8-WD Amphibious Machine

8-WD Amphibious Machine ATV S ATV S While looking for new products at a recent farm show I came across a machine that at first glance did not look like an ag machine It looked more like a toy rich hunters and other city slickers might bring to the country     But after stopping to talk with inventor and manufacturer Patrick Miller from Townsend Mont I realized that this was a serious machine that s capable of doing a lot of work     Miller a mechanical engineer built his first amphibious Land Tamer seven years ago because he wanted what he calls a real ATV that could handle hilly mountainous terrain as well as swampy boggy land His target market for the machine was the logging and mining industry so it had to be built to stand up to the toughest abuse     After success selling it not only to industry but also to utilities government agencies surveyors and sportsmen he started getting requests for machines from farmers and ranchers So he put together a machine with a pto and 3-pt hitch     The Land Tamer has four times more horsepower and torque than a typical 4-wheeler with a liquid-cooled 4-cyl Nissan gas engine 80 hp and 85 ft lbs torque or an optional VW turbo diesel 79 hp and 114 ft lbs of torque It s available either as a 6-WD or 8-WD with a cargo capacity of 1 100 lbs and 2 000 lbs respectively      It s built much heavier than any other similar machine on the market What s more we use off-the-shelf industry standard parts throughout It s designed for easy maintenance says Miller     The Land Tamer can cross any body of water If you need more speed on the water it can be fitted with an optional jet propulsion system like you find on jet skis     Steering and speed are controlled by a single hydraulic lever on the all-hydraulic machine It has a zero-turn radius Padded seats give it a comfortable ride Optional snow tracks and a heated cab are available The machine s low center of gravity makes it extremely stable on hillsides notes Miller Top land speed is 35 mph Water speed is 1 to 2 mph with tires and 6 to 7 mph with the optional water jet The 6-WD model is 9 ft long The 8-WD is 11 1/2 ft long Both machines are about 6 1/2 ft wide and weigh 1 600 to 1 900 lbs in the basic configurations     Price ranges from $16 000 to $33 000 depending on options We re willing to custom-build just about anything our customers want says Miller     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Patrick F Miller PFM Manufacturing Inc 310 6th St Townsend Mont 59644 ph 406 266-5148; email: pfm_mt@msn com

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