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Better include a really good winch for the project. My experience with the Kubota UTV in rough terrain is the sumbitch stayed hung up and didn't have enough ground clearance.
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That is the perfect candidate for a beater hunting buggy Good score OP!
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View Quote OP can build this for sure |
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Used mechanical parts probably won't be easy to find. Try powersportsnation and see if they have anything.
But if they're useable as is, and just need bodies, then fab some mad max shit and run them. I long ago started putting busted beater fenders on my ATV's. They're gonna get scratched up and beat to shit in the woods anyway, so I use the clean ones on machines I'm fixing and flipping, and use the beat shit on my own stuff. |
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View Quote Yup, that’s my goal, something like that ! |
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Those little kubota diesels are good.
I started up two of em after them sitting for like 8 years... LOTS of white smoke for a bit lol. They were 2cyl versions on kubota mowers with hydrostatic drives. They were used for parade float satellite vehicles a few times over their years...between times they just sat. |
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Gonna be a fun project.
The aluminum frame tubes run up into the front end, going up to the top of the radiator, basically making a bull bar behind the plastic front end. That’s what the brush guard bolts too. Once I remove the plastic, should be pretty easy to add onto that to do the front end. I’ll post a pic in a day of so to show it. I’m going to get a piece of 36”x24” x 1/4” aluminum plate and cut the holes to make a mini Willis jeep type grill / front end. Then use another 1/4” plate to make the rear flat bed, basically attach that directly to the aluminum frame in the back. Lights will all be leds, with some IR leds for night vision use / night hunting. Only plastic I’m keeping is the dash. |
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Quoted: Lucky bastard My bil flips atvs/utvs all the time and makes good money doing it. Will get a worn out Honda 4x4 for $1k, throw $300-500 into it and sell it for $3. He tares them down to the frame, paints everything and replaces all the plastic. Looks like a damn brand new atv when hes done. View Quote By my math, your BIL is losing $? |
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I cleaned her up, pulled off busted plastic and put the tires back on.
Looks fucking awesome ! Cant believe i got it free ! The heavy duty aluminum frame that runs full length and extends up above the radiator making a bull bar offers such good mounting options that i think modifying this thing should be pretty simple. Building a new jeep style dash will be hardest, due to all the hole cutting. My plans are as follows. 1. Build a flat bed from 1/4" aluminum diamondplate. 2. Build body panels from scrap aluminum road signs. Attach with sheet metal screws for easy removal for maintenance. 3. Use 1/4" aluminum plate and cut a small willis jeep style grill / front end, bolt right to front alluminum tubing. 4. Attach new bumper brush guard to original mount. 5. Build a new willis jeep style dash from aluminum 1/4" plate , reuse all old guages,. Add a verticle gun rack, grab handle, and large glove box. 6. New floor, aluminum plate. 7. Build a front willis style hood / rack combo. 8. Paint camo or od green with big WWII usa invasion star with circle on hood and sides. 9. Winches, led lights, dash ham radio / marine cb radio, whip antenna, etc. 10. Rear hand winch set up for loading deer etc. 11. Aluminum roof with roof rack and lights 12. Folding windshield. 13. Maybe even build some half doors too. Do prob 90% of that using scrap yard materials to save money. Should turn out sweet when done, best part, should only have maybe $1500 total invested. Here she is !! Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Once again… what I’m going for when finished. Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92687/849AB453-6C73-49B7-BB0D-B27E75517536_jpe-2250479.JPG see that 40 degree brace? that looks important View Quote could be. this one has a pretty extensive automotive style aluminum frame that seems strong as shit, which also extends into the front grill and dash, as well as a all aluminum super structure that everything is attached too. its actually really well made IMHO, and not flimsy at all. i dont think ill need anything like that, but thanks for bringing it up. |
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Looks like a fun project! I'd incorporate a pair of cheap Maxtrax into the body design; maybe the roof or side panels? Then you'd have a functional recovery tool, if needed. While the off-brand recovery boards don't hold up like the Maxtrax do, they would be more than adequate for a UTV.
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Found a 3/8 aluminum diamond plate dock plate.
Heres a rough outline of what im thinking of making from it. Should be tough enough to serve as a brush guard as well as grill. Thoughts ? Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: Found a 3/8 aluminum diamond plate dock plate. Heres a rough outline of what im thinking of making from it. Should be tough enough to serve as a brush guard as well as grill. Thoughts ? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92687/20220124_133104_jpg-2252971.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92687/20220124_133051_jpg-2252972.JPG View Quote I like it, and the scraps may work for smaller panels or in the dash. I worked in warehouses for decades, so that plate looks very familiar to me. |
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Quoted: I like it, and the scraps may work for smaller panels or in the dash. I worked in warehouses for decades, so that plate looks very familiar to me. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Found a 3/8 aluminum diamond plate dock plate. Heres a rough outline of what im thinking of making from it. Should be tough enough to serve as a brush guard as well as grill. Thoughts ? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92687/20220124_133104_jpg-2252971.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92687/20220124_133051_jpg-2252972.JPG I like it, and the scraps may work for smaller panels or in the dash. I worked in warehouses for decades, so that plate looks very familiar to me. I’m using the dock plate for the grill, and using scrap road signs for body panels. Prob something similar for the new dash, and the floor too. The flat bed will be the hardest, as I’ll need a approx 4’x4’ 1/4” aluminum plate as a base for that. 3/4” plywood might work, but I’d prefer aluminum. End result using aluminum won’t be much more than the steel bed , bumper / bush guard and plastic panels it replaced…. But be a lot tougher. |
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Since it rolled in a tornado I'd check the aluminum tranny and engine pan for any dents or cracks so you know what you are starting with and have a solid drivetrain. But MadMax at least 1 of the units.
For a Genny you need a 2 pole if the engine will do 3600rpm or a 4 pole for 1800rpm. You will need to derate the power output of the engine if you are running at a slower rpm. For a stationary generator I'd look into an "ST" style gen head. Way overbuilt. You can either belt drive or direct shaft drive with a LoveJoy or other coupler. Just know you will need to have some custom machining done likely to build the coupler. All depends on what that Kubota has for a flywheel. Also most gen heads are a single bearing on the tail end and use a tapered shaft input and make use of the engine main bearing. So if the motor is not setup with a tapered shaft the cheaper gen heads you find online won't work. |
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Quoted: This! No way that thing goes fast enough to catch air like in your picture! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Put a turbo on it Yeah, with a 25mph top speed, it’s going to be more tractor utv than sport utv to be sure. |
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Quoted: Maybe skid plates? Just looking for a use, for good material. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: End result using aluminum won't be much more than the steel bed , bumper / bush guard and plastic panels it replaced. But be a lot tougher. Maybe skid plates? Just looking for a use, for good material. It’s actually got really good aluminum skid plates already. For a golf cart company they built this thing pretty tough, surprised me. Maybe I can find a wrecked aluminum flat bed to chop my metal from. Got a few more scrap yards I can check. Maybe I’ll luck into a 1/2 sheet of 1/4” diamond plate and 1” or 2” tubing. Iv got a full 10’ sheet of diamond plate steel, but that’s WAY too heavy. |
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Quoted: Both machines look like they used hard and put up wet, then went through a tornado. View Quote Exactly! Those wheels on that SxS did not get their lugnuts removed and stacked neatly by the tornado. I suspect both machines were pretty much junk when the storm "destroyed" them. And the gator looked like it had been rode hard and put up wet....many times. |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/Screenshot_20220126-145426_Gallery-2255400.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/Screenshot_20220126-145419_Gallery-2255401.jpg This is the flatbed I made for my rhino. Made stake pockets in corners and removable sides. The deck is 11 gauge diamond plate aluminum the frame is 3x3 sqaure aluminum tubing. View Quote that flatbed is awesome ! any chance of some close up pics of that flat bed / how its put together? total cost for repair parts to get the wheel back on is $500.00. its 2 ball joints, a tie rod end, a drag link, front brake line, and cv axle shaft. decided to break the cost up over several months. so, ordered the ball joints, tie rod end and drag link today. cost me $120.00. march ill get the brake line which is $100.00. april ill get the cv axle which is $300.00. during those months ill keep a eye out for some pieces of aluminum to build my new dash with, and a cheap 4'x4' or 4'x3' piece of aluminum plate to build my flatbed out of. so far cheapest option is buy a 4x6 3/8 aluminum dock plate, i can get one of those for around $125.00, and chop it up. it will work pretty well if i make the bed 4'x3'. iv got several months to track something down though. |
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Time for some redneck engineering.
Has there ever been a halftrack UTV yet? |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/3097/3168DCF5-148F-4363-833C-16817851D921-2248543.jpg Dark Helmet or Batmobile? View Quote You would need lucha libre outfit for that. |
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Quoted: Time for some redneck engineering. Has there ever been a halftrack UTV yet? View Quote Attached File |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/Screenshot_20220126-145426_Gallery-2255400.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/Screenshot_20220126-145419_Gallery-2255401.jpg This is the flatbed I made for my rhino. Made stake pockets in corners and removable sides. The deck is 11 gauge diamond plate aluminum the frame is 3x3 sqaure aluminum tubing. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090434-2265113.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090443-2265115.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090504-2265116.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090511-2265117.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090557-2265118.jpghttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/461438/20220203_090616-2265119.jpg View Quote Thanks for those extra pics ! |
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Fixed the wheel, then put 6 miles on it going to check on livestock. Runs great ! Total investment so far...$100.00 !!
Now to build the body ! Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Picked up a 4x6 docking plate today for $150.00. Should be perfect for building a new flat bed for my new side by side. Little heavy, but I’m only using a 3x4 piece as the floor, and the sucker has pretty heavy suspension, and 25mph top speed so I’m going more for toughness than light and fast. I’ll sell the approx $100lbs of scrap to the scrap yard, should get about $75 bucks back. I’ll get lighter gage aluminum for the bed sides n tailgate to save on weight. I could not have gotten a better deal on aluminum plate, even thinner gage say 3/16 this size would have cost much more than $150.00.
Attached File Attached File |
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OP is totally going to regret this when he's pricing belt feds and mounts. |
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Quoted: OP is totally going to regret this when he's pricing belt feds and mounts. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: OP is totally going to regret this when he's pricing belt feds and mounts. True Honestly I’m REALLY having fun with this thing, plotting and planning the build and how to do it. Loving it ! I’m selling my Yamaha 4 wheeler. Going to buy a hogster thermal with the money. |
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