My Ride-on Tracked dumper

[David Devuono]

Do you have a link?

I will have to look it up when I get a chance tomorrow. While searching I found this new link for a similar setup to mine only much larger but its given me an idea to modify my front tensioner wheel to add a steel wheel to the inside of my track guides.

YouTube - tracked land crawler --PARS

To answer the wear question. My welder and grinder should take care of any wear issues. If something wears down, I will lay a bead of weld and grind it.

 

[David Devuono]

Hi Dave,
!

I have one question with respect to the sprocket drives, and I think of this based on my experience with snowmobiles. Are the sprocket teeth wide enough to prevent excessive wear on the track bars or the sprockets themselves, or, is that a non issue for your application? I've seen the teeth on my sleds wear down more quickly than usual (long term) when I pull a trail groomer or a heavy sleigh (recognizing they are plastic sprockets on a sled riding on steel track clips vs. steel on your machine).

Best of the season to you!

Graham

I would like to add that the sprocket teeth are only 1/2 inch wide and three teeth will be in contact with the track. The reason I did not go wider was that I wanted to drive the sprocket direct off the hydraulic motor with one supporting bearing opposite of the Hydraulic motor. To add a wider sprocket I would have to resort to a short stub shaft and two bearings. I will also have metal guides running inside the track guides just before the sprockets that will ensure the track self centres on the sprocket.

 

[Coolnorth]

I would like to add that the sprocket teeth are only 1/2 inch wide and three teeth will be in contact with the track. The reason I did not go wider was that I wanted to drive the sprocket direct off the hydraulic motor with one supporting bearing opposite of the Hydraulic motor. To add a wider sprocket I would have to resort to a short stub shaft and two bearings. I will also have metal guides running inside the track guides just before the sprockets that will ensure the track self centres on the sprocket.

Good morning,

Understanding the width of sprocket issue vs. drive layout, I can appreciate what you're saying about what you have accomplished!
Another machine I've worked with is an Oliver OC-3. The sprockets had one inch wide teeth and over 40 years, they wore out quite a bit, but were still usable, just that the engineered shape of the tooth was sharp on the working face, track pins were relatively less worn. IT had maybe 25 HP and weighed 4500 pounds with the FEL. Your machine is not going to be that heavy and will have less strain on the driveline.
Again, it's been enjoyable to see your project as you post the updates. Happy New Year!

Graham

 

[JohninCT]

I'm really enjoying following this thread. I gotta ask... Have any of you "trackkies" out there seen the TV series on Discovery channel called Black Ops Brothers? Couple of guys up in Maine building some wicked cool tracked vehicles

YouTube - Black Ops Brothers: Howe & Howe Tech - December 13, 2010

 

[David Devuono]

Great show. I watch where they completely build and test something, then have to tear it down for painting and reassemble everything once again. Having spent most of my adult life offroading, it amazes me that soldiers driving the best off-road vehicles made end up at the receiving end of an IED driving on the road?

 

[mjncad]

I watched the first episode of Howe & Howe tech and when I saw it was going to be another American Chopper clone with back biting, bad scheduling, yelling, etc, etc, etc I decided not to waste my time watching it no matter how cool their vehicles are.

 

[JohninCT]

I watched the first episode of Howe & Howe tech and when I saw it was going to be another American Chopper clone with back biting, bad scheduling, yelling, etc, etc, etc I decided not to waste my time watching it no matter how cool their vehicles are.

HA HA... I hear you there, but while there are some people like me and probably you who would be happy to sit and watch as they quitely went about grinding, welding, cutting and doing all they do with metal it probably isn't a big enough audience. The "antics and drama" probably brings in more viewers just to see what will happen next. It's the formula that apparently works because all the shows like this of people "doing stuff" are the same and they become popular. It is what it is I guess.

 

[Cyclone Jake]

I watched the first episode of Howe & Howe tech and when I saw it was going to be another American Chopper clone with back biting, bad scheduling, yelling, etc, etc, etc I decided not to waste my time watching it no matter how cool their vehicles are.

Agreed - I see that they changed the name of the show now in order to try to make it sound different. It just needs to go away.

 

[mjncad]

HA HA... I hear you there, but while there are some people like me and probably you who would be happy to sit and watch as they quitely went about grinding, welding, cutting and doing all they do with metal it probably isn't a big enough audience. The "antics and drama" probably brings in more viewers just to see what will happen next. It's the formula that apparently works because all the shows like this of people "doing stuff" are the same and they become popular. It is what it is I guess.

Yep, we are in the minority, which is probably why 'Rides' on TLC didn't succeed a few years back. When American Chopper focused more on the bikes, I could tolerate the melodramatic BS; but when the bikes became secondary, I stopped watching. The only reason I watched American Hotrod is that I kept hoping one of the shop slaves would go off the deep end and punch out Bondo-Boyd and his personal turd polisher Duane for the crappy way they treated the employees. Sadly that never happened, or if it did the footage was never aired.

 

[David Devuono]

Do you have a link?

YouTube - Coona-Go

Here it is.