By nvbigblue on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey guys,
I was thinking about a job I had a few years back (core sampling driller) and thought about something we used to use. We used to make up drilling mud (a mixture of bentonite, water, and other chemicals) in a big 400 gallon stock tank. To mix the whole thing up we had a small hydraulic motor motor with a 2-bladed prop on it. This was just a regular motor, nothing special, that we mounted on a shaft and dropped into the tank. Anyways, I was thinking that you could add a little belt driven hydraulic pump to the engine of an AATV and via a flow control valve run this little motor. The pump I'm thinking of is like an A/C compressor, with a magnetic clutch on it. And steering could be as simple as a tiller. The motor is only going to be under the water a couple of feet, so I doubt the water pressure will hurt it (it was this deep in our stock tanks). And since you can switch the pump on and off, it won't be eating up engine power when the machine is out of the water. Any thoughts??
Bill

By Homer the Bold on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Sounds like a great idea. You could always steer by rotating the motor. Tie this in with the steering levers via some cable. Of course, a big electric trolling motor might be cheaper. Even a large on can be as cheap as $150. You already have a battery and a charging system. Plus you not have to worry about leaking oil or bursting hoses. If you built a fully hydraulic ATV then this would work great.

By 1MudbugMan on Unrecorded Date: Edit

This is a super/duper idea! I will soon start building my own unit and if you don't mind, I will use your idea. By the way I use hyd motors all the time in the water and this has no affect on the motors as long as the shaft seals are in good shape. The seals keep oil in the system and water out of the system. I us a simple hydaulic filter system on my hyd systems and they do a good job of keeping it clean. If the shaft seal is dirty after use just wash and this will keep the seal good for several years. For added protection I wash and dry the seals and apply high temp mystic red grease and cover. good luck, Richard