DIY Tiller Tracks From Tire

Homemade track for a motorized towing vehicle

It is very common among home-builders to make tracks using car tires. For this, tires are selected that have a suitable tread pattern from trucks.

To make such a caterpillar, you need to cut the beads from the tire and leave the treadmill. This is a rather laborious work that requires good patience, because the tool used is a sharpened boot knife.

To make the work easier, from time to time the knife blade can be moistened in a soapy solution to cut the rubber faster. One option is to use a homemade cutting device, or use a jigsaw with a fine-toothed file.

After cutting off the beads, if the track is too hard, you can remove the excess layers of rubber inside the resulting ring. If the tread pattern is not suitable for the conditions of use, then a new lug structure is cut.

The undoubted advantage of a self-made caterpillar from a tire over a caterpillar from a conveyor belt, in an initially closed circuit, and therefore reliability. The minus of this caterpillar is in the limited width of the workpiece, which can be corrected by using a double-width option.

How to make homemade tiller tracks

Here we will consider several methods of making caterpillars with our own hands, with good performance characteristics.

We make homemade caterpillars for the tiller: photos, videos, recommendations

Many people involved in the manufacture of home-made equipment also develop tracked ATVs and home-made tracks for a tiller. When translating this idea into reality, people use a variety of solutions. But the manufacture of caterpillars remains a big problem for fans of this type of transport.

After all, if an all-terrain vehicle or a snowmobile is made by hand, then the caterpillars should also be homemade.

The easiest version of homemade caterpillars

For light all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles, the tracks can be made from a conveyor belt and a sleeve-roller chain. To make such a caterpillar, it is not necessary to own a special tool, everything can be done “on the knee”.

To extend the service life of the tape, it is necessary to stitch it along the edges with fishing line, observing a step of 1 centimeter, which will protect the tape from fraying. To connect the ribbon in a ring, you can sew the ribbon from the ends, or use a hinge.

Choosing the thickness of the tape should be based on the engine power. If you use engines from domestic motorcycles, it is enough to take a belt with a thickness of 8-10 mm, used on conveyors in agriculture.

Such a do-it-yourself snowmobile track has a good resource and is easily repaired if necessary.

Belt tracks

This caterpillar manufacturing option is attractive for its relative simplicity.
To do this, you need to connect the belts with V-shaped profiles into one piece with screws or rivets, using lugs attached to the belts.

To make holes for the drive sprocket in such a track, you need to make gaps between the belts.
You can find many ways to make caterpillars with your own hands. the main thing is to have patience, desire and perseverance. then everything will work out.

Snowmobiles

This is a vehicle designed to travel on loose snow cover.

In contrast to Englishism “snowmobile”, which means any vehicle adapted to driving on snow (snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles on caterpillars and pneumatic wheels, etc.), in Russia only means of ski-caterpillar movement are called a snowmobile (rear main engine, in front. skis instead of the front wheel) with controls similar to motorcycle.

For utility snowmobiles, the engine power is 30-40 hp, the track width ranges from 38 cm to 50 cm and even 60 cm.

Accordingly, if the master sets as his task to create a machine for movement on virgin snow with a load, then he should be guided by these indicators.

Similar parameters must be maintained when creating the so-called snow and swamp vehicles.

If the master needs to make a more high-speed snowmobile (by the type of sports), then the width of the track from the tire can be reduced.

The weight loads of the speeder are much lower than those of the utility utility vehicle.

The illustration shows a motorcycle-based snowmobile equipped with a 23cm homemade track cut from an excavator tire.

For the rest, a homemade track for a snowmobile with your own hands is made according to the basic principle.

Guide for making a caterpillar for a tiller from improvised means. we disassemble the main thing

When operating in off-road conditions, tracked vehicles have undeniable advantages over wheeled vehicles due to their all-terrain qualities, which allow them to overcome deep loose snow, soggy arable land or stony ford.

The popularity of tracked vehicles among household users is so great that many home craftsmen independently “change” their wheeled vehicles into homemade products. tracks made from scrap materials.

One of the options for re-equipment is the use of old tires from MTZ tractors, which makes it possible to significantly increase the cross-country ability of personal auto and motor vehicles with minimal financial costs.

Algorithm for the execution of parts

There are several proven ways to make a caterpillar with your own hands. They have proven to be the most reliable.

Tire tracks

The next way to make such a movement unit with your own hands is with the help of old car protectors of a car or tractor. Such a caterpillar attachment to the tiller is quite practical and easy to manufacture. Another advantage of this method is the absence of the need to manufacture special lugs.

First, you need to cut a tread track from the old tire with your own hands and carefully separate its side surfaces. Cutting off the side surface is quite problematic. This can be done manually with a well-sharpened knife.

However, in this case, the process may be delayed, and you are unlikely to cut off the side part with high quality and accuracy. An ordinary jigsaw can come to the rescue. It is best to use a fine-toothed file. In order to reduce the friction of the jigsaw blade, periodically moisten it with water or a special soap solution.

After you have removed the beads, remove excess layers from the wrong side of your workpiece if necessary. This must be done if the resulting track is too hard.

Tip: If you notice that the tread pattern does not fit, it is better to re-cut new lugs.

The resulting caterpillar is perfect for your tiller, since it will initially have a closed loop, therefore, its reliability will be higher. Among the disadvantages of a tire travel unit, a limited width can be noted. Although this disadvantage can be avoided if you use a double or triple tread.

Motorcycle dogs

Motorized towing vehicles, nicknamed in everyday speech motor dogs, are a mechanical coupling of a sleigh with a towing vehicle on the main engine. The driver and the load are placed in the sleigh.

Serial models are produced in a wide range of drive power (from 6 to 30 hp) and are equipped with a main engine made of rubber-metal tape up to 60 cm wide.

Craftsmen usually make tugs based on a 15 hp engine from improvised means, installing tracks from 500 mm wide tires.

Such self-made motorized dogs are capable of transporting sledges with a load of up to 700 kg, developing speeds of up to 40-50 km / h.

Most often, a home-made caterpillar for a motor dog is made from a tire to save money.

The photo shows a homemade motorized towing vehicle based on the tiller.

Car tire use

For a tiller, caterpillars are often taken from car tires. Craftsmen claim that the design has high reliability when the specified element is included in it. For the resulting tiller to be practical, it is imperative to take care of the quality of the car tires. They must have the correct tread pattern. In this respect, tires from large cars and tractors are preferable. The tread pattern is of key importance as it acts as a lug.

The manufacturing process can be roughly divided into several stages. Here they are:

• After finding suitable tires, a track for tracks is cut out of them. This is a time consuming job.
• A well-sharpened knife is used for cutting. Better to take the one that shoemakers use. From time to time, it must be moistened in a soapy solution. This will make the rubber easier to cut.
• Both sidewalls are cut from the tires. To simplify the process, you can use a jigsaw with fine teeth for this. Remove excess fragments inside the tire, if necessary. If the track is too hard inside, this manipulation can be repeated.

The advantage of this method is that there is no need for a ring connection. The tire already has a closed structure.

Thanks to this, it is possible to improve the reliability indicators of the tracks, which is especially important in conditions of heavy loads. Yet such tracks are of a rather limited length. It corresponds to a similar parameter for a car tire.

Recommendations for use

When using the tiller tracks, it is necessary to constantly check how well the chain is tensioned, and also regularly oil the parts whose friction occurs during movement. In addition, it is recommended each time before use to check whether any damage and breaks have appeared on the chain. After the trip, a scheduled inspection should also be carried out in order to detect any damage or broken hooks in time. When using the tiller, you should avoid driving over roots and stone massifs, as well as hemp, otherwise the track module will be torn very quickly.

For an overview of the tiller-all-terrain vehicle on tracks, see the following video.

Advantages of home-made gas engines from MTZ tires

Due to the continuous lining of the track under the rollers of the machine during the movement, a large area of ​​contact of the belt with the ground is formed, significantly reducing the average pressure of the machine on the soil.

The range of the average ground pressure of the equipment with the main engine is from 11.8 to 118 kN / m2 (from 0.12 to 1.2 kgf / cm2), which is significantly lower than the pressure of a human leg.

Such low pressure indicators provide protection of equipment from immersion in the ground, swampy soil or snow. By varying the size of the surface area in the contact zone of the caterpillar with the support, they achieve the optimal ratio of the vehicle’s cross-country ability with its tractive effort for towing loads.

When equipping vehicles with caterpillar tracks, homemade Samodelkins use a transport belt or tires from automobile and tractor wheels.

The photo below shows a homemade all-terrain vehicle on tracks made of a reinforced type conveyor belt 250 mm wide. Grousers are used with a height of 25 mm.

All-terrain vehicle on a caterpillar track from a conveyor belt:

For most craftsmen, old tires from MTZ tractors of various models are more preferable raw materials for the manufacture of gas engines.

Among the main advantages of MTZ tires, as source material, and the tracks themselves made from these tires, include the following factors:

• Availability of old MTZ tires. Quite often, after dismantling, they are stored in the depths of the enterprises’ utility yards, cluttering the territory.
• The cover is a closed continuous structure, does not require stitching the ends of the tape.
• On a tracked platform made of a tractor tire, there is no need to build up lugs, since the tires have a pronounced factory-made tread relief.
• MTZ wheel tires have high strength and wear resistance, ensuring reliable trouble-free operation of the caterpillar track on soils containing sharp stones.
• Versatility of use. you can choose tires for all types of tracked vehicles, including measures to modernize equipment or increase the width of the tracks.
• Recycling of used tractor tires solves the most important task of recycling dismantled wheels. the possibility of their reuse.

Of the shortcomings of working with tractor tires, two circumstances are noted:

• limited fixed track length due to the dimensions of the blank tire;
• the need to double two tires when mounting a caterpillar with a width exceeding the width of one blank tire.

Phased technology

Several reliable DIY technologies have been developed for creating a tracked structure. They have shown themselves to be more reliable, so they are often used. Which one to choose depends on the skills and materials that you may need. You can make tracks for a tiller with your own hands, following the recommendations of the masters.

tiller on tracks Buran

If you have no desire to make your own caterpillars, then you can borrow it from old technology. For example, a tiller on tracks from Buran shows pretty good work.

It is advisable to use exactly the old part, because the new Buranovskaya caterpillar will be quite expensive, and the purpose of such alterations is the maximum cost savings.

How to make a homemade track from belts and chains

All-terrain vehicles on tiller tracks can be made using the most common belts with a wedge-shaped profile. The belts are connected to each other by means of a lug, attached to the belts with rivets or screws.

Another method is to make the tracks from chains of the same size. Many summer residents have such material in bulk in the garage, which simplifies the search issue. The whole manufacturing process boils down to the following points:

• Take two chains of the same size.
• The last links of these chains must be unclenched, and then connected into a closed ring.
• Next, we clamp the links and weld them.

The chains are fastened to each other using lugs, which can be made from ordinary steel plates of the required thickness. They are connected to the chain with bolts.

Additional Tips

Before making a caterpillar drive for a tiller, it is necessary to make drawings, determine dimensions. This is done so that in the case of a very high self-made caterpillar for the tiller, it will be necessary to change the center of gravity of the walk-behind tractor. This will inevitably provoke problems when turning, as the technique will fall to the side. To avoid this, the second driven axle must be made longer.

In addition to the rules regarding the power of the engine, they also look at the cooling system:

How to make a King Kutter XB Tiller Quick Hitch / I-Match Compatible

• Air cooling is ineffective with significant overloads, which will damage the engine.
• Properly use water cooling that has proven to be stable.

Attached attachments to the tiller can significantly improve the vehicle’s patency data. Therefore, it is possible to diversify the range of operations carried out that a home-made apparatus can handle. To put it another way, the created base in some situations outperforms standard wheels. However, the alteration of motoblock equipment may not suit the owners of these technical devices. It talks about the special requirements for the engine.

The motor fits with good traction. Homemade production is suitable for execution in a garage. That is why the block created in the garage is an excellent replacement for tracked monoblock blocks on the market.

Snowmobile attachments on Tiller Neva

So, the tracks on the Tiller Neva, is a full-fledged snowmobile attachment. Separately, you can purchase seats for drivers, thanks to which the Tiller Neva becomes similar to a tracked mini tractor, albeit with lower performance.

• developed speed (with the Neva tiller). about 18 km / h;
• total weight of the console. 37 kg;
• length. 100 cm;
• width. 60 cm;
• height. 34 cm;
• number of passengers. one driver and one passenger.

For more information about the tracked drive for the Tiller Neva, see

In addition, there is an attachment for the tiller on tracks on sale, designed to be attached to the Agat and Salute models. In this design, there is no possibility of attaching a driver’s seat, which somewhat limits the capabilities of this device.

Their distinctive feature is the ability to control them not only with two hands, following the tiller, but also sitting in a folding type sleigh, which, however, must be purchased separately.

Tracked Tractor vs Wheeled Tractor. How to reduce soil compaction? TractorLab

If we consider that the average (plus), we can say that the independent production of tracks is a fairly optimal way out for those who do not have the opportunity to spend extra money on purchasing.

How to make homemade caterpillars for a tiller with your own hands

Owners of motoblock equipment often go to home-made manufacturing of components for a powerful unit. The caterpillar tiller is distinguished by its maneuverability, it is convenient when working in the garden and in other works. And the tracks themselves, if you have the material, experience, you can make yourself. You only need to follow a certain technique and sequence.

How to make homemade tiller tracks

Here we will consider several methods of making caterpillars with our own hands, with good performance characteristics.

Design features of the device

Making components for a home-made caterpillar for a tiller with your own hands allows you to save money on buying factory devices and further operating the equipment. If everything is done correctly, then self-made tracks for the tiller increase the cross-country characteristics.

Compared to wheeled counterparts, tracked tillers are not so widespread. The explanation is simple. Wheeled aggregates from Texas, Patriot, Cayman, Viking, Forza are best suited for plowing land. This design is best suited for ground work.

Redesigning a wheel tiller is the job of attaching one additional wheel on each side. It turns out a four-wheeled tiller on which you can put on tracks. They can, in turn, be purchased or homemade. Additional wheels can be detachable. This makes it possible to turn the unit into a standard tiller in a timely manner, ideal for working in the garden.

For this, the wheels are fixed to the axle, which are already provided in the structure, by means of a rigid or flexible transmission. This solution is considered advisable, since there is no need to install additional fasteners. As for the device of these tillers, they fully correspond to the parameters of wheel modifications:

• Engine. It is powerful, four-stroke. It has a function for locking the axes. This allows the tracked tiller to turn in place without making a full circle.
• Transmission. Standard kit includes gearbox, clutch system and gearbox.
• Chassis. Caterpillars are used here. They replace the wheelbase. If the alteration is made, then one kata is added to the existing pair of wheels on each side. They put on a homemade caterpillar.
• Control bodies. Located on the control handle. Includes emergency stop mechanisms and assorted clutch levers.

• develops a speed of the order of. 18 km per hour;
• total weight of the console. 37 kg;
• width. 60 cm;
• length. 100 cm;
• height. 34 cm.

Accommodates one driver and one passenger on board. In addition, you can find on sale an attachment to the tiller on tracks, which is designed for the Salute and Agat models. Its cost ranges from 25 to 27 thousand rubles. This design does not provide for the attachment of a driver’s seat. Because of this, some restrictions are imposed on the functional features of this device. But for driving on off-road and snow such transport is quite suitable.

Their feature is the ability to control not only with two hands, walking behind the tiller, but also sitting in a folding sleigh. The latter will have to be purchased separately. Considering that the average cost of a set-top box is about 30 thousand rubles, not counting the price of a folding sleigh, we can say that making the tracks yourself saves a lot of money.