Our country occupies so much space on the world map that not all parts of it can easily be reached by ordinary car. For example, in Russia there are so many swamps that sometimes it is just necessary to have a real all-terrain vehicle. If you don’t want to buy such a car and don’t know how to make a swamp do-it-yourself, then this article will definitely be interesting for you.
Which type is best to choose
Of course, every person is trying to build such a swamp that would fully correspond to his ideas about a good and reliable car. I want it to be economical, and small, and reliable. But, unfortunately, it’s quite difficult to find one on sale, so self-assembly is the best option. Today, the most popular all-terrain vehicles are crawler and pneumatic wheels with low pressure.
Caterpillar or pneumatics - which is better to do?
Making tracked swamps with your own hands is quite simple. Such products have both advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages, it is worth highlighting the fact that they are very passable. Even the largest swamp will simply not stop them. However, it should be remembered that such do-it-yourself swamp-driven vehicles require automobile power units that require high fuel consumption. Also, not everyone can easily create independently walkable tracks. More common swamp vehicles are low-pressure pneumatic wheels. They need simple and fairly cheap components. The disadvantage is the low level of comfort.
Where to start creating a swamp
First of all, choose which type of swamp you want to create. Of course, if you do not consider yourself an expert in this field, it is better not to try to work immediately with the caterpillar mechanisms, but to try to assemble the device on pneumatics first. Then you need to decide in what conditions you are going to operate the machine. Carefully consider the unit of what capacity and capacity you want to have for use. Only after that it’s worth moving on to sketching. They should indicate in general terms the layout, where all nodes, places for the driver and passengers will be located.
Step next: engine selection
When you choose a motor (a swamp, assembled with your own hands, will be just a bunch of garbage without it), it should be noted that not any of them is suitable for such a complex machine. First of all, pay attention to the fact that the motor is equipped with a forced cooling system, because all-terrain vehicles, as a rule, do not drive very fast, and ordinary engines can overheat very much. In addition, it must be understood that such a machine should drive where others cannot afford it. Therefore, if you create swamp-rovers with your own hands, then choose motors with a large power reserve. In the event that you are going to ride it all year round, it is better to choose a four-stroke engine.
Chassis design
Remember that in the chassis, if you collect the swamps with your own hands, you need to use independent wheel suspensions. Despite the fact that in terms of technology they are more complex, these structural elements help to add more comfort to both passengers and the driver. Moreover, such suspensions will be simply indispensable if you intend to create a swamp based on pneumatic wheels with low pressure.
The frame can be selected in the form of a spatial design. You can also optionally use either a solid frame or articulated. The latter is best used if you are planning to build your own tracked swamps. However, this design is considered very difficult to create.