Amphibious Kettenkrad

[Bw6]

Well this has been a L O N G winter for me, so as I wait for spring I have been viewing last June's project and thought I would post a short video that I just edited, and uploaded to Youtube. This project would have been completed by now but I was side tracked building some infra-structure for a new AATV campground in Ontario.

Named the "Amphibious Kettenkrad" (tracked motorcycle). The "Kettenkrad" became famous during WWII, build by the Germans it was multifunctional and several 1,000's were build and some restored vehicles exist today. Just Google "Kettenkrad" and you will see many videos of this vehicle.

Anyway the original "Kettenkrad" wasn't amphibious, so I thought I would design an amphibious version. This project is only about 80% complete. The completed vehicle will have a set of lightweight swimming tracks. For winter use the front wheel will have a "wheel penetration ski" There are NO CHAINS, (I hate chains) Top speed is around 40 mph.

[jeffery9076]

sweet:can not wait till its done

[Noel Woods]

Herr Bw6:
Sehr intelligent! As the Germans would say.
As a young 2nd Lt years ago, I worked an assignment at the Patton Museum at Ft Knox. There were several functional Ketts there, I drove one in a Veterans Day Parade. I was overwhelmed at the parade stop by people that wanted to know about the machine. I always found them fascinating. The interlevelled road wheels on the tracks made for a ride comparable to a UTV today, at least the lesser ones.
Tells us more about the drivetrain. I agree with the chain drive issue, I've always felt that a transmission/diff driving a set of sprockets, which turned tracks around idlers and return bogeys, a bullet proof system.

[LarryW]

That is cool!!!

[Mike]

There are some wild creations coming out of London and all of them are very cool. I can't wait to see it in the water.

[Bw6]

Thanks Guys, for the comments. I wasn't sure how it would be received on the forum, it is different, but I always liked the Kettenkrad design. The more I studied it, the more fascinated I became, I'll post a few of my favorite videos so members can see it in action.

My version is totally different from the original. It's lighter, less hp, different drive train, different tracks, amphibious, single speed, automatic, and wider, but it is very similar in how it handles. Like the original when the handlebars are turned to lock it skid steers via a (lockable) differential housed in a transaxle. The original was a front wheel drive, mine is a rear wheel drive. Basically the special tracks I've designed will replace the chains, the rear axle is the only one driven, the others are idlers. It has 31 hp. and a suspension seat. For water travel it will be propelled by the special track design, if I want/need more speed it has an auxiliary output shaft stepped up to 4:1 to drive a single prop. Steering would be accomplished via the front wheel (no spokes) that will act as a rudder.

Herr Bw6:
Sehr intelligent! As the Germans would say.
As a young 2nd Lt years ago, I worked an assignment at the Patton Museum at Ft Knox. There were several functional Ketts there, I drove one in a Veterans Day Parade. I was overwhelmed at the parade stop by people that wanted to know about the machine. I always found them fascinating. The interlevelled road wheels on the tracks made for a ride comparable to a UTV today, at least the lesser ones.
Tells us more about the drivetrain. I agree with the chain drive issue, I've always felt that a transmission/diff driving a set of sprockets, which turned tracks around idlers and return bogeys, a bullet proof system.

Hi Noel, Boy you sure are lucky to have actually driven a Kett, they sure are an "attention whore". I'm not sure how my will ride compared to the original, but one thing I noticed that with the front suspension it takes a lot of the bounce away, that one normally experences driving most AATV's. The other thing is how quiet it is with no chains/sprockets etc, it sure is a pleasure to drive, and quite fast! It's also nice not to have to skid steer for every little turn, the handling is very precise. I also have the option of driving the front wheel, but will wait to see if I really need it. The rear has 30" tires, the middle 30" tires (raised up 1"), and the front has 22" tires. The reason for this is to lift up the track as it moves to the front, making it easier to turn, and have more steering authority for the front wheel. It will also allow me to climb over large obstacles. However all is not proven yet, that's the problem with original design, you don't know what you have until your almost finished!

[6X6]

BW6. I don't know HOW I missed this thread before, but that is a very cool machine. If there are two vehicles in the world I have always wanted, it's the Unimog and the Kettenkraftrad (Kettenkrad). (Got the Mog, but the Kettenkraftrad is a touch rarer, I'll have to wait a while I'm sure) I'm sure you can tell why I have gotten so into 6x6s. I LOVE unique but capable machines, and all 3 fit the bill. While people talk about them being designed as throw-away they were very well built machines, and from what I hear were coveted machines to capture by the Allies. Judging by your work this will be well built too. Hope to see what you do with this machine soon.

[Bw6]

BW6. I don't know HOW I missed this thread before, but that is a very cool machine. If there are two vehicles in the world I have always wanted, it's the Unimog and the Kettenkraftrad (Kettenkrad). (Got the Mog, but the Kettenkraftrad is a touch rarer, I'll have to wait a while I'm sure) I'm sure you can tell why I have gotten so into 6x6s. I LOVE unique but capable machines, and all 3 fit the bill. While people talk about them being designed as throw-away they were very well built machines, and from what I hear were coveted machines to capture by the Allies. Judging by your work this will be well built too. Hope to see what you do with this machine soon.

6x6, Thanks for responding to the thread. Your right about the Allies, especially the USA capturing the Kettenkrad and taking it back to reverse engineer it, test and evaluate this unique machine. The track design was especially interesting, in that it was totally rebuildable. Even today fully restored Ketts are allowed on the streets in Europe, with the same rights as automobiles. Having 6 speeds forward, (3 speed box with high/low range) gave it a tremendous range. For really rough terrain the front wheel could be removed. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the Kett is so widely known.

Regarding my version, I'm very anxious to get back on this project to discover it's strenght's and weaknesses. I've tried to plan for solutions to potential issues, but only testing can reveal design flaws. Stay tuned as I move ahead with this project.

Here is a video of one of the many factories that assemblied the Kettenkrad.

[6X6]

It would be cool if you could set yours up so the front wheel would flip up like the Ket's did for bad mud .
When I first started looking into them I was amazed to find that each track had re-buildable and greaseable needle bearings supporting each track pad's pin. I can't imagine going over and greasing all those little guys, but they were built good for sure. I've found a few for sale over the years, but price was quite prohibitive, (none recently but not aggressively looking either). Now I couldn't afford to sit on one.

[Bw6]

It would be cool if you could set yours up so the front wheel would flip up like the Ket's did for bad mud .
When I first started looking into them I was amazed to find that each track had re-buildable and greaseable needle bearings supporting each track pad's pin. I can't imagine going over and greasing all those little guys, but they were built good for sure. I've found a few for sale over the years, but price was quite prohibitive, (none recently but not aggressively looking either). Now I couldn't afford to sit on one.

Yes, they are pricey, if I won the Lottery, it would be in my bucket list.

Regarding your thoughts of lifting up the front wheel for bad mud etc., I'm attaching a few pics that illustrates my approach to really bad terrain. I mocked up a few ideas, to drive the front. All these are mechanically driven, but I could do it with one wheel using a hydraulic motor, but I don't think I will need it.