Comments on: ATV Track Kits

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:18:07 +0000

I feel that the tracked ATV’s do far less damage and will not be found rocketing along at the speed of sound like many of the sleds out there making them much safer as well. The tracked ATV’s for the most part are quieter and have a much larger footprint than snowmobiles allowing far less impact to the trails. I regularly see the big 1000 cc sleds ripping 100 meter long trenches in the trails and this same damage would be impossible for me to recreate with my 650 Arctic Cat V2 with tracks. Lets be fair and welcome the tracked ATV’s with open arms.
The snow vehicles act will allow your tracked ATV (or any purpose built machine) to be registered as a snowmobile, it is only the various federations and clubs that are opposing this using the common excuses such as landowner permission revocation and trail damage as thier excuses to disallow. There is strength in numbers, if enough of us get involved we can change this mindset,…To all of you that think tracked ATV’s cause more damage to an open groomed trail you obviously are close minded to the issue and cannot accept the facts or reality.

By: Flatlander SE

Flatlander SE — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:18:44 +0000

I work for a forestry consulting company and have considered the tracked ATV for winter/spring use. In most cases, it is difficult to find the right mode of transportation in the spring due to changing conditions(no snow,too much snow,+ temps.-temps, etc)and thought that is might be the solution.
What are the power requirements and is there any issues with ice build up?

Our kits are optimized for our Grizzly 550 and 700, each kit has a different size drive sprocket (gear ratio) to maximize the power output of each engine. Ice build-up has not been a big issue with our tracked machines. It will largely be dependent on conditions. I would think the tracked ATV would be ideal for timber-cruising / silvaculture operations. Other commercial users like hydro and seismic are also discovering the benefits. I would caution about going to small (sub 450cc) or for ATV’s without hi / lo range. There is some limitations in really deep soft powder but you would be surprised what they can do. For the in between stuff our four-season kits are much better than a sled… cheers cr

By: scott

scott — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:25:11 +0000

Chris,
You should check the Arctic Cat broucher and their big work sled. I recall reading that it was equipped with a means to attach a plow. I’m not exactly sure how they would make to plow raise and lower, but I seem to remember reading something about it last spring.

Damn Scott… I stand corrected. It did not even occur to me that someone would actually invest in the tooling to create such a system. This is either a stroke of brilliance or just plain dumb-a$$ and I honestly don’t know which. Regardless, hats of to Arctic for thinking outside of the box cr

By: pat the rat

pat the rat — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:00:55 +0000

wow,touchy subject,i own both a yamaha atv and 2 yam sleds,track kits are an awesome add-on that transforms quads into wannabe sleds,i think having them on our fabulous trail system that we have in ontario might take away of how special it is to have snowmobile only highways,quads are great but for me it would be a no,being a trail volunteer and a trail patrol officer,i see alot of traffic in a season and often catch youngsters on atv’s with tracks rippin it on our trails and it does more damage than a sled,maybe i just love snowmobiles too much,great idea to post something like that,to see how many i for or against
ptr

By: snoguzzler

snoguzzler — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:16:47 +0000

Like the guys above I think they have a place and a purpose. I own both a performance sled and a Grizzly. Depending on the season I use the appropriate unit. I also snowplow mine and my nieghbours with the grizzly and it does an awesome job.Ihave no problem with atv’s on the trail with tracks. In fact if its cold enough the atv’s don’t do any more damage then a sled. It’s only when it’s above zero they start leaving the undesireable ruts.

By: Yellowknife

Yellowknife — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:50:33 +0000

I think they’re pretty cool looking, never driven one, but the lack of speed is something I don’t like, and being snowmobile biased but an avid ATV rider, I would rather leave the snowmobilers their trails than start driving around on them with these, having to be passed as the number of ATV’s with tracks increase on the trails. I would certainly consider buying tracks, i’d likely use them more in mud and swamp, if they work well, I assume they’re better than tires if you don’t mind the drop in speed through any terrain!

By: PhatboyC

PhatboyC — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:18:01 +0000

For 3850$ I would still buy a used Viking. In the very deep stuff I’ve seen tracks get stuck.

If your telling me that tracks can’t do more harm to our groomed trails then sure I’m all for it. But tracks only, no wheels!

By: Stephen Burdick

Stephen Burdick — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:57:42 +0000

I want one to plow my drive way. By the way is it going to snow anytime soon??? The countdown to winter is on.

Steve