Today, four-wheeled units are increasingly gaining popularity. But not everyone can afford to buy such a device. Then the question arises of how to make an ATV with your own hands. The creation process itself is very exciting, and finding components is not at all difficult. Therefore, if you have a desire, feel free to get to work.
Before starting work, a clear visual representation of the future structure is necessary. Drawings of homemade ATVs vary in accordance with the owner’s tasks and the characteristics of further use (carriage of goods, traversing rough terrain, etc.). After learning the basic diagrams and structures, draw up your own four-wheeled bike project. A clear example will serve as the basis for the work and will help explain to specialists what is required of them.
Of course, homemade work is inferior to established brands. However, if you choose the right materials and assemble compatible parts, then you will get a completely powerful unit that can compete with competitors. Moreover, you will save a lot.
Work process
The first step is to make the drawings of the ATV yourself. Put as much effort into sketching as possible. They will be needed to determine the required spare parts and calculate costs.
After creating the drawing, start purchasing components. Usually their main composition includes:
- frame - the main structure on which the entire unit will be supported;
- pipes of various lengths and diameters to ensure the operation of the system;
- rolled metal for installing shields, protection, etc.;
- shock absorbers;
- engine and its components.
The easiest way to make an ATV is with special equipment. If this is not available, the best option would be to contact specialists with ready-made drawings. They will not only do quality work, but will also be able to adjust inconsistencies parts and mechanisms.
The frame should be made individually, according to the dimensions of the intended device. However, if you wish, you can also take a simple frame from a Russian-made motorcycle or car. The easiest way is to make an ATV from Oka with your own hands. Because Oka's wheelbase is not long, this allows you to simplify the work of adjusting sizes.
Suspension and shock absorbers from cars and bikes are also perfect for future crafts. Considering that ATVs are designed to travel over difficult terrain, shock absorbers from a Minsk or Dnepr moped will be an excellent option.
Brakes are a very important part of the design. You shouldn't skimp on them. Create an ATV with your own hands, 4x4 drive, preferably with a brake system from a VAZ. Their strength is designed for cars, so a lightweight four-wheel bike will respond well to such a system.
The handlebar can be taken from any motorcycle. It is advisable that weights be installed on it to reduce vibration from engine operation and movement on rocky terrain. This will reduce pressure and hand fatigue when traveling.
Depending on which operating method you choose, you need to select wheels with wear calculations. For traveling on ordinary roads, simple wheels from Oka are suitable. However, if you want to achieve good off-road performance, it is worth investing in specialized wheels and tires from manufacturers.
And the most important thing is the engine. The best option for the role of a motor would be engines from IZH Jupiter or Planet motorcycles. A new motor will do just fine. Their simple design will help you easily replace worn out and broken parts. At the same time, do not forget about cooling. It is necessary to choose the ideal option for different climatic conditions. Active cooling is perfect, which, unfortunately, has not been used on motorcycles.
A homemade ATV from Oka, the drawings of which, depending on operating conditions, must contain additional equipment, can be equipped with fog lights, a tool box (very useful in case of breakdown) or a winch.
Assembly of the structure
After creating the drawings and selecting the material, you can begin creating the unit. First of all, a frame is created on which all the parts will subsequently be installed. It is advisable to use the strongest and most corrosion-resistant materials when working. When driving off-road, the robust design will more than once save your engine from breakdown.
Next comes the installation of the chassis. Here it is necessary to show precision in the assembly, since the coordinated work of all wheels and shock absorbers will ensure good dynamics and stability of the device.
Then proceed to installing the engine and its components. If there is a discrepancy between the mechanisms, do not use brute force under any circumstances. This will lead to subsequent operational problems. Having connected the engine to the gearbox, connect the fuel system. The fuel tank can be made with a reserve, which will ensure the possibility of long trips.
Now you need to install the electrical equipment. At this stage, wires are laid, headlights, signal lights and other consumer elements are installed.
After completing the main work, you can move on to the cladding and body kit. It is up to you to decide whether to use metal or plastic sheets when installing the body kit, but it is recommended choose based on the weight load on the engine. With sufficient power, a couple of kilograms will not be noticeable. It is better to install the seats with a hydraulic cushion, but you will have to pay extra for this, because when driving for a long time on a bad road, vibration mitigation will provide additional comfort.
This is the easiest way to make a homemade ATV from Oka 4x4. The main thing in work is the correct balance of finances and opportunities. After all, if you want to create an equal four-wheeled bike without calculating the costs, you risk leaving your work unfinished.
I started working on my project about a year ago. I assembled my homemade ATV mainly after work and on weekends for 2-3 hours, no more.
And so, after 11 months, all the big work was completed (there were minor improvements in the form of electrics, ignition switch and other little things) and I decided that the prototype was ready for testing and the first photo shoot.
The engine for my brainchild was a used motor from Oka. A two-cylinder, thirty-two-horsepower unit, according to my calculations, should have done an excellent job with a light quad.
The basis of the ATV was the old Oka
The frame is spatial, welded from steel water pipes. The upper and lower pairs of side members are made of VGP-25 pipe (25x3.2 mm) for auxiliary elements (cross members, struts, etc.), I decided to use VGT-20 pipes.
All spars are bent on a pipe bending machine. I bent the lower spars in a horizontal plane, and the upper ones in a vertical plane. I welded the fasteners for the levers and shock absorbers immediately after the frame was made, everything else was welded and adjusted as assembly proceeded.
ATV drawing
The car is made according to all-wheel drive, but without a transfer case. This happened due to the fact that the Oka engine was able to be deployed along the frame and direct the output shafts from the gearbox directly to the axles, front and rear. To reduce the horizontal angles of the longitudinal hinges, the power plant with the clutch and gearbox had to be shifted to the left (relative to the longitudinal axis of symmetry).
The homemade transmission is assembled from factory units from domestic “classics” with some modifications. For example, to increase torque, the main gear pair was removed from the Oka gearbox and replaced with a chain drive. There are no differential locks or low differentials.
Kinematic transmission diagram
An extended gearshift rod was made, with outlets on both sides of the gearbox. It has two fixed positions - one for shifting 1-2 gears, the second 3-4 and reverse.
Inter-axle gearboxes were made from VAZ rear axles. The original axles were redone: the axle shafts were removed and replaced with shafts with CV joints, which I borrowed from the front-wheel drive classic model. By the way, I used these same CV joints in the transmission as intermediate shafts.
The control is implemented as follows. The upper part is a lever and a shaft, the lower part has steering rods, like in a car, but with one bipod. Initially, the steering wheel was used from a Minsk motorcycle, but later replaced with a Ural one due to its great strength. The steering shaft of the upper part is made of a 20x3mm pipe with a travel limiter at the bottom.
The lower part of the shaft is inserted into the support bearing, the middle part is fixed in the bushing bracket. I made a T-shaped bipod from an 8mm steel sheet. The bipod ears are bent down so that they are almost parallel to the rods.
The steering shaft is inserted and welded into a 20mm hole at the edge of the rack, and conical holes are drilled in the ears for the tie rod ends and reinforced with welded washers.
Quite a few hunters, fishermen, and just outdoor enthusiasts dream of owning an ATV. But the prices even for used equipment are beyond the reach of most, not to mention new equipment. Don't despair, because today we will learn how to make an ATV with your own hands! This is an excellent vehicle for household needs, for transporting trailers, has high cross-country ability due to its short wheelbase, and is also easy to drive. But we want to say right away that making a homemade ATV will take a lot of time. As practice shows, the project can take from 6 to 12 months on average.
Preparatory stage
So let's get started. First of all, prepare your tools and equipment. A lot of welding work will be required, for which manual electric arc welding is quite suitable. Choose electrodes for welding critical and vibration-loaded structures, which will be the ATV frame. By the way, this very frame can be welded with your own hands from ordinary water pipes. These are easy to find at your nearest scrap metal shop or metal depot. Choose a pipe diameter from 25 to 32mm, and the wall thickness should be around 3mm. To bend such pipes, it is advisable to have a pipe bender, but if you don’t have one, then you can bend the pipes for the frame frame manually using a lever, heating the place of the desired bend with a gas burner, or better yet, with an oxygen-gas torch.
Selection of main parts
The next step will be to select the necessary parts first, namely:
- engine
- wheels
- shock absorbers
- rear axle
If you want to build a simple lightweight quad with drive only to the rear axle, then it is preferable to choose an engine from a medium-sized motorcycle, from 250 cc and above. Depending on the construction budget, it can be almost any engine from a Soviet motorcycle, preferably with a chain drive, which makes it quite easy to drive the rear axle. The axle can be made from a pipe made of structural steel. In the center, weld flanges for attaching the driven star and disc brake, and install wheel bearings from the car on the sides, having previously pressed them into pre-made housings.
The housings are used to attach the axle assembly to the pendulum. You can leave the pendulum as standard, further strengthen it and make a new mount for the disc brake caliper. Also, do not forget to make fastenings for the brake hose along the pendulum.
Our next task is choosing wheels. And the ideal option not only in terms of availability, but also in size would be wheels from Oka. The main feature is that such stamped wheels are very light, will ideally fit into the proportions of a homemade ATV, and most importantly, they fit perfectly with tires from factory ATVs, which will significantly improve cross-country ability. You can see what it looks like below:
Selecting a donor for a new frame
How to make an ATV even easier to manufacture? You can simply use a donor frame, for example from a Ural motorcycle, by welding the rear axle to the standard swingarm and only slightly change the front suspension! The thick frame of the Urals is made of good steel and has an excellent margin of safety. And an engine with high torque is perfect for this purpose. As for the gearbox, it is better to use it from the Dnepr motorcycle. It is designed for good loads, is distinguished by precise gear shifting, and the most important thing is the presence of reverse speed, which is a mandatory function of a full-fledged ATV. Photo example of a homemade ATV from the Urals below:
Steering
Assembling an ATV with your own hands is not an easy task. And, perhaps, the most difficult thing is to make the steering. To do this, first weld the frame of the front part of the ATV. Then you will need steering knuckles from a car, for example from a Niva, but any others will do. After which you need to build the suspension arms. Pay special attention to the design of the mounting of the levers, since when they are connected to the frame, large loads arise, so additional stiffening ribs will not be superfluous. Levers are usually bolted through silent blocks. This is a rubber-metal joint that is an essential link in the suspension. It dampens wheel vibrations, preventing vibration from being transmitted to the frame. Levers can be made according to these drawings.
Go ahead. What is the front suspension without shock absorbers? Here you can use 4 motorcycle shock absorbers, one for each arm in the front, and two for the swingarm to dampen the rear axle. Rear shock absorbers from Izh will do, but if you are willing to shell out for gas-oil shock absorbers with pumping, this will give you the opportunity to adjust the suspension to suit road conditions, which is very useful for equipment such as an ATV!
All wheel drive and car engine
How to create an ATV with 4-wheel drive yourself, you ask? Above we looked at the simplest option. But the option is possible not only with a motorcycle engine, but also with a car engine! And then we will tell you how to make an ATV with an Oka engine. In the case of an all-wheel drive ATV with a car engine, things are much more serious. Here you can no longer use a motorcycle frame as a basis; it will have to be welded completely from scratch for a car engine. By the way, it can be not only from Oka, but also any other, depending on your desires and capabilities. Don't forget about the liquid cooling system right away. Design the frame in such a way as to place the radiator and fan in a protected place from forest branches. The engine and gearbox should be mounted along the frame so that the drive shaft from the gearbox is directly directed to the rear axle. To distribute wheel rotation, each wheel will need 2 identical axles, for example from a Zhiguli. But for installation you will have to shorten them. To increase cross-country ability, if desired, you can make a reduction chain gearbox, combining it with a standard gearbox. In this case, the drive gear should be slightly smaller than the driven one. By simple calculations of the ratio of the diameters of these gears, you can find out how much the maximum speed will decrease and the thrust will increase. If the ATV is not planned to be used for driving on public roads, then this will be a very significant technical solution.
Increased functionality
Now that the frame and chassis of the ATV are assembled and the engine is installed, you need to think about secondary structures that will make it practical to use the equipment. The fuel tank is well suited for a Ural motorcycle. Its impressive capacity will be enough even for a car engine. An important modification would be the installation of a snorkel. Since the engine is located quite low in the frame, the air filter accordingly takes in air from below. To prevent water from getting into it when fording, it is highly recommended to do this. The exhaust system also needs to be completely redone, with exhaust gases being removed at a fairly high level so that water does not get inside. Also, for an ATV you need a large, wide seat; by moving your body weight, you will be able to achieve better control when moving. An underbody skid plate can be made from aluminum sheet metal to protect the front suspension arms and engine. A winch installed in the front part would be useful in the forest. You can use car fog lights to illuminate the road.
Work on appearance
In conclusion, to bring the ATV into proper appearance, similar to the real thing, you need a body. To do this you will need ED-20 epoxy resin and fiberglass. These components can be purchased at a hardware or hardware store.
To give this shape, you first need to cut out a blank from dense foam, which is also sold in large hardware stores in the form of 1 m2 plates, which is very convenient for creating such projects. Then fiberglass is applied in several layers, with each layer coated with resin. The more layers, the stronger the case. Don’t forget about the metal fasteners that need to be inserted between the layers, which will later secure the body to the ATV frame. After drying, you can prime, sand and paint. This fiberglass body is lightweight and very durable.
If you take the matter seriously, such an ATV will be little inferior to a factory one, and in terms of assembly costs it will be many times cheaper. Despite the fact that you can assemble such a thing for yourself and get a lot of driving pleasure.
An ATV is an all-wheel drive vehicle and a motorcycle, an endurocross bike, in one package. The features of this type of transport are compactness, tires with deep treads for better off-road traction, 1-2 seats and no roof over your head. This type of transport first appeared in Japan in the 1970s and won the hearts of many off-road romantics. Such transport will be of interest to hunters, fishermen, and those who like to conquer impassable terrain. Many of us dream of such a toy for adults. We will tell you how you can make your dreams come true with your own hands.
Choosing an ATV Engine
The most important part for your all-terrain vehicle will be the power unit. Motorcycle engines are most often used (they are economical and small in size). Let's say, an engine from Ural or Minsk, IZH Planet or IZH Jupiter will do. You can adapt an engine from a VAZ or Oka to your ATV. To avoid engine overheating in hot weather, you need to choose a model with an air cooling system. The most popular option is to transfer automotive forced cooling.
Modernization of an existing frame or drawings from scratch
Before any undertaking, you need an action plan and a design drawing or a finished frame. If you are comfortable with mathematical calculations, then you can calculate everything yourself. If you can’t make a drawing, you can contact a specialist or look for a design diagram that suits you on the Internet.
The easiest way is to take a finished motorcycle frame as a basis and weld all the missing parts onto it. The order of your actions is as follows: disassemble the old motorcycle. We leave only the frame. We cut off the rear part of the frame with the pendulum fork mount. We extend the frame with pipes and weld the bridge (use jibs and gussets). First turn the car axle over so that the quad can go forward and not backward (because on the Ural gearbox the direction of rotation is reversed at the output).
Remember that in case of replacement, the axle gearbox must be easily removed. We are looking for spare parts for a car: 2 front hubs, a rear axle (so that the discs match the fasteners with the hubs), a driveshaft, front suspension arms, tie rods, a ¾-inch round water pipe.
If there is no donor motorcycle, then the frame is best made from durable alloys: pipes, profiles, spot welded together. For the load-bearing parts of the frame, you can buy water pipes (VGP 25×3.2). You must have equipment that will allow you to bend the pipes in the right place. For the body, we prepare a frame from a 70×40 pipe. The length should be no shorter than the spring, and the width should correspond to the size of the bridge. When using jibs, do not forget about the torsional rigidity of the structure.
We connect the cardan to the box using a “Ural” rubber coupling. Through the hinge crosspiece we connect the cardan to the bridge with a flange. If the donor was IL, then the drive is carried out by the original chain.
If your quad has springs on shock absorbers, then leave the rear suspension pendulum along with the silent blocks. Weld the bridge to the fork (don't forget to reinforce the seams with wide gussets to prevent vomiting later). Instead of a cardan, use an axle shaft from an Oka or VAZ. We leave the springs and shock absorbers as is, do not touch them. When the frame structure is ready, we proceed to attach the engine to the bottom of the frame using bolts. The engine can be located at the rear or at the front (it makes no difference). The muffler can also be homemade, two-section.
Now we carefully mount the transmission on the rear wheels so that there is no play. The drive comes with the engine from an outdated motorcycle. Wheels on the quad can be installed from Niva. If you need a trunk, you can weld it from thin-walled steel pipes. The bumper can be replaced by "kanguryatniks".
Control type
In order for your all-terrain vehicle to be safe to operate, you will have to take care of the type of control. There may be 2 types of controls on your ATV: a steering wheel (we take the base from a car - steering rods) and a steering wheel from a used motorcycle (lever and shaft). The steering shaft can be made from a pipe with a diameter of 20 mm and a wall thickness of 2.8 mm. Place a travel stop at the lower end. Thus, at the bottom the shaft rests on a thrust bearing, and in the middle it rotates in a detachable nylon bracket-sleeve.
Suspension: front and rear
Your ATV can be equipped with either rear or front suspension. For the rear suspension, the following solution is suitable:
1. To make the design lightweight and simple, you need a gear-shaft system. In this case there is no differential.
2. The structure will be very heavy if you use a road bridge (it has to be shortened). In this case, there is a differential that will be needed when driving.
For the front suspension, you can use the suspension from the Ural or IZh as a basis. Installing the front suspension is more time-efficient - it is faster than all-wheel drive, where you will need the help of professional turners, electricians, and welders (some modification will be required).
To attach the pendulum arms, the motorcycle frame is lengthened at the front. It must be installed so that the turning wheels do not touch the engine cylinders. Therefore, on the Ural frame, the wheels are placed further forward. To increase geometric cross-country ability, the suspension arms should be as long as possible(you need to make these yourself). To the steering column (made from a “Ural” cardan) at the bottom we weld two steering bipods side by side: on the right and left wheels. The hubs are attached using the original ball hubs.
When installing the front strut, remember to tilt the strut. This will prevent the steering wheel from being knocked out on bumps and will help return the steering wheel to its place when turning. If there is no tilt, you can fly by inertia; returning the steering wheel to the reverse position off-road will be very problematic.
Four-wheel drive quad bike
For a four-wheel drive ATV you will need:
- drive from a mechanical transmission with a power take-off gearbox to the front wheels;
Wheel differentials;
Front-wheel steering (car-like);
Independent suspension (possibly multi-link) or dependent suspension.
If it is not possible to assemble everything yourself, they take the suspension from Oka or front-wheel drive VAZs. We are preparing the frame from scratch for the Oka engine. In the front suspension we leave room for the front wheel drive gearbox. You can do it yourself: we cut off the “stockings” of the bridge and remove the suitable axle shafts from the VAZ from the differential. We turn the engine backwards. Now the axle shafts have become cardan shafts that drive the front and rear axles.
An ATV is a four-wheeled hybrid of a motorcycle and a tractor, a vehicle that is equally successfully used in both agriculture and recreation. Just a few years ago, Russian people considered the ATV a foreign curiosity. And today he is able to independently design and manufacture it. In addition, today a much more common occurrence in Russia are home-made ATVs, rather than factory ones. Next, we will try to figure out why it happens this way and not otherwise.
Self-assembled ATV is a common occurrence
Every day there are more and more daredevils who decided to create an ATV from improvised means and parts of old Soviet motorcycles. Naturally, self-made vehicles have significantly different characteristics from factory ones. And often it is more powerful, but economical. The weight of a homemade ATV usually does not exceed 300 kilograms, which also greatly facilitates its operation.
Names and essence of the main stages of creating an ATV
Final stage and finishing work
The final step in creating a homemade ATV is installing the seats and headlights. In this case, anti-theft headlights would be the ideal choice, because the ATV must be suitable for use in any weather. Particular attention should be paid to the number of seats on the ATV and decide whether it will be a driver-only seat or a driver-and-passenger seat.
Finishing work when creating an ATV consists of covering the resulting structure with metal and painting.
ATVs designed on the basis of Oka
For 20 years (from 1988 to 2008) in the vast expanses of our vast homeland, one of the most common cars was the domestic Oka (VAZ-1111, SeAZ-11116). Today, “Oka” is one of the most popular options for vehicles, on the basis of which home-made ATVs are created. In the manufacture of ATVs, the engine, gearbox, wheels and other auxiliary parts of the vehicle are usually used. Direct installation and construction of the ATV based on the Oka car is carried out in accordance with the drawings created by experienced designers. The defining moment when creating an ATV is to formulate the purpose of its use. Based on this, the future owner of the ATV opts for one of the two existing Oka engine options (35 hp and 53 hp).
ATVs designed on the basis of the Ural motorcycle
At the moment, several decades ago, the popular domestic Urals in Russia have been replaced by much more nimble and economical foreign models. In this regard, many people have their recent best “friend” standing idle and rotting in their garages. But not a single Russian person is able to allow good things to go to waste. Therefore, “Urals” are increasingly used to create a type of transport that is relatively new for Russian people. This motorcycle is unanimously recognized by folk craftsmen as the optimal basis for creating an ATV. Homemade ATVs made from it are an order of magnitude more economical and have greater draft power than their factory-made counterparts.
The creation of an ATV based on the Ural consists of two stages: designing the rear part and the front. The use of the Ural gearbox when creating the rear part of the ATV will ensure the design not only strength, lightness, but also simplicity. In the end, the finished product will not be equipped with a differential, which, in essence, can be sacrificed in the name of reducing the time spent on its creation. As for the design of the front part of the future vehicle, it will take much more effort and time than the previous stage. Most of the work is finishing up the front arms of the ATV. This is due to the fact that they should be less rigid than a car, but more powerful than a motorcycle.
ATVs built from scooters
A motor scooter (scooter) - a light motorcycle with an engine located under the seat - is an ideal option on the basis of which you can create a homemade ATV. A vehicle created by craftsmen on the basis of a scooter is an excellent alternative to the best factory copies.
It is extremely economical in fuel consumption and at the same time has the qualities necessary for an ATV, such as mobility, light weight and relatively considerable load capacity. The peculiarities of creating an ATV from a scooter are that the frame, engine, power supply and ignition system must necessarily be transferred from the same device. But the fuel tank of the future vehicle should be a motorcycle tank, not a scooter, since it has a significantly larger capacity. The design of the rear and front axle will most likely be borrowed from a cargo scooter, the suspension from the shock absorber of a large motorcycle, and the control from the Oka or any domestic motorcycle.
ATVs designed on the basis of the Ant scooter
For 36 years, the Soviet Tulmash plant organized the production of Ant scooters. In total, over the years, 8 models have been produced, differing in gas tank volume and engine power. Today, the Ant scooter is an ideal base for creating an ATV with your own hands. In order to convert the “Ant” into an ATV, you should perform some fairly simple steps: slightly redesign the frame, work on reinstalling the seatposts, and so on. Installing the steering wheel and brakes of the future ATV will require special attention, continuous effort and time. When constructing homemade ATVs, it is strictly not recommended to use a brake system that has previously been used. It would be much safer to buy a new one. At the same time, the steering system can be used from an old Ant scooter or an Oka car. The final stage of creating an ATV from an Ant scooter is installing turn signals, headlights and stops.
Instead of a conclusion. Why do many people prefer home-made ATVs rather than factory ones?
A homemade ATV, compared to a serial factory one, is much more economical, lighter and more comfortable to use.
When assembling a vehicle with his own hands, the owner takes into account his taste preferences and functionality requirements.
By assembling the ATV on his own, the master has the opportunity to carry out finishing work (covering, painting, tuning, presence/absence of pleasant little things), based on his wishes.
