1971/72 Allis-Chalmers Terra Tiger (7 Viewers)

[FJ907Warrior]

Recently saw this posted locally for $100 and just couldn't pass the sucker up.

Despite having the ol' Goodrich balloon tires that are long discontinued the thing was in shambles, torn apart but parts all present.

Went out and paid the man, loaded up and headed home with a mini 6x6!

Unloaded the girl in the garage doing a inventory of all the parts & pieces. Studied the mechanics of the unit, checked the tires (3 good, 6 bad. Damn was hoping for a min of 4 that held)

Next day, everything got deep cleaned and the single hull was inspected.

Also made a long stop at a local scrap yard, looking at junked 4wheelers and side by sides, really anything that had a axle and decent tires trying to find the right size and hubs I could update the wheel situation. Ended up with Honda wheels 22x11x8 and hubs 4x130 from a trx125. I'll be scouting out more junk Hondas now for a full set.

Prepping the ol 2stroke Jlo 252 (runs great!) Most likely keep a eye out for a 4stroke (quieter and straight gas)

Hooking chains back up and greasing everything confirming function.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

After more research it became evident that the pull start was not OEM to the engine, however it would work if I cut the fins and moved it deeper into position. So I did a bit of macgyvering and got it working.

I'll definitely be scouting out a original setup as this one was definitely worn when I re-winded the cord. But I can reliably start the engine now.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

The old fiberglass bench seat was cracked. However I reinforced the back of it with an old oak bed headboard I salvaged from the junkyard and use leather strips on the bottom. Also used an old aluminum sign to reinforce the backseat. The fiberglass at that point had seen better days, I think the repair will last the rest of the machines life.
Will definitely be adding some cushions while I'm in the process of upholstering seats for my Land cruiser. That will come in time.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

Surprisingly found a another earlier model in Alaska, big state, but didn't think I'd come across it. Bit chopped up compared to mine, not complete for a rebuild, but definitely some things I'll be able to use.

I see spare clutch's and potential trailer, either way will be picking it up soon.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

I originally planned to weld Honda Trx125 hubs right on the end of the existing axles. After more thought, I decided to remove the original flange and resize the shaft down so that I can do a front and backside weld.

Almost done with the first... 5 more to go

 

[FJ907Warrior]

 

[FJ907Warrior]

Slowly coming together...

Steering bell clutches(I guess you would call them) are slipping. Probably due to the stiffness of the chains. Most likely will lube the chains up and pull it around the house a few times. Or find a way to adjust the pressure springs on the steering clutches. It will drive forward, but won't turn at the moment.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

The Terra Tiger journey is coming to a close as Ive determined it's too light duty of a unit then I hoped, at least for what I wanted from it.

Unfortunately there is no way the clutch based steering would support pulling a moose/heavy game out of the brush.
If it had a traditional t20 skid steer transmission it would be a different story, however this was manufactured before those times...
Also with it being two-stroke it's super loud, which is unfortunate for hunting and I'm not dumping a $450 four-stroke engine into it with the prior problem.

With that. I'm super proud of the work I did to it, brought a scrap unit back to life! And really like the rain cover I made

Good experience overall and was very cool to work on.

 

[Mudder]

Sucks to hear it’s coming to a close. I was enjoying this as I had never seen one before.

 

[FJ907Warrior]

Sucks to hear it’s coming to a close. I was enjoying this as I had never seen one before.

It was pretty cool feeling driving it up on the new owners trailer, where I had to drag it off mine...

If it had a better powerhouse setup I would have kept it. Budget and necessity *cough* I mean my wife *cough* keeps my 'toys' having a purpose.

The replacement ~80s sidewinder (basically a hustler) is going to accomplish what I'm looking for quite nicely.