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ok now these are MATTRACKS - sure some of you have heard /seen / known of them for a while now. I've read of folks taking old snowmobile(sled) tracks etc however I like the way they have the tracks that "form" to the terrain. Any ideas - including sled tracks? Its seems simplistic enough given the drive and welding. just thought Id throw this out there.

Holy Crap... I don't even know what to say. That's... wild!

Those were popular in the car mod scene a couple years ago for the H2 HUMMER's when they came out. that guy is probably stoked to be driving that beauty

wow..and I thought just jacking your truck up was a glorious waste of time...

what do people get out of butchering their vehicles?

In the case of the jeep ( which admittedly is a wee bit over the top - and I love it ) they gain ground clearance. Now the H2 hoagtech mentioned would need and additional 9 " of lift to get the same ground clearance as a stock '06 H1 Alpha. For city driving that's useless I agree - you have a glorified curb jumper (unless your into construction - in which case they are actually practical). If your actually going off road however the tracks are worth their weight in gold ( and priced to prove it lol).

MATTRACKS on you tube

Rescue vehicles etc use them, they range from atv for 5k to 1 ton + for 32k (info from online recon). There are competitors cropping up more and more Tantou for example and other start ups however the goal is the same. DIY tracks for off road / blizzard conditions.

price aside I think wise use of snowmobile parts combined with a well thought out design and you could have a nice set for a Suzuki Samurai Though given the choice I'll take a H1 with a set

I want a set for off road / winter From my research - but don't quote me on this - all I need to do is get a permit as part of a business to use them on the street here in VT which my friend says he'll cover me with his snow removal / landscaping business. Landscaping you say? well with a foot print of at 3psi or less depending on the vehicle you cant beat that.

Here is an idea thought I dont like way its mounted. I'm thinking having the drive cog more centered.more centered . Great work though.

edit* oh yeah I'm envisioning one using a 15 - 14" wheel as the drive cog. Modified of course. I have some friends keeping an eye out for an old track to do some mock ups with.

Basically i want the track centered like a wheel/tire should be to save on bearing/balljoints/axle housing stress.

yet again edit. I don't think I like the tensioner being part of the frame. I am thinking something like one used on serpentine belts modified for this application. all theory for now of course

honestly it looks like one of those diy projects that looks like you could pull off with soem work, but the more resaerch the more you find its nowhere feasable, and because of the grade of the parts such as the rubber track and non basic welded track wheel. it would take you a machine shop and a chemical engineer just to get the tracks and cogs to the same grade. Still cool to look at and dream of taking over mountains and snowbanks with though

My buddy whom I mentioned is a cert welder, trained in the Navy. Welds are covered. I plan Building the cog out of a 15" steel wheel which means custom made teeth yes - however I plane to make them bolt in to the wheel so fabing them wont be that difficult. As far as a machine shop perhaps however a neighbor from when I was a kid owns a mettle fabrication business (no cnc though) and if I need any plate steel cut I know where to go. Now I know this skirts the DIY with all this farming out - however I'm working with what I have. I need rock solid welds and I'm not certified or experienced enough for automotive grade welding - oh and I lack a plasma cutter as well.

Teeth will be dependent on if, and how, the track fits the steel wheel. I'm planning on using a 15" chevy steel wheel that I have laying around for mock up & prototype purposes.

I re found this on my drive - look how the drive gear sits on the plate steel. it looks like the weight of the vehicle keeps the drive gear on the coasters under it, this is unacceptable in my application where I pan on some articulation to the point the track may leave the ground however its a great start. This would also allow the track to rotate when climbing an obstacle.