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Post by Rizzy on Feb 1, 2013 16:19:30 GMT -7
Ya you sure can..just one more toy to take up room for 8 months. :-) Maybe even longer on a dry year..... I don't have a quad in the first place and it seems to be a narrow window between using my truck and needing a snowmobile. I feel that I can skip the quad and use the snowmobile in most cases. Probably end up with both eventually anyways |
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Post by billcat on Feb 1, 2013 18:06:46 GMT -7
Trax are darn near impossible to stop. That's the plus side. The other side of the coin is, they are slow, lots of work (you'll end up with biceps nobody would think you could get), and eat gas like crazy. The drive sprocket is about half the size of tires, so you cover about half the distance the odometer shows at half the speed. 11.2 actual miles took 2 gallons of gas, showed twice that on the odometer. 4.5 gallon tank doesn't allow much range. In powder snow, you and the bike will look like a snowman within 1/4 mile. You'll travel in a cloud of snow. Definately not a serious thing for a trapper, you just can't cover enough ground to make it worthwhile. I've been using them on a 750 Suzuki, so I've got plenty of power to pull them. Another negative is, you should clean all the snow off the trax and drive train of the bike at the end of every day you use them, before it freezes in place. The rubber boots on the axles are of prime importance to be snow/ice free, frozen snow/ice might rip them on the first movement the next day. It's best to do that every time you run in snow, whether on trax or wheels.
I bought a set of chains a few years ago for the back wheels of the 4-wheeler. That is the better way to bridge the gap between a sno-go and a 4-wheeler. I got the chains on a summer clearance for $10 and never tried them until this year. I'm sold on them. Make sure you use the rubber band chain tighteners, too; next year I'll put two rubbers on each tire, and carry a couple of spares. Next time I get to town, I'll buy a set of chains for the front wheels. Won't need them this year, but the first big storm next year, the chains will go on and not come off until winter is done or the season ends, whichever comes first. Oh, another thing, try the chains on your tires before you need them; the manufacturer's book isn't always right as to what size chain fits what size tire. When you find the size to fit your tire and they are on correctly, cut any excess links off, so you don't have flappers.
Bill
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Post by Rizzy on Feb 1, 2013 18:40:26 GMT -7
So do you guys get more use out of your quads or your sno-go
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Post by rockytrails on Feb 1, 2013 20:13:54 GMT -7
I'm running chains on the rear of my ATV, definetly goes good. I haven't had it in real deep stuff, other than when it stays on top. I pack a shovel in case. The guys I know with tracks have power steering. Bill, can you say wimps? I didn't know the mileage was that bad. To me a snowmobile is a pain to trap with. I love riding them and seeing how I'm trapping for fun, I have trapped on it for an excuse to ride every couple of days. I think the wife caught onto that though, since I don't have to legally check every other day.
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decoy
lion trapper
Posts: 801
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Post by decoy on Feb 2, 2013 0:18:45 GMT -7
Only time I have been stopped in snow was high centered AND not leaving the woods before the snow got soft.
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Post by mitroll on Feb 2, 2013 16:33:58 GMT -7
All of the comments about tracks are accurate. My ARGO for snow is slow and rough riding, but it's ability to get me there and back every time is a top priority. I have yet to find any snow too deep to ride right on top of. The fabric top is added protection from the elements and I can pile quite a bit of equipment in the back seat. Works fine and dandy for me.  |
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Post by snowman on Feb 2, 2013 19:22:34 GMT -7
Now that looks like the way to go to me. Cab warmth!
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Post by rockytrails on Feb 6, 2013 20:06:37 GMT -7
Billcat, get some 12" trucker type rubber bungees for chain tensioners, They last a long time, I use them on my pickup chains and ATV chains all the time. That ARGO looks like fun. Well to me they're all fun.
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Post by Rizzy on Feb 7, 2013 9:18:51 GMT -7
What kind of range do you get with that argo?
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Post by mitroll on Feb 7, 2013 10:05:39 GMT -7
What kind of range do you get with that argo? It has an 8 1/2 gal gas tank. My trips are all less than 5 miles and I can make a lot of them before I need to fill up. ARGO literature says a tank will run about 8 hours so at 10 mph ,as an example, the range would be 80 miles. For me I'd back that off a slower 7-8 MPH so a conservative range would be 50-60 miles. |
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Post by STANLEY on Feb 7, 2013 17:15:09 GMT -7
MiTroll, What kind of ARGO is it? I have a Big Foot ARGO. Love the thing. I do not have a track for it, but have been told with tracks can go anywhere in snow. Your correct about rough ride. Windshield is a must no matter what. I have a Brush guard and wench on mine.  |
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Post by snowman on Feb 7, 2013 17:52:13 GMT -7
STANLEY, you know how we are on this site, could you post a picture of the wench ?
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Post by mtbadger on Feb 7, 2013 18:12:36 GMT -7
LOL Grump....
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Post by mitroll on Feb 8, 2013 4:08:29 GMT -7
MiTroll, What kind of ARGO is it? I have a Big Foot ARGO. Love the thing. I do not have a track for it, but have been told with tracks can go anywhere in snow. Your correct about rough ride. Windshield is a must no matter what. I have a Brush guard and wench on mine. Mine is a Vanguard. It WILL go just about anywhere on snow with tracks. We sometimes get some seriously deep snow drifts here and I can ride right on top even on powder. I have a winch too but haven't had a need for it....yet. There was a recent article in the Feb issue of FFG by a cat trapper in CO who used his 8x8 WITH TRACKS in winter to get back into territory that was previously inacessible with any other ATV. Being a slow, rough ride is a price I'll gladly pay for the assurance that I will get there and back with all of my shi....stuff.  |
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Post by michaelobrien on Feb 8, 2013 20:55:14 GMT -7
when i was younger i spent quite a lot of time in an argo both 6 and 8 wheels and both with and without tracks. if i had to trap out of one id take up golf! slow and jerky and rough riding all wrapped into one. too wide for many atv trails let alone winding through the woods off trail.
my arctic cat cab go over 60mph if i want to, can pull a trailer or sled, haul a ton of gear on both racks, and can also haul the wife if she is riding with too.
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