Help my Mudd-Ox sunk!

[kmac]

I need some help fast. After waiting over year for a mudd-ox after it was recommended by some folks on this site, my mudd-ox was finally delivered today. I bought two for a project that i am managing in Jamaica. One came with an aluminium cab and a 9.9 outboard but both was shipped sans the tracks, and the second was shipped without any of the accessories I had ordered. I wanted to test before taking it on a crocodile infested river. So i drove it on a beach in front of a house that I am renting. As it hit the water it just started taking on water, sunk and flipped sideways. I tried using the bilge pump but that eventually died. We used the second mudd-ox to drag it out of the water, but eventually the winch on the second ox died. The tires are locked and if they can run free we would be able to tow the thing home. Any suggestions? Can i remove the chains? or even slacken them? Pictures and more to come. I am very upset because matt had mentioned that it was unstable in water when he tested it and he attributed the lengthy delay to the fact that he was putting on a wider body so that it could float better. I am sure that he didn't do that and i am just glad they didn't come with the tracks and sank in the croc infested river. I have given up calling matt, he only seems to respond to text messages. But my phone died. I need some help pronto and to figure out a way forward (how to get the ox going again). But i am going to eventually throw away the aluminium top.
Any help or suggestions are welcomed!

Kurt

[trebmaster]

i believe mud ox is driven by a single hydrolic motor so if you remove the chain from that point all the wheels should spin free togeather

[smokeeter]

You can tow it forward with the levers pushed forward, I did it with mine last spring. you won't beat any land speed records but you can get it mobile. steering will be a bit of a chore so straight ahead, at least you can pull it up onto a trailer where you can take it to work on.

[kmac]

Thanks for the advice. I tried pushing the levers forward, but it didn't work. The tires aren't turning. I found the link on the other chain attached to the motor. I'll have to take off the chain and hope that the tires spin.

[smokeeter]

Thanks for the advice. I tried pushing the levers forward, but it didn't work. The tires aren't turning. I found the link on the other chain attached to the motor. I'll have to take off the chain and hope that the tires spin.

With the levers forward the wheels will not rotate freely as a neutral setting but they will rotate, you will need another vehicle or winch to move it and won't be able to push it by hand because of the weight of the machine and resistance of the hydraulic motors. With the levers in the center or neutral position the wheels will be locked.
I had to move my ox when I had a stripped coupler and I experienced this first hand,I broke the winch cable trying it with the levers in the center and with directions from Matt he advised me to hold the levers forward and I was able to tow the machine forward and load it onto my trailer. There aren't any bypass valves on my unit,but I don't know if the newest versions have any installed ( I doubt they do ,although they would be a good feature but added expense).

[mudbug3]

When I owned 2010 Mudd-Ox I did'nt see any bypass valves on the wheel motors. I was told that my Mudd-Ox had some ,but I could'nt see any.

[Bazooo guy]

The pressure relief could be internal and preset with no adjustment.
Pushing the sticks forward opens the valves but it wont roll easy.

[kmac]

Thanks for all the suggestions. The hand brakes were clamped on so i had to release them first. I went for the chain link after and got them off. But they doubled back on themselves so more problems. We managed to free the wheels so all is well. We drew a curious crowd; not the kind of stuff i wanted. I wish I was told all of this (about the ox taking on water easy) because i opted for an argo, but i really wanted a diesel and was afraid of the chains . We had the safari rack, the aluminium cab and a 9.9 hp yamaha outboard motor, plus two full sized males (6' and 6'2"). I think it just could not handle the weight. It was a clam day, no crazy water entry angles, we just drove into the sea from the beach and the ox just pitched left and started taking on water. Before we knew it, it was underwater and i was in the cab. Had swim out. Again Mattsaid it was unstable in the water and he said he was making a wider body for it to float much better. He said that he completed it. So i guess he didn't do squat if on its maiden voyage the ox was like titanic.

I need to find out what to do now, seeing that the ox was completely submerged. Is there any hope for the engine or the electronics?

[azz7772]

hi there it will have two hydraulic pumps in tandem and they should have a valve on the top of each one that you can use a small crescent wrench to give them a quarter turn that will put the hydraulic system into free flow so you can tow it. If it does just have one pump then there will be just one valve

[oldbogger]

Hellow kmac I work with a lot of hydrow powered equipment . not up on your units setup but if the hydralic motors are easly accessible just make up a loop hyd line that u hook up between the 2 lines at your hyd motor cap the lines coming from your pumps. your motors will get the lube theyneed and the motors will turn freely. do not require or should you run your motor .to steer the unit use a tow strap wraped around both front axles and back to your tow unit.I wouldnot tow the the unit athigh speeds withoutchecking the motor temps often but my brother and i towed my bobcat 6 miles out of our huntng area when the drive coupler failed. hope this helps Bob