tub depth?

[rustler]

I see a lot of discussion about the difference in the depth of the 980 tubs and the older styles. Can someone please put some actual dimentions to it?

[JoeMeg]

Hustler tub dim's.

Yes, I'm currently restoring (dismantling) an older fiberglass body Hustler.See thread " Hustler 440"
I'll be posting more pic's very soon. Anyhow, i'm having a rough time deciding weather to put time and effort into orig.tub or maybe,maybe, purch a complete upper and lower or poss just a new lower tub.I see route 6x6 has for sale what appeares to be 2 different lower tubs,1 being refered to as "deep" type tub. Some actual dimensions would be helpfull and possibly influential in this decision.
Joe.

[brushcutter]

Laying a straightedge across the fenders, just to the front of the battery shelf of my 980 and measuring to the bottom of the chain channels I get 19 9/16". Measuring my 950 at the same place gives 17" even- a difference of 2 9/16". Strange, I thought it would be more!

Joe, I don't know if this is your first rodeo with this stuff, but if you are going to buy a 980 tub for your 440, you will have to change the height of your seat supports, and the transmission linkage crossbar would likely have to be re-engineered, the shifter will need to be raised as well, just to name a few. A 950 tub will allow you to run 25" tires, if you space them out a little. I run 25X12X9 Mudbugs on the 950 and the only spacing I did was to buy 30 nuts large enough to slide over the wheel studs and that was all the clearance needed. Been running the 'Bugs for about 1 year now, and no problems yet.

There is a LOT of work involved in making that kind of change, and anymore I try to weigh the actual benefits of an "upgrade" against the downtime/effort/expense of said "upgrade". Now don't get me wrong, and I'll probably get jumped for saying this, BUT: If you only want bigger tires and you go with the 980 rather than the 950(which may not be a match for your 440 anyway) you are looking at quite an expensive and time consuming adventure....to say tha least

You may want to try this option: if everything is good i.e. tires, engine, chain, tranny... and it will not break the bank if you do the swap later; then get the 440 driveable and ride it for a while and THEN decide if you want or even need the upgrades later. That would also give you a chance to decide exactly what you need to change. and might save you some cash in the long run.

Sooo... there's my 2 cents worth... hope it helps.

[JoeMeg]

Hey brushcutter, thanks for the input. The reason for considering the new body was not so much for tire clearance issues but just due to overall condition of tub and the fact that it's made of fiberglass. I'm still not sure exactly what model this unit is,I can't find any plates on it. The "440" designation is just a tounge in cheek thing. The fellow I got it from had it listed as a "Hustler 440" and for now that just stuck. As far as projects go,this is my first 6 wheeler rebuild but far from my first adventure into a piece of machinery.I plan on doing some re-engineering and rebuilding of some of the linkages,etc. also.I will post lots of pic's. If not in the actual post they will be in my galery. Keep an eye on thread "Hustler 440". Joe.

[brushcutter]

Yeah, one of the advantages of fiberglass is that it can be repaired easily, as compared to the HDPE which can be "welded" but I wouldn't feel good about going into the deep stuff with a tub that had a crack in the bottom that had the weld treatment,- I just don't like the idea, ya know. However, the downside to FG is that it is also easy to bust- can you say "Cypress Knees", guess it's a good thing it's easy to repair.

Now let's think about this: have you ever heard of a "Gorilla Hull"? Its a treatment/coating for fiberglass boats that uses KEVLAR thread instead of brittle glass fiber, and carries a lifetime guarantee against cracks,breakage, stumps, docks, other boats, cars, space debris- you get the picture. Well it just so happens that the guy that developed this stuff,and has the patent on it lives about 20 miles from me... You might call and talk to him and see if anyone in your area shoots this stuff on boats, I don't know , but he is a knowledgeable guy and could give you some good info on repair, he's been in the biz a really long time. It could almost make that Hustler "bulletproof"-literally!

His name is Al Drewitt. Toledo fiberglass (318)256-3616

[rustler]

brushcutter

Laying a straightedge across the fenders, just to the front of the battery shelf of my 980 and measuring to the bottom of the chain channels I get 19 9/16". Measuring my 950 at the same place gives 17" even- a difference of 2 9/16".

Did you take the above measurements with the tops on?

[brushcutter]

Yes, using a straightedge short enough to lay on top of the "fenders", w/o getting on the top portion of the body.

[fasteddiesllc]

this fiberglass hulled 440...does it have the jet pump in it ??

[JoeMeg]

this fiberglass hulled 440...does it have the jet pump in it ??

Hey fasteddiesllc, if your refering to the glass unit i mentioned in post #2, no it does not have a pump or appear to ever have. however, there is a large recess area in the rear section of the hull which certainly could have accomodated something of sorts. the "440" model thing is just a joke. i have no idea what the mod # of my unit is so since the prev.owner had it advertised as a "hustler 440" i just let the designationstand for now.lol see thread "hustler 440" for more. joe.