Interview - Land Tamer Amphibious ATVs
I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with Patrick Miller of PFM Manufacturing Inc. They are the manufacturer of hydrostatic drive 6x6 and 8x8 Remote Access Vehicles (RAVs) that we know as Land Tamer. Let's dive right into the interview:
Mike: What was your first experience with an amphibious ATV or any other amphibious vehicle?
Patrick: I had no experience with any other amphibious vehicles prior to building the Land Tamer RAV. I was a mechanical engineer and did not want any preconceived notion of how to design the Land Tamer. I just knew how I wanted the vehicle to perform and set out to design and build a prototype. As it turned out, the prototype performed better than I hoped for and it was apparent it could sell in the market place.
Mike: What was your inspiration for creating the Land Tamer RAV?
Patrick: The goal was to build one vehicle that could do it all. It needed to go in water, land, and snow so that one vehicle could do it all without the need for an ATV, a boat or a snowmobile each sitting idle for 9 months out of the year when not in use. We eventually added a 3 point hitch system and that added another new dimension to the versatility of the vehicle which allowed it to be now used as a tractor that could accept any Category 1, 3 point hitch attachments.
Mike: Tell us little about the facility where Land Tamer RAVs are manufactured. Where are you located? How many employees do you have? How many units do you produce a year? What is your typical time frame for completing a RAV from start to finish?
Patrick: Our manufacturing facility is located in Townsend, MT. We currently have 7 employees and are expanding as we develop our market. We currently have the capability to build around 50 vehicles per year from our present facility and are presently in the planning stages for a new modern production facility which will allow much increased production capabilities. The typical time frame for completion of a Land Tamer is 4-8 weeks.
Mike: What are the core competencies of Land Tamer and have those changed over the past 10 years? If so, how?
Patrick: Our company started building the first Land Tamer vehicle in 1998 with one person designing, building and marketing the vehicle. Since then we have grown to 7 employees, which include 2 employees with mechanical engineering degrees, 1 employee with a business degree and several other talented production employees.
Mike: What is your target market for the Land Tamer RAVs?
Patrick: We have decided that there are many lower quality recreational type single use vehicles on the market already. So we decided that our market will be the commercial and government agency markets where multi-use versatile professional grade vehicles are needed.
Mike: Other than your website and some viral videos such as those posted on Youtube, what other ways do you actively market Land Tamer?
Patrick: We target several trade shows where our vehicle is proven to be the best vehicle for that application.
Mike: With the great exposure that Land Tamer gained on the Discovery Channel show “Future Weapons” did you experience a large increase in interest for your RAV?
Patrick: It’s hard to say how much directly related sales came from the Future Weapons clip. However, I think it is safe to say that it gave our vehicle the credibility it deserves to be considered for this military application.
Mike: Who do you feel is your closest competition?
Patrick: We really don’t see any competition for an American made commercial grade amphibious vehicle that matches the Land Tamer’s capabilities.
Mike: Have you considered manufacturing a smaller version of the Land Tamer RAVs strictly for recreational use?
Patrick: At this time, we feel that there are already enough recreational type vehicles available. Why try to compete with those companies with our vehicle. The Land Tamer would be on the high end of the quality and price scale when compared to those recreational vehicles. Most recreational customers do not need a vehicle with the superior capabilities and versatility as the Land Tamer RAV and may select a cheaper single use ATV or the like.
Mike: Your market seems slightly different than most other AATV manufacturers in the sense that you target a more commercial, and governmental use. How has your market changed (if any) over the past few years and where do you feel it is headed?
Patrick: Our market continues to grow and our customers realize there is a better alternative than the typical recreational vehicles to do their field work that needs to be done on a daily basis.
Mike: Patrick, on behalf of everyone at 6x6 World, I want to thank you personally for taking the time to answer these questions and give us a better look at Land Tamer RAVs!
