Any vehicle suggestions other than snow mobile? How about tire additions?

Tracked vehicles do so much better in the snow than wheeled. My buddy got tracks for his can-am for chasing lions in the snow. We tried taking his Tacoma with snow chains a few years ago around Red River in the deep snow and had to use the traction boards 20+ times in one day.

I was thinking about a tracked side by side can am, enclosed. No idea on cost.

We used to hunt elk in northern New Mexico with a buddy who had a pickup he rigged out for hunting. It was a single cab chevy, four-wheel drive, with a couple inches of lift. For deep snow he had some tires that were 4.5 inches wide with highway tread. No knobs or anything. He could go anywhere. My grandfather had a four-wheel drive suburban with wide knobby tires and we would get stuck. The buddy could drive right around us and pull us out. It was crazy where he could go. His rationale was that the narrow tires broke through the snow instead of mashing it down creating ice.

That truck was sweet. He had a winch on the front and one mounted on the headache rack to pull the elk up into the bed. I don't think I ever saw him get stuck.

MagnumLoad said:

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I was thinking about a tracked side by side can am, enclosed. No idea on cost.

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About as much as a new car. Tracks are not cheap, nor are side by sides right now. I am about to sell my 2017 900XP for $1000 less than I paid for it.

Do you think can am is the best brand of tracked side by sides? Can tracks be added to any side by side?

I dont have much loyalty to a side by side brand, I just happen to own 2 Polaris' and they both are great machines. We have Kawasakis at my plants I manage and they are great machines up in NW Colorado. I think I paid $6000 for my tracks, another $2000 for doors, $500 for front and rear windows and $400 for heater. I dont know what new machines go for, others on the board will know better than I do.

I just saw a tracked jeep in a YouTube reel. Some guy got snowed into a national park and he had to be saved. They sent a jeep with tracks in after him.

When we went hunting in Montana we used Can-Am's with Apache Backcountry Track System.

How about a 2016 Ford Focus RS?

It depends more on the time of year, tires and a winch are probably fine for hunting season, December to May tracks will get you to more places.

Do the tracks work in deep powder?

Texmid said:

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We used to hunt elk in northern New Mexico with a buddy who had a pickup he rigged out for hunting. It was a single cab chevy, four-wheel drive, with a couple inches of lift. For deep snow he had some tires that were 4.5 inches wide with highway tread. No knobs or anything. He could go anywhere. My grandfather had a four-wheel drive suburban with wide knobby tires and we would get stuck. The buddy could drive right around us and pull us out. It was crazy where he could go. His rationale was that the narrow tires broke through the snow instead of mashing it down creating ice.

That truck was sweet. He had a winch on the front and one mounted on the headache rack to pull the elk up into the bed. I don't think I ever saw him get stuck.

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This, this, this^^^^

When I first left Aggieland and came to assume my username up here in the Great White North, had an old local explain it to me when I was questioning his laughably narrow wheels/tires on his truck. You're never going to get "traction" on slick snow and ice in the way that it's commonly understood. Instead, you have to think of it in terms of the total square inches of tire pressing down on the surface. The fewer square inches, the more vehicle weight there is concentrated on those square inches, and that weight "holds" what it touches to a greater extent than if that same weight were distributed over a greater # of square inches, like on a wide tire. I'm sure there are some situational pros and cons to that theory, but it's something you see up here.

Snowaggie, does that work in deep powder?

MagnumLoad said:

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Snowaggie, does that work in deep powder?

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Yes...in theory, your narrow tires are cutting down through the snow and contacting whatever hard surface is underneath, whereas a wide tire might stay up on the snow and get poor traction because of that. Now, a caveat...you need sufficient clearance of course. You start plowing snow with the lowest undercarriage parts and it's game over pretty quick.

Also...reading your original post I see you're talking about off-road. They're a pain to install and remove, but whatever chain system is available these days would be a game-changer. Most normal drivers here don't use them because they can't be used on public roads, but off-road, no question, yes.

Good info. Thank you. I am definitely off road in the winter. Sounds like a dedicated winter vehicle is good. Where I am, I could put on tracks at Thanksgiving, then take them off late April. After 12.5 miles to the highway, it's only 1.5 to town, and often snow on the highway.

Would also be a good investment to get dedicated snow tires, especially if you might have a winter-only truck. Would save the hassle of swapping out tires 2X a year, as it's not recommended to drive your snow tires off season...they'll wear out really quick. Over the years snow tires have gotten pretty high tech...it's not about tread pattern or depth, it's the "stickiness" of the rubber used, and thus the warning not to drive them on a warm or hot summer road.

Local medical care and emergency recovery group just bought this

Deats99 said:

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Local medical care and emergency recovery group just bought this

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That looks snow ready

Depends your definition of deep snow and off road.

In actual deep snow conditions truly off road nothing will beat a snowmobile. Now traveling down snow packed roads that are regularly traveled tracked SxS work ok. The tracks are expensive though and in my experience don't do to well unless on somewhat packed routes.

Our caribou hunting rig in Alaska was a 78 Dodge half ton that was full time 4 wheel drive. It had the slant 6 with a 3 on a tree transmission. Dad would put the transfer case in low range and that little 6 would scream as it pulled us through the snow across the tundra to the foothills of the mountains. It was usually 20 miles out and 20 back. If we did get stuck, we would jack it up with a high lift jack and cut limbs off the fir trees to put under the tires and back it out.

Waterski02 said:

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Depends your definition of deep snow and off road.

In actual deep snow conditions truly off road nothing will beat a snowmobile. Now traveling down snow packed roads that are regularly traveled tracked SxS work ok. The tracks are expensive though and in my experience don't do to well unless on somewhat packed routes.

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Correct. Not entirely sure of the OPs objective, but I use my tracks to get to a few winter cabins and ride around town when we are covered up in the dead of winter. I listed my prices above and I consider my rig a poor boys rig. I know guys with $30K into their sxs rigs in just accessories.

snowaggie said:

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MagnumLoad said:

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Snowaggie, does that work in deep powder?

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Yes...in theory, your narrow tires are cutting down through the snow and contacting whatever hard surface is underneath, whereas a wide tire might stay up on the snow and get poor traction because of that. Now, a caveat...you need sufficient clearance of course. You start plowing snow with the lowest undercarriage parts and it's game over pretty quick.

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This has been my experience in the midwest snowbelt--I can go anywhere until I start plowing with my air dam or undercarriage parts, then its game over and plastic pieces start getting ripped off.

buddy of mine in CO had one of these with a set of track and a plow. that thing could go anywhere!

https://argoxtv.com/vehicles/frontier-650-ho-8x8

I don't think the narrow tires will work in 3 feet of powder. Essentially no bottom. Wide, aggressive tracks seem like they might work. Haven't tried it yet.

MagnumLoad said:

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I don't think the narrow tires will work in 3 feet of powder. Essentially no bottom. Wide, aggressive tracks seem like they might work. Haven't tried it yet.

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Yes...I agree. The narrow tire physics depends upon the tire getting down to the road. Past a certain depth, ain't happenin'. Don't know that any conventional wheeled vehicle is going to work in deep snow unless it's being plowed away.

MagnumLoad said:

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Any vehicle suggestions other than snow mobile? How about tire additions?

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Snowmobile or snowcat is the only real way.

There are two kinds of deep snow. The kind that is on top of a road, but so deep it would high center a vehicle. And the kind of deep snow that is truly off-road. Both require a snowmobile or snowcat.

Now, you do see some tracked UTV's nowadays. Those will work on some amount of deep snow over an actual road (dirt/gravel, etc). But they will not work in "deep" snow off-road. They are still extremely heavy compared to a snowmobile, absolutely will not "float" on top of "deep" snow. They also have four separate tracks which are separated at four different points, so they don't "float" off-road once the snow depth reaches a certain point.

However, packed in deep snow could be driven by a UTV on tracks. A normal automobile would have a very high probability of getting stuck still in packed-in deep snow. Trust me, i've yanked dozens and dozens of people out who immediately say "well I thought since I had a 4x4 it would be fine". And right then, I know I'm dealing with city slickers in the mountains of deep snow, or folks who have never dealt with deep snow.

As a frame of reference, where I'm at in the middle of winter could be 3-7ft of snow over top gravel & dirt roads, any given year. Even in just 3ft of snow a 4x4 truck/jeep etc still get stuck most of the time...even over top an actual road after a storm. Tracked UTV's are usually ok in 3ft over top an actual road, but around 4-5ft they can begin to get stuck. Snowmobiles hardly ever get stuck, and when they do they are MUCH EASIER to get unstuck. Getting UTV's and Automobiles unstuck can ruin your day, depending on how long it takes.

Absolute best option is to own a tractor or bobcat with a high volume snow blower and maintain the main roads you travel after a storm.

All great info. Thank you everyone

MagnumLoad said:

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All great info. Thank you everyone

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Since you are now in the market for a snowmobile I suggest a Polaris rocky mountain king or switchback assault.

For utility checkout some of the skidoo skandic or expedition.

Got 2 sleds in Leadville if you're in the market… not much use for them in Tulum.

What do you have, and how are they running? I know someone who may be in the market. Don't have to be new, since they'll only get used a few weeks out of the year.

2022 Polaris 850 PRO RMK AXYS 155 3"

2023 Polaris 850 RMK KHAOS AXYS 163 3"

How about a Barbie Jeep?