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“Made It Myself” ATV
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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2015 - Volume #39, Issue #4