“Made-It-Myself” ATV

“Made It Myself” ATV ATV S Vaughan Getzinger’s home-built ATV can do anything a manufactured ATV does - and more It oscillates and articulates at walking speed through rough terrain and muskeg On level ground its extra long leaf springs deliver a smooth ride for up to 4 people at 30 mph
    “I’ve pulled 2 000-lb logs out of the woods with it ” says Getzinger a mechanic who built it for general use on his Onoway Alberta property
    The ATV is powered by a 1948 VW Beetle engine and has front and rear differentials from an old Toyota pickup Steering works off hydraulics powered by a power steering pump from a Chevy van The dune buggy tires came from Xtreme Tire in Arizona
    “The body is made of 16-ga sheet metal The fenders are 10 ga ” Getzinger says “The whole idea was to make it as light as possible for low ground pressure It weighs 1 500 lbs ”
    The big tires and 12-in clearance provide good traction in snow and rough terrain
    “I did a 3:1 gear reduction to gear it low ” he adds
    The biggest challenges were modifying the VW transmission and creating a shifter linkage that works with the articulation and oscillation But the winter-long effort to build it was well worth it Getzinger says
    “I use it all the time and it’s totally reliable ” he says “It’s quiet light and a great machine - as good as any side-by-side ”
    It’s actually better he adds because it was much less expensive and can outpull manufactured ATV’s because of its heavy differential and low gearing
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Vaughan Getzinger Box 1401 Onoway Alberta T0E 1V0 ph 780 967-5591; goldminergetz@hotmail com

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