Paddle wheels

[doccerny]

Has anyone tried hub extensions with paddle wheels, that you could quick attach with a pull pin? You'd think a set of paddles on the outsides of 4 wheels would make her cook in water. Have the paddles quick detach so you could just throw em in the buggy when ya got across the lake. On big tires you could probably have 16 or 18 inch diameter paddles. Seems like it would displace 10 times the water that the tire treads would. Steel axle/hubs with replaceable aluminum or plastic paddles. I wish I knew how to draw pics on the puter. Doc

[ygmir]

for effecient running, it's my understanding the paddle wheels need to be 2/3 out of the water, so, that'd be well above the center of the hub, etc.
I don't think any of the rigs ride that high in the water, though.....someone correct me if I'm wrong, though, it's completely possible.......

Henry

[doccerny]

Was wondering that myself. How good of propulsion you'd get with only a small part of the paddles breaking the surface. Still have to be alot better than just tire treads you'd think? Was thinking more in the line of a 2 or 4 finned paddle. Not exactly a wheel. In my mind, if the paddles came out of the water a third of the time they would work.

[GREASEMONKEY]

My argo sits prety high in the rear with one person!

[ygmir]

consider the direction of travel of the paddles while in the water......
if they're at or near center, you have thrust up and down, as well as forward, as they move around circle.
the higher the hub is above the surface, the thrust of the paddle motion gets more exclusively directed to the intended direction.......
yikes, that's an awkward sentence..........

Anyway,
look at pictures of old paddle wheeler boats........they were designed for maximum forward thrust using this system.
Obviously, we can't do it prefectly, but, the closer the better.......

Just my random thoughts.........

[6X6]

Hi:
Well, the tires are essentially paddle wheels when you're in the water, and yes, they are slow an inefficient, but they do move the AATV. Personally, i think that the paddles would help, although inneficiently like the tires. But they should sit no closer to the hub than the tire tread. I feel the issue would be damage, and the quick-release setup you have in mind may be the answer. Why not make a pair and try them on your machines high end, if it helps, set up another pair.

[yellowargo]

I have been experimenting with tires and height in the water myself. If you have one person in my argo and simply steer sitting center of the machine it is a slow turn. If you lean left to turn left thus raising the right hand side tires out of the water slightly you can turn in half the distance. If I stand and lean heavely (I am a big guy ) you can turn in its own length.

I also found that gently rocking my machine left and right while going straight increased my speed slightly using my GPS.

So the principal seems true.

The second was reversing the direction of the front tires, the logic being I would have better traction exiting on the muddy bank, and they are traditionally the lowest in the water with the engine at the front so providing the least amount to trust in the water, BUT when I did this it had a huge effect on water speed and made turning much more difficult even when LEANING.

So bigger paddles = more speed/control even if not in the perfect location.

So I had drew out some plans of removable paddles(pinned on ) using old rubber tires for the paddles and wheel spacers but I have not had the chance to make them up!

I am hopefull that two tires will be enough and if I do make them which two will be the next question. Trial and error I suspect.

Have a Happy Canada Day all!!

[doccerny]

Greasemonkey, Paddle extensions would work on your buggy. If one paddle is out of the water 1/3 of the time ,it should propel you forward. But you might look like a topwater buzzbait ! Lol

[mightymaxIV]

Paddles

I have a set of these mud sliggers at home. I ran them on my Max a few times and here is what i found. They help with water speed a tiny bit but you lose some of the control you have with out them. They also require to keep the throtle just open-or the tires moving slowly for the paddle effect to work. Speed up just a little bit and they stop working or push your AATV to the side. I really didn't test them in the mud because I seem to have all the traction I can handle with my current tires. The mud sliggers are easy to put on and take off but they quite expensive and overall not worth the time and effort. I only tried one set-it is possible that the effect could be alot better with six of them but that is a lot of money for an experiment!
Mud Slingers ATV Mud Paddles

[mudbug3]

I have a set of these mud sliggers at home. I ran them on my Max a few times and here is what i found. They help with water speed a tiny bit but you lose some of the control you have with out them. They also require to keep the throtle just open-or the tires moving slowly for the paddle effect to work. Speed up just a little bit and they stop working or push your AATV to the side. I really didn't test them in the mud because I seem to have all the traction I can handle with my current tires. The mud sliggers are easy to put on and take off but they quite expensive and overall not worth the time and effort. I only tried one set-it is possible that the effect could be alot better with six of them but that is a lot of money for an experiment!
Mud Slingers ATV Mud Paddles

mightymaxIV ,


I was hoping that you would see this post and respond to it , based on your own experience with the " Mud Slingers " . How much is a pair of Mud Slingers , since you said they were high $$$ ?

[mightymaxIV]

I believe they were $200.00 a set. For sale one set of mud sliggers cheap- will fit a 12" max rim!!

[Bw6]

Check This Out

I have been designed/built and tested what I call a "Jet Wheel". It can be mounted on any AATV tire. It is a type of "Reverse Banki" design that produces thrust even if the tire is totally underwater. In the vids you will see it in action. It has been GPS'd at 3.0 mph. You can mount/dis-mount in 30 sec. When mounted on the rear tires of the Frontier it produced so much thrust that it was in danger of sinking the Argo! It also gives excellent directional control, and can be used with tracks.

[artist1018]

I like the 2nd video with your "wheel" on the front tires! Looking forward to you putting them into production & establishing a retail price for a pair. I own an Argo Conquest 8x8 & may be a future customer.

[GREASEMONKEY]

They look a bit wide! Just my .02c, but I'll buy a set any way! That's what a band saw & welder are for!

Seriously have you thought about trying to make them lower profile? Just one opinion, but if they were slim, say 6" wide VS 10" wide, that would prompt me to buy a set with less reserve. I'm not shooting you down, they are awsome!!!!! I'm thinking of guys like me out for a weekend hunting, camping, and all the other gear that goes along. The space to store them is a comodity!

How tough are they? I cross lots of old man made ponds that are full of stumps, limbs, and other unseen obstacles!

When can I buy them for an argo wheel, and what's the price? If you have a waiting list put me on it!

[ygmir]

that looks pretty neat.
Are they hinged, or, fixed vane?
It looks kind of like a squirrel cage fan? If so, how does it create thrust when submerged? I see it does, but, my limited little mind doesn't understand how they make you move so well if mostly underwater...............
I like how you made them just smaller dia. than the tires so as not to hit so much when driving on land while entering and exiting the water.

Henry