Tracked vehicles

Advantages

• Tracked vehicles are much less likely than wheeled vehicles to get stuck in soft ground, mud or snow, since the tracks distribute the weight of the vehicle over a larger contact area, decreasing its ground pressure. The seventy-ton M1 Abrams tank has an average ground pressure of just over 15 psi (100 kPa). Since tyre air pressure is approximately equal to average ground pressure, a typical car will have an average ground pressure of 28 psi (190 kPa) to 33 psi (230 kPa).
• Tracked vehicles have better mobility over rough terrain than those with wheels: they smooth out the bumps, glide over small obstacles and are capable of crossing trenches or breaks in the terrain. Riding in a fast tracked-vehicle feels just like riding in a boat over heavy swells.
• The larger contact area, coupled with the cleats, or grousers, on the track shoes, allows vastly superior traction that results in a much better ability to push or pull large loads where wheeled vehicles would dig in. Bulldozers, which are most often tracked, use this attribute to rescue other vehicles (such as wheel loaders) which have become stuck in, or sunk into, the ground.
• Tracks cannot be punctured or torn and are more resilient in military combat. Should a track be broken, it often can be repaired immediately using special tools and spare parts, without the need for special facilities; this may be crucial in combat situations.