Project VAP Off-road logger

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

That frame is looking real stout! I think you will need some belt supports along the belt there to keep it from sagging. Or maybe you can do a belly pan, that would be cool!

Thaught about doing one, depends on the material I have in hand and how the belt does once I ride it

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Also you weld those rear rims on?

01:16:15
Yup, Welded the stock wheels to the at wheels I bought.
Cut, true them on the lathe and Welded.
Hopefully it will work just fine

TechnoChicken wrote:

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Also you weld those rear rims on?

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, I personally welded the ones on your rig and they seem to hold up well decent option compared to the expensive one which is buying hubs. And WAAAAAYYYY better then welding the hubs direct to the trans, that is an outright sin in my book

Darn right at least I can take them off the mower

Really nice job on the chassis @Hammernco that looks really good and sturdy!

Hammernco wrote:

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Also you weld those rear rims on?

01:16:15
Yup, Welded the stock wheels to the at wheels I bought.
Cut, true them on the lathe and Welded.
Hopefully it will work just fine

I may or may not have not cut any of the rim off.

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Hammernco wrote:

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Also you weld those rear rims on?

01:16:15
Yup, Welded the stock wheels to the at wheels I bought.
Cut, true them on the lathe and Welded.
Hopefully it will work just fine

I may or may not have not cut any of the rim off.

We just welded the rims direct to the atv tires, no cutting or lathing

TechnoChicken wrote:

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Hammernco wrote:

01:16:15
Yup, Welded the stock wheels to the at wheels I bought.
Cut, true them on the lathe and Welded.
Hopefully it will work just fine

I may or may not have not cut any of the rim off.

We just welded the rims direct to the atv tires, no cutting or lathing

Hell of a lot easier!

A good step forward and got my shifter relocated and fonctionnal.
Used the bell crank off the 11/36 deck, some tie rod from the crafstam original steering and made a spring loaded shifter so it falls or drag from gear to gear so it is a bit easier to control shifting and mostly locate and lock the neutral position. Probably gonna shorten the lever a good bit so it don't catch on any surrounding.
Next in line is an exhaust and wiring....







Let me know what you think

Not sure about that shifter angle, but looks pretty good!

PizzaKitty26 wrote:

Not sure about that shifter angle, but looks pretty good!

Now that you mentioned it, it looks odd, might redo it

To me the angle looks great, I would be most concerned with length.  I would catch it on something and slam it in reverse.  LOL

MightyRaze wrote:

To me the angle looks great, I would be most concerned with length.  I would catch it on something and slam it in reverse.  LOL

Yup, but luckily this is probably the toughest link in the transaxle     .
I'll get to it tomorrow to avoid any mishapps!
Thanks!

I think it looks like a job well done (well, almost done as you said), nice work!

Brianator wrote:

I think it looks like a job well done (well, almost done as you said), nice work!

thanks @brianator

Shifter looks great! Looks like a much better linkage setup than I see on a lot of tractors. Personally I would find that shifter lever way too far out, i actually bent the lever inwards on mutt. However I am the sort of person that uses his rear rack as a rub rail

You can see how close it is to the seat here


I suspect your riding style won’t be quite as aggressive as mine though

Yes, I would say it's fine if you trim it.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Shifter looks great! Looks like a much better linkage setup than I see on a lot of tractors. Personally I would find that shifter lever way too far out, i actually bent the lever inwards on mutt. However I am the sort of person that uses his rear rack as a rub rail

You can see how close it is to the seat here


I suspect your riding style won’t be quite as aggressive as mine though

My rule is "If you don't snap at least one thing clean in half, you didn't have any fun"

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Shifter looks great! Looks like a much better linkage setup than I see on a lot of tractors. Personally I would find that shifter lever way too far out, i actually bent the lever inwards on mutt. However I am the sort of person that uses his rear rack as a rub rail

You can see how close it is to the seat here


I suspect your riding style won’t be quite as aggressive as mine though

Sure my riding style won't be the same but I'll put it to hard work and possible fun! Will chop it quite a bit, actually I left it that way as it was under its stock form.

TechnoChicken wrote:

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Shifter looks great! Looks like a much better linkage setup than I see on a lot of tractors. Personally I would find that shifter lever way too far out, i actually bent the lever inwards on mutt. However I am the sort of person that uses his rear rack as a rub rail

You can see how close it is to the seat here


I suspect your riding style won’t be quite as aggressive as mine though

My rule is "If you don't snap at least one thing clean in half, you didn't have any fun"

LOL! It is a rule for a few of you in here!!!! Sure will have amy share of broken things !!!

Shifter modded today and brake started, didn't I say yesterday exhaust and wiring next?
Well I had a mini bike staring at me so I gutted the brake assembly and went to town!
Still thinking if I want a foot brake or a handbrake?
What do you suggest and why?
I'm all ears! .

Love a good disc brake setup! Should work great! Are you setting it up with a the clutch pedal, or a separate brake pedal? I have a hand brake but really don’t recommend it.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

Love a good disc brake setup! Should work great! Are you setting it up with a the clutch pedal, or a separate brake pedal? I have a hand brake but really don’t recommend it.

It was readily available so I figure why not, going to set it separate from the clutch but don't know if going witht the easy route of hand lever or going to a foot pedal near by the upcoming gas pedal.....
Tough decision, but your comment about the hand brake might influence me a bit !!!
Might go for a grab handle on the fender with a brake lever like some do.
Thanks

hahaha I didn’t read your post. A brake pedal is always better I think! Some like clutch brakes but I have busted my ass several times because of one. It is instinctive for me to stab the clutch in when I get into a tough spot. If youre rolling backwards down a hill this can cause you to flip backwards from hitting the brake.... If you’re rolling backwards while in a forward gear, then doing anything but holding the clutch centered can flip you. Not a good situation. Then there’s the problem of starting on a hill without stalling or flipping, you have to tune the brake to be right at the end of clutch travel so you don’t have an awkward (and sometimes dangerous) jump from brake to clutch.

A hand brake has to be very close to the steering wheel for it to be safe, like the way mine is on mutt. I think a brake pedal is just more intuitive as we’re all used to a right foot brake. You can make your brake pedal fairly wide if you put your gas pedal right up against the frame. Think like a dirt bike brake for your gas pedal, and then a nice wide hard-to-miss pedal for brakes. I think thats an ideal setup, and is commonly done on wheel horses that have a native right foot brake.

RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

hahaha I didn’t read your post. A brake pedal is always better I think! Some like clutch brakes but I have busted my ass several times because of one. It is instinctive for me to stab the clutch in when I get into a tough spot. If youre rolling backwards down a hill this can cause you to flip backwards from hitting the brake.... If you’re rolling backwards while in a forward gear, then doing anything but holding the clutch centered can flip you. Not a good situation. Then there’s the problem of starting on a hill without stalling or flipping, you have to tune the brake to be right at the end of clutch travel so you don’t have an awkward (and sometimes dangerous) jump from brake to clutch.

A hand brake has to be very close to the steering wheel for it to be safe, like the way mine is on mutt. I think a brake pedal is just more intuitive as we’re all used to a right foot brake. You can make your brake pedal fairly wide if you put your gas pedal right up against the frame. Think like a dirt bike brake for your gas pedal, and then a nice wide hard-to-miss pedal for brakes. I think thats an ideal setup, and is commonly done on wheel horses that have a native right foot brake.

Ok, thanks for the input, let's see where it takes me...
The disc brake might even snap from the poor weld, might have to redo it all...

Definitely put it through its paces before you get into any sketchy stuff. I always do that with my stuff

@Hammernco man u want have to redo it all just weld it up a lil more fill in the weak spot on the top right hand corner just up to the screw holes is what I would try to do .