How to make a swamp rover with your own hands: manufacturing process, drawings

Swamp walkers are machines that are characterized by a high degree of cross-country ability. These cars are capable of moving where there are no roads at all and where a person cannot pass without special transport. Swamp walkers do an excellent job with this serious task, so hunters, fishermen and tourists are interested in them to see and admire the untouched nature.

Some factory-made models can be found on the market. Unfortunately, such items are not cheap. In addition, they do not satisfy most buyers with their characteristics. In this regard, some amateurs make them on their own. They are not even stopped by the fact that this is not an easy occupation. Without certain knowledge and skills, especially for the first time, it is unlikely that a valid copy will work.

Why does a fisherman need a swamp buggy?

As a rule, beginner anglers are not interested in this aspect, but experienced ones, who will not be surprised by anything, will certainly be interested in this machine. The presence of a swamp rover allows you to solve a lot of problems. For example:

• Overcoming impassable areas. After all, there are more fish where no human foot has set foot.
• Search for new fishing grounds.
• Fishing trips where there are no normal roads. This is very important in conditions where the weather does not spoil vacationers with sunny days, but abundantly waters with precipitation.

Which is better, buy a swamp buggy or do it yourself?

People who have enough money do not think for a long time and buy everything they see fit. As a rule, their interest is concentrated on making money. Those who do not have much money are thinking about making it themselves: in any case, the machine will cost much less. In addition, such people have a genuine interest in the manufacturing process itself. But that doesn’t mean that everyone can do it. Despite this, self-production has its advantages: it is quite possible that it will be possible to assemble exactly the machine that is needed. Most anglers prefer small-sized devices, which cannot be said about factory products that cannot satisfy all customers. They are either too big or too wasteful.

If a decision is made to independently manufacture this type of transport, then you will have to face some difficulties. For instance:

• Knowledge in the field of auto business is required.
• You must be able to work with many plumbing tools and accessories.
• You need to be prepared for the fact that it will take a lot of time and you should not expect that the first time you get a good car.
• In addition to time, other costs will be required, including money.
• At the initial stage, it would be good to study some of the options for the manufacture of such machines in order to determine which of the options is more suitable.

The process of making a swamp vehicle with your own hands

Regardless of the selected version of the machine, the technological stages of production have a certain standard and are suitable for the process of manufacturing any kind of similar product. There are such stages:

• Selecting the type of product and providing it with working drawings. If there is no experience of such work, it is better to entrust this matter to a professional. Any inaccuracies in the drawings will negate the entire work.
• The choice of the main frame for the swamp vehicle. There are many options when a motorcycle, car or other homemade construction is used as a frame. As a rule, amateurs try to use what is at hand. This approach saves both money and time.
• Making or using a suitable ready-made pendant. Despite the fact that when using a ready-made suspension, time is significantly saved, making a suspension with your own hands has its advantages. In this case, it will be possible to create a device that will meet all the requirements for cross-country ability and comfort.
• Installation of wheels that are installed on the rear axle. Basically, metal hubs are used for this. The best option is to use low pressure chambers, which can be borrowed from large trucks or their trailers. This approach will not only increase the safety of off-road transport, but also increase the degree of controllability of the product in such extreme conditions. The use of tracks instead of wheels is accompanied by an exorbitant complexity in the process of their installation. They are difficult not only to make, but also to get them.
• Engine mount. This stage is accompanied by the installation of the engine cooling system, as well as the installation of other additional systems related to the exhaust gas discharge, the clutch system, the installation of the body and the wiring of the on-board electrical wiring, without which the headlights and interior lighting will not work.
• At the final stage, you will have to start the engine and test the swamp vehicle, which will allow you to assess the degree of correctness of its assembly and confirm all the calculated characteristics. If any deficiencies are found, they should be rectified immediately, since the safety of the device must come first.

Engine selection

The main characteristics of the product will depend on the choice of engine. As they say, you can squeeze in any suitable engine, but it is better to pay attention to its power, since swamps work under heavy loads and for a long time.

In conditions of self-manufacturing of swamps, it is possible to use:

• Motorcycle engines. In fact, this is not the best option, since you will have to take care of good engine cooling. In addition, motorcycle engines do not have enough power. If the device turns out, then it is too weak.
• Engine from car. The issue of using an air-cooled engine from a ZAZ car is especially relevant. These are engines that have all the necessary characteristics in the manufacture of a swamp. As practice has shown, they are trouble-free both at high and at low temperatures.
• Other engines from domestic cars will also work, although many of them are not air-cooled, which makes them difficult to use.
• Engine from a walk-behind tractor. This option is also considered promising. Quite often, amateurs use parts from tractors, as well as from other engines.

Chassis

As mentioned earlier, making the undercarriage with your own hands should be a priority. But here everything is not so simple, since you will have to pay attention to the following:

• The quality of suspension manufacturing will affect the final result in terms of ride comfort and in terms of cross-country ability. This will be felt by both the owner of the vehicle and passengers.
• Various drawings and diagrams will help to make the suspension, which indicate all the materials for manufacturing, such as pipes, corners, channels, etc. For manufacturing, only durable steel should be taken, which will allow the home-made device to serve for at least 20-30 years.
• The frame design can be either coupled or articulated. The second option is more difficult to implement, but the swamp rover can get additional cross-country capabilities.

Track or low pressure tires

The design of the swamp vehicle can be realized either on caterpillars or pneumatically. Each of the species is characterized by its own data.

Homemade vehicles on tracks are found, but much less frequently compared to pneumatics. This is due to the complexity of manufacturing. Despite this, the permeability of such devices is much higher, which deserves attention. The disadvantage is the fact that such engines require high fuel consumption. The complexity of the implementation of such a project also lies in the fact that such chassis are practically not produced by factories, so you have to assemble all the details by hand, and this is very costly, both in time and in terms of money. Most likely, high costs affect the production of such devices in the factory.

Homemade low-pressure tire bogies are a more realistic and more doable project. The cost of manufacturing such a vehicle is slightly lower than on a caterpillar track, and less assembly time will be spent. In addition, there are practically no problems with spare parts and parts for manufacturing. In addition, the pneumatic undercarriage is technically simpler. In this regard, such home-made devices are very popular.