Help my Mudd-Ox sunk!

[kmac]

I spoke to someone at pointwest argo. They are selling the J wheelz. He said he tested it in water and it does increase the stability of the argo. So much so that you cannot make tight turns on water in the argos anymore because usually you have to tip it to make tight turns. So i am going to give a set a try. Can anyone tell me if the 5 bolt wheel attachment on the argo is similar to the ox?

[jpswift1]

I spoke to someone at pointwest argo. They are selling the J wheelz. He said he tested it in water and it does increase the stability of the argo. So much so that you cannot make tight turns on water in the argos anymore because usually you have to tip it to make tight turns. So i am going to give a set a try. Can anyone tell me if the 5 bolt wheel attachment on the argo is similar to the ox?

The 5 bolt pattern is pretty much the same across the board for nearly every AATV. It's 5 bolt by 4.5".

[mudbug3]

If four J-Wheelz on an atv will increase the floatation to another 300 pds, then six J-Wheelz should increase this to 600 pds more I guess.

[amphibious drew]

If four J-Wheelz on an atv will increase the floatation to another 300 pds, then six J-Wheelz should increase this to 600 pds more I guess.

Not sure how to do that math, but I would think 8 would be 600lbs and also the number of wheels on a standard mudox

[mudbug3]

I'm still now sure if eight J-wheelz will add enough floatation for the heavier Mudd-Ox diesel with tracks. I'd also be very uneasy of driving a machine this heavy in a crocodile infested river.

[kmac]

I'm still now sure if eight J-wheelz will add enough floatation for the heavier Mudd-Ox diesel with tracks. I'd also be very uneasy of driving a machine this heavy in a crocodile infested river.

I am still waiting on someone to say croc bait! it's worth a try..i'll test it first on the beach close to where i am now...if it fails..you will hear about it!

[Obsessed]

Don't even think about using J-Wheelz for a floatation device on a machine that weighs as much as yours does. I have a friend that weighed a Mudd-Ox on a truck weigh scale ,and if I remember correctly, the weight of it was 1,868 with out a driver. This was with a winch and a brush guard.

I think i would agree that the purpose of the J-Wheelz isnt really for boyancy in deep water as much as for traction in mud or snow... I think that you would do better with just adding the dual tire adapters and a second set of cheep, light weight, balloon tires from your local atv source...

or better yet, i also think that if you could come up with a light weight set of argo's 24" swimming tire on an 8" rim (argo uses an 8"x7" rim, where as Recreative industry uses a 8"x8" rim which would would be slightly better by holding a bit more air) there might be enough of the 10" wide tire hanging out past the edge of the track that it might improve swim speed a bit also and for sure would make it much safer and more stable machine in the water...plus where you are at, the extra set of spare tires might come in handy some day...

just my thoughts

Tim

[Obsessed]

I am still waiting on someone to say croc bait! it's worth a try..i'll test it first on the beach close to where i am now...if it fails..you will hear about it!

lol...that is funny...but i dont think you will really find anyone here that will pick on you considering the serious consequences of your situation or the luck you've had...there is nothing funny about an honest guy that has done his homework and attempted to make an intelligent decision...spent a lot of money...and then gets off to such a rough start...

many of us really feel for you...

tim

BTW...on a funny note...i was at a ball game last week and i heard a young kid behind me complaining about "FUN SIZED" candy..."there is really nothing fun about LESS candy"..sorta hit me...that was pretty funny! :-)

[kmac]

Well all i can say is that this is a great community..the reality is i couldn't afford anything else and if the mudd-ox performs in the muck and i can get it to float then it will be mission accomplished. And don't worry, in my line of work i spend 70% of my time sorting out technical issues. It has taken me close to two years to solve technical issues before..i just thought that this did what it said on the tin...have amphibious atv -- will float... so i need to now try to brain storm and solve this issue..and i appreciate all of the ideas. But i've already spent a boat load so i need a cheap solution....

[mudbug3]

Kmac

Running dual wheels will give you a whole lot more floatation than the J-Wheelz , plus with the wider spacing of dual wheels you'll also be more stable in the water. Dual wheels also lower your ground psi as well. As Tim mentioned , the J-wheelz were never designed as a floatation aid, but for increasing traction and lowering the ground psi for people who own atv's that don't want to spend the additional money for bigger rims and aggressive atv tires. Tim could make you a floating trailor. I'd put the tracks in the trailor and pull it behind the Mudd-Ox

[amphibious drew]

I would suggest duallys over tracks. Sell them rubber tracks and get a set of swimmers 1 inch narrower diameter than your inside tires to help ease turning. Your psi will be almost as low as tracks in the muck and your tires will add floatation

[mudbug3]

Kmac

Since you own two Mudd-Ox 8x8's ,I'd jack up one of them on both ends and remove the tires and then install them on your other Mudd-Ox when you get the extra wheel adapters. This will give you a good indication as to how much added floatation and stability the extra set of wheels adds in the water. If you buy eight J-WHeelz and have them shipped to you and they don't work out as planned, you've then wasted more money. Dual wheels is a proven concept that works almost as good as tracks, plus they are a whole lot lighter than the heavy rubber Mudd-Ox tracks.

[kmac]

Ok guys, i think you've convinced me...i will go with the duallys...but, but.i might try to run the tracks on them....so i don't know if i will be cancelling out the advantage. But i do need all the traction i can get and the tracks are a must. My aussie mate who recommended the ATVs hasbeen out here and knows how sticky it is..and he has said that i must..and i repeat, i must get the tracks...
So i spoke to Matt and he said he would work on a set of spacers for the dually that will allow them to run tracks. He will test the set up as well. He's also working on the floats for up front. All of this plus my extra outboard, the steering box for my outboard, my extra tracks, my enclosed cargo trailer (all of the outstanding items that he's failed to ship) and the wheels that I need, will be ready to go by friday. So I'm going hold him to his word and let you all know how it works out...

But understand this, everything takes a while to get here, so i have to go with what works. I can't decide that i need something extra after the fact, because i will loose time waiting for it to be shipped to me. So i have to order everything and get it sent to me and cross my fingers that it works. So if i try the duallys and they float well but i keep getting stuck..it will take me three weeks to two months just to get the tracks here. So unfortunately i have to spend extra just to cover my ass. I have already lost two years of work and have one left. A lot of money spent and nothing but a drowned atv to show for it....and my funders wil be on my ass if it doesn't because they were skeptical in the first place...i want to thank you all of the advice..i still think the j-wheels will work..i just didn't want to put too much strain on the machine with the duallys...

[Buzz]

What type of terrain are you in, would it be more appropriate to use an airboat, or a large open skiff with a mud-motor? Even a large open jon boat with a 72" bottom could carry your ox and plow along pretty darn good with your 9.9 motor until you needed to drive. I know it doesn't help you out much NOW, but........ I wish I could picture the country.

[Buzz]

you could always strap a floatation device, maybe even an appropriate size/length rigid pontoon down the underside of your machine (down the center). If it was rigid, you could easily secure it at the front and rear with ratchet straps. maybe? For that matter a non-rigid floatation device like an sport aircraft float (foam-like material) or a inflatable pontoon could be also be placed down the "vee" in the mudd-ox belly and secured sideways. Though I haven't done it, I think that even with tracks on you could hook the top of the bearing cage on one side, wrap the belly of the machine with a ratchet strap and then hook top of the bearing cage on the opposite side without getting in the way of the tracks. that'd be a cheap experiment.