Tracks
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I have the Polaris Prospectors on my '16 570 EPS Midsize that I use mostly for ice-fishing. Last winter was the first season with them, then took them off for the summer, and put 'em back on before this season.
So far, my experience has been very positive. I always use AWD with the tracks on and run in low gear. On mine at least, low gear limits speed to 20. Combine that with the gear-down you get from the fact that the drive cog is smaller in diameter than the tires. End result in that mode is about 14mph actual. In practice, that's actually fast enough for my need. Last year we didn't get as much snow as the 2 prior years in northern Wisconsin, so I haven't really had to tax them in really deep stuff yet, but they seem be able to pretty much go thru anything.
My only concern is the possibility of getting stuck in deep slush. If you ice-fish, think about some sort of anchoring device that you can use to hook your winch up to. I just made one out of heavy aged treated wood. Basically its 4"x8"x24" with a big honkin' eyebolt thru it. Figured that'd be strong enough, would fit tight enough in an 8" ice hole, and would float, so I don't have to worry about dropping it in the hole.
So far, my experience has been very positive. I always use AWD with the tracks on and run in low gear. On mine at least, low gear limits speed to 20. Combine that with the gear-down you get from the fact that the drive cog is smaller in diameter than the tires. End result in that mode is about 14mph actual. In practice, that's actually fast enough for my need. Last year we didn't get as much snow as the 2 prior years in northern Wisconsin, so I haven't really had to tax them in really deep stuff yet, but they seem be able to pretty much go thru anything.
My only concern is the possibility of getting stuck in deep slush. If you ice-fish, think about some sort of anchoring device that you can use to hook your winch up to. I just made one out of heavy aged treated wood. Basically its 4"x8"x24" with a big honkin' eyebolt thru it. Figured that'd be strong enough, would fit tight enough in an 8" ice hole, and would float, so I don't have to worry about dropping it in the hole.
On grass I've used turf mode and run some in high. I think on snow that's not so deep on the lake, high would be fine as well. For me, I'm not usually going that far anyway, and I'm probably a little over-protective of them ($$$). I've seen documentation that says that 25mph (40kph) is a safe maximum speed, particularly if you're on the flat with enough lubrication (snow).
Power-wise, I was actually surprised and impressed with how little the tracks seem to drag things down. The deepest snow I've been on so far was only about 14", but the machine moved thru it seemingly effortless. I was nervous that the 570 might not be quite enough power, but it works awesome.
Slush-wise, we didn't have much deep stuff last year, so I've only heard the stories and seen the videos. I think the tracks will be WAY better than a snowmobile, at least getting moving, but its so much bigger and heavier of a machine that just having a couple guys muscle it to get moving is probably not going to happen if you get caught sitting in 12" of slush. Again, my (untested) plan is that my winch will be my friend if that ever happens.
Power-wise, I was actually surprised and impressed with how little the tracks seem to drag things down. The deepest snow I've been on so far was only about 14", but the machine moved thru it seemingly effortless. I was nervous that the 570 might not be quite enough power, but it works awesome.
Slush-wise, we didn't have much deep stuff last year, so I've only heard the stories and seen the videos. I think the tracks will be WAY better than a snowmobile, at least getting moving, but its so much bigger and heavier of a machine that just having a couple guys muscle it to get moving is probably not going to happen if you get caught sitting in 12" of slush. Again, my (untested) plan is that my winch will be my friend if that ever happens.
Thanks for the info. Looks like I’ll probably give them a try. I’ll only use them in the winter for ice fishing. Also not looking to set any speed records- I usually don’t go more than 20 mph on the lake anyway. Sounds like the machine handles the tracks pretty well.
Thanks again
Thanks again
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