Do-it-yourself one-wheeled caracat

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Some information on the caracat, although everything is clear from the photographs, but it may still be interesting. The engine is from an IZH Planet motorcycle, the left cover with a fan is from an SZD disabled person. The standard electrical equipment was replaced with Voskhodovskoe, which does not require a battery and is much more reliable since it has a chroll sensor instead of cams.

UAZ differential and two long UAZ axle shafts. The axle shafts are shortened since the karakat karakat would turn out to be very wide. The original hubs are cut and pressed from Moskvich ones, since the wheels are made on the basis of lighter Moskvich wheels.

The motorcycle wheel disk is halved and a disk for the Bel-79 is made on its basis. In general, two sets of wheels were made, one based on Bel - 79 for mud, one based on tubes for swamps. Upon completion, an unexpected thing emerged: the tube wheels turned out to be somewhat heavier. This year the summer was dry and on the factory wheels we drove through the swamp without any problems; I haven’t “put on” the tube ones yet.

The frame is reinforced with gussets, at the bottom at the engine mount and in the fork mount area. A bronze bushing is inserted into the fork mount for strength, since even without such loads as in the swamp near IZH, the bearings break in this place. The body is made of sheet aluminum and aluminum corner with rivets:

The price of the karakat turned out to be very decent, but this is because a lot had to be redone during the work, since there was no experience in manufacturing just such devices. Various technical problems were also solved along the way. The design mainly used only new parts and materials, which is why the price was high. The device is being modified as it goes into use; it has been out through the summer and half of the fall through mud swamps, etc. no problems so far. Below are photographs of the making of this all-terrain vehicle.

The caracat's cross-country ability is excellent, it rushes through the swamp as it should, the engine is high-torque and even with a load it moves confidently through a completely off-road swamp. Very maneuverable and well controlled, of course not like a regular motorcycle, but quite normal and not heavy. In the north of the Omsk region and in Tyumen it is very rare to see a four-wheeled carakat; three-wheeled ones have been tested by time, and they are simpler in design than four-wheeled ones, less iron and components, which means more reliable.

And this caracat is, so to speak, the prototype and predecessor of this caracat.

Checking the caracat's buoyancy, as you can see, it floats on the water and not badly. There is a current on the river, so I tied it with a rope; when crossing a river, we usually tie such devices to a motor boat and then cross it that way.

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Photo of the rear drive from below

It took 63,000 rubles to build and finalize this karakat, this price was due to the fact that everything we needed for its construction was purchased new, even the smallest thing, the work of a turner and so on. The engine was overhauled, replacing the piston, we bought a left cover with cooling from a disabled person and more.

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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.

What types of caracats are there?

Before figuring out how to independently make a karakat swamp rover from improvised mechanisms, it is necessary to take a closer look at the existing varieties of this kind of product. 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).

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 design 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 inoperable structure.

Three-wheeled

An equally popular modification can be considered models of swamp vehicles with three wheels. Such vehicles are lightweight and have the same cross-country ability as 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.

Crawler all-terrain vehicle Ural

Dear visitors of the site “ Samodelkin Friend ”, from the material provided by the author, you will learn how to make a Ural all-terrain motorcycle with your own hands. Step-by-step assembly photos and videos are attached. This all-terrain vehicle has a wheel-tracked base, which increases its off-road and snow capability several times, and due to the tracks, the weight of a heavy-duty motorcycle is evenly distributed. Wheeled-tracked motorcycles were used during the Great Patriotic War by Germany, many probably remember from the films.

In Peaceful Life, a motorcycle is used exclusively for economic purposes, for transporting goods on a small body from a walk-behind tractor and for fishing and hunting trips.

The motorcycle remains unchanged except for its rear part, VAZ wheels were used as road wheels, the tracks were originally made from tires from a GAZ truck, but during testing they turned out to be too heavy and narrow, the author decided to replace and make homemade tracks from conveyor tires tapes and professional pipes, the width of the caterpillar increased and became equal to 40 cm.

Stages of creating a homemade karakat

If you want to construct a Vologda swamp vehicle, the Karakat, or its other models at home, you should first of all purchase the necessary tools in advance, as well as acquire suitable components.

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 maneuverability, as well as ease of operation, depend 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 could be a product with a Lifan engine.

In addition, a home-made design can use not only gasoline engines, but also diesel counterparts, 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.

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Brakes

Since, subject to the correct selection of components and their installation, a karakat can develop impressive speeds on a more or less flat road, it is necessary to equip the design with brakes that can quickly stop the vehicle.

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.

Homemade all-terrain vehicles from a Ural motorcycle are easy

Today, all-terrain vehicles based on the Ural motorcycle have become very popular. Even without modifications, this motorcycle is capable of traveling off-road. Since roads are not always of excellent quality, and you have to get around somehow, several mechanisms with increased cross-country ability were invented. One of them is based on the Ural motorcycle.

The all-terrain vehicle will move on three wheels with reduced pressure. It will be based on the units of this motorcycle. The same applies to the frame, to which an additional structure will be added. One of the connections is located in the upper shock absorber mounting area, where the motorcycle frame bends.

The main part of the additional structure is a 0.42 mm curved pipe. Rigidity is achieved through a strong triangle made of the same material, additional bracing and braces at the upper level of the frame. The complexity of the design makes it possible to evenly distribute the weight of the all-terrain vehicle between the wheels and add another passenger seat.

The seats remain unchanged and are attached in the same way. You can replace the handles with a stiffer version for ease of fit. Between the last two seats there is a box in which it is convenient to store a first aid kit. Instead of a battery, you can install an oil canister, and the gas tank is located at the rear of the frame.

Reworking a walk-behind tractor

Walk-behind tractors are rightfully considered one of the most versatile types of 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 technical indicators are 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.

How to make wheels

As tires on such homemade products, tubes from a truck are most often used, less often from agricultural trailers. Bicycles are not suitable. Experienced experts believe that cameras from airplanes and helicopters are suitable for a four-wheeled snowmobile based on a motorcycle.

This choice is understandable, because Only high-quality rubber is used for their production; another feature of such cameras is that the thickness of their walls is always the same at all points. When choosing, you need to follow the principle: the “squarer” the chamber is in cross-section, the better it is suitable for creating a caracat.

For lack of aircraft tires, because... It’s quite difficult to get them; designers have to take a simpler path, pairing tires from trucks.

Such wheels have one significant drawback - they quickly fail.

When choosing the number of wheels, keep in mind that a three-wheeled version is less stable than one that uses all four wheels.