Well, I'm pretty happy with the Dune Hoppers. I got the 22" size and they performed well for me. On my trip to St. Anthony I was able to easily make it up Chokecherry when many other machines couldn't. To me that's a good test. I doubt they have the bite of the Haulers but I can't really tell a difference between these and my 10 paddle Haulers.

 

I have Sand Devils that i recent bought, and I love them. I use them at Silver Lake in Michigan, and these tires hook up nice. It just depends on how often you go and how fast you want to go.

 

I have a set of 10 paddle 20" xtreme haulers on 10" wheels and I couldnt be happier. I have seen a lot of sand tires come and go, but when i ride up the sandhill on my extremes, everyone watches, and my quad is only stock. I have convinced 4 people I know to change to xtremes, and they all thank me everytime I see them. The extra money is easily worth it, even for a stock quad.

 

I had traction problems with every tire out there but skat-track the other problem was
i would get down in the tree shots and when I would clutch into 2 gear for instant power
i would spin the tire on the wheel, hence from the beads of molded tires not being as strong
as those of bonded tires, to remedey this we put tubes in the molded tires.... all I did then was cut
the stems out of the tubes.. so finnals as a last ditch effort and an Idea from a guy that used to race
dirt track cars we drilled a set of wheels and put sheet metal screws through the beads of the wheels
into the tires... first ride down a tree shot.. cut the sides of both tires out... Haulers are the ONLY way
to go with bikes with alot of HP and tire spin...

 

I say this agains and again, the weight of the rear tire means a lot more than you think. I have with dune hoppers that sold them instantly because my raptor was walking over their banshees. Personally I like to run Sand Tires Unlimited, Padla Brats. They are rare, but the best all around sand tire in my opinion. Ive been duning my whole life. I was out there on my dads back at 2 years old. Ive been through many tires. Stak traks are considered cheap to me. The STU's are a bit more pricey. And why every place carries the Sand Skate II i dont know. The sand skate 1 is a way better tire. If you want all drag then that depends on location. The sand is different in in different places. I do have a pair of pro-wedge's though. \

And i jsut looked at some gecko's, They are worthless. The tire was heavier than both my tires on rims. Thats stupid. If i had to use those i would have ot go off on them with a groover. The real cheap paddles are sometimes not as good as your stock tires in the sand. Might as well save your money and drop your knobbies down to 3lbs.

 

Keep in mind there are more then just 1 type of hauler. I have a set of 10 paddle haulers that are the standard hauler, the tire doesnt balloon out at all. Then i have our 9 and 10 paddle ultra buff haulers. They dig a lot harder and are extremely aggressive tires. So keep in mind not all "hauler's" are the same. Ill try and put some pics up for you guys, if you'd like.

 

Good point you make about the Haulers not being the same. Also rim size has alot to do with weight as well.

Comparrison: my 20x10x10, 10 paddle extremes are about 2-3lbs (just a guess but maybe more) heavier than 21x11x8, 10 paddle haulers. I know thats almost an apple to orange comparison but...