The **OTHER** Super Swamp Fox build....

[hydromike]

Even the poser-iest of posers knows that the best poses are taken in the ditch.

It's looking great man.

Looking great!! How bout a video? Let's see this bad boy rolling down....the, uh, street....

Alright, ALLLLLL-Right....

So, I live about 3/4 mile from the County Sherriff's office, and the road is frequented by law enforcement. Chances are they wouldn't give me any problem about a test ride in the ditch.

I'll have to be discrete. As discrete as a 1000lb. brown hot-tub piloted by a goofy looking blonde dude can be. During the inaugural run, the ground strap loosened up as I started to climb back up across the road. I was scrambling to find out what went wrong as it stalled and rolled back down the ditch, all the while muttering "this-can-not-end-well, this-can-not-end-well" to myself.

She's getting pseudo-wired today after work, so let me make sure my junk's in order before I hand GeoJem the cellphone camera to document my rapid transistion into the penal system.

[renegade83]

Man you've done an awesome job on that thing, can't wait to see some video's.

[hydromike]

Well, I still don't have any videos of the machine in "action"; largely due to my work schedule, and the time I'm putting into wrapping up a bunch of loose ends on the machine. I spent the better part of the evenings this week building an engine cover that I hope will look appropriate. It's made out of fiberglass like the rest of the machine and without ever intending to, it looks a bit like Noel's modified cover.



There's a LOT of fiberglass and resin there. Probably 3 gallons, minimum. It turned out basically straight, and it does fit like a glove over the rear frame that's shown in other pictures. Like the picture descriptions say, I still need to cut vents for the Kubota to duct air in and out. It makes the machine look juuuuuust a little bit bigger, in my mind. Great; JUST what I was going for.

The construction started with building a wooden mold that generally matched the contours of the rear engine-cover frame. I covered the mold with aluminum foil to stop the resin from sticking to the wood, which worked pretty well. There are some residual foil pieces that got incorporated into the cover, but they won't affect the integrity.



JP went down to a local tire retailer with me that had advertised a great deal on Titan tires. I ended up buying a set of the Titan 589 M/Ts (26x12-12). They're a six ply tire, and based on the stiffness of the sidewall and the overall weight (40lbs per tire) I think that they're going to be a bit on the rough side. 'Sorta fits with the whole "tractor/tank" theme I'm going for, I guess. I'd have loved to splurge on a set of Rawhides and tracks (thanks for the help, Tim), but the money's running out for play-things, and I had to try to make this as equitable as possible.

Here's a shot of the 26" Titan next to a 27" Executioner. If the Titans do as well overall as the Kenda's, I'll be pleased.

[hydromike]

I was able to get the Titans mounted this weekend, and worked on the engine cover quite a bit. I still have some cleanup work to do on the fiberglass, and then paint of some sort. The Titans measure a bit shorter than I thought they would, but they fill out the machine nicely. Here she is purring in the driveway....

[thebuggyman1]

Looks Great!!!

[jpswift1]

MarkMaxIV and I went to meet up with Mike and had the pleasure to see this rig. His fiberglass work turned out amazing and this machine is a 100% purebred monster. It certainly earns the title of one of the most capable off road AATVs out there. Nice work and hats off to you, Mike!

[hydromike]

It certainly earns the title of one of the most capable off road AATVs out there.

Thanks for the very encouraging words and very supportive comments!

But, this thing has ZERO time on it. Nothing's tested, and it might be completely "IN-capable". I'd like to think that it does more than just look pretty cool sitting on the driveway pavers, but that's yet to be seen. The long-term forecast for this weekend is looking optimisitic, so maybe I'll be able to finally give it an inaugural run that tests how it performs off of a paved surface.

[hydromike]

Dudes, check out my seats!



Sewing is a lot harder than welding, and I'm only sorta-OK at either.

Somebody gimme a "10" for the piping. You'll give it a "5" when you see it in person, but pretend that you never will.

[amphibious drew]

Looks much more comfortable!!!

[jpswift1]

It certainly deserves a 10! Very nice work, Mike. I hope my Swamp Fox turns out like that.