The use of standard vehicles in off-road conditions, typical of rural areas and remote areas of the country, seems impossible due to their insufficient cross-country ability. Having figured out how to make a karakat with your own hands, the user will be able to cover long distances without any problems, being far from the roads.
Before you figure out how to make a karakat swamp rover yourself from improvised mechanisms, you need to take a closer look existing varieties this kind of products. The Karakat swamp all-terrain vehicle is nothing more than a non-standard vehicle that moves with the help of wheels on which low-pressure tires are installed.
Among its main advantages:
- excellent maneuverability;
- low cost;
- maintainability;
- high power (depending on the spare parts used).
Homemade swamp vehicle
Such mechanisms are most often constructed independently on the basis of some equipment, for example, a tractor or walk-behind tractor. Existing models differ from each other not only in characteristics, but also in design. The most widespread are all-wheel drive and three-wheel drive devices.
All-wheel drive
All-wheel drive models seem to be the most popular transport option among consumers. They are equipped with 4 wheels, thanks to which the structure is stable and has high maneuverability. Such a caracat can overcome even impressive obstacles without any problems, but its assembly will require two wheels of the same diameter.
To make such a swamp vehicle, the breaking with your own hands must be done correctly, otherwise there is a high probability of assembling an inoperative structure.
Three-wheeled
An equally popular modification can be considered models of swamp vehicles with three wheels. Such vehicles are lightweight and are not inferior in cross-country ability to their all-wheel drive counterparts. Such an option will be optimal if you need to quickly make high-quality karakat. Do-it-yourself fracture can be done if you have the necessary equipment.
All-terrain vehicle made from a walk-behind tractor
Affordable and efficient products are obtained from walk-behind tractors, but for this purpose it is important to use only those models that are equipped with forced cooling systems. Since swamp vehicles are often used in winter, it is strongly recommended to use 4-stroke engines during production, since their performance in conditions low temperatures much better.
Stages of creating a homemade karakat
If you want to construct a Vologda swamp rover, a Karakat, or its other models at home, you should first of all purchase in advance necessary tools, and also acquire suitable components.
The complete list of necessary components and tools may vary and directly depends on the selected vehicle model that is planned to be manufactured. When analyzing the assembly process of such a product, it is necessary to highlight several important stages:
- Selection of the frame of homemade tractors or motor vehicles, which will become the basis of the future device.
- Planning and assembly rear axle, as well as vehicle suspension.
- Selection and installation of suitable wheels.
- Installation of the power unit.
Since these types of elements seem to be key in the design of a swamp vehicle, it is advisable to consider the features of their selection and installation in more detail.
Frame
The main structural element is the frame, on which other components and assemblies will be installed in the future. Her choice directly affects appearance future karakat, as well as its operational characteristics. Experienced craftsmen recommend using old motorcycle frames domestic production, for example, IZH or Ural, since it is much easier to make a karakat from a motorcycle than from a car.
Spare parts from them are characterized by low cost, high strength and optimal characteristics for use as the basis for a swamp vehicle. After all, such three-wheeled models boast high maneuverability and maneuverability, which makes them universal. During the manufacturing process, it is advisable to use a frame drawing due to the complexity of the assembly.
Swamp vehicle frame
Suspension
When designing the chassis, it is strongly recommended to give preference to an independent type of suspension. This is due not only to the ease of its manufacture, but also to its excellent characteristics.
If the user does not have the ability to implement independent suspension, standard pneumatic wheels can be used.
Wheels
The choice of wheels for a future swamp vehicle must be given special attention, since its cross-country ability, as well as ease of operation, depends on this. Large wheels from high-power trucks are perfect for this type of use.
Low-pressure chambers are used throughout, allowing the all-terrain vehicle to overcome even large obstacles. If desired, you can make karakat discs, which will significantly improve the appearance of the structure. It should be remembered that for pneumatic tires it is necessary to use only truck tire tubes, and not the wheels themselves.
Engine
After the installation of the wheels has been completely completed, you should begin installing the engine, as well as the accompanying mechanisms necessary for the correct movement of the vehicle. As mentioned earlier, it makes sense to give preference to powerful units equipped with liquid and air cooling. A good option may become a product with a Lifan engine.
Besides, homemade design can be used not only gasoline engines, but also diesel analogues, which will significantly increase cross-country ability, as well as make the vehicle more economical. However, this motor option also has a number of disadvantages that should be remembered.
First of all, this is unstable operation and starting in conditions of low temperatures, which is especially important for caracats, since they are often used in winter. The speed performance of diesel units is significantly inferior to their gasoline counterparts.
Brakes
Because provided correct selection components and their installation, the karakat can reach impressive speeds on a more or less flat road; it is necessary to equip the structure with brakes that can quickly stop the vehicle.
Engine on caracat
This is extremely important, since in off-road conditions it is often necessary to overcome large obstacles, the descent from which can significantly increase the speed of movement. For use in construction, in most cases it is recommended to choose drum-type brake mechanisms, due to their high efficiency.
Reworking a walk-behind tractor
Walk-behind tractors are rightfully considered one of the most universal species agricultural machinery, which is why they are often used as the basis for various home-made units. Among them, home-made 4x4 mini tractors with a breakable frame are very popular, as well as caracats made from a walk-behind tractor, which in terms of its technical indicators is in no way inferior to other types.
To successfully manufacture such a device from a walk-behind tractor, you will need to follow the following instructions:
- Weld the frame using a metal profile/pipe.
- Mount rear and front drives. To simplify the process, it is recommended to take the front axle, steering system, and other elements from the vehicle’s chassis.
- Install the motor, as well as the gearbox included in the design of the walk-behind tractor.
- Construct and secure the slopes, and then roll in the resulting structure.
It is important to note that for this type of swamp vehicle it is recommended to use a wheelbase with increased belt-type traction. Structures made from walk-behind tractors, as a rule, have impressive dimensions and can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h, which makes them universal and reliable off-road solutions.
In order for the karakat to have the necessary characteristics, it is necessary to use high-power walk-behind tractors, since the vehicle must not only move successfully, but also transport the driver, as well as various loads.
Today on the Internet you can see many interesting projects homemade cars, which are popularly called pneumatics or caracats.
A lightweight all-terrain vehicle equipped with huge cameras is able to travel through severe off-road conditions, making its way where other vehicles cannot. From a constructive point of view, such homemade caracats do not have a complex technical base and are easy to manufacture, which has allowed them to gain recognition among many home craftsmen.
What is "karakat"
When you see such a car for the first time, you involuntarily think about whether it has good driving characteristics, since from the outside it may seem that the caracat is very bulky and clumsy. In fact, it's just the opposite. Sturdy pendant welded from steel pipes with a swivel joint, allows you to withstand the strongest loads. Steering such a mechanism is not very complicated, since it has a simple principle based on standard worm gear. Even the carakat from the Urals shows good performance, not to mention the ease of maintenance and availability of spare parts compared to factory all-terrain vehicles.
The secret to the success of such an invention lies in the original idea - to make an affordable pneumatic all-terrain vehicle based on ready-made units. In the design of the karakat, you can use parts from motorcycles, mopeds, trucks and cars, which gives wide scope for a creative approach to designing the model.
Karakat from a walk-behind tractor
There are projects, even karakats from a walk-behind tractor. Naturally, to make such a machine you need a medium or heavy class walk-behind tractor.
The Karakat is a homemade all-terrain vehicle equipped with three or four wheels with low-pressure tires, which moves using a motor. internal combustion. A variety of engines can be used as a power plant, ranging from Izh to the Urals, it all depends on the power of the designed vehicle.
The suspension, in most cases, is welded independently and consists of two independent systems, which are secured to each other using a reinforced hinge joint.
And finally, the most impressive part of the car is its wheels; it should be noted that this can also become the most expensive part of the design, which is why many decide to.
Manufacturing stages
So, how to make a karakat with your own hands and get yourself a reliable, unpretentious assistant not only for the household, but also for a full-fledged man's recreation - fishing and hunting?
To do this, we should highlight the main stages in the construction of a miracle all-terrain vehicle:
Possibility of use
Caracats are often popularly called simply pneumatics, which is due to the fact that they provide the all-terrain vehicle with excellent maneuverability. In swampy areas, mud and river beds, such vehicles are simply irreplaceable, since they have sufficient buoyancy and can cross small water obstacles. Pneumatics are often used for fishing or hunting trips, and over fairly long distances. On average, the karakat is designed for speeds of up to 70 km/h, which is quite sufficient considering the bad roads, or even their complete absence.
So I decided to build a three-wheeled karakat, below in the photo is the result of the work done. Now the karakat even has a cabin as protection from the rain. Below are some stages of the construction of this device.
The search for the necessary components for the karakat began, as the main thing was that I already figured out what and how to do. I laid out the main components, these are the Ural engine, the VAZ gearbox and the bridge from the Volga.
This is how I make disks
I peel off the OI-25 tires
Frame
Connecting boxes
I cooled the engine, secured the fan and made the drive from the crankshaft.
Installed car generator, and I removed the native Ural one altogether because it is weak and, in addition, six-volt, and with this it is possible to make a powerful light and power with a reserve.
I connected the bridge to the box using Zaporozhye drives, one is screwed to the flange of the box, which required re-drilling two holes in the flange on the second one, one fork was replaced with a UAZ one (by the way, on the lock of the UAZ cross), the splines were cut in half and they were fitted with a splined bushing cut from Cossack hubs.
Test drive, although without a muffler and gas tank yet, a bottle instead, but I liked it
Next is a photo of the already run-in caracat, so to speak.
As it turned out, the generator drive from the fan turned out to be weak, so the generator moved to a new location. The belt is now on the crankshaft flywheel.
This is what a karakat looks like now.
This is how the device turned out. If the first gears are in both gearboxes, then it pulls very well, the maximum speed is about 5 km/s. If the VAZ gearbox is first, and the Ural gearbox is fourth, then the maximum speed is about 40 km/h, and if the VAZ gearbox is second, then you can accelerate as fast as you can. There are no brakes at all yet, but they are planned, as well as braking using the engine and with your feet. The caracat swims and seems to be quite stable, but the front is a little heavy, the front wheel sinks a little more than half, more precisely 10 cm above the axle.
In my opinion, the design of a four-wheeled light caracat is very interesting in its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. It is clear that the author went to create this device through a jungle of trial and error, since the design is non-standard just by its appearance. It is clear that there is no beauty and aesthetics, but this is usually the case if the device is not for show, but for work. This is what this really lightweight floating karakat looks like on four wheels.
The T200 engine from a scooter, 10 l/s, is very economical in consumption, about 4-5 liters per 100 km, or about a liter per hour. Between the rear wheels and the engine there is a transmission from an ancient Moskvich. Four gears and the much needed reverse gear. There are only 4 gears in the engine and four in the gearbox. The speed from the very minimum for overcoming swamps in first gear in both gearboxes is 2-4 km/h, and up to 50 km/h on good roads.
According to the author: This karakat was created as a simple and cheap, unpretentious, non-sinking all-terrain vehicle. Before him, we had experience with three-wheeled caracats and even tried a two-hundred-liter barrel with three Zilov tubes instead of a rear wheel, but it was not the same. This karakat turned out to be much easier and more passable than what was done before. They came to such a narrow design because the rear axle is an undivided straight axle and does not have a differential. Without a differential, cross-country ability increases significantly, but it is difficult to drive on dry roads and asphalt, so they made the car narrow and long.
>
>
In general, it took about 2.5 years to fine-tune this all-terrain vehicle; a lot of time and nerves were spent. At first, the design was “raw”, then the wheel would break off, then the front beam would be twisted, or at the most inopportune moment, somewhere in the swamp slurry, the chain would fly off due to clogged grass. In general, as you use it weak points the design was refined and strengthened. Now the design is very reliable and proven, so we travel long distances without fear.
>
The engine is equipped with a standard chain and sprocket, the chain transmits torque to the input shaft of the Moskvich gearbox, the box is short, with a clutch cover cut off with a grinder. A box from some old Moskvich is older than the 412th.
>
Since the box is not designed for lateral loads, I made a stand with an additional support bearing. Well, you probably noticed the tractor magneto, it’s a simple and reliable ignition, you can see this in many people.
>
>
The wheel is made on the basis of a motorcycle rim with welded extended rims.
>
Steering wheel from Zaparozhets
>
>
The Karakat brakes are made on a belt, it’s simple, a disc under the belt and a pedal that pulls it. It brakes well and reliably, it couldn’t be simpler and can be quickly repaired.
>
Almost everything has been said about the design, now you can show a photo of what it was actually built for in the first place. This is crucian carp, a very tasty crucian carp located in a hard-to-reach lake, where there is a lot of it because only desperate all-terrain vehicles get there, and me myself. We also go through the swamps to pick up lingonberries and many other places; in general, it is an irreplaceable and economical thing for fishing and traveling on our roads.
>
>
I am repairing a broken wheel; this, of course, doesn’t happen often, but it still happens; I come across very sharp roots of branches broken by the wheel. The holes in the tire are made specifically to lighten the wheel, and due to them a certain tread is formed. This is how the wheel rows on the water and is lighter and keeps its shape. The wheel is "bold". I peeled it off using a drill with a mounted crown made from a pipe about 50-60mm and sharply sharpened. I cut off the rubber from the sides with a sharp ax. I cut holes with the same crown.
>
Here are some more photos of the karakat.
>
I was a little undernourished on the way home and the front tire went flat. But slowly I got there on a bare rim.
>
Here's another from a trip to buy lingonberries, although there are almost none this year. There are also mushrooms.
>
Another photo from a recent trip to a distant lake. During the trip, it was discovered that the chain from the engine to the gearbox was already very worn and stretched, it was time to change it. And upon arriving home, I discovered that the locking ring on the rear wheel rim had popped out and one edge of the tire was beaded. Most likely the result of jumping over bumps and trees. And the crucian carp was caught perfectly, the crucian carp here is very tasty, not so on other lakes, but getting here is a 30 km journey and a swamp.
>
>
>
>
>
>
This photo is halfway to the lake, we were riding together, a partner on a Minsk motorcycle, when the swamp began, he moved to a room leaving the motorcycle. I want to say a few more words about cross-country ability.
>
If we compare, say, with all-wheel drive and heavy cars, then this car is in no way inferior and even superior, although it only has rear-wheel drive. Once, on a trip to the lake, I discovered that someone was trying to get to the lake along my well-trodden road, but before reaching 50 meters he got stuck in a swamp, and it is clear that freeing him was difficult since the poles were thrown into everything around. As a result, we turned the all-terrain vehicle around and walked to the lake. And I drive there without any problems at all.
Karakat has two trunks. In general, three people can ride it, but usually we go with a partner or I go alone. If the road is dry, then I inflate the tubes harder and if there is luggage, then I overload it to the front, thereby relieving the rear wheels, and it’s easy to drive without a differential. And if you have to overcome continuous liquid off-road, then on the contrary, I lower the wheels and overload everything into the rear trunk, loading the rear wheels.
A homemade lightweight all-terrain vehicle, but at the same time very powerful and easy to manufacture, not requiring large expenses, assembled from motorcycles - do-it-yourself karakat.
This was the last all-terrain vehicle to be made. Parts used were from different motorcycles. Reduced weight. The length has increased by 20 cm, making control easier. The wheels were made narrower, the belts were shorter, and the wheel weight became lighter compared to the previous all-terrain vehicle. The load on the engine has decreased. Significantly reduced fuel consumption
This all-terrain vehicle is easy to ride alone, it is very light. But even two are lucky, easily and confidently overcoming any obstacles.
Another advantage is that you can use the engine from a Minsk motorcycle, without any modifications. The only thing you need to do is add a mount on the Karakat frame for the muffler of the Minsk motorcycle.
If you make a trailer on the same wheels, then even the engine from Minsk can easily pull a trailer with a load of 250 kg.
Technical characteristics - do-it-yourself karakata:
The length of the all-terrain vehicle is 3 meters.
The width of the all-terrain vehicle is 1 meter 70 cm.
The height of the all-terrain vehicle is 1 meter 10 cm.
Ground clearance - 45cm.
The engine is a Voskhod-2m motorcycle.
Tires on wheels are 1200 x 20.
Rim diameter - 67 cm.
Rim width - 21 cm.
Wheel weight is 27 kg.
Number of teeth on sprockets:
The drive on the engine is 15 teeth.
Driven in intermediate gear - 35 teeth.
The drive on the intermediate gear is 15 teeth.
Driven on the rear axle - 72 teeth.
The length of the rear axle is 1 meter 42 cm.
Bearings on the rear axle - 210.
Bearings on the intermediate gear shaft - 204.
Bearings in the front wheel hub - 204.
Parts and material for building a do-it-yourself caracat
From a motorcycle, the first and main thing we use is, of course, the engine. Next is the steering column with steering wheel, switches, clutch lever with cable, headlight, fuel tank with cap and tap, chain, driven sprocket from the rear wheel, seat with mount, air filter with intake noise muffler and couplings, connecting wires, ignition coil and switch, high-voltage wire to the spark plug.
The entire frame from the motorcycles was not used, but only certain sections were cut out. The main material for the frame is pipes different sizes. 34 mm pipe total length it turned out to be about 5 meters 30 cm. And we used 28 mm pipes; if all the scraps were connected, it turned out to be about 8 meters. Several scraps were used in different smaller sizes.
For the rear axle you need a pipe with a diameter of 50 mm, a wall thickness of 5 mm, and a length of 1 meter 42 cm. During the assembly process, wire was also useful - 6 mm, iron - 2 mm, bearings 210 - 3 pcs, bearings 204 - 4 pcs. 12 volt DC electric motor from the machine's heater. Four D-242 diodes.
This material is quite enough to assemble a lightweight three-wheeled device with cameras. The speed will not be great and this is not the main thing. The main thing is that the cross-country ability will be excellent on any off-road. Easily overcomes long distances through swamps and rivers. Pneumatic tubes can be used in conditions where other equipment will not work.
