ATV tracks vs snowmobiles for liion hunting?

[LieftingN]

Im thinking about selling the snowmobiles and getting tracks for the four wheeler. Just wanted to here some pro's or con's. Also what brand of tracks and type are the best? iim looking at the tatou 4S

[SHADOWHUNTER]

I DID ALOT OF RESEARCH TWO YEARS AND THE CHEAPEST SET I COULD FIND FOR MY 660 GRIZZ WAS ABOUT $4200. CANT REMEMBER THE BRANDS RIGHT OF HAND. IVE HEARD THEY WORK GREAT, BUT JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU BUY.

[toyhunter]

I am a big snowmobilier four wheeler type person and would not go with tracks. The cost for one, they do not turn well, theyre slow if you need to cover some ground compared to a sled. You could probably buy two good used sleds for the price of a set of tracks installed

[Cat Crazy Miller]

i bought a set of the tatou 4s tracks last winter tracks can be very handy depending on your hunting conditions if your in tight quarters and stoping and starting alot there great if you have open roads to run there way slower then a sled also they take quite abit of power they ride rough and put a lot of stress on your forwheeler frame also was disipointed in the quality of the track bogy wheels coming off anti rotation bracket brakeing ruber cracking where bogy wheeles run would i buy another set probably not however i no of others who own them and lovem maby i'm just hard on mine i don't no if i would buy tracks again i would definantly look at lite foot more money but definantly worth it i think also if you get plenty of snow where you hunt i would just stay with a good sled good luck

[sheimer]

I just got a set of Tatou 4s for my Honda Rubicon. I also use a Skidoo 800 now and then. Here is my assesment after using both for a little while....

If your just cutting for tracks and may end up deadheading out to go to another area, the sled is faster. If it's only you then a sled may be easier on you. If you have a long ways to go the sled may be better.

If your taking a buddy (or 4) with you the tracks are the way to go. If there are sidehills to contend with or drifts blown across the road on a side hill then the tracks are better. If you want to take a lot of dogs, the tracks are better.

My four wheeler is slower, yet fast enough to cut for tracks effectively. I can put 5 dogs on my machine and still pull a sled with a few more. It does run through a tank of fuel in rapid fashon though.


I got the tracks because they are functional all year(even if I take them off and use the wheels on my four wheeler. A sled in my area will set for at least 6 months a year. I already had the four wheeler and the tracks were 3100 brand spanking new. I would have a hard time finding a RELIABLE sled for half that money(since it's only used half the year).


There's my .02

scott

[Catman]

here's what I have seen. The tracks are way nice if you have snow/mud. If you have 100% snow I don't know why you'd mess with tracks. But they definately have their place. It would be sweet to have both

[houndnem]

I was in some deep powder trying to cut tracks on my wheeler couple years ago. I have a 700 king quad fuel inj with oversized maxxi big horns on it. If I can't make it in on it I definately don't want to drop dogs and try to hike in it.
I finally got to where I couldn't make it any farther and a guy with tracks on came flyin by me. I thought man that would be nice, until 5 min later he came walking down the road. he only made it 100 yrds and berried that thing. I went up and we tried to get it out for a couple hrs with no success. I made up my mind right then and there what I thought of them tracks. to my knowlage he never got his machine out till spring.

[BlacktailStalker]

I' ve been on the fence about these for years and ordered a set, should be here in a week.
Went with the new Tatou 4s for my grizz 700 (pwr steering)
From the research I've done and what I've seen if you know your limitations they'll do all I need them to.
We dont have dozens of miles of stretches of roads. We mostly run river bottoms and around lakes or through canyon bottoms looking for cats that have come down off the steep shit.
Its common to get one 2' dump, denying access to everyone instantly.
Ive got a F350 dieselwith 37" tires and big ass chains with Vbars on all 4 and I couldnt even get remotely close to where I wanted to go 2 weeks ago. Went back the next day with the quad and still got stuck in the snow which was frozen in some spots, wet in some and sugar in others (16"-18")
There had been a guy who went back 10 kms further on the same set up I'll have once the tracks show up, and he was a 300lb deer hunter.
Our roads are narrow, not ideal for trying to turn a sled around let alone dragging a skimmer with dogs too.
Our west coast warm weather changes, there is often patches of dry ground between the snow, which is hard on sled skis. In some drainages the snow lasts a good month after the snow stops allowing for some good spring hunting as the ungulates are down low after the first spring grasses and shoots and the cats are right there killin 'em... often these areas are unaccessible because of sporatic 2' drifts of snow several hundred yards long.

I also like to tote dogs when I leave the truck because I usually hunt alone so sounds like it wont be an issue having them on the back at all times.
I'll post up an actual review once I put them through the paces in hopes it well help other guys who are unsure as I was (am)
Bottom line is I needed something with the big snows we're getting (2' a week ago and washed away to nothing in 4 days, thats how it is here) and if it costs me $500 after resale if they suck and i have to go to a sled, at least I wont have to wonder anymore and I'll know my set up I end up with is the best I can do.

[Daniel Tremblay]

Well i've had a sled for two years now, take into consideration mine is a trail machine, meaning it has 3/4" lugs on the track. So obviously I get stuck atleast 4 times per trip. SUCKS!!! Even without these variables in the play I personally will be trading my sled in for a quad. For the reasons being..... The sled is annoying loud with stock pipe. I have to maintain a speed of no less the 15-20 mph depending on the snow because of the rpm range that the belt engages. Which is too fast when there are a lot of tracks on the road, constantly having to stop and go which is hard on the belt. The amount of exhaust put in the air by the 2 stroke motor is annoy. Makes my clothes stink and messes with the dogs nose. At first I thought it was just crazy but now I am a firm believer that the exhaust from the motor greatly prohibits the dogs ability to smell. The turning radius on sleds is horrible; especially when your pulling a dog box. Another very annoying factor that comes into play with the sled is when the roads get dumped on with snow that makes it too deep for trucks but the truck ruts are still there. Steering and controling my sled is very difficult when the roads are like these and in my area the is very common.

Im with houndnem, if the snow is too deep for a quad than i don't really care to turn the dogs loose either. There for I dont really see where a sled is better than a quad except if you like to play in the snow while your not hunting ( not my case). There for it is my final decision to trade the sled in and give a quad a chance. Also having a toy you and play and hunt on year around just makes more sense!

[Plotts]

Blacktail please keep us posted on your findings. I've been on the fence on this issue as well. I've got a 9000.00 sled that sits for 9 months out of the year and I've often thought about just putting tracks on my wheeler. I ran into a guy just this week up in the hills and he was getting around just fine in about 18". I talked to him about them and he said the only time he ever has been stuck was when he got pinned in a draw and had to try to go over a blowdown. He got high centered on it. But other than that he has been running them for about 6 years that I know of. He did also say that it is somewhat slow going compared to a sled.

Sure looks like they would shine in the spring conditions.

[colobbcat]

Let me se if I can help.

I currently own both, i have a ranger with tracks and a mountain sled. They both have there ups and downs. The tracked machine will go in about 2 feet of snow up and down all day long. You can take it in places you would never drive a snow machine ex. down graveled roads, in the rocks on bare south slopes, through waist high sage brush, and in six inches of mud, with out worring about a thing. The travel speed is perfect for cutting tracks and you dont have the wear and tear like a snow machine when hauling dogs, and going slow all day cutting tracks, which is the worst thing in the world on a two stroke motor. No more burnt up belts, or over heating, and no more pulling on that rope at twenty below for fifteen minutes getting that sled to fire.

The down is that yes they are slow when traveling cross country from A to B, also you loose a lot of the agility you have with a sled. Yes you are stuck for good if you get hung up on a log, also in tight places, and while turning, if you hit something you will loose a track sooner or later. They are not hard to get back on but still this is some down time and the nature of the beast.

The only time I have taken my sled since I have put on the tracks is when I am cutting the high country in deep snow. After that I always use my ranger to haul the dogs. Once you lay down a track with the sled the tracks will follow know matter how deep the snow. Just becareful not to get off the track or you will be stuck if the snow is over 2-3 feet deep.

All in all the tracks have been the best investment I have ever made. I have two young boys, 4 and 6 and this investment allows me to take them with me every were, because of the warmth and room of the ranger. Another bonus is getting a hunter to the track, I am sure we have all experienced a novice snow machine rider and the challenges that come with. With a tracked machine this is no longer part of the equation because you are the one driving and you dont have to worry if he is going to lean when you do or fall off. Again as far as agility and covering country you cant beat a sled, but for hauling heavy loads and dependability you can't beat a tracked atv/utv.

[BlacktailStalker]

The log thing is a good point, tracks dont go over logs worth a shit but if you're like me you always have a chainsaw on board anyways (heavy wet snow, heavy winds = lots of blow down here) or at least a 16-21" bush saw (saved my ass more than once coming home)

[Chad H]

Here is my 2 cents for what it's worth. I also have a sled and Grizzly 700 with tracks (TJD) I rarely use my sled, the wheeler will go everywhere i want it to, in just about every snow condition, none to 3' deep or deeper, i have only had it stuck once and i had a ton of bear bait on my wheeler and was side hilling across a drifted rd and slid off side of the rd. unloaded some of the weight, did a little shoveling and backed right out. Usually (not very often) if you get high centered you just back up put the tracks on center and plow right through. Yes it is slow, and it does use alot more gas, but if i had to choose one or the other, i would take the quad everytime, better all around tool. In the spring come bear season it is worth its weight in gold, i have dog racks front and back and haul my 8 dogs, and be rigging in 3 ft of snow, when it warms up in the afternoon and that snow that was frozen in the morning is now mush, i just motor right through it. if i were smarter i would post some pics of my set up, rigging off the wheeler in the snow, you wouldn't be able to do it on a wheeled machine, or a snow machine. Wouldn't trade mine for nothing.

Chad H

[culverz]

Sleds all the way!! You can cover fifty plus miles in a day easy and get around the trick is having two or more sleds at all time until the trails are packed well. When the snow gets settled down good we hunt up high in four plus feet of snow on the sleds and snow shoes. it is amazing how well animals run on top of the snow.


Have friends with UTV's and Atv's with tracks, they have there places and if you are hunting in a small area they are awesome. but I have found to be sucessful hunting around here you need to cover the ground and look for tracks.

[ferjr]

My dad ordered a set for his grizzly, they are supposed to be here tomorrow. I cant wait to check them out, if they are as good as i have been told, by people who have them, I will be ordering a set for my grizzly also. By the way he got the tatou tracks also.