Homemade Amphibious side by side (aatv) - Page 4

Twisted Canuck · #91 12-22-2020, 06:43 PM

That is coming right along. With low pressure in the tires I'm sure it won't bruise your kidneys, but I'm with Trochu. It's weird seeing axles welded to frame and no suspension.

But I suspect its going to be able to go places.

Greatwest · #92 12-22-2020, 07:06 PM

Cool looking build where do you plan on putting the rad and the air intake and exhaust up high behind the cab?

Blacktail22 · #93 12-22-2020, 09:11 PM

This is so awesome

Positrac · #94 12-22-2020, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greatwest

Cool looking build where do you plan on putting the rad and the air intake and exhaust up high behind the cab?

There is a spot right in front of the motor behind the cab for the rad. I’ve got an aluminum one on order and will use the electric fan out of the first Cavalier. It will draw air in from both sides and blow it out a grill in the back. The exhaust will exit high out the back behind the motor. I have a resonator an muffler going on, so it should be quiet. The air intake will find a home by the rad up high.

wildwoods · #95 12-22-2020, 09:32 PM

cool build. do you have any form of "shop drawing" or something you are mimicking? Would be cool to see your vision on paper. Cheering loudly for you here. This is soooo neat!

Positrac · #96 12-23-2020, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwoods

cool build. do you have any form of "shop drawing" or something you are mimicking? Would be cool to see your vision on paper. Cheering loudly for you here. This is soooo neat!

Sorry Wildwoods, I’ve got nothing.

There are a lot of transaxle buggy’s out there so I know the theory on them is solid. Most sit just behind the driver in a 110” wheelbase rig with both outputs of the transaxle running driveshafts front and rear. They usually run 4.10’s, 4.56’s, 4.88’s or 5.29’s in the diffs and with deeper gears and 42” tires they can climb a wall and gearing is not an issue with a 3.88 transaxle diff. I’m running 51” tires so with a 3.88 transaxle, 1.3 Samurai high range transfer case and 5.29 axle gears I shouldn’t have any issue turning the tires on this buggy. The Ecotec is a low milage unit that ran great when I pulled it. With the stand alone harness, tuned ecm and header it should be pushing 160hp, so power won’t be a problem and the Ecotec’s have a very good reputation.

Running a transfer case is probably not a first in a transaxle buggy but I haven’t found any info out there because in most situations there isn’t a need for one in a transaxle buggy. With tires this big I wanted to keep the buggy as short as possible so at a 96” wheelbase the motor had to sit over the rear axle and only one output could be used and the transfer case was needed. That transfer case is the weak link as far as I can see, especially with the brake attached. It’s light though and all the usual Samurai t-case weak links have been fixed. So I’ll run it and if it blows up I’ll go bigger. Once it’s all done I’m going to beat the heck out of it close to civilization and see what gives. I’d rather find out what the weak link is when close to town that 50km out a cutline.

I also wanted the motor in back to help it climb out of the water. A heavy nose makes for a tough time getting back up a bank when the arse end is still floating. Anyone who has ever ran an Argo has had to back out of the water before and it’s a pain. With the front steering axle being narrowed in combo with the big tires the front frame is only 14” wide so the tires don’t rub at full lock. So a motor wouldn’t fit in the front without going to a full width axle. With the 27” wide tires the buggy is sitting at 8’ wide right now so I didn’t want to go full width at 15” wider. As it is I’ll be limited to cut lines as it won’t fit down skinny trails.

Positrac · #97 02-28-2021, 09:02 PM

Still at it. It’s not like all those car shows on tv where the cameras turn off and 40 Mexicans come out and do all the work to get it done in 3 weeks.

I finished the front axle my last days off with mounting the hyd ram and getting the tie-rods done. The steering is all behind the axle and up out of the way where it can’t get hit. The hy-steer arms have the perfect Ackerman angle built in for the 96 inch wheelbase. Hooked up to air it turns awesome. Fully locked, the inside tire turns steeper than the outside, so going to the effort to get the proper Ackerman angle on the arms should help it grab and resist pushing straight forward.

I’ve got a ton of time and a bit of money just into that front axle. It’s a Ford Kingpin Dana 60. It’s been narrowed from 69 inch wheel surface to wheel surface to 54-1/2” ws to ws. All new guts including selectable Ox locker and 5.29 gears. The 1-1/4” 30 spline shafts were replaced with new inner and outer 1-1/2” 35 spline 300M cryogenic shafts from Dutchman. Reid racing knuckles, Yukon drive flanges, custom by-steer arms with spring delete, etc...

50k out in the middle of Muskeg country and I didn’t want to have to worry about the corners I cut...

RandyBoBandy · #98 02-28-2021, 09:09 PM

^^^ INCREDIBLE work !!!!

EZM · #99 02-28-2021, 09:45 PM

Built like a tank ......... almost as heavy too I bet - you will have a hard time breaking this thing.

Very nice work .... keep us posted, this is an awesome thread.

Trochu · #**100** 02-28-2021, 09:46 PM

Looking good.

Nice thing about the solid axle is you just have to figure out Ackermann, King Pin is built in. Guess it depends on how custom you went.

-JR- · #**101** 02-28-2021, 10:19 PM

Am i missing something in the picture ..... like suspension !

If one tire hits a stump your going to feel it .
Even if you have soft tires .

HyperMOA · #**102** 02-28-2021, 10:55 PM

Looks awesome positrac.

wildwoods · #**103** 02-28-2021, 11:48 PM

Can eat off the floor in there! Looks great man!

Grizzly Adams · #**104** 03-01-2021, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EZM

Built like a tank ......... almost as heavy too I bet - you will have a hard time breaking this thing.

Very nice work .... keep us posted, this is an awesome thread.

Reminds me of this, didn't go well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedaux_expedition

Grizz

Ackleyman · #**105** 03-01-2021, 10:08 AM

What a superb fabrication !
My only 0.2 is the winch thing. Most of my close to 70 years was spent working in the bush. Buggies , Nodwells , Bombadiers , Argo's , Quads.....you name it. 4000 lb winches are toys, barely enough for tightly stuck quads and SxS's. People burn them up all the time . I know money doesn't grow on tree's but I would go with a couple of WARN 9-12 k's..?? and snatch blocks mininum

Sooner · #**106** 03-01-2021, 10:15 AM

Loving this thread. So looking forward to the first video's of it in use. Awesome build so far.

Big Grey Wolf · #**107** 03-01-2021, 10:19 AM

Snatch block makes a 4000 lb winch into a 8000 lb one. Only time you may be overloaded when winching out of sticky gumbo and up a major slope. The tires pulling at the same time will also spread the load.

Ackleyman · #**108** 03-01-2021, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Snatch block makes a 4000 lb winch into a 8000 lb one. Only time you may be overloaded when winching out of sticky gumbo and up a major slope. The tires pulling at the same time will also spread the load.

And those places are where you REALLY need a good winch. I know how a snatch block works and i know small winches on bigger units....junk. When you use a snatch block,,,double line back to unit and start winching you may have noticed that you also have close to half the drum speed.........and if your stuck bad with lots of cable out the dink winches really heat up. If i'm going back 50 km in the bush thru bog holes and tough terrain in a buggy that size I'm using a winch that has some power and drum size so you actually hook onto a tree that is further then 20' away.
But to each his own.

Positrac · #**109** 03-03-2021, 05:32 PM

The bigger winch is a valid argument. I’m not going to run out and buy one at the moment just because I have new 4,500lb and 4,000lb winches sitting on the shelf, plus a gas powered Honda capstan winch, but if I find I need bigger then I’ll get one.

As it sits today. The angled portion of the front wheel wells are both done, which was more work than I thought it would be. A little filler and once the Raptor Liner is applied they should look good in the cab and they are solid, so I won’t need to worry about a branch getting Joe-poked into the cab and ruining my day...

Trochu · #**110** 03-03-2021, 05:58 PM

That looks awesome, well done!

Ackleyman · #**111** 03-04-2021, 11:41 AM

Man that's looking good !
was wondering about the tires ? are they a heavier ply with tough sidewalls ? is carrying a spare out of the question due to weight and available space to mount one ?? I've had an elk antler thru a buggy tire a few times..

58thecat · #**112** 03-04-2021, 11:51 AM

keep at it...awesome...as with anything you will work the kinks out of it running it in the bush...some mods will be made along the way!!!

Positrac · #**113** 03-04-2021, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58thecat

keep at it...awesome...as with anything you will work the kinks out of it running it in the bush...some mods will be made along the way!!!

This is the truth right here. I’ve put a ton of planning into it, a couple years worth before I started building, but at some point you just need to build it and then work out the issues when the arise. Paralysis by analysts.

Im a member on a Russian forum where everything to do with these buggy’s is talked about in detail. There are as many differing opinions as there are ways to build something.

I’ve taken all the attributes I like and have combined them into what I think will work for where I want to go. To get into some fabulous moose hunting I only need to go a bit further than the last sxs or quad can make it.

I’m sure there will be some improvements after the initial build is done.

Positrac · #**114** 03-04-2021, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ackleyman

Man that's looking good !
was wondering about the tires ? are they a heavier ply with tough sidewalls ? is carrying a spare out of the question due to weight and available space to mount one ?? I've had an elk antler thru a buggy tire a few times..

They are only 2-ply tires. I’ve seen videos of 3,500# vehicles riding up on top of 1” alders cut on a 45. They may only be 2-plys but they are pretty thick and seem to stand up well to abuse. 3/4’s the buggies running around northern Russia are running them.

Albertadiver · #**115** 03-04-2021, 03:27 PM

Very cool. Just make sure she'll fit through the overhead door!

EZM · #**116** 03-04-2021, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Very cool. Just make sure she'll fit through the overhead door!

Yeah, in the second picture it certainly looks like it may not, but a quick deflate of the tires may help.

But when you look at the first pic .... looks to be below that height so he might be OK.

I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time that's happened !!!!

Positrac · #**117** 03-04-2021, 06:49 PM

With the tires aired down to 2 psi and the door pulled all the way up it clears by a couple inches.

Positrac · #**118** 03-31-2021, 06:04 PM

That’s it for another set of days off. Slowly coming...

Albertadiver · #**119** 03-31-2021, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Positrac

With the tires aired down to 2 psi and the door pulled all the way up it clears by a couple inches.

Two thumbs up!!

Howard Hutchinson · #**120** 03-31-2021, 07:41 PM

I too an watching as this moves along for you. This fella looks darned beefy, Not much room at all for debris, sticks and stuff to get in from underneath.

I now know where all my talent went, you stole it, Posi!

Very cool!!