Something a bit different than your average thread on here I thought I’d share and update as I go along an amphibious all-terrain vehicle build I’ve been planning for the last few years. Planning is probably an understatement. I’ve spent hundreds of hours obsessively watching YouTube videos of those clever Russians and their big-tyred or tracked buggies going over all sorts of terrain and through swamps that would make your average Argo cringe. My wife thinks I have a real issue. Truth be told I probably have several issues, I’m just pretty good a hiding most of them from her better than I have this one...
So, why an aatv? The need came about from living in Fort McMurray. There’s a million miles of cut lines up here but very little in the way of roads. You can’t go more than a mile in any direction without hitting a Muskeg hole or Beaver pond. I’ve had a couple Argos over the years and while they can get you off the beaten path they are not the most comfortable mode of travel. Add to that fact they still get stuck pretty easy even with tracks and they are very high maintenance. I also went the jet boat way for the last 5 years and while I did enjoy getting on the water it didn’t get you away from people. Lots of disposable income up here and every second house seems to have a jet boat in the driveway. So, I needed something different that not everyone had where I could get out where the critters roam free with not much worry from man.
I originally thought of building a buggy similar to the skid steer Sherp but with slightly less tall tires. Less tall being 52” tall as opposed to the 63” tall tires on the Sherp. Then I had the pleasure of driving one. While they are a very capable machine the herky-jerky skid steering brought back unfavourable memories of all the hours I’ve spent in an Argo. Plus, the drivetrain is pretty complicated and once things start to get a few hours on them I can see the maintenance being very similar to an Argo but with the added bonus of being super expensive. I suppose though, if you can afford the $140,000 price tag of a Sherp the maintenance costs probably don’t matter much to you...
So, my plan is to build a conventional sxs style buggy with a front steering axle. It will be a complete custom with a front Dana60 Kingpin steer axle and another full floater D60 out back. 4:88 gears with Detroit lockers in both axles. Full hydro-steering. Mid mounted 4-cyl Ecotec with an automatic transaxle with a welded center differential turned 90 degrees from the way it sits stock in the 130,000 kilometer Cavalier it’s coming out of. Front driveshaft going to a Samurai divorced transfer case although I don’t think I’ll need the low gear all that often with the transaxle having a low first gear. No brakes on the axles but I’ll have one on each side of the transfer case up high and out of the slop. Steel square tube frame and all aluminum body. No suspension since the tires will soak up the bumps and I’m hoping to keep it under 2,500lbs all done so that it floats high in the water.
Below are the tires with 21” double beadlock wheels leaning up against my Powerwagon on 35’s. With 9 psi in them they measure out at 52” dia x 27” wide. They are rated for 1-11 psi max. While not being as tall as the ones on the Sherp they are actually 3 inches wider so they provide a huge footprint when aired down. I had them imported from Russia through Stone Tusk Off Road in Thorsby after being put on to Stone Tusk by a couple members on here in another thread I started when I was originally looking for tires.
Since buying the tires a couple months ago I’ve just been digging up parts and equipment for the build. I bought a 2003 Cavalier with low kilometers. It has the 2.2L Ecotec motor with auto transaxle. I also managed to find a couple Dana 60’s with the front Kingpin model being from an ‘89 Ford 1-ton and the rear from a ‘79 3/4 ton. Different widths but that will be rectified since I’m going to narrow the front by 12 inches and then make the rear to match. On top of that I’ve bought grinders, a cut-off saw, a porta-band saw, a new to me Millermatic 211 mig welder with spool gun, new Optel auto-darkening helmet, engine lift, etc, etc, etc...
The plan is to try and have it done by next summer so that the bugs will be worked out by hunting season. I purposely didn’t pull an early season moose draw this year so that I’ll have a tag for next year when the buggy is done. Like I mentioned above, I’ll update the thread as work is done. I’ve been a member on 4x4 Wire and Pirate 4x4 for years and these build threads have always been my favorite. Since I spend most my time on here these days I thought I’d document the build on here instead of a more conventional 4x4 site since I’m sure there will be a few of you that find it interesting.
Hope you all enjoy,
Positrac
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Homemade Amphibious side by side (aatv)
Threaded Mode
