Go Anywhere Traction System

Go Anywhere Traction System COMBINES Traction Devices 9-1-6 If you've been looking for extra add-on traction for your combine or tractor you'll want to look at Martintraction, a rubber-coated track system that bolts onto tractors, combines and trucks like a spare tire. FARM SHOW first reported on Martintraction tracks over six years ago soon after they were developed in Canada. After the Canadian firm was disbanded, manufacturing rights were picked up by a Florida firm which has been testing and developing the tracks for the past three years. They've just begun production at their new plant in Albany, Ga., and are shipping tracks to farmers. Martintraction uses steel-reinforced rubber modules in place of the steel grousers found on most tracks. With adapter plates they'll fit virtually any vehicle, such as combines, tractors, snowblowers, trucks, fertilizer spreaders, and so on. The track assembly simply slips onto the axle and can be removed at any time and the wheel reinstalled. The tracks are driven by a large central gear and supported by eight rubber-coated bogey wheels. "The combination of the rubber track and rubber bogey wheels makes for a super quiet ride with less vibration and more stability," says Hank Ash, president of Martintraction of America, Inc., the manufacturer. He notes that unlike steel tracks, Martin tracks can be driven down the road with a ride as good or better than conventional wheels, traveling at speeds up to 40 mph. "They'll support up to a 20-ton machine and reduce compaction by at least 80%." Each rubber cleat in the track is 6 in. wide and there are four rows of modules. The track is self-cleaning, with modules staggered to overlap at articulation points. During testing at research centers around the country, including the National Tillage Laboratory in Auburn, Alabama, the tracks have been shown to have better traction then steel tracks under all conditions except in very hard ground, where the ability of steel grousers to dig in seems to help. "The tracks grip more like a tire, with the gaps between the modules acting like tire tread. They're not so aggressive as grousers, which tend to, chew up the ground, particularly in very wet, soft ground," says Ash. Ash also points out that the track has a flexible frame that'll flex up over obstacles while leaving the majority of the track on the ground. If you run over a 6-in. dia. rock, for example, the track flexes as the rock passes underneath, while the rest of the track remains on the ground. Each track assembly weighs 2,600 lbs. and measures 65 in. long and 27 in. wide. Ash says the tracks use standard parts throughout, including the Timken roller bearings and bogey wheels, making it field serviceable with parts available from most farm implement dealers. A pair of Martintraction tracks sells for $11,665. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Martintraction of America, Inc., 1701 North Congress St., New Port Richey, Fla. 33552 (ph 813 845-0466).

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