Heres My Terra Tiger I just bought

[Michaeljp86]

I picked this up yesterday for $250, is that to much?

I think I payed a little to much for it but you just dont ever see them forsale around here. I drove a friends argo 8x8 and had a blast so I always wanted one of these things.

It came with 2 engines, the one in it he said is stuck and the other engine he doesnt know about. One tire is junk forsure and another might be. The other tires dont look to bad. He said its been sitting for 4 years. It also has about 2000lbs of ice in it. He said he put new steering clutches in before he parked it. There was some damage up front where he ran into his truck and I put a hole in the bottom while loading it.

Im in no hurry on it, Id like to take it for a spin this summer. I really hate 2 strokes so If these engines need to much work I think Ill look into a different engine. Reverse would be nice too.

Tell me what you think

DSCI1073.jpgDSCI1070.jpgDSCI1069.jpgDSCI1071.jpgDSCI1072.jpg

[Michaeljp86]

I put some air in the tires, looks like I only have 2 good tires.

[lewis]

Don't have a machine like this but i always wanted one since i saw Brian's. Not very familiar with them but there are several on the site that will give some good advice. If a small twin would fit that would be the way to go, but not sure of your spacing. Good luck on the machine.

[Michaeljp86]

I have a 10 hp techumseh but I think that would be a little under powered. From what I seen in the manual the original engine is a 17hp

[amphibious drew]

Not sure what your intentions with this machine is, but typically Terra Tiger's are a lower budget build because they tend to fetch a little less when sold in good running order...This is just my observation and should not be taken as the bible though. That being said, several members have had good luck with the duromax 16 that you can get at harbor freight or on ebay. Its a honda clone and the gocart guys get big HP from that cheap little engine. I think Lewis's suggestion of a twin would be out of the budget on this build if I were doing it, although if you did get a deal on one AND it fit, it would make it one of the sweetest tigers out there.

[maicolover]

Dang shame it was full of water and ice. You had better take it completely apart and check clean grease all brgs and remove steering clutches and clean as they probally stuck together. Its worth that for parts.

[hydromike]

II think I payed a little to much for it but you just dont ever see them forsale around here.

So, where is "here", anyway, Mike?

You certainly have a project on your hands, but the tough fiberglass bodies of the Terra Tigers make them a pretty cool build. "Mark M." is a member here on the board, and from Western NY, like me. He has a beautiful silver 'Tiger that he's rebuilt, and re-engineered into a great trail machine. He doesn't have any pictures posted in his gallery, but I know his avatar is a shot of the machine. He slipped in a Briggs Vanguard, and actually built a reverse mechanism on the stock transmission. From talking with Mark over the years, I think the biggest problem he has with it is the amount of heat the engine puts out right next to your feet.

The one piece tires can be replaced with newer rims/tires by building a simple adapter plate that adapts the old 3-lug flange to a standard 4 on 4" ATV/golf cart rim bolt circle, or upgrade further to a 5 on 4.5" Argo/Max/Mudd-Ox style rim. You can fit a solid 22" tire under that machine and have pretty good clearance. Heck, you could even replace the cone-clutch drive with a T-20 if you wanted to. Build a full frame, put a v-twin in the back, the T-20 under the seat, and have loads of leg-room. The sky's the limit, and if you can do most of the work yourself, you can get it done within a reasonable budget.

[thebuggyman1]

I think Mark custom built the whole trans in his machine.
I added a car flywheel and starter motor to the main shaft to get reverse.....no good in the mudd, but backing out of the garage or off a trailer was OK.

A t-20 would be great though I should have done that....the cone clutches suck.

[Michaeljp86]

So, where is "here", anyway, Mike?

You certainly have a project on your hands, but the tough fiberglass bodies of the Terra Tigers make them a pretty cool build. "Mark M." is a member here on the board, and from Western NY, like me. He has a beautiful silver 'Tiger that he's rebuilt, and re-engineered into a great trail machine. He doesn't have any pictures posted in his gallery, but I know his avatar is a shot of the machine. He slipped in a Briggs Vanguard, and actually built a reverse mechanism on the stock transmission. From talking with Mark over the years, I think the biggest problem he has with it is the amount of heat the engine puts out right next to your feet.

The one piece tires can be replaced with newer rims/tires by building a simple adapter plate that adapts the old 3-lug flange to a standard 4 on 4" ATV/golf cart rim bolt circle, or upgrade further to a 5 on 4.5" Argo/Max/Mudd-Ox style rim. You can fit a solid 22" tire under that machine and have pretty good clearance. Heck, you could even replace the cone-clutch drive with a T-20 if you wanted to. Build a full frame, put a v-twin in the back, the T-20 under the seat, and have loads of leg-room. The sky's the limit, and if you can do most of the work yourself, you can get it done within a reasonable budget.

I live in southern Michigan

I want to be able to use the beast in the water, Im not sure how these things would take the weight of any modifications in the water.

I have 3 welders, and a lot of metel working equipment and always enjoyed getting old machines going again.

Where can I find the diagram for building your own adapter plates?

[hydromike]

Where can I find the diagram for building your own adapter plates?

Here you go.... http://www.6x6world.com/images/broch...ug-adapter.pdf

That's for the 4 on 4". The 5 on 4.5" template is here.... http://www.6x6world.com/images/broch...plate-dims.pdf

Southern Michigan, ay? That's Buggyman and Larry W (and lots of others) land! Stay away from them, they're overall just bad influences.

You can add several hundred pounds and still be safe in the water. To my knowledge, nobody's put a full frame in a 'Tiger yet, and we've all been looking for a first victim. We choose you.

[Michaeljp86]

Here you go.... http://www.6x6world.com/images/broch...ug-adapter.pdf

That's for the 4 on 4". The 5 on 4.5" template is here.... http://www.6x6world.com/images/broch...plate-dims.pdf

Southern Michigan, ay? That's Buggyman and Larry W (and lots of others) land! Stay away from them, they're overall just bad influences.

You can add several hundred pounds and still be safe in the water. To my knowledge, nobody's put a full frame in a 'Tiger yet, and we've all been looking for a first victim. We choose you.

Other then cleaning it out I dont have any plans on doing much work to it any time soon. I have a tractor Im fixing up to sell and a wrecked car I bought. Then we'll get on the Tiger.

Im not sure what a full frame is yet but Ive seen some pictures so I have an idea what your talking about.

I really like how these terra tigers look, although I think it looks more like a frog then a tiger.

[hydromike]

Im not sure what a full frame is yet but Ive seen some pictures so I have an idea what your talking about.

Terra Tigers don't have perimeter frames. The individual drive components (engine, transmission, flanges, axle-holding thingies) are independently fastened to the fiberglass body versus being attached to a frame. Here's a picture of the innards, and what I mean.



An alternative is to build a frame and have all of the drive components attached to it, and then bolt the frame into the body. Something like this:



Basically, the frame holds the body on. On my Swamp Fox, the body is just an ugly wrapper that helps the whole assembly float.

[Michaeljp86]

Terra Tigers don't have perimeter frames. The individual drive components (engine, transmission, flanges, axle-holding thingies) are independently fastened to the fiberglass body versus being attached to a frame. Here's a picture of the innards, and what I mean.



An alternative is to build a frame and have all of the drive components attached to it, and then bolt the frame into the body. Something like this:



Basically, the frame holds the body on. On my Swamp Fox, the body is just an ugly wrapper that helps the whole assembly float.

The there a issue with the fiberglass not being strong enough?

[thebuggyman1]

"Is there a issue with the fiberglass not being strong enough?" Actually, yes! The bodies were formed around plywood for stiffness. In most cases, the fibeerglass has cracked and let in water, and that rotted the wood away. Some guys have cut out the old and glassed in new marine plywood.....others have grafted in frames/reinforcing metal.
One of the biggest problems they have is the cone clutches...A.C. had the "fix" of adding washers to the springs to hold more tension on the cones. The drawback is the fiberglass sides would flex taking away spring tension. A t-20 would be perfect! .......and I might just have a good motor for you. The original TT's had a 10 hp 2 stroke, the later ones had an 18HP as an option.

OH, hey HyroMike

[Michaeljp86]

"Is there a issue with the fiberglass not being strong enough?" Actually, yes! The bodies were formed around plywood for stiffness. In most cases, the fibeerglass has cracked and let in water, and that rotted the wood away. Some guys have cut out the old and glassed in new marine plywood.....others have grafted in frames/reinforcing metal.
One of the biggest problems they have is the cone clutches...A.C. had the "fix" of adding washers to the springs to hold more tension on the cones. The drawback is the fiberglass sides would flex taking away spring tension. A t-20 would be perfect! .......and I might just have a good motor for you. The original TT's had a 10 hp 2 stroke, the later ones had an 18HP as an option.

OH, hey HyroMike

I got some ice and garbage out of mine today, I can see some floor now.

Whats one of these t-20 transmissions cost? they dont look cheap.