Tracks allow quads up vertigo-inducing slopes
Tracks allow quads up vertigo-inducing slopes
By Andy Moore
IMPRESSED with your ATVs ability to cope with difficult terrain? Use of a track option now available from a Notts-based company could boost performance beyond previously known limits.
Letts ATV distributes a track unit designed to fit quads from 250cc upward, in both two and four wheel drive format.
"The tracks have been used successfully in snow bound conditions in America and we expect them to become equally popular in farm and forestry situations in the UK," explains Rob Willetts who imports the track kits from Canadian manufacturer JMS.
"The tracks are best suited to 300cc ATVs which offer an optimum power to weight ratio for negotiating steep slopes and rough terrain," he says.
Each 38cm (15in) wide rubber track runs around each of the ATVs rear wheels and then extends rearwards to a pair of 20cm (8in) wide bogie wheels.
The bogie wheels and their single axle are attached to a rectangular chassis fixed to the quad by two brackets latching onto the rear axle and towing hitch.
"The tracks are powered by friction drive from the ATVs rear wheels, with tension provided by an adjuster bolt for each bogie wheel," explains Mr Willetts who says the tracks take half an hour to fit and remove.
A rubber "boot" filled with compressed air ensures the bogie wheels always sit firmly on the deck, and help to absorb shocks over rough ground.
How does it ride?
So what is a tracked ATV like to ride? farmers weekly took a 2WD 300cc Honda fitted with tracks for a test run at a dirt bike track near Mansfield, Notts.
Conditions for the test ride could not have been more demanding – axle deep mud, pond-size puddles and slopes so steep that an abseil would not be out of place.
Right from the word go the tracks capabilities never failed the operators expectations.
Let the clutch out and there is no hint of a whine from the engine as power is supplied smoothly through the drive wheels and tracks.
The tracked quad does not balk at tackling inclines bordering on the extreme.
The steeper the gradient, the more grip the tracks seem to provide.
Only limiting factors would appear to be this riders courage and a risk of wheelbase grounding out on the summit.
Should the latter event occur, the operator can put the ATV in reverse to allow a successful second attempt to be made.
Equally important is the machines performance on steep descents.
The tracks keep the quad travelling in a straight line without any tendency for the machine to snake on the slippery ground.
Each track has a ground contact area of 2.5sq m – which should prove a popular feature with those who have to perform field work in wet conditions – slug pelleting, for example.
On a negative note, the tracks have an adverse effect on the quads turning capability.
The problem lies in the ATVs lack of a differential. With wheeled machines this arrangement poses very few handling difficulties but with tracks the problems tend to be amplified.
This situation prompts the rider to shift down to first gear so tighter turns can be made.
Having to make wider turning circles, however, is a small price to pay for all the extra gripping force available.
There may even be those drawn to suggest that, with the vehicles ability to travel through sticky conditions rather than round them, the demand for steering is reduced.
Durability is further ensured by a hefty amount of rubber and metal included in the track unit.
And the verdict?
Despite its reduced turning circle, the tracks showed their true ability in rough, steep and wet conditions where an all-wheeled quad would be severely challenged.
With its price tag of £1299 including brackets, the track unit should deserve a closer look. *
(Above) Water no problem… The track unit from Letts ATV is designed to fit most makes of quads from 250cc upwards in 2/4WD format for farm and forestry duties.
The 38cm (15in) wide rubber tracks are attached to a rectangular chassis which bolts to the ATVs rear axle and towing hitch; note the shock absorber which allows the bogie wheels to pivot up and down.