Atv tracks?

[wormdunker]

With all the recent snow/slush on Simcoe my atv isn't going to do the job. I have a 2012 Polaris 500, I'm considering install tracks on it. Is my atv powerful enough to handle tracks? Does anyone here have an atv with tracks? I'd love to hear your comments. Thanx

[troutologist]

I'd say a 500 is the bare minimum. Most guys out this way run on 700+

 

If you don't have a way to thaw the machine out very well after each use I would say you will have some repair issues. Buy spare belts.

[BillM]

How much are tracks? You'd be better off buying a beater snowmobile.

[myot]

With a 500 be prepared to go slow I mean really slow they eat up a lot of power and are really hard on fuel too

 

Dan

[cja]

I have tracks on my polaris x2 500. I have the camoplast set which they design as far as gear ratio to the size of the bike. I believe the make them for as low as 400cc. they cost me this year 3800 tax in. So far so good for going through anything, End up losing 50% on power and fuel

 

cheers

[DRIFTER_016]

For the cost of them you would be better off buying an inexpensive sled.

[Joeytier]

Cost of the tracks + additional maintenance costs = enough cashola to buy a really nice sled!!!

[porkpie]

Wow,

 

I'm an atv guy myself, but for that kind of coin, I'd be buying myself a very nice used sled!

[irishfield]

They have their purpose... and some of them very good. But please stay off the dedicated sled trails on the lake in slush, and run your own tracks off and away to the side, as the ATV on tracks make things very dangerous for someone on a sled pulling a hut. Leah could tell you all about the death grip on the side bars from Sunday... when she settles down a bit!

[chris.brock]

I noticed this on Kijiji

 

 

 

Date Listed 07-Jan-14 Price $850.00 Address Little Britain, ON K0M, Canada
View map For Sale By Owner Make Yamaha Model excel Year 1986 Engine Displacement (cc) 340 Colour Blue

Looking for a snowmobile that will cost you next to nothing to ride all day!! We'll this is it with the option of electric start so your kids can even start it!

I have a 1986 Yamaha excel 3 with electric start, great track, seat has no rips, sled runs good and burns hardly any oil or fuel, undercarriage in great shape as we'll. brand new plugs

 

 

 

 

you won't loose much $$$ on that sled, even if you blew the motor you could part it out and break even

Edited January 8, 2014 by chris.brock

[wormdunker]

Thanx for the replies guys. Lottsa good info here. That's why I wanted to ask the pros. Yes, I did think of a used sled. Definitely an option. Trax are around 3500. Lottsa sleds available for much less money as Brock pointed out.

[Bernie]

One thing I like about my tracks is that it is one machine to maintain rather than two.
A machine with a minimum 500cc and good tracks will go through a lot of snow. Probably more than many sleds.

A two speed transmission (High/low) is pretty much a must on the lower cc atv's.

The way mine are set up I don't believe is any harder on suspension than the tires.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Bernie

[vance]

Ok Bernie how much extra stain do those tracks put on the CV joints and axles and will they void your warranty ?

 

 

vance

Edited January 9, 2014 by vance

[DRIFTER_016]

Doubt they will void your warranty seeing how my local Polaris/Yamaha dealer sells a package with them.

[Bernie]

I don't think they add a whole lot Vance. Some of those big mud tires they use probably add a lot more.
Example; you get into a big mud hole, the tires spinning like crazy and then they hook up on something solid. That is a lot of inertia to hold. Whereas the tracks don't tend to spin like tires, at least the way I drive.
My tracks are old school, early editions, but they have been flawless.
The newer ones will roll almost as easy as a tire and sit up high giving lots of ground clearance. This clearance is the key to getting through deep snow. It's almost always the belly of a sled or ATV that hangs you up as it keeps the track(s) from traction.

O yes, no voided warranty.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Bernie

[ch312]

Ok Bernie how much extra stain do those tracks put on the CV joints and axles and will they void your warranty ?

 

 

vance

 

Larger and more aggressive than stock tires will put more strain on cv joints and axles than the tracks will. The best tracks on the market are the Camoplast Tatou tracks, which are geared appropriately for whatever machine you'll be installing them on meaning they have them geared properly for machines as small as 300cc. You're looking at $4k for a set, but they're worth every penny as they're far superior than every other ATV track out there. Plus, they come premarked for adding ice studs.

 

 

Some suggest buying a sled instead of tracks, but that also means you'll have a second machine to maintain and store during the warm months.

Edited January 12, 2014 by ch312

[troutologist]

Valid points that a sled can be more cost effective. For me it was about moving numbers of people in a a Ranger Crew. Plus a heated cab is way better in -40c!