Springers, what are they good for?

[Lumberjack]

Hey guys, I am relatively new to 6x6s and a bit naive, but I have seen some videos and builds out there of 6x6s with suspension. I have only seen them being used on dirt tracks, how do they do on the real gnarly terrain, and can they float?

Thanks!

[Rusty-Gunn]

I think they would do poorly in the water due to the wheels sticking down in the water. Their suspension system may get hung up in the muck and cause more drag. Maybe??

[jeffery9076]

6x6 with suspension sounds bad. NOT. I BELEIVE SOME THEM STILL FLOAT SOME. TAKE THE SUSPENSION OFF A 4 WHEELER OR UTV AND YOU WILL SEE SUSPENSIONS ARE GOOD. TELL WHIPPER TO SEND ME SOME SUSPENSION PARTS I WILL TEST FOR FREE AND SEND YOU THE RESULTS. EXTRA WIDTH ON TRAILS IS WHAT I WOULD WORRY ABOUT.

[amphibious drew]

Yes there are a few downsides to suspension. Well really just one, increased width. Springers drive and handle like no other 6x6. The ride is softer and keeps more wheels on the ground when you need or want them there. Yes, modern springers still float. Heck, jerseybigfoot even ran Adair tracks on his. There is also less wear on the bearings as they are not taking direct blunt force trama all the time. So, as long as a few inches of width is ok, springers are pretty much king of the 6x6's.

[George]

They are slower in the water. Probably horrible in swamps. You need to be careful on tight trails.

They are a blast!!!

There are videos of them on gnarly stuff, swimming, on tight trails and in the mud. Take another look on the internet, you'll find them.

[Model Citizen]

[Lumberjack]

Sweet! Are there any commercially available springers? All I have seen are mods done to existing 6x6s to add suspension.

I'm interested in building up one with my son for fun, but if there are ones that are available, I might consider buying one and modifying it to our needs.

One thing that I was thinking could be an issue on rough terrain would be the issue of trying to overcome stiction when doing a skid turn due to the droop of the suspension causing each wheel to hug the terrain. With no suspension, I would think that it would be easier to turn on rough terrain because all six wheels wouldn't be making contact all the time. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the replys guys!

[akcrawler]

I don't know. I have seen videos of Whipper climbing rocks in his springer. It doesn't look like he has any trouble with going where he wants to go. In fact, he seems to have an easier time than his buddy who has an unsprung scambler. He has also posted footage of him floating a river. It looks like he does okay with the speed and it floats just fine. You should really look back through all of the posts on this thread and watch the videos.

Springers look like the very best option for a lot of applications. If you do a lot of travel through heavy timber, the width could be a problem though. It all depends on your application and how much playing around you want to do. Kghills (I believe...my apologies if it was someone else!) has posted a new design that conquers most of the width issue by using offset hubs. The wheels actually sit around most of the suspension parts in this design.

[whipper-ag]

[Robphibious]

I'm also curious, and no doubt springers are awesome but hearing that they "float some" and "float pretty good" I can't help but wonder if I was in the water would I feel safe floating pretty good or floating some? No disrespect to the springer community it's just the way the answers to this question have been worded make me wonder.

[Model Citizen]

[Robphibious]

We can only speak for our springers, but they do float, they don't leak and we're confident they won't sink.

Bridget

Thanks Bridget, coming from you or whipper that's all I'd need to hear!