overcome them (that's when the weight and rear idler articulation got added).

Don if you find a short streak of ambition I'd like to see a link on that second video with the correction. 

[Oldskool 6,644]

I would assume in the first design the idlers held the rear wheels in the air on uneven ground...???

[Handy Don 12,217]

51 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Don if you find a short streak of ambition I'd like to see a link on that second video with the correction. 

I'll go find it again 

 

42 minutes ago, Oldskool said:

I would assume in the first design the idlers held the rear wheels in the air on uneven ground...???

Yes, the rearward frame extension on the original version was solid and assumed operation on "flat" terrain.

He mentioned that he realized that while it looks flat, Maine isn't as flat as it looks!

[Handy Don 12,217]

5 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

I'll go find it again 

 

Yes, the rearward frame extension on the original version was solid and assumed operation on "flat" terrain.

He mentioned that he realized that while it looks flat, Maine isn't as flat as it looks!

 

This is the YouTube of the original build. Pretty clever design using basic materials.

 

 

This is the video where he discusses the pros/cons and planned design changes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvcDb29N3vY

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,484]

2 hours ago, DennisThornton said:

interesting thread

Hey thanks for sharing that. 

[ebinmaine 67,484]

51 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

video

Thanks Don. 

Watched it. 

Seems easy enough to build. 

I commented on that video. Let's see if he answers. 

 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

3 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Thanks Don. 

Watched it. 

Seems easy enough to build. 

I commented on that video. Let's see if he answers. 

 

 

I think it's really important that the rears are spring loaded and able to go below and above the plain.  I'm not seeing it yet I think but they need lots of weight too.

[ebinmaine 67,484]

1 hour ago, DennisThornton said:

I think it's really important that the rears are spring loaded and able to go below and above the plain.  I'm not seeing it yet I think but they need lots of weight too.

Perhaps a set of coil-over shocks ?

 

Anything I build would likely be fluid filled AND steel weighted on any machine of mine. I find that heavier is betterer on our terrain. 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by ebinmaine

[Handy Don 12,217]

35 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

I think it's really important that the rears are spring loaded and able to go below and above the plain.  I'm not seeing it yet I think but they need lots of weight too.

In this video, you can see that he has a big CMU (concrete masonry unit) on the frame of the idlers that is giving downforce to both the drive wheels and the idlers. In his recap of pros and cons, he mentioned that the idler axles were bending with the weight, so it'd have to be better distributed

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTUogBGcAnU

 

[Oldskool 6,644]

17 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Perhaps a set of coil-over shocks ?

 

They would likely be fluid filled AND steel weighted on any machine of mine. I find that heavier is betterer on our terrain. 

 

Have you put though to a 1in plate belly pan for added weight?

[ebinmaine 67,484]

7 minutes ago, Oldskool said:

Have you put though to a 1in plate belly pan for added weight?

I have now.....

And there's a fab guy close by.  

Hhhhhmmmmmmm. 

[Oldskool 6,644]

26 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I have now.....

And there's a fab guy close by.  

Hhhhhmmmmmmm. 

That ought to give good weight and fairly even distribution