Many residents of northern latitudes and places with poor traffic are engaged in the development and assembly of various vehicles with high traffic. Tracked all-terrain vehicles were no exception. There are a large number of different options for creating such a technique. But the most problematic issue for designers of all-terrain vehicles is the manufacture of tracks.
You can, of course, use their factory production, but having fully assembled the all-terrain vehicle with your own hands, you also want to have caterpillars of your own production. To date, there are several options for creating such propulsion devices that practically do not differ in their technical specifications from factory.
A simple version of caterpillars
The simplest version of snowmobiles is made from a conventional roller-bushing chain and a conveyor belt. At the same time, it does not require any special equipment and tools for its production. At the same time, work can be done almost in the middle of the living room.
In order for the conveyor belt to serve for a long time, it is necessary to sheathe its edges with fishing line with a distance between stitches of about one centimeter. This activity is very similar to overcasting fabric with seamstresses. In any case, such firmware will prevent the tape from unraveling while driving. You can fasten the ends together in any suitable way. A hinged joint resembling a piano loop may be suitable for this, or simply stitched, but it is unlikely to last long.
The thickness of the conveyor belt depends on the power power unit. If an engine from a Soviet-made motorcycle is installed in an all-terrain vehicle, then a tape 0.8–1 cm thick, used on conveyors in agriculture, has proven itself to be excellent. To stiffen the caterpillar, it is necessary to attach a bush-roller chain to its inner part. This can be done with bolts or hard steel wire. The main thing is that the chain fits snugly into the surface of the conveyor belt.
Caterpillars made in this way are distinguished by their long-term operation, although they are easy to manufacture. In addition, if necessary, repairs can be easily carried out, even in the field.
Tire propellers
Many owners of snowmobiles also use ordinary tires from a car as tracks for their equipment. For these purposes, truck tires are needed, and it is worth choosing them with the required pattern so as not to complicate your work in the future.
To make a caterpillar mover from a tire, it is necessary to cut off the sides from it, leaving only the part with the tread. This event takes a lot of effort and requires patience, since only a shoe knife with good sharpening is needed for work.
In order to simplify manufacturing a little, it is necessary to periodically wet the knife with soapy water, which will facilitate the process of cutting rubber. Some use specially designed devices for this purpose. You can also use an electric jigsaw, with a fine-toothed file fixed to it. It also needs to be watered with soapy water.
The first step is to cut the beads from the tire. Further, if necessary, it is required to remove several inner layers in the resulting caterpillar. This is done to give it softness. If the tread pattern does not suit you, then you should start cutting a new one, which is quite a painstaking task.
This type of caterpillar lugs has one indisputable advantage over the previous version. Since it is solid, without joints, its reliability is much higher. Of the negative points, a small track width can be noted, but to increase it, two or three tires can be spliced.
Belt tracks
The ease of manufacture of such caterpillar movers is increasingly attracting owners of all-terrain vehicles to use them on their vehicles. Belts with a profile in the form of a wedge are assembled into a single structure with the help of lugs, which are attached to the belts by riveting or screws.
As a result, it turns out that the caterpillar web already has holes for the sprocket. To do this, it is necessary to lay the belts at small intervals.
Making a caterpillar for an all-terrain vehicle
The name of the all-terrain vehicle is understood vehicle with increased permeability. These include tractors, snowmobiles, SUVs and tanks. Since often from improvised vehicles. Conceived for this, motorcycles or scooters go, but in the end you get a vehicle that is not afraid of either off-road or dirt. Increased permeability an all-terrain vehicle mainly depends on its caterpillar movers, which are put on wheels.
In this version, the caterpillar will have four strips of 5 centimeters wide. They must be cut from a conventional conveyor belt. Then connect the sides using a profile in the shape of the letter P. Next, you need to make balancers. Using a stamp, you need to make parts from sheet steel into the floor of the wheel. After that, it is necessary to make the hubs of bronze. Half wheels should be connected with six bolts. Balancers are made.
The next step will be the production of shafts for the track drums. They should have holes for the bearings. Drums can be made from duralumin blanks. When connecting them together, it is necessary to insert a rubber asterisk. It turns out that the caterpillar is driven from the drive sprocket with a chain drive. It is installed on the rear fork.
After that, you should assemble the entire caterpillar into a single whole.
The vertical arc must be equipped with a steel sleeve through which the wheel axle passes. A mechanism is attached to the lug on this sleeve, which fixes the design of the rear fork. Caterpillar balancers are attached to the remaining ears of the all-terrain vehicle. The mover is ready for use.
As you can see, you can make a caterpillar different ways The main thing is to have patience and desire.
After people see the prices for snowmobiles in the store, they ask how to make a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor, how expensive and difficult is it? How does the manufacture of homemade products begin - a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor? First you need to determine how much engine power to use. We used the engine of a walk-behind tractor in 6 as an engine. Horse power. Usually, four-stroke engines with forced air or water cooling are installed on walk-behind tractors.
From the walk-behind tractor, you can also use a reverse gear, centrifugal clutch, steering And fuel tank. Next, you need to think about the propulsion of the snowmobile. Most of them are fitted with a caterpillar drive.
The best homemade - a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
In the manufacture of a home-made snowmobile, tracks from other snowmobiles are used for it, or home-made ones assembled from improvised materials. After choosing a track, you need to decide what type of suspension to use. You need to choose from two main types: suspension on rollers and skid suspension.
Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. After that, it is important to decide what kind of layout the snowmobile will have. Typically, a snowmobile is equipped with two steering skis in front and a caterpillar block in the back.
The engine can be mounted either at the rear or at the front of the snowmobile.
How to make a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
This snowmobile can be made in a few weekends in the country in the garage. At first glance, its design looks very simple. If we compare its patency in wet or loose snow, it will not yield to many industrial-made snowmobiles.
The creation of a snowmobile proceeded from the principle: the less weight and larger size caterpillars, the higher its patency in deep and loose snow. Therefore, the design will be as light as possible.
How to make a homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor on tracks
Four wheels are installed inside the caterpillar. When movement occurs, they roll along the conveyor belt, with fixed lugs. The caterpillar drive is carried out by a chain from the motor, special drive sprockets, through the driven shaft. They were taken from Buran.
The engine is taken from a conventional walk-behind tractor, the power of which is 6 hp. You can't accelerate quickly on it. The soft suspension of the ski and track was removed, because the snowmobile is intended for driving on loose snow. This design was simplified and the weight of the snowmobile was reduced.
Making caterpillars for a snowmobile
Consider the process of making a caterpillar. Plastic water pipe 40 mm, cut to 470 mm long. Of these, blanks for lugs will be made. After that, each of them is sawn lengthwise into equal parts. circular saw.
Grousers are fastened with furniture bolts to the conveyor belt. When a track is being made, it is extremely important to keep the same distance between the lugs. Otherwise, there will be a "running" on the teeth of the drive sprocket, as a result of which the caterpillar will slip and slide off the rollers.
To drill holes for mounting bolts in the conveyor belt, a jig was made. To drill holes, a wood drill with a special sharpening was used.
This jig allows six holes to be drilled simultaneously in the conveyor belt to attach three track lugs. Also, drive sprockets (2 pcs), an inflatable rubber wheel (4 pcs), sealed bearings No. 205 (2 pcs) were purchased.
The turner made the support for the bearings and the caterpillar drive shaft. The frame of the snowmobile is self-made. For this, square pipes 25x25 mm were used. The articulated axes of rotation of the steering wheel and skis are in the same plane and on the same line, so a continuous tie rod without ball tips was used.
Ski turn bushings are quite easy to make. A water coupling is welded onto the front cross beam of the frame, the internal thread of which is 3/4 inch. There are screwed pipes with external threads. I welded bipods of ski racks and tie rods to them. Corners are installed on the skis, which serve as an attachment to the snowmobile's turntable. A metal undercut is made from below in order to better control the snowmobile while driving on packed snow or crust.
Chain tension adjustable by motor displacement
Driving a snowmobile is quite simple. To increase the engine speed, use the throttle, which is located on the steering wheel. This engages the automatic centrifugal clutch, causing the snowmobile to move forward. Since the engine power is small, the speed of the snowmobile is 10-15 km/h. Therefore, no brakes are provided. To stop you need to slow down the engine.
Caterpillars are made in any width. Choose what is more convenient to do: a narrow but long caterpillar, or a wide but short one. It is important to remember that a larger track will put more stress on the engine and make it harder to steer the snowmobile. If the caterpillar is made small, then the car can fail in deep snow.
The weight of the snowmobile with all parts turned out to be 76 kg. It included: steering wheel and engine (25 kg), skis (5 kg), wheels with axles (9 kg), drive shaft (7 kg), caterpillar (9 kg), seat with racks (6 kg).
You can reduce the weight of some parts. For a snowmobile of this size with a track, the weight is quite satisfactory.
Characteristics of the resulting homemade snowmobile
frame length 2000 mm;
track width 470 mm;
between axial distance of basic skating rinks of 1070 mm.
Homemade snowmobile from walk-behind tractor video
Figure 1. Drawing diagram of a homemade snowmobile
I attached the lugs to the conveyor belt with two 6 mm furniture bolts with a large semicircular head. When manufacturing a caterpillar, it is very important to maintain the same distance between the lugs, otherwise they will “run into” the teeth of the drive sprockets and the caterpillar will begin to slip and slide off the rollers.
Figure 2. Plastic pipe cutter:
1. wooden block;
2. plastic pipe;
3. metal corner.
To drill holes in the conveyor belt for mounting bolts 6 mm, the conductor made. The holes in the tape were drilled with a wood drill with a special sharpening.
Using such a conductor, 6 holes can be drilled in the conveyor belt at once for attaching three caterpillar lugs.
In the store, I bought four inflatable rubber wheels from a garden cart, two drive sprockets from a Buran snowmobile, and two sealed bearings No. 205 for the caterpillar drive shaft.
I asked a turner to make a caterpillar drive shaft and bearing supports. I made the frame of the snowmobile myself from square pipes 25 × 25 mm.
Since the hinge axes of the skis and the rudder are on the same line and in the same plane, you can use a continuous tie rod without ball joints.
Ski turn bushings are easy to make. I welded 3/4" female plumbing couplers to the front cross member of the frame. He screwed pipes with external threads into them, to which he attached the tie rod bipods and ski racks by welding.
I recommend using skis from the Argomak children's snow scooter. They are lighter and more flexible, but they need to be equipped with corners for attaching to the snowmobile's turntable and a metal undercut from the bottom - for better control of the snowmobile when driving on crust or packed snow.
The chain tension is adjusted by shifting the motor.
Driving a snowmobile is very easy. When the engine speed is increased with the throttle handle located on the steering wheel, the automatic centrifugal clutch and the snowmobile starts moving. Since the estimated speed of the snowmobile is low (only about 10-15 km / h) and depends on the density of the snow, the snowmobile is not equipped with brakes. It is enough to reduce the engine speed and the snowmobile stops.
I will share a few tips that may be useful when repeating this design.
1. I cut the pipe for tracks lengthwise with a manual circular saw on wood, first on one side, then on the other. So it turns out smoother than cutting both walls at once. It is more convenient to process small workpieces. If you immediately cut along a long pipe, then in this case the plastic will melt and the saw blade will clamp.
2. Caterpillars can be made in any width. And each designer has the right to choose what is more convenient for him: to make a wide but short caterpillar or a narrow and long one. Just remember that with a large track, the snowmobile will be poorly controlled and the engine will be loaded more, and with a small one in loose deep snow, it may fall through.
3. In some of my photos you can see that plastic "barrels" are installed inside the caterpillar. These are guide stops for slip, which should prevent the caterpillar from sliding off the rollers. But during the operation of the snowmobile, the caterpillar did not slip off the rollers even without slip, so the “barrels” can not be installed, which will reduce the weight of the snowmobile.
4. At the end of winter, I completely dismantled the snowmobile to determine its weight. The weight of its individual nodes was as follows:
- caterpillar - 9 kg;
- drive shaft assembly - 7 kg;
- two pairs of wheels with axles - 9 kg;
- engine and steering wheel - 25 kg; a pair of skis -5 kg;
- frame - 15 kg;
- double seat with racks - 6 kg.
Total all together weighs 76 kg.
The weight of some parts can be further reduced. Still, the weight for a snowmobile with a track of this size is quite satisfactory.
The geometric dimensions of my snowmobile are as follows: the length of the snowmobile frame is 2 m; the distance between the axles of the support wheels (rollers) - 107 cm; track width - 47 cm. The step of the caterpillar lugs depends on the thickness of the conveyor belt and it must be selected empirically (I got 93 mm).
I don’t give the exact dimensions and drawings of the parts of the snowmobile, since everyone who is going to repeat the design will be guided by those parts and components that they can purchase or make on their own.
In the photo, the stages of manufacturing a snowmobile according to the above diagrams-drawings:
- Preparations of lugs for the future caterpillar.
- Special drive sprocket from the Buran snowmobile.
- Homemade track drive shaft with chain and track sprockets installed.
- Jig for drilling holes in the conveyor belt.
- Track rollers with axles and mounting brackets to the snowmobile frame.
- The drive from the engine of the drive shaft of the caterpillar is carried out by a chain from the motorcycle.
- Snowmobile frame with drive shaft and track rollers.
- Ski steering mechanism.
- I put plastic skis from children's Chinese sleds on this snowmobile. But the plastic from which they are made turned out to be very fragile and by the end of winter one of the skis broke.
- Skis from the snowmobile "Argomak" with an installed undercut (ridge) and mounting brackets for installation on a snowmobile.
- Ski swivel bushings. It's very simple: no bearings. It is only necessary to apply lubricant to the threads, and a long service life is guaranteed. In addition, by screwing in or out of the pipes, you can change the clearance of the snowmobile.
- The axle of the front wheels (track rollers) is fixedly attached to the frame, and the axle of the rear wheels-rollers can be moved by turning the bolt to adjust the tension of the track.
How to make a snowmobile on tracks: photo to the article
DIY homemade snowmobile: photo
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Each driver decides for himself whether to buy caterpillars or do it himself. We will consider both aspects, but each of them is only useful if the car drives not only on the highway. Tracks are a great way to improve your off-road capability, and for many motorists, tuning is a must. Is it worth buying caterpillars for the Niva if you can make them yourself?
Problems with transporting incredibly heavy camp equipment and tying to public transport hunting grounds are essential for every hunter. An off-road vehicle, even one like the Niva, solves these problems only partially, since there are obstacles in the form of gullies, slopes and off-road, with which the car is on standard wheels can not manage. There is an urgent need to transfer your transport to caterpillar tracks. How to make caterpillars for Niva in three ways, in which cases is it better to buy ready-made ones?
In the production of caterpillars, special rubber is used with a special substance in the composition, thanks to which even aggressive weather conditions do not reduce their strength and elasticity. The weight of one caterpillar can vary between 75 - 110 kg, which is affected by the design of the product and its type. Despite this weight, the transformation of the Niva into an all-terrain vehicle is not difficult, since the caterpillar easily rolls over the ground, there is no need to lift or drag it.
There is also nothing complicated in the design of the caterpillar mover - a powerful metal frame in the shape of a triangle, one large roller at the top and five pairs or more of a smaller size at the bottom. The caterpillar is dressed on them.
The classic wheel hub is installed in the upper roller, then it sits on a rigid hitch so that during rotation the hub transmits the rotational movements of the entire structure. The key advantage is the ability to turn the steering wheel as if it had wheels. If necessary, the tracks for the car are removed and replaced with conventional tracks.
What are caterpillars for? Design pros and cons
The basis of the audience of drivers who install caterpillars on a car are extreme sportsmen, hunters and fishermen, who, in pursuit of pristine beauty and maximum comfort, do not skimp on the elements of car modernization. Considering the purpose of using your own car and the size of your wallet, choosing between buying tracks and their self-manufacturing will have to do it yourself. If you rarely go off-road, and most often your Niva sees only the main highway, there is no point in buying.
If you are fond of fishing and hunting, then increasing the cross-country ability of the vehicle due to such a modification is vital in order to master new cordons, as well as safely, quickly and comfortably get to the so-called fishing spots. After installation, you will notice the following positive changes:
- The level of comfort during off-road driving is significantly increased, the difference between the wheels and caterpillar felt immediately.
- Increases vehicle speed when driving on snowy, swampy, or sandy terrain. Indicators reach 80 km / h.
- The cross-country ability of the vehicle also increases and this parameter can be compared with the cross-country ability of the Belarus tractor. The only limitation is the size ground clearance, which for "Niva" is 30 cm.
The first caterpillars on a car appeared about 100 years ago, and during this time motorists fully appreciated their advantages, however disadvantages also exist:
- A set of caterpillars is expensive, and when making a home-made design, you cannot do without basic skills and additional equipment.
- Slopes, hills and terrain with sudden changes in elevation can be a problem for the suspension system and transmission, since a vehicle of this size requires a larger area of the track module.
- It is also not always possible to move over a fallen tree trunk or similar obstacle.
Main manufacturers and prices
The first caterpillar mechanisms were developed in the USA, after which they were distributed throughout the world. Now several dozens of manufacturers, including domestic ones, are engaged in the production of such structures. Of the imported brands, Mattracks is considered one of the most popular. Their prices correspond to a big name - one set corresponds to the cost of a Russian car.
Several companies are now engaged in the production of caterpillars for passenger cars, but such a purchase, again, will not be cheap. Pricing depends on the following factors:
- diameter of bearings and axles;
- metal thickness and quality;
- design features.
When choosing imported caterpillar mechanisms, be guided by a price of 230 - 700 thousand rubles. Having decided to buy caterpillars for the Niva domestic manufacturer can cut costs in half.
Development of Chelyabinsk engineers
Engineers from Chelyabinsk offer an alternative design, thanks to which the vehicle will be able to conquer not only off-road, but also water. Movement on water is provided by quick-detachable pontoons fixed on the chassis.
As unnecessary, they can be stored on a wheel-ski trailer or trunk. The installation of the tracks in this case is somewhat more time-consuming when compared with the classic caterpillar mechanisms, the installation of which does not take more than an hour. You will have to follow the step by step instructions:
- At the first stage, the car should be put on the caterpillar module, get rid of the wheels and lower the suspension onto the catchers.
- Next, the car is attached to the frame, and the module bridge is connected to the cardan.
- At the final stage, the control unit is installed and the hydraulic system is pumped.
Such an all-terrain mechanism is installed for at least 2 hours, after which control is available through the steering wheel. After the next off-road raid, the car starts up on the platform again, and the tracked modules replace the usual wheels. Issue price - 100 thousand rubles. and higher.
Is it possible to make caterpillars with your own hands?
If the cost of a ready-made set of tracks discouraged you, you can consider the option of self-manufacturing, but you should know in advance about the laboriousness of such a process. You must be proficient in locksmith equipment and have construction skills. Garage production can not even be considered, since you will have to use special machines and tools for turning hubs, assembling and mounting sprockets, shafts and bearings.
There are three ways that the Niva caterpillar you made will perform its functions - from a conveyor belt, from car tires or from belts. These will be the simplest structures, which, despite their functionality and maintainability, cannot be called full-fledged tracks.
Caterpillars from a conveyor belt
To assemble the caterpillar kit, you can use a conveyor belt with a thickness of 8 - 10 mm and a bush-roller chain. Be sure to sew the edges of the tape with fishing line to strengthen it and avoid fraying. Use overlock stitch. The hinge can be used to connect the ends of the tape. The connection by flashing can also be used, but the reliability will be doubtful. In general, this design inspires confidence in terms of reliability and can be easily repaired.
Also, caterpillars can be made from a conveyor belt using a rectangular profile pipe. To do this, you must first give the tracks the desired shape using a pressing machine. To fix the tracks on the tape, you can use nuts and bolts. We will consider this technology in more detail. You will need the following tools and materials:
- pressing machine;
- hammer and a set of keys;
- hole puncher;
- drill, angle grinder and welding machine;
- fittings and profile pipe;
- Grover, washers, nuts and bolts;
- conveyer belt.
The step by step process looks like this:
- Considering the width of the caterpillar to be manufactured, cut the track blanks with a grinder.
- Press the blanks on the machine to give them the desired shape, use used oil to lubricate the ends.
- Weld on each truck fangs-limiters and additionally at the top of the fittings in the shape of the letter V.
- At the installation site of the track, check the conformity of the dimensions.
- Use an industrial hole punch to create holes in the conveyor belt. Such a hole punch can be made independently - it will be a tube sharpened from the end part with a side hole for removing rubber waste.
- Drill two holes in the tracks on each end.
- At the final stage, the assembly of the caterpillar awaits you.
Caterpillars from car tires
Having decided to use car tires for the manufacture of caterpillars, you should choose them with an appropriate tread pattern that will replace the lugs. Suitable tires from tractors or trucks. Carefully remove the bead from the tire using a well-sharpened cobbler's knife. Moisten the blade periodically with soapy water to make cutting easier.
If you have the skills to use an electric jigsaw, you can use this tool in tandem with a fine-toothed file.
For achievement required level elasticity, several layers of the inner ring can be removed. Compared to the first option (conveyor belt + roller chain), car tires more reliable, since the contour of the ring in this case is closed and the ends do not need to be connected.
Belt tracks
Caterpillar belt kits also fall into the category of easy-to-make designs. Grousers are used to assemble the caterpillar track from wedge-shaped rubber belts. The connection is made by means of small bolts and rivets. The interval between the belts must match the dimensions of the drive sprocket. Use rivets to fix the ends of the resulting canvas.
conclusions
Summing up, it is worth mentioning the ease of installation of tracks, which takes less than an hour, unless of course we are talking about a Chelyabinsk invention.
Before installation, weld special triangle-shaped scarves to the Niva bridges to strengthen them. Concerning improvised designs, they can hardly compete with the factory options in terms of reliability, but they will be an excellent solution for single raids for game or fish.