Full hydraulic machine

[rednine11]

Doesn't the triton Predator use an independent hydro motor for each wheel ???

[Trackster]

I still think they have at least one final drive chain to each side. Besides we were talking about how to build a fully hyd. vehicle If I was going to build a tracked vehicle I would use a v6 an automatic trans to a car rearend mounted high in the rear go thru the hull to drive the tracks and just use brakes to steer with. No chains no hydraulics.

The Trackster has no chains at all anywhere. It depends on what the designer of the machine wants for an end goal. If the goal is high speed then I would probably recommend against the hydro route and go with something like Chris is saying. If the goal is precision control and quick reaction I think the hydro set up is proven to be a good route.

[chris davison]

The one thing I would never do is a hydro setup and still use chains it kind of defeats the purpose. You get slowness parasitic power loss high engine rpm noise and all the inherant mechanical problems of chains plus the shock on the chains of instant torq. at high engine rpm as the dcv is moved unless an accumulator was installed on each side to soften this shock.

[mudbug3]

The one thing I would never do is a hydro setup and still use chains it kind of defeats the purpose. You get slowness parasitic power loss high engine rpm noise and all the inherant mechanical problems of chains plus the shock on the chains of instant torq. at high engine rpm as the dcv is moved unless an accumulator was installed on each side to soften this shock.

Yes, this is how a Mudd-Ox is designed.

[amphibious drew]

If you were using single 40# or even 50# chain I would agree. Mud-Ox uses double 60# chain. I beat on it when I drove the gt model, and you would never even know there were chains down there. No slapping or slack in the drive system at all. My biggest and only complaint about the hydro is hp requirements and it lacks that zingyness you get from a t-20. It is more like driving a piece of machinery than a toy. The smile factor comes when you use the hydros for difficult obstacles requiring exact driver input. The level of control is amazing.

[chris davison]

I wonder if they have a new design yet that gets rid of the chains? how often do you have to tighten them? do they have automatic tentioners? are they automatically lubed? Still have to carry extra chain when going out? whats the top speed like and how is the boyancy does it sink low in the water?

[Mahenry]

0-turn

Has anybody ever thought about using a 0-turn lawn mower setup in a 6x6. I have a trail boss I am thinking on trying it on any suggestions?

[amphibious drew]

I have read many posts on this forum discussing that very idea. The downside seems to be the transmission won't hold up to our abuse, the top speed would be a turtles pace, the amount of hp required is significantly more than if you were to use a transmission out of another aatv.

[stickalose]

Chris you pretty much described the Ratcliffe you gave me advice on last year. It has 3 hyd motors per side, in series. The pump is a tandem variable displacement driven by a 1600 cu in Subaru. The way I understand the pump has internal swashplates to control flow rate and direction. It has one control lever for each section, which runs either right or left wheels. I lost a drive hub once and was able to limp home with the right front wheel missing.
It is slow and heavy and noisy.
p.s. have looked at your build, amazing.

[jpswift1]

Has anybody ever thought about using a 0-turn lawn mower setup in a 6x6. I have a trail boss I am thinking on trying it on any suggestions?

Some people on Craigslist have attepted to do it with no success, so that's why they put it for sale.. I wouldn't waste my time, it's really more trouble than it's worth.

[stickalose]

jpswift ...I devoured the info you posted on the Ratcliffe a while back...Thanks for doing the legwork.

[jpswift1]

jpswift ...I devoured the info you posted on the Ratcliffe a while back...Thanks for doing the legwork.

Happy to help! I thought that Ratcliffe was a pretty cool machine, but it was a very, very limited production machine. I think there were only 25 built, probably because they were so expensive to build and there wasn't a very big market for a machine like that. But it's still a very neat part of 6x6 history.

[Nitewatch45]

It's already been done, it's called a MuddOx, see it at MuddOx.net.

I've heard mudox was having trouble with the motors/lines getting to hot and melting the plastic bodies? Is this true

[Buzz]

I've heard mudox was having trouble with the motors/lines getting to hot and melting the plastic bodies? Is this true

I would seriously doubt it. Where have you heard that?

[amphibious drew]

I would seriously doubt it. Where have you heard that?

Sounds like something someone trying to sell you something else would say. I've seen and been in oxen that had the heck run out of them and never noticed a problem.