Ultimate Swamp Machine

[sliverchucker]

Hello all! Great site here! I will just tell you that i am an outdoor person that went on a moose hunt in 06. All i had was a three wheeled honda trike (200) but the other three guys had good quads with winches. After this(12hr. trip to go 9 miles) trip i have decided to build the altimate (hopefully) swamp maching. After looking at a few sites, doodling lots and scratching my head for the last couple years, i think i am ready to begin. I am stoppin in here to see if anyone has tackled this type of venture..perhaps view some homebuilt machines ..ya know. Can anyone on here point me forward to some picks of homebuilds or get me in contact with others that have homebuilds?Does anyone have any foresight for me as far as ideas that i may not have researched? I am leaning towards either a motorcycle engine or small car engine with auto tranny hooked to a small narrow differential that can be braked to steer. Tracks to be made from tractor tires with sidewalls cut off. I think you get the idea.Maybe there are websites that i am unaware of that do builds....eh

[jeepsrme1]

Where to start...

I'm from Saskatchewan as well and understand what its like to be up north tackling tight trails, muskeg, fallen logs and bottomless mud. Your trike is probably one of the better suited machines for bombing around because you can toss it around but if you're hunting they are definitely not made to pull a moose out.

I hunt and wheel with friends who have all kinds of machines from trikes up to tricked out 800 Can AMs. All of which have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm the same as you, I wanted an ultimate machine so I located a couple Sur-Treks (thanks Gus!) and will be building them up over the next couple years. Check out you tube for Stacy Davids sur-treks to get a feel for what these machines can do.

The thing is, I cut my teeth on an Attex superchief (thanks again Gus!) to get a feel for these machines before diving in the Sur Trek project and all I can say is WOW.

I took a bone stock machine & put some swamper tires on it and went mudding with the boys north of Hudson Bay. Lets just say I spent a lot of time ahead of the pack sitting and waiting for them to push and winch all their quads out. The Attex was unbelievable in the mud and terrain and made for some great bragging rights but on the open trails its too rough to keep up with these cadillac-like quads.

I guess what I'm saying, is rather than build a 'home-job' off the bat, try to track down a 6 wheeler or 8 wheeler 1st. Drive it for a few trips and then use it as a platform to build from (maybe not an old Argo though, I've never heard good things about them.) Also, check out 'springers' on this site - way cool and would absolutely fly on the open trails.

Good luck!

[lewis]

Building a ultimate machine is quiet a undertaking and can run into a LOT of expense. As mentioned in the previous post. Get with someone and try out their machine and see how well it fits your needs. Sprockets, chains, axles, hull, motor, clutches, etc.....etc...., the list goes on and on. Plus the expense of machine work and HUNTING for parts instead of (game/ride time) is time consuming. This is just my thoughts.

Even if you find a trashed machine for a few dollars you will still have the base for a build. A lot of research has went into the machine even if it is in humble shape.

Now: I have a Argo Avenger and have had great success with this machine. Check out Rock Doctor's videos of his rides and hunting trips. He drives a Argo and really uses it. Argo's are fine machines and they are made in Canada and are plentiful and one should be able to find a machine in reasonable shape.

The new 2010 is a very nice machine if you are looking at a new one, i have driven it and the steering is almost effortless and has plenty of power, storage and towing capacity. Don't just take one opinion on any machine as you will get all types of opinions. This is just my two cents and some may agree or disagree, but building a machine involves a Lot of time, effort and money, but if this is the path you chose good luck on your project and keep us posted as to your progress.

A Max is also a fine machine for what you would like to do, it just does not have the storage ability of the 8x8 Argo's, but as said before each machine has it's special abilities. Check one of these machines out before you draw your final conclusion.

[sliverchucker]

I just find most of these machines like the argo or max etc. have not enough ground clearance. I need and want something that has 1.5 ft. of clearance as this is what i beleive will keep me going when the going gets tough. Yes... my little trike goes through some terrible stuff but lacks the hp especially when i put my trailer on behind. The other thought i had was to keep the trike, add some wheel spacer and drop in a 350cc motorcyle engine into her. She really is a nice light machine.
I have no fear of spending time building a machine. I in fact love fabrication etc. There is something to be said about building a thing of beauty with your own two hands...even if it takes a couple years.hehe

[greggv2007]

Ultimate machine

There is a business in Calgary Alberta, that builds Raidtrac machines. They also sell other used machines. Look under Raidtrac They may have something that will give you a few ideas.