ATV Traction

[FishEnticer]

I have a used atv I picked up 2 yrs ago  Polaris Hawkeye 300  Last year was no problem wth less snow on the lakes, but this year I get buried alot and have to shovel it out. I have studded tires on front and chains on the rear.  With 12" wheels there's not a lot of chassis clearance.  Even with the springs adjusted to the max I have 9 1/2".  I'm wondering if I would be better off without the chains.  They seem to kick the snow out burying the rear tires.  I carry my auger obn an auger caddy on the rear and sometimes removing the weight of the auger and putting it in the sled helps.
Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance
John

[PoolGuy]

Well, if you can offord it get some tracks. You won't be able to go as fast with tracks as you can with tires but you'll have loads of traction.

[800stealth]

I would recommend a lift and aggressive tire. 2" of lift and 27" tire would give you 3-4" under the chassis... it may not sound like much but it would make a huge difference. My Sporstman 800 is at around 19" of ground clearance on a 29" tire and getting through snow 2 feet deep is not a problem. If it's fluffy powder I can get around in headlight deep snow as long as I keep up a little momentum. I don't run chains but I don't really take it on the lakes very often. As far as tracks go, I honestly don't believe the your 300 has enough motor to deal with them, a lightweight 27" tire is about the max she's gonna be able to turn with out getting into clutch mods and motor work. If you want to see some of the best ATV lifts on the market google Rubberdown customs out of Niagra Canada, They've got a killer lift for your Hawkeye.

[Skipper]

People argue with me about this till they are blue in the face. I have a pretty strong opinion on the subject though, so I will say it....

ATV's suck for ice fishing in the snow belt. There, I said it! You will spend more money trying to get an ATV to fight through a moderate amount of snow than you will to buy an older snowmobile and set it up for ice fishing. Snowmobiles are safer and easier to use on bare ice and deep snow. They are less problematic in very cold temperatures,  distribute weight more evenly on sketchy ice, and safer at high speeds.

I bought a brand new Sportsman 500 and stuck a pile of money into tires and chains just to get stuck and not be able to fish in March. I bought a 1991 Polaris Indy 500 in good shape for $300 to use in the deep snow. The $6500 ATV was sold shortly after because I used the clunky old snowmobile full time.

[Silver Scotty]

Unfortunately it seems 1 out of 3 years is no good for quads. I'm in the same boat as you and on those years I just hoof it to where I need to be. All the studs and chains in the world won't help a high center snowpile. But try dragging logs or anything else for the other 3 seasons with a sled. It's a trade off.

[H82LUZ]

I hate to say it but I agree with skipper. Up here a full proof way on the ice is a sled. I hace an 05 King Quad 700 with 27inch tires and 2 inch lift. I can put a 5 gallon bucket under it upright and still wouldn't consider taking the animal out in this stuff. And IT has a 2500lb winch front and rear.

Pat

[FishEnticer]

Thanks for the input guys.  I guess I got to decide which way I want to go.  I love the set up of my atv with the auger caddy and basket on the back.  Makes drilling a piece of cake.   A friend of mine let me use his sled 3 years ago.  Unfortunatly he didn't have a ramp and it turned out to be a pain to load and unload with the right banks.  I also remember not be able to control the steering very well on ice. 
Are there any cons you can think of with a sled vs atv?   

[Skipper]

Downside of the sled is not having a rack to mount stuff on.... any dope with a little time can come up with a solution to that though.



Solutions to cargo space are easy to find too.



Not steering easily easily on ice usually means your carbide runners are shot. Traction aids like studs are a really great thing to have too.

[NHSlabbinCabin]

I've run my atv for several seasons on the ice, it's done great. This year i did run a sled with the deeper snow. It's a tough call if you have to choose either quad or sled. The past few years on Winni have not been great for a snowmobile.

[Nosaj]

Thanks for the input guys.  I guess I got to decide which way I want to go.  I love the set up of my atv with the auger caddy and basket on the back.  Makes drilling a piece of cake.   A friend of mine let me use his sled 3 years ago.  Unfortunatly he didn't have a ramp and it turned out to be a pain to load and unload with the right banks.  I also remember not be able to control the steering very well on ice. 
Are there any cons you can think of with a sled vs atv?   

If you are only looking for an ice fishing rig I would say go with a fan cooled 2up sled.  I went through the debate of wheeler or sled and since I was only ice fishing with it.  I went with the sled.  I found a 01' 2up panther that had been kept in a heated basement so the sled was in good shape except for the blown engine.  New Cylinders and pistons she was ready to go.  I put on new carbides/studded it and found a decent trailer. I have $2,200 in the sled and $250 in the trailer.  Since it is fan cooled you do not need snow for cooling.  You do need some snow to lube the sliders however if you go slow and have studs to make a little snow you are fine even last year which is about as bad as it has been.

I use a stiff hitch and sled to pull my gear and I could not be happier.  The sled has reverse which is also a big bonus and electric start which is nice.

[JIGGIN-]

For lube for your sliders, I use dawn liquid dish soap and mix it with Gliserine (found at CVS or Rite Aid, used to make super bubbles, very slippery and thick) and squirt a little of that on my sliders from time to time when there is no snow. Works great.

[Nosaj]

For lube for your sliders, I use dawn liquid dish soap and mix it with Gliserine (found at CVS or Rite Aid, used to make super bubbles, very slippery and thick) and squirt a little of that on my sliders from time to time when there is no snow. Works great.

Jiggin

I like it....I will definitely be making up some jiggin lube if we are snowless next year.

[StingingLips]

I wouldn't lift and put bigger tires, or put tracks on a 300 in my opinion. those both will put too much strain on the motor and tranny, belt drive. especially the tracks. I have lifted and put 28" mudders on a wheeler before and theres a noticable power/speed loss. and even with the extra inches of ground clearance it still took no time to get it burried in the snow or slush while fishing.