All-terrain vehicles and all-terrain vehicles are indispensable vehicles in regions where dirt roads, virgin snow, sandy soil, thawed tundra soil and impassable swamps predominate. Special equipment is used to transport people and goods. Geologists, oil workers, military personnel, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, ordinary hunters and fishermen often resort to the help of such transport. A tracked all-terrain vehicle is capable of overcoming any difficulties and reaching its destination in almost any weather and climatic conditions.
"Hunter"
In a huge country there are places where you can find impassable places, but not for modern people. You won’t be scared by the taiga, snow or swamps, because there is such equipment as the Okhotets tracked all-terrain vehicle , the most popular type of special equipment for those who like to experience the thrill. This vehicle is chosen primarily for its excellent cross-country ability, the presence of an all-wheel drive system, efficiency and simplicity. There are about 4 model options, but the best tracked all-terrain vehicle from Russia has the same design, only the engine and colors change.
When choosing a unit for fishing or hunting, we can consider it an ideal option, because the tracked all-terrain vehicle hunter calmly overcomes small rivers and swamps; it does not need a road to travel further. All the wheels propel and the tracks move at the same time, which gives you confidence off-road. As an engine, all-terrain vehicles of good quality received a Chinese power unit from the Lifan company. The manufacturer is known in Russia and is therefore in demand. The cost for the “Hunter” in the basic configuration can start from 220,000 rubles.
- Power: 13-24 hp
- Speed: 30 km/h
- Load capacity: 500 kg.
- Track width: 40 cm
- Track: 1600 mm
- Clearance: up to 31 cm
- Tank: 6.5 l.
- Weight: 380 kg.
Tinger Scout
Only the best all-terrain vehicles for hunting and fishing can replace 5 types of equipment at once, such as a tractor, snowmobile, swamp vehicle, quad and amphibian. Today, Tinger Scout has been heard all over the world; it is an excellent technique for the money, with powerful performance. A reliable engine of our own production, with it you can easily overcome absolutely any difficult obstacles on roads, swamps and mud. It is reliable and economical at the same time. The company has taken care of comfort, the seats look comfortable and it is easier for the rider to maintain control over the controls.
The best tracked all-terrain vehicle Tinger Scout has a reliable body that is not afraid of scratches, and during trips in the forest there are usually a lot of them. The steel frame is made at Severstal, which is much stronger than conventional material. The reinforced tracks are made of durable rubber and supplemented with rigid lugs 2.5 cm long. The cost of such a unit can reach 580 thousand rubles, depending on the configuration.
- Power: 22 hp
- Speed: 35 km/h
- Load capacity: 300 kg.
- Track width: 48 cm
- Track: 1340 mm
- Clearance: 30 cm
- Tank: 28 l.
- Weight: 580 kg.
Sparkling paint
Using this paraphrased expression from the famous song, our review will still be devoted not to tanks, but to tractor-tracked vehicles, although military equipment in many cases was the driver of the development of civilian equipment.
The first fully Soviet-designed tracked tractor is SHTZ-NATI, which appeared in 1937 as a result of the joint work of both NATI scientific personnel and designers of such tractor factories as Kharkov and Stalingrad.
By August 1942, when the first batch of these tractors was produced at the ATZ in Rubtsovsk, they received the ASHTZ-NATI marking. Thus confirming that this equipment is a family continuation of products from both the Kharkov plant, which was evacuated, and the Stalingrad plant, where fierce battles took place at that time.
The previously mentioned DT-54 tractor is one of the first Soviet crawler bulldozers, the production of which was first mastered at ATZ. Subsequently, this tractor, in addition to being widely used, became the prototype of another of the most popular crawler tractors - the DT-75.
It is significant that by the end of the 40s, ATZ began to produce more tractors than the restored Kharkov Tractor Plant, which in the 50s began to develop such tracked vehicles as the T-74.
The mid-50s for ATZ is the period when, on instructions from the USSR government, the plant begins producing tracked skidding equipment for forestry needs:
— 1957 is, first, TDT-55, or a modernized model of TDT-40, and by the end of the same year it is TDT-60. Who would later become the Grand Prix winner at the Brussels Exhibition;
- then skidders such as the TDT-75 were produced, as well as transport equipment of the TDT-80 brand, which was distinguished by high off-road capability.
— 1970 is a 130-horsepower skidder TT-4. By the way, this skidder model and the T-4A agricultural tractor were participants in an exhibition in the Polish city of Lodz in 1972.
All skidding equipment was produced without stopping the main production - agricultural tractors:
- from 1952 to 1974 - these were DT-54;
- from 1970 until 1998 - this is T4A;
- from 1984 until the closure of production in 2007 - this was the T-250. By the way, there is an event associated with this tractor. The fact is that the T-250 underwent comparative tests with the Challenger-65, an American tractor from the company we have already mentioned three times, and as a result, it was recommended for production at ATP.
In 2011, the plant was closed.
Caiman Expert
Undoubtedly, it can be called the best tracked all-terrain vehicle to date, because it has been in development for almost 2 years. All elements, parts and components are made of wear-resistant steel. The unit is stable on water, thanks to the sealed body, it can pass through waters, of course, not the deepest ones. The design is simple, so some owners will be able to repair it themselves, without a trip to a car repair shop. Which tracked all-terrain vehicle is better with a roof, it's the Cayman, it can really claim first place. In addition, it has comfortable seats for four at once. Therefore, looking at a unit for hunting with a group is also a great option.
- Power: 18.5 hp
- Speed: 40 km/h
- Load capacity: 350 kg.
- Track width: 36.5 cm
- Track: 1700 mm
- Ground clearance: 35 cm
- Weight: 550 kg.
How to make an all-terrain vehicle on tracks yourself
If you wish, you can try to assemble an all-terrain vehicle on tracks yourself. To do this, you need to find or draw up a drawing of the future design and assemble components for the vehicle.
A sample list of required parts is as follows:
- body (you can make it yourself from metal or take any from VAZ cars as a basis);
- sheet metal;
- engine and chassis (gearbox, axles, steering wheel or levers, etc.);
- brakes (pads or disc);
- seats (you can use car seats or your own option);
- wheels size R13-R16;
- hubs;
- caterpillars.
This is the minimum kit that will help you assemble a budget homemade all-terrain vehicle.
Pelec Mini 3
If you start asking questions about what are the best all-terrain vehicles for hunting and fishing at the moment, you involuntarily remember about this swamp vehicle on caterpillars. Despite its rather compact body size, it is quite powerful and is capable of making its way even through frozen swamps, not only manufacturers claim this. The 30 horsepower engine is ready to deliver fishermen to the most inaccessible places. The monster is a bit expensive, more than half a million, but it deserves the money.
- Power: 30 hp
- Speed: 35 km/h
- Load capacity: 400 kg.
- Track width: 38 cm
- Clearance: 30 cm
- Tank: 40 l.
- Weight: 650 kg.
Which is better - a wheeled or tracked all-terrain vehicle?
Domestic companies offer several types of all-terrain vehicles. Some samples are equipped with wheels, others with tracks. Sometimes there are also combined models of wheeled-tracked all-terrain vehicles, but most often they are assembled to order. To determine which vehicle is most effective in off-road conditions, you need to become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle.
The advantages of wheeled vehicles include the following:
- the ability to move on dirt or asphalt surfaces;
- the weight of the vehicle on wheels is less than on tracks;
- consume less fuel;
- the chassis of such machines is lighter than that of similar tracked models, so they are easier to repair and maintain, especially in field conditions;
- despite the no less weight of the device, the all-terrain vehicle can carry the same number of passengers and cargo as its opponent;
- wheels do not cause much harm to vegetation;
- move easily through water.
The strengths of a tracked all-terrain vehicle are the following:
- maximum cross-country ability - it will go where no other vehicle can cope (virgin lands, swampy areas, melted loose snow, etc.);
- the chain links fold in two planes, which ensures smooth movement; the all-terrain vehicle crawls along the surface like a snake;
- the vehicle is capable of overcoming heights that are equivalent to the dimensions of the equipment itself;
- a number of vehicles are equipped with tracks that do not harm the asphalt surface and do not require additional permission to travel on the highway;
- other models are equipped with special rubber “shoes” that allow you to move on well-maintained roads.
It is quite difficult to say unequivocally what is better - tracks or wheels. The choice depends on the operating conditions.
In conditions of complete impassability, tracked vehicles will better cope with the assigned tasks.
If we are talking about simple dirt roads in the countryside, then wheeled vehicles will be more than enough.
Device Features
The main task of swamp vehicles on tracks is to move through impassable terrain, where no other vehicle can pass. They are able to overcome high obstacles with a slope of 30°, snow drifts, permafrost, rough tundra terrain, swamps and drive along the bottom of reservoirs. The transport has a special design that makes it powerful, reliable, safe, easy to operate and quite maneuverable.
Most models have a completely sealed body, which allows the vehicle to be used in the most adverse conditions. Manufacturers can also equip the equipment with additional equipment, which will turn the truck into a special-purpose mechanism - a fire or rescue vehicle, a drilling rig, etc. The tracks provide precise and strong traction with the ground surface, allowing the all-terrain vehicle to go where any wheeled vehicle would get stuck.
PatrolTrack
Recognized by many as the best tracked all-terrain vehicle of 2021, which is suitable for any season and can freely walk through virgin snow or even a swamp. Just looking at the unit, it becomes clear from the outside that this is a real hybrid of an ATV and a tracked vehicle. While driving a vehicle, it becomes possible to overcome a ford with a depth of up to 70 centimeters. But most of all they love transport for its speed characteristics, all 60 km/h on the road and up to 30 km/h in snow with a depth of 30 cm.
- Power: 55 hp
- Speed: 60 km/h
- Load capacity: 360 kg.
- Track: 1190 mm
- Tank: 38 l.
- Weight: 590 kg.
