ATV tracks or a used sled ?

[Beebs]

Have an ATV that I havent been able to use this year because of the snow depth. ATV tracks cost 3500-4k, are they worth it ? For that  kind of money i was thinking just buy a used sled. Any thoughts ? I'm 60 and bought the ATV so i wouldnt have to drag & trudge thru the snow. Hence havent fished in a month !

[fisherhawk55]

My friend has tracks on his and it works awesome depends on what size atv cc you have for power

[Mr.Harry]

If it were me I'd buy the sled. No idea about about the tracks. Could be best thing ever, but you can get alot of used sled for 3 to 4 thou. Why not have best of both worlds.

[fishingPole]

I'm your age, I bought an older, but reliable small 93 Polaris sled and trailer for $1200.  Fits the bill just right without spending a lot of money.

[wmhunts]

get a sled make sure it has electric start and reverse. Id love to hav a sidebyside with tracks but that's like 15grand

[pocrain]

I have an atv with an older track system and it is great!!! Will go in the deepest snow with ease. Have a 5' plow and plowed with it for years. Bought the atv in 99 and the tracks a couple years later. If you are not familiar with track systems I can't imagine you can understand what they are capable of. I also have 2 snowmachines one of which I bought brand new and doesn't get used since trail riding got old. An atv with tracks is a year round workhorse. Have had mine for a decade and a half and is irreplaceable. Love to ice fish and the tracks make it easy any time the ice is safe enough for atv traffic. Always drags my large hardside reliably. This is my opinion, and my track system can be adapted to any atv that I might replace mine with but can't imagine parting with my tracks ever. No snow drift is ever to deep for atv travel because tracks ride up over drifts and keep on going. Snow depth is not considered.

[gamefisher]

The atv's with tracks seem to do fine in just snow but add the slush factor and you are in for trouble due to their weight and then hanging them up on the frame.  I say a good used long track sled will serve you best since you already have a wheeler for bare ice.

[DU4LIFE]

get a sled make sure it has electric start and reverse. Id love to hav a sidebyside with tracks but that's like 15grand

X2

You can find a 10 or  even 15 year old sled with around 2000 miles for around $1500. give or take. These are the ones to grab. Plenty of life left in them. Be prepared to pay asking price or close to it.

Although the market is saturated with snowmobiles right now the time to get the best deal is in the summer.

There are good deals to be had on snowmobiles in states that don't see much snow . Used snowmobile prices seem to be a little high in NH .

[green shack]

My friend has tracks goes way better in all conditions compared to a sled.  He also has sleds, since he got the tracks the kids use the sleds.  He recently went over a ten foot snow bank to get on the lake.  It is an animal in the slush.  They are wicked expensive you can buy a few older sleds for the price.

[NHTROUTNUT]

  This is what I use for fishing works great pulling the hard side .The bad thing is snow mobile clubs don't  want you on the trails .

[6wheels]

Get yourself a used utility sled like a skandic wide track. You can get a good one for the same price range as atv tracks and the snowmobile will take you ice fishing no matter what the conditions

[Beebs]

Thanks for all the reply's. We got 50/50 either way, Will look into both at the end of the season. Not many reports from Winny. I assume the snow is still deep for most of us. Been plowing and in a loader for 3 weeks straight. Its beyond getting old. Time to walk 10' and drill a hole and wish for the best !

[pocrain]

I know I have already posted but here goes. The folks that have first hand experience with tracked atvs are pro atv for a reason. I don't wonder if a snowmachine can pull equal to a tracked atv because I own both and have had them for years. I only take the atv fishing hardwater for good reason. And yes I enjoy snowmobiling, and mine are not for sale, they just don't go fishing.

[NHGunowner]

A couple notes I have. Sleds are not intended to pull heavy loads. If you have a hardside you want to pull you want tracks, hands down. My buddy has tracks on his Honda and pulling power is impressive.  Derby weekend this year he was pulling out other quads and trucks, even full size HD trucks, all weekend. He tells me he has better pulling traction on any depth snow than he would with tires on hardpack or pavement in summer. There's is one issue with his setup and that he is push button shift. The delay in shifts the quad can almost come to a stop in the first few gears making it hard to get up to speed. This is an observation a few people have made, fully automatic/ cvt quads are best with tracks.
Also a consideration is that they greatly reduce the gear ratio, and top speed. Its the trade off for the torque. So if there is not snow on the ice, you are sacrificing speed for nothing.
I have decided I will be buying tracks at some point. I have a Can Am Outlander 1000. Plenty of power, cvt, power steering, and speed reduction isn't an issue due to the crazy top speed. I have a hardside to pull and another big factor, I really don't want another machine to maintain,  store, register, etc.

[Arctic Addict]

6wheels is right on point with the skantic.  If you're towing a hard side, then get a utility model.  A utility snowmobile (skantic wt, tundra, bearcat or even an alpine) are designed for pulling HEAVY loads.  I pulled my wheel house 3 miles across the lake just fine by snowmobile.  I have yet to see a utility ATV go good in deep slush.

[Roccus]

 as an ATV owner( and former snow go owner) I concur with what is all being said here... the utility Snow go is the way to go... I can't use/own one because of my storage situation... I'd put tracks on my Polaris Sportman but then I'd have to get a trailer... I only have room for one and it stores a 2300lb boat... MY 570 is a beast with v bar chains and studs on the front tires... it'll go through just about anything if the wheels can touch anything solid...  but even a minimal amount of slush will drop it lake a bad habit...

[joefishmore]

ATVs with tracks are getting stuck in the slush on Sebago Lake here in Maine.