Bizarre new amphibious vehicle

[kengrome]

Here's a picture of something from China that looks like a strange new ambhibious vehicle:

If those paddle wheels are strong enough to travel over land it might just be useful in swampy areas as both a boat and an overland vehicle, at least for short distances, assuming the hull doesn't leak of course ...

[rwatson]

Something to do with rice paddies perhaps ? Thast actually solved an idea i have been thinking about - well done

[BMcF]

Originally Posted by rwatson

Something to do with rice paddies perhaps ?

bingo!..it is powered by the ubiquitous 'pony motor' that is owned by practically every Chinese farmer. Connects to his 3-wheel 'cart' to haul everything including the family...connects it to his irrigation pump for his paddies..connects it to his dynamo so he can turn his TV on at night..etc, etc. One power source quickly reconfigured for muyltiple uses...now including amphibious travel..LOL. Clever folks...

[ted655]

Are you sure it's not a lazy mans roto tiller?

[kach22i]

It will never fly.

[nordvindcrew]

it looks like the craft used around here (massachusetts USA) to paddle around cranberry bogs and break the fruit off the vine so that it will float up for harvest. Only a bit more finished looking.

[yipster]

dont really know why i keep seeing some square wheels in my head

[TerryKing]

Originally Posted by BMcF

bingo!..it is powered by the ubiquitous 'pony motor' that is owned by practically every Chinese farmer. Connects to his 3-wheel 'cart' to haul everything including the family...connects it to his irrigation pump for his paddies..connects it to his dynamo so he can turn his TV on at night..etc, etc. One power source quickly reconfigured for muyltiple uses...now including amphibious travel..LOL. Clever folks...

The Chinese really seem to like belt drive. You can hook almost anything to almost anything. Like boats. 2 days ago I saw this boat next to the high-rise I live in.. That 1-lunger small diesel that you mentioned, is here, driving a semi-fixed right-angle drive and prop. (Also notice the belt-drive "outboard" used as trolling / aux... and it's non-approved fuel tank hanging in the mesh above! Also the TsingTao bottle catching the leak from the injector pump... not to stop the oil sheen, but to pour back into the tank)!


I see and hear that diesel every day on the streets here, usually running a big air compressor to break concrete. China is ALWAYS "Under Construction". The 'cool' thing is the cooling, which is just a boiling-water jacket, like the 1910 water pump in my home town in Connecticut. There's just a little steam coming out the top, and someone dumps a pail of water in once in a while. The Marine versions seem to have a couple hoses from somewhere...

I've also seen this engine, and something that looked like a 2-cylinder version, driving a triple belt from the deck down into the hold to the drive system on a larger (maybe 40 foot) boat. Need to get a photo of that!

Some time I need to put together a good album of this stuff... There are a few here:
http://www.terryking.us/photoalbum/m...g2_itemId=3197

[westlawn5554X]

You sure you're not chinese?