By Pbar on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I've just got some plans for a homemade 6x6 from Australia Perth WA. the website is www.edge.au.com. The plans costs about $60.00 and are pretty simple, good starting point.

By Dave Blackburn (Dave) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

After my experience with the Power-Trac ( which I may wind up wearing around my neck like a huge green albatross) I don't think I'd go hydraulic,
as much as I love hydrostatic equipment, it robs the Kohler comand 25 hp. engine's power, rendering the Power-Trac quite underpowered!
It sounds like the Max's drive train is superior in power delivery with an acceptable amount of maintenance.

By Steve Melander on Unrecorded Date: Edit

STRUCK corp. which sells plans for a tracked vehicle (mini bull-dozer advertised in Popular Science) used to sell plans for a 6X6. I called them and they said they weren't available anymore. Does anyone have a set of these old plans that we can scan and make availble to all?
Steven Melander

By Gary Harper (Garyinvt) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve
you can see the add on the main site. I scanned it and Richard was good enough to add it. I have been looking for them for some time and hav had no luck. If you do PLEASE include me on the list of people to get a copy. I have a plotter that will handle up to "E" size paper if we can get a file. The only ones I have been able to get as of yet is the Edge plans. They are a start but not the best in the world. I have buitl and worked on some of the Struck stuff and it is pretty well thought out.

By Steven Melander on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hi Gary,
I too just ordered the edge plans. I wish I had the Struck plans, but I don't. However, Struck Corp's phone number is (262) 377-7211. I called them earlier this week, and a gal answered and she asked someone else in the office. She said they no longer supply them. One of us, who has the power of persuasion, should call them and see if they can dig a faded copy out of an old box, or wherever. We need to possibly call "Mr. Struck?".

Any volunteers??

Steve M.

By phil on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Just found this site,outstanding!!!Got to thinking
of designing a suspended 6x6 using subaru brat parts.The question would be if I use 3 open differentials all driven and apply the brakes to one side ,will the vehicle turn properly?By using the subaru parts I can shorten the cv shafts and get full independant suspension.the vehicle is not to be waterproof but able to climb around rocks.By creative use I can retain front steering in addition to independant braking on each side.Is there something that I have overlooked as I have never driven one but have always been amazed by the capability of these vehicles.The intended use is above the tree line in the Colorado rockies.

By David Marriott on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Phil,

Sorry about the length of this but there is quite a lot to consider with this type of design.

I think if the input of all three diffs were chain driven from a common shaft running along the top of the diff centres, with this shaft then driven by the motor/gearbox it would work.

Brakes would have to remain on each axle, either in their original position or moved inboard. Discs would probably provide a more "matched" system as if you used the original drum brakes they would have to be well maintained to ensure equal braking of all three wheels when turning.

Two vacuum assisted brake boosters may have to be used to reduce the effort required on the controls

A potential problem may occur if the front and rear wheels on one side were on a high spot and the centre wheel on the other side was also on a high spot. As open type diff centres would have to be used, the vehicle would sit there stuck with the three wheels in the low spots spinning.
You would then be best to apply the brakes on the side that had the two wheels in contact with the ground and hope it was convenient to turn in that direction whilst becoming unstuck.

To avoid this problem and save a huge amount of weight I would use only one diffcentre positioned on whichever axle was most convenient to your engine layout and chain drive it to the other two axles. Then use six Subaru driveshafts and wheel hubs and possibly even their suspension arms.

I think 6 compact motocycle coilover shocks should be fine as 6 car springs would be too hard

Using this system only one inboard disc per side is required to provide steering and breaking.

The layout of the drive system featured in the edge plans can be adapted to suit this design by a few simple changes to minimise the overall width of their system, therefore allowing longer driveshafts for a given wheeltrack, which would allow greater suspension travel before the CV joints reached their maximum angle.

I am planing to use the engine out of an old Suzuki 4X4. It is a 800cc 4-stroke 4 cyl with a 4 speed gearbox. It also has a transfercase separate from this gearbox which is driven by a small tail shaft. This will give me high and low range and also allow the output of the transfercase which originally drove the front diff in the 4X4 to be used as a PTO to drive a prop (if the thing isnt too heavy to float!)

Hope this might be of some help, and any constructive criticism of this design is most welcome.

By Randy on Unrecorded Date: Edit

just a thought, would articulat steering be nice in a amphib. type ATV.

By peter gruessing (Pete6x6) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I'm currently building a 6x6 and could use some suggestions. Those of you that have the plans from the edge are they worth it? I have pretty much built the rest of the 6x6 but the drive shafts and transmission are driving me batty. Can you buy borg warner t20's still? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

By Steve on Unrecorded Date: Edit

G'day all,
I'm in Australia, where there are practically *no* 6x6 ATVs at all. So, I bought the 6x6 ATV plans from 'The Edge Products' with excited expectations.
Well, I must say, I am quite disappointed with them, and believe they are NOT worth the $66 I paid (which included GST). Maybe $20 or $25, but no more.

My reasons:
(1) There is not _one_ single photo, anywhere, of either a completed vehicle nor any of the assemblies. In fact, they ask the purchaser/builder to submit photos! For the chassis construction, I feel this is essential. In fact, the photo of the ATV shown on their website has a completely different body shape to the one in the plans, which is very crude and boxy (to say the least). I wonder if The Edge has even built one from their own plans?? I sort-of doubt it!
(2) There is absolutely no detail (sketches nor text), or even ideas, on how to build waterproof hubs or axle assemblies. The rough side-view of the hull just says 'cut to suit axles' or something like that. Since I've no access to a real 6x6 ATV here in Oz to see how this is usually done, that leaves me scratching my head about how these things are arranged.
(3) The plans book has a side view and top view of the chassis, with a few pages of drawings of miscellaneous parts (eg. steering handles, axles). There needs to be more information! About half of the pages in the plans book is just a repeat of the advertising they have, such as other vehicle plans, metal suppliers (probably themselves, or an associate!), and price lists.
(4) As I mentioned, the body/hull is very poor; it's made of 10mm marine plywood. Can you say H-E-A-V-Y? All it says is to fibreglass it, all of a paragraph or two. I'd probably use 'blue foam' for the hull, at least it would be lighter.

The _only_ good points are that they describe using a motorbike engine coupled to a Datsun 180B (from memory) gearbox, chain drive, two Lockheed master cylinders and Fiat disc brake assemblies for steering, which might even be obtainable in Australia, I have not looked into it yet.

In summary: I don't feel that it was worth the $66 AUD. I hope 'The Edge' products read this list and can make additional comment.

Steve.
steven@phaedra.apana.org.au

By pete6x6 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve,

I've obtaineda copy of the plans your describing and I hate to say it but I agree. They leave a lot to the builder to figure out. Since I'm a gearhead since I was 4 these things are not a big problem but for someone with limited exposure to 6 wheelers concept and design this would be a problem. I think with pictures and insight from people on this website you could theoretically get enough information to build one. I'm currently rebuilding a Attex and molded out the jlo engine into greensand molds so I can make copies of the engine and parts since they are not made anymore. If you need pics of the axle assemblies and how things go together on an Attex I can send you some pics if you need them.

By kush on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Guys,

As I rebuild my ATTEX I've been making sketches of the parts. All I need now is to draw them up. I know Steve & I are both Draftsman\Designers so we hace taht part covered. I need to hit the lottery to start producing these things agian, with improvements. My 252 had Channel for the frame, yet my 295 uses angle & seems much flimsier. Which one is older? Did they cheapen things up or make them stronger in the end? I'd love to have the time & money to upgrade them with all the ideas I have.

Hey Pete, when are you going to start making new Attex bodies? :-)

Kush

By pete6x6 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Kush,

When I finish my 5 ton plastic vaccum former which I'm currently working on :).

By Steve on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Thanks Pete,
So I wasn't the only one to feel that the 6x6 plans weren't as good as they could have been.
I'm quite comfortable with building the vehicle, MIG welding, fibreglassing etc. no problem (I'm currently restoring an M29 Weasel).
I would certainly like to see how axles are waterproofed. Does it pass through a nylon bushing, neoprene seal or something like that? Is the seal/bushing free-floating in the hull side so that slight vibrations and eccentricities in the axles don't cause the seals to leak?
Doing some aluminium casting sounds like a lot of fun. Perhaps I would be better starting off with a worn-out secondhand ride-on lawnmower for the transmission assembly?

Steve.
steven@phaedra.apana.org.au

By greg petersen on Unrecorded Date: Edit

open to suggestions,

I am in the prosses of gathering up parts to build a 6x6 or perhaps a tracked vehicle. From what I've read on this site,using a small car diff will work fine.It will be belt driven via a 18hp or maybe by an air cooled volkswagon( Too heavy??) I considered using the volks transaxel but the final drive would be too high I think. Can there be problems with the trackes jumping off while turning. This ATV will be build mostly for mud.Not a big deal if it does'nt float.I'm leaning towards tracks but any info would be appreaciated. Thank You...

By kevinv on Unrecorded Date: Edit

A VW engine and transaxle probably weighs 50# over any current market engine/trans combo. HP and torque would be significantly higher. If gear ratios are a concern, look to any high performance VW magazine(HOT VW's) and you'll be amazed at the different ring/pinion combos' and close ratio shift gears available.

By Douglas MacCullagh (Dougmac) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

A thought on using a VW power pack - what about taking the drive shafts from the transaxle and hooking them up to reduction gears? It would bring the top speed down and the torque up.

By kush on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Find a old VW Transporter or Bus tranny. If I remember they had different gearing or reduction boxes already built in.

By greg petersen on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I need more sugestions...

Do belt driven ATV's usually only have 1 forward and reverse gear. How many speeds is the T20. Does anyone know what type of automobile used it?

By Gary Harper (Garyinvt) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Greg
The T-20m was designed for the sikd-steer market. Thus it was never used in an auto. I may be incorrect but I belive that Attex was the first to use it as a replacement for the ATV5000 ( forward only) and the ATV7000 ( froward/reverse)transmissions. At this time I belive that RI has aall the right to the design. As so # of speeds, the design used is with a variable toque converter system. This gives you differant speeds due to engine RPM and load put on the system.

By E L McKenney on Unrecorded Date: Edit

The VW transaxle came with a lower gear ratio in the TYPE II or bus vehicle, it also had outboard reduction boxes that lowered the ratio even farther. Some of the newer type IV busses even had atrue automatic transmission that you could hook these reduction boxes to , something else to consider.

By kush on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I still wonder about a trans from a Lawn Tractor. Mine is Hydrostatic but what about the other types taht aren't? How much do they weigh? What Hp can they take etc?

By greg on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I was thinking, with the rolling resistance of a tracked vehicle would it be wise to use gears?By the time one's shifted the machine would probably have come to a stop, especially in the mud.. A snowmobile type clutch would be better for this.Or maybe a V8 hooked to a turbo 400.. Ah one can dream. Thank you all for the valuable inputs.

By E L McKenney on Unrecorded Date: Edit

The man I bought my 484 from is putting a subaru powerplant in his MAX IV it has an automatic transmission and should make for an interesting package. He showed me the ppackage and it was very interesting.

By Bansheerider on Unrecorded Date: Edit

the guy i got my MAX 2 from has 2 custom built subaru powered steel 6x6's. amphibious too,. those were 2 hell of a pieces of machinery