If you still asked the question “how to assemble a motorized towing vehicle with your own hands,” then think carefully - “How much will you save?” You will save a maximum of 10-15 thousand rubles, but you will waste time, perhaps your wife will leave you because you have been sitting in the garage all this time, your children will no longer respect you. This entails a lot of problems. You need to be a technically savvy person who has assembled and disassembled equipment, and a person who knows all this understands perfectly well what problems he may encounter.
If you have made up your mind, then let’s take a closer look.
We buy metal and assemble the frame from scratch
Let's say you know how to use welding, what it should look like - you have an idea of the technique, you understand it all. It's not that you're a techie with a higher education, but you understand technology. How it works, how it is structured, how to assemble it all. You see towbars in the store, at your friends' houses, and you realize that everyone assembles it a little differently. One has a single bearing transmission, some has a double bearing transmission.
Firstly. You buy metal for yourself at a metal depot and go to your garage. We will assume that you have a welder and all the tools, you have marked this thing and filed it. If you don’t have a tool, then you need to buy a welder, buy an angle grinder, and weld an even frame. It should look something like this. The photo shows a frame from a Tehmar motorized dog.
If you weld a crooked frame, then you will break the bearings on the drive shaft, there will be misalignment and, accordingly, there will be pressure on the bearing by the shaft.
The bearing will quickly fail, this will happen all the time, this is still a torment... Even some manufacturers suffer from this, they have crooked frames. Therefore, it is important to make an even frame, to give rigidity to the structure so that it does not move to the sides. This is a rather complicated process. It’s easy for a person who is at least somehow connected with welding, who cooked something at one time, to do this.
A person who sits at a computer all day long and works as a manager will not assemble a motorized towing vehicle in his garage. This is the first difficulty in assembling a motorized towing vehicle: you need a lot of tools and knowledge to help you in production.
Information about propulsors
If you are thinking about making a motorized dog, then it is important to decide how the tracks will be made. Here we consider an example that involves the use of a conveyor belt.
The width is set to 220 millimeters. Tracks for motorized dogs are made of smooth canvas slats; their length should be 1260 millimeters. In order to provide reinforcement to the tracks, metal ridges should be used, which are installed on bars during the assembly process. The track components are fastened using bolts; you need to choose those with M6 threads.
We collect components
The second point is the components. It’s one thing when the manufacturer does something himself and the manufacturer’s power is enough to turn the sprocket and make the shafts yourself, but you need to buy it in the store and you buy the spare part at a premium from the manufacturer, who created it and gave it to the store for his own margin . The store, in turn, also wants to make money, and you buy components for the towing vehicle with a markup of approximately +100 percent of the cost.
The engine, transmission, variator belt, chains, bogies - all this costs money. Assembling the carts yourself is expensive. The manufacturer buys the caterpillar for 6,000 rubles, and they will sell it to you for ten.
The maximum you can save on when assembling a motorized towing vehicle with your own hands is in metal. You can save on the frame. But what you saved on the frame, you will spend it all on buying spare parts, buying tools, plus you need to set up the whole thing so that everything works.
What is needed for production
It is absolutely possible and not so difficult to make a walk-behind tractor with your own hands. Schemes and drawings of a motorized dog are quite simple even for a novice master. You can assemble a car from scrap and not so expensive materials.
You will need:
- Frame. It can be welded from 20 x 40 mm profile pipes, angles and strips. You must first calculate the length, sketch out diagrams and drawings. A self-made motorized dog will be more passable and easier if it is shorter. This should be taken into account if you plan to drive through the forest or on ice.
- Caterpillars. These could be tractor tracks or a conveyor belt. You can make your own tracks from V-belts. To do this, we fasten the belts to the eyes or wheels. You can make tracks from chains: connect two identical chains in two circles, solder them - secure the links and reinforce them with steel plates on bolts. The width of the track is important, because a weak motor will have difficulty pulling wider tracks.
- Seat. For the seat, you can take foam rubber from old furniture, leatherette or leather from furniture or clothing.
- Motor. You can use an existing motor from equipment, or you can buy a specific domestic brand or foreign assembly. Chinese-made motors perform well. Motor power depends on desires and capabilities. Experts suggest taking engines from 6.5 liters. With. But on the forums, owners of motorized dogs admit that there is not enough power. 15 liter motor. With. more than enough to carry 2-3 people, overcome steep climbs, and reach speeds of up to 35 km/h (the optimal power is 9 hp). But there are reckless drivers who need a 20 hp engine. With.
- Galvanized, metal sheet or something else for cladding.
- Sprockets, bearings, chain, nuts, bolts, etc.
So, how do you make a motorized dog with your own hands with an engine?
Transmission
Look, you got the frame, you forgot about the frame, and you installed the engine. But the engine must be integrated together with the transmission in order to align the variator belt, or rather, the leading variator with the driven one, so that you do not have a misalignment of the belt.
Single-support transmission bracket for motorized towing vehicle
Double-support transmission bracket for motorized towing vehicle
If you made a slight mistake somewhere in the brackets, you welded them incorrectly, your belt will start to bite, the belt will be skewed, and accordingly, it will eat. A Chinese belt costs from 300 rubles, but a normal, good one costs one and a half thousand rubles. Not only do you get a skewed belt, which means it wears out quickly and bites, but you also get wild self-propulsion. You can start a towing vehicle and it will drive away from you.
We make a folding trolley
Such a wheelbarrow can withstand at least 50 kg of cargo. Its main advantage is its compact size.
To make a folding cart, you must follow the following procedure:
- Prepare pipe scraps with a thickness of at least 2 mm;
- Draw a frame structure template on a scale of 1:1;
- Weld the hinge bushings to the platform frame, and then to the main structure;
- Clean and polish all seams.
Connecting the electrical wiring
Okay, you figured out the transmission, you shoveled a lot of snowstorms before, okay. What do you need? You need wiring to make the engine breathe, work, and all the units work together. You bought a bunch of wires at the electric store, you soldered something. You've done everything, you've got yourself a high-quality wiring harness.
Second question. This is not a car engine, it is a Chinese engine. It may have twenty wires, but only four work. You see, if you bought an engine with a powerful light coil, it has 2 wires, but if it has a weak one, it has one wire. You look, he should have a plus - a minus in theory, but he only has a plus sticking out. Of course, I’m saying everything exaggeratedly, but it’s a fact.
It's a hassle with connecting, but oh well, we've all been through that. Can you imagine what kind of motorized towing vehicle it turns out to be? I've seen a bunch of do-it-yourself motorized towing vehicles. Yes, a great man, he spent six months of his life in a garage, did not see his family, his children. And so he went out for a test drive, since the season and the first snow had arrived. He dug himself out of the garage, drove out, and something broke. It happens anyway...
Additional accessories
Accessories for such devices include the following:
- A pusher module, which makes it easier to control the cross-country ability of a motorized dog. Typically, these devices are equipped with two seats.
- A sled made of dense sheet plastic, the thickness of which is 8 mm, a metal frame and protective lining on the bottom (height - 13 mm, width - 5 cm). The sled has the ability to transport a pusher.
- Slip-type suspension, with which you can improve the cross-country ability of a motorized dog in melted or deep snow.
- A cover that will protect vehicles from the negative effects of wind and precipitation. The presence of a cover allows you to reduce wear on the motorized towing vehicle and increase the time of use of the vehicle.
- Muffs that protect the user from frost, wind, snow and rain. They are made from several layers of fabric. The upper one, as a rule, is characterized by high density and moisture resistance. The inner layer assumes the presence of polyurethane inserts and a soft lining. The clutch quickly warms the driver's hands and eliminates the possibility of moisture or wind getting in.
We test and fix bugs
Any manufacturer at the development stage stumbles upon its own mistakes. Only the manufacturer has a central steelworks - a welding shop that is prepared, and the people are already professionals in this matter. There is an assembly area, there is a designer who creates everything in the program, there are facilities that allow you to make some parts.
At the same time, the manufacturer tests the equipment, encountering some errors and problems of its own, although, it would seem, everything is perfect, but... Take, for example, the automotive industry. They made a car for 10 million Range Rover, went for a test drive, the electronics unit failed, the air fell and something else, and they are guessing. And the reason is that the wiring engineer forgot to connect the yellow wire!
And it's the same here. The manufacturer tests, reworks, looks and brings it to mind. You leave the garage in your self-garden. Bang, the bearings on the drive shaft have fallen apart. You go to the garage, drag it for 5 kilometers, take it apart and realize that you have a crooked frame. You start to think: well, we need to redo it. You start doing things, collective farming. In the end, everything seems to have turned out great again.
You drive further and your belt starts to eat. Accordingly, the transmission needs to be redone. Or the vibration is such that you get Parkinson's from it. It's pounding because you didn't install mounts on the engine, or didn't install a sub-frame, or some kind of buffer that would dampen the vibration.
The best models from manufacturers
We will provide an overview of the most popular models of pushers that have found application in the snowy regions of our country.
For motorized towing vehicles "Koira"
This module comes complete with a sled and a bump stop, and is installed in the front of the towing vehicle. The driver is in a sitting position, which greatly alleviates the hardships of a long journey through snowy terrain, for example, to a hunting or fishing spot. The pusher increases the speed of travel, significantly compacting the snow underneath. The device is manufactured with a high level of quality: the frame, steering wheel and all components for control are made of thick profile pipe with a cross-section of 40x25 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm. The steering part rotates smoothly and quietly thanks to rubber bushings.
Dimensions:
- length - 165 cm;
- width - 60 cm;
- height - 26 cm.
The dimensions at the extreme points of the bump stop are 160x82x46 cm. A 56 W halogen headlight is provided on the steering wheel. The soft transforming seat can be adjusted to suit the driver's height. On the steering wheel there is a gas trigger and a button for adjusting the lighting. For safety purposes, an emergency stop check is provided.
Pusher for motorized towing vehicle "Muzhik"
This version of the pusher is also mounted in front of the motorized towing vehicle, and also, like the previous one, allows the driver to move long distances in a sitting position. The trough of the device is made of high-strength plastic. The frame is welded from a profile measuring 20x40 mm and a wall thickness of 2 mm. The design dimensions are the same as those of the module for Koira: 165x60x20 cm. The drag sled with a bumper has the following dimensional parameters: length - 145, width - 60, height - 26 cm.
The model has a soft and moisture-resistant seat. There is a throttle lever and cable, and there is an 18 W LED headlight. There is an engine control on the steering wheel. The steering wheel grips have a comfortable rubber base.
Module for towing vehicle BTS
Weighs 25 kg and has the following assembled parameters:
- length-185 cm;
- width-78 cm;
- height-63 cm.
The set includes a drag sled, the length of which is 1.5 m. The design is equipped with a spacious, durable and moisture-resistant seat. The steering wheel has rubberized grips, a headlight for illumination and a throttle cable.
Do-it-yourself motorized dog is a myth
Corrections in the process of fine-tuning the motorized towing vehicle overlap each other, and you fiddle around and finish your mistakes. The season passes, that is, after 2 years, having spent a hundred thousand on your developments, you crawl out, drive, everyone overtakes you. You don't feel the thrill because first of all, your tow vehicle will look bad because you have to invest money to make it look nice. To make it run well, you need to tune it well.
A person who understands all this, who estimates, who looks ahead, calculates his life a couple of steps, will immediately understand that this is a lost cause.
When you buy a new motorized towing vehicle, you get a ready-made design, customized, made inside and out, which has been checked, which was made by a designer, and not designed by Uncle Vasya in the garage.
Equipment
Using the drawings of a motorized dog, you can independently make a high-quality unit. The finished structure necessarily consists of the following elements:
- Engine.
- Chassis.
- CVT transmission.
- Universal steering wheel with controls.
- Frame with fasteners.
- Ski module.
Motorized towing vehicle - how they make it at the factory from A to Z
The designer drew the whole thing, measured every hole, every bolt, and attached everything. The assemblers are competent, professional, and assembled. The CMK shop welded the whole thing, painted it, did everything beautifully - appearance, design. They sold it to you and gave you a year of warranty, someone else gave it 2 years of warranty.
You drive, don’t worry. Something rustled, you dragged it to the dealer and said: Guys, fix it. Everything was done for you under warranty, and you can continue riding. And you no longer worry that you need to go to the garage, cut up this towing vehicle, and reassemble it, because something is wrong, something doesn’t work.
Anyone steps on their rake, even a professional welder. He cannot be a professional welder, he cannot be a mechanic, a person cannot absorb everything perfectly. Every person has mistakes, and he will make them in any profession.
Therefore, you can spend time, so to speak, when you assemble the towing vehicle yourself, there will certainly be savings. You will save some money, because the manufacturer has collected and needs to earn money, he needs to pay wages, rent, etc. He appraised it, gave it to the dealer, and the dealer appraised it. Well, how much will you save? Dealer delta. You won’t be able to beat the factory price, because the plant has its own capacity, components, which it produces 70 percent of itself, rather than buying from someone else, so it’s easier for him. He already has it set up on a conveyor belt and goes in a chain.
He collects from 30 to a hundred a day, and people understand how to do it. The more you collect, the lower the cost. You take a kilogram of metal for 200 rubles, and if you take a ton, then the cost will already be 120 rubles. That is, the manufacturer will always be cheaper.
When you want to drink coffee, you don’t invent a coffee maker. You just go and buy it, because you know that it has been thought through to the smallest detail and that it will grind your coffee and make a really delicious cappuccino. If you start collecting it yourself, you will first get poisoned, then something will go wrong with you. That's true anyway. Having saved 10 thousand, you will spend a lot of nerves, time, money again. It's not worth it.
Suspension type - slip or roller?
Yes. The advantage of a skid suspension is that the pressure distribution on the track is uniform throughout the entire track. We have no dips, the track is fully tensioned. There are pressure points on the roller suspension - where the roller is, there it presses. In other places the caterpillar sags and loses its footing. Thus, the skid suspension increases speed in deep snow. Another plus: the skid suspension is as open as possible and snow comes out of it well compared to a roller suspension. There is a big disadvantage of the slick suspension: if it is not lubricated with snow, it starts to burn and the slick pad can be killed in 1 trip, burned, or simply wiped off.
