ATV Tracks

[slammer]

For those that have them, are you satisfied with how they perform? Would you buy them again now that you have used them? Do you travel long distance like if you were on LOW and wanted to head out say 10-15 miles? Seriously looking at a set and cant decide what to do. Dont really want a sled cuz I have nowhere to store it and would only use for fishing. Tire chains work good for me now so are the tracks that much better?

[jcpmn82]

J-wheelz

[hawkeye43]

I saw at ice fishing show a ATV with tracks on the back and skis on the front. looked like it would work great at keeping the front up on top of the snow and still have the tracks to push you thought the snow. all you needed is too run in 2 wheel drive and you could drive right into the skis and strap them down. You should get the speed back right and better mileage right. The down side was they were $1200 dollars,we going into the shop to see what we can get made up. I post later if we get something worked out.

[Dave S]

Putting skis on the front can be an issue if you don't lock the front hubs from turning. If you don't, you will most certainly have one of those OH SH_T moments.

[hunt fish repeat]

I tried a wheeler with tracks once, the thing I disliked the most was the amount of snow that got thrown around it was like driving through a blizzard every time you got the speed up.

[MuleShack]

I've seen one of the fish house Mfg put big ski's on their trailer and pull it across the snow.

No reason it wouldn't work for a wheeler. they had some sort of bar on both sides of the wheel to keep it from rolling back and forth.

[bigshooter23]

I have had two wheelers with tracks. One a 850 Polaris with power steering and currently a Arctic Cat 700 with power steering. One thing I had a problem with the polaris is they discontinued my warranty on the wheeler beings I had a offroad performance enhancer. disclaimer #13 on there warranty. Also the bushings in th front in the a arms went out quickly. I had polaris track kit and no warranty coverage. Now arctic cat will cover you with anyonestrack kit installed.

as far as going through snow i can say its great. if u hit a 16 inch deep slush pocket stay on the gas till ur out. these things are pigs to dig out. only time i have gotten stuck is in deep slush pockets i the middle of the lake. yes they do throw some snow up and in front of you. I usually rode standing up and never got the full snow wash effect. its only really bad while turning in powder thats 10 inches or more deep. easy to take on and off maybe 45 to put on and off 15 minutes.

[74mph]

I had the same problem! I wanted both an ATV and Snowmobile but dont have room to store both. I also didnt want to maintain two machines. So I got the ATV and track kit.

I havent had it out fishing yet. My ATV doesnt have power steering and it is hard to steer if you are not on a slick surface, especially if you are going slow. Since I'm planning on using the tracks in winter only I dont think this will be an issue.

There is a fair amount of snow that blows up, however I found that the faster I go the better it was. It will only go about 40 top speed on tracks (72 on wheels), but this was a pretty nice ride in the 15 inches of snow we had a couple of weeks ago.

My biggest issue is that I dont think re-sale on a track kit is going to be all that great. I feel like had I bought a snowmobile I could always make a decent portion of my money back. With a used track kit I feel like I am going to basically loose at least half of that investment. I guess the bright side is that the track kit can't blow up like a snowmobile could.

[hawkeye43]

If you put a strap the skis over the wheels they will not roll, they should just sit in the cradle of the ski tight.

[Coureur_de_bois]

Nice looking rig!

[EricZ]

Ive tried to make several sets of skis myself, and still don't have anything that works. I got a chance to test drive the snocobra skis in Taylors Falls at there farm last week in the deep snow and they worked great. Ordered a set right after the ride, should be getting em by the time we have good enough ice for the wheeler.

[aczr2k]

Those Snocobra skis look interesting but waaay over priced. Your only going to save a few hundred bucks by the time you buy two rear tracks and front skis over just buying the four track setup. The only advantage is the ability to trail ride, but I'm guessing that would be up to the indidvidual that wanted to write you a ticket?

[EricZ]

Having had 4 tracks on my wheeler before, I can tell you that being trail trail legal is only 1 of the advantages. I'm not sure how someone can write you a ticket if you meet the definition and have it registered.

I'm getting my skis next week, so we'll see how they really do compared to 4 tracks. The test ride gave me a good idea, but time will tell.

[Dave S]

I'm not sure how someone can write you a ticket if you meet the definition and have it registered.

You hit on 2 topics in the quote above and not so sure either one is ok as far as legality goes.

Unless the wording in the regulations has changed, the definition says something to the effect of "original design" or along those lines. Modifying an ATV with tracks and skis doesn't make it a legal snowmobile. I know this was debated a few years back on these forums.

Point 2 is registration. You have to be able to register an ATV as a snowmobile to ride on snowmobile trails. Also in order to do this you have to make sure that the first point is remotely possible per the definition of a snowmobile.

[Dave S]

on the bottom of Page 18 of the snowmobile regs in the dark blue banner, it says:

The legal definition of a snowmobile is a self-propelled vehicle designed for travel on snow or ice steered by skis or runners.

It's a gray area, but ATVs aren't designed to be steered by skis or runners. They're designed with wheels/tires for steering.

Assuming you can install tracks and skis on an ATV to ride on snowmobile trails will prove to be an expensive mistake.

[aczr2k]

That's what I was saying it's all up for interpretation of the guy holding the ticket book. I don't think any snowmobilers want slow atvs and wide utvs on the trails, and I own $4k in tracks.

[Myrt]

Loved my 2004 Polaris 500 with 2011 tracks .... But still sold it... and was very happy with resale price... It helped me upgrade to a 2012 Polaris Ranger with tracks...

Went 6-10 miles out on Winnipeg everyday I was there with the tracked atv... Uses plenty of gas!

Just like anything it depends on your situation ... Mine is I already owned an atv, did not own a snowmobile , and do not want to own a second machine, do not travel 10-20 miles on lake except for trips(2-3 yearly), so I put tracks on and the machine did what I needed it to do, got me where I wanted to go over ice, snow, and slush.

Now I have the tracked, cabbed, and heated Ranger... A buddy of mine thinks I'm crazy cause he thinks I could've bought 2-3 sleds for that... He may be right... But I can't put my kids/Dad in a heated cab and have all the room I do know .... so for me that would be a "YES" to both being satisfied and buying again.....as long as it suits my purpose......

[EricZ]

An ATV is not originally designed specifically for travel on snow, no. However, the skis and tracks are.

I was told by the guys at snocobra that they have been in contact with the DNR and ATVs and smaller UTVs are legal on MN snowmobile trails. Not assuming anything here.

[MuleShack]

I was told by the guys at snocobra that they have been in contact with the DNR and ATVs and smaller UTVs are legal on MN snowmobile trails. Not assuming anything here.

If it were me, I would talk directly to a DNR supervisor and explain what you are planning and see what their reaction is. Its much easier to do something and ask for forgiveness later with your wife or GF than it is with an officer.

I'm not big on 2nd or 3rd hand information, so before spending that money and trying to trail ride, I would want to know exactly where I stand and have it in writing to carry with me while on the trail. Cause you know your going to run into that one CO or deputy that didn't get the memo and want to issue you a ticket even if the supervisor said it was legal.

[merkman]

Point 2 is registration. You have to be able to register an ATV as a snowmobile to ride on snowmobile trails. Also in order to do this you have to make sure that the first point is remotely possible per the definition of a snowmobile.

My viewpoint is simple...

If the state of minnesota registers it as a snowmobile, it is a snowmobile.

As long as you have skis on the front, tracks on the back, meet the weight restrictions and other equipment requirements, the state will register it as a snowmobile.

There are currently ATV's with tracks in the back and skis in the front registered as snowmobiles by the state. (I know there is at least one anyway) and they have the stickers to prove it.

The local CO is aware and ok with it, the state is aware and ok with it.

It meets the letter of the law so it is legal.

I don't think many UTV's will meet the weight restrictions though...

And generally speaking skis on the front of a "normal" wheeler just don't work in anything but hardpack or groomed trails.

High powered low weight "racing" wheelers seem to do better, but for a "normal" wheeler you give up too much by loosing the 4 wheel drive along with the extra weight in the wrong places to make skis work well in deep snow....

[Dave S]

I'm not big on 2nd or 3rd hand information, so before spending that money and trying to trail ride, I would want to know exactly where I stand and have it in writing to carry with me while on the trail. Cause you know your going to run into that one CO or deputy that didn't get the memo and want to issue you a ticket even if the supervisor said it was legal.

Exactly right. Look at the position that Snocobra is in. They are trying to market an expensive product. I've personally never heard of them so I've got no idea on their business practices. Regardless who they are, I would NEVER believe someone who tells me it's legal because they've talked to the DNR.

Also commented in a prior post "I know of atleast one ATV registered as an ATV" still doesn't make it legal. People behind the license desk are no more qualified than Aunt Edna sitting behind a desk at the DNR to make something entirely legal.

Bottom line is what the statutes say and interpretation of those holding the ticket book as mentioned earlier. Per the definition I posted earlier it's pretty clear that ATVs were not designed to be steered by skis or runners and regardless of aftermarket equipment, they're still an ATV per their original design.

I'll finish up with my final for this post. Per past conversations I've had with those more in the know than anyone else posting here, I would avoid snowmobile trails with ATVs outfitted with skis/tracks.

[arctic_scrap1]

I run aggressive 27" tires[Gorilla Silverbacks] on my Sportsman 800. I will go anywhere a tracked ATV will go in the snow with a little more work. In the summer an aggressive mud tire will way outperform tracks.

[merkman]

I will tell you how Aunt Edna at the DMV and the local CO intreprets the law in at least one county in Minnesota.

The legal definition of a snowmobile is

a self-propelled vehicle

Yes a front skied/back tracked ATV meets this definition

(A wheeled ATV meets this portion of the definition.)

designed for travel on snow or ice

Once again a front skied/back tracked ATV meets this definition

(A wheeled ATV meets this portion of the definition.)

steered by skis or runners.

Yes a front skied/back tracked ATV meets this definition.

I have previously read about weight restrictions also (and that is what would knock out most UTVs) but I dont see weight restrictions mentioned in the latest snowmobile regs book. The weight restrictions are probably in the state code.

This is probably one of those things that should be taken to a court of law so there is a legal precidence set.

I for one would choose to defend my rights in a court of law with this interpretation and the state registration in my hand.

It is pretty simple... if you are not comfortable that your interpretation of the law, coupled with the fact that you have asked the local CO and they agree with the interpretation, coupled with the fact that the state has granted you the proper registration; will not hold up in a court of law.... then dont do it.

In my eyes it is cost prohibitive anyway... you are spending more money to turn your 4 wheel drive machine into a 2 wheel drive. But others may have the money and "need" to do it. If you do, and also are willing to back it up in court (if that day ever comes), I say go for it.... follow all the laws, be respectful of the trails and go out and enjoy what your tax dollars/charitable gambling dollars are spent on. There is no doubt the trails can handle it, they handle much higher powered snow machines, (along with much slower and less dependable vintage sleds) every day, and comparing the weight of a wheeler to the weight of a grommer (that has all tracks and no skis) there is no doubt the trails can handle it. Heck, some clubs use all tracked ATVs and UTVs as their groomers.

If the snowmobilers were just a little more acommidating; I see no reason why tracked ATV's (without skis) and snowmobiles cant all enjoy public trails in the winter. I can't understand why local businesses, resorts, bar and grills etc, dont band together to get the laws changed to expand tourism, and dollars spent in this untapped tracked ATV market, But that is the topic of a whole nuther conversation.

.

[Scum Frog]

Been tippin'g the bubbly a little last night i see? As far as you hanging with a tracked ATV in the snow with a little more work. Try alot more work and you still woudn't hang. Sorry to dash your expectations.

[Dave]

I run aggressive 27" tires[Gorilla Silverbacks] on my Sportsman 800. I will go anywhere a tracked ATV will go in the snow with a little more work. In the summer an aggressive mud tire will way outperform tracks.

While I wouldn't bet money on "anywhere" I know what you're saying since I have 28" Swampers and was amazed at the snow depth I could ride through even when they were mounted on my 500 (shown below on a 700).

My experience tells me a tracked ATV will go some places aggressive tires will not but not enough justification for me to spend on tracks, however.

I currently run 30" ITPs for the best of both worlds.

I'd have to brush up on the regs but, I think the DNR could issue a citation for tires like the Swampers and Silverbacks.