Mitsubishi Mini-Cat?

[Fitzy]

Well I guess I should start off by saying that I want a truck style snow cat. I don’t think Mattracks style tracks on my Ford Ranger will hold up to my kind of abuse.

I’m toying around with the idea of turning a beat up Mitsubishi MiniCab into a “Snow Cat”. This would give me a big enough bed to haul fire wood and my dogs or whatever. I would like to use manufactured parts for say an Imp instead of fabricating everything from scratch. But I have had a difficult time finding one for parts. I’m not opposed to buying an Imp to refurbish but I don’t have the funds to buy one at the moment.

In my head I’m imagining a mid mounted 1.3l Suzuki Samurai engine/trans to a solid mounted samurai rear axle. A custom subframe with a leaf sprung suspension for the bogies (pneumatic tires) and the front tires would be adjustable for setting track tension.

 

[m1west]

Go to the tracked 4x4 section, I built a Suzuki tracked mini truck similar to yours that burned up in a forest fire, also a Mitsubishi mini cab van that I use for cabin access in the winter. They both are very capable for snow travel, especially if its heavy snow. Anyway both builds and use are in the tracked 4x4 section if interested.

 

[m1west]

I used Mattracks EZ UTV on one and Camso's on the other. The mattracks have more area for flotation but both worked very well and for 5k delivered.

 

[Fitzy]

I used Mattracks EZ UTV on one and Camso's on the other. The mattracks have more area for flotation but both worked very well and for 5k delivered.

Thanks I will check them out! What kind of abuse can those tracks handle? I do a ton of snow wheeling/driving during the winter on unmaintained, washed out roads and some cross country trails. My Ranger does really well, but once the snow crusts over it starts struggling. It’s not stock and I go places that most people don’t think about driving.

 

[Fitzy]

Go to the tracked 4x4 section, I built a Suzuki tracked mini truck similar to yours that burned up in a forest fire, also a Mitsubishi mini cab van that I use for cabin access in the winter. They both are very capable for snow travel, especially if its heavy snow. Anyway both builds and use are in the tracked 4x4 section if interested.

It’s a pretty small world, man. Was it the Caldor fire that your Suzuki burned up in?

 

[m1west]

It’s a pretty small world, man. Was it the Caldor fire that your Suzuki burned up in?

The fire it burned up in was in 2020, its the same fire that burned up Westwood up there. It started 30 miles away and they just let it burn until it was threatening cities before anything was done. Lost the Suzuki and 3 outbuildings up there. The cabin survived by Miracle. I think it was the Sheep fire.

 

[m1west]

Thanks I will check them out! What kind of abuse can those tracks handle? I do a ton of snow wheeling/driving during the winter on unmaintained, washed out roads and some cross country trails. My Ranger does really well, but once the snow crusts over it starts struggling. It’s not stock and I go places that most people don’t think about driving.

The Mattracks do very well. My ground pressure id .68 psi on the van, that is snowcat territory. I got the standard EZ UTV and that are good to 3500# the van with tracks on is still under 2000# and does fine. Mattracks does offer an extended track version that would almost completely track the underside between the front and rear tracks. The van has about 18" between the tracks. The extended ones are a bit more pricy. I also like the Matts because they are more under the van than sticking out both ends like the Camsos. I never even came close to getting stuck either the truck or the van, even in steep snow covered forest road. The reason for building the van is its a lot more comfortable with the wife, dog and all the gear.

 

[Fitzy]

The Mattracks do very well. My ground pressure id .68 psi on the van, that is snowcat territory. I got the standard EZ UTV and that are good to 3500# the van with tracks on is still under 2000# and does fine. Mattracks does offer an extended track version that would almost completely track the underside between the front and rear tracks. The van has about 18" between the tracks. The extended ones are a bit more pricy. I also like the Matts because they are more under the van than sticking out both ends like the Camsos. I never even came close to getting stuck either the truck or the van, even in steep snow covered forest road. The reason for building the van is its a lot more comfortable with the wife, dog and all the gear.

I hadn’t thought about purchasing tracks because I had heard of people flipping tracks and getting stuck due to it. I don’t normally deal with deep snow, just crusted snow that stops my truck.

 

[m1west]

I hadn’t thought about purchasing tracks because I had heard of people flipping tracks and getting stuck due to it. I don’t normally deal with deep snow, just crusted snow that stops my truck.

Go back and look at the tracks installation on the Suzuki and the van., they both have limiting devices that keep the tracks from over rotating, they don't hit the body even in the worse breaking up or down hill situation, the tracks over rotating is a non issue. If your just running over crusted snow that is not deep you will never even come close to getting stuck with tracks. The only way I have seen people get stuck and its usually a belted Tucker snow cat, is to pull to the side of the road to let someone pass and get both tracks in a ditch on one side, with an open Diff. the tracks in the ditch spin, and your stuck. Sometime when you are in this are come by and check it out.

 

[Fitzy]

Go back and look at the tracks installation on the Suzuki and the van., they both have limiting devices that keep the tracks from over rotating, they don't hit the body even in the worse breaking up or down hill situation, the tracks over rotating is a non issue. If your just running over crusted snow that is not deep you will never even come close to getting stuck with tracks. The only way I have seen people get stuck and its usually a belted Tucker snow cat, is to pull to the side of the road to let someone pass and get both tracks in a ditch on one side, with an open Diff. the tracks in the ditch spin, and your stuck. Sometime when you are in this are come by and check it out.

Thank you, I saw how you built the limiter on the Mitsubishi. That makes a lot of sense if you’re going to use it almost exclusively. This will be almost exclusively used in the snow too.

 

[Fitzy]

Well, I picked up a parts mini cab yesterday. Someone had dumped it along the highway and it sat for a month because none of the local tow companies were willing to pick it up. They couldn’t make any money on it. It was loaded down with a bunch of trash and an old freezer. The highway patrol had tagged it twice and no one was willing to pick it up. So I hauled it and all the trash off.
Now when I’m not able to hunt I’ll be whittling away at getting my Mini Cab running. It’s one of the rare driver side driven mini trucks.

Marty:
You mentioned in one of your threads that you had put a lift on your mini.
Did you buy it or build it?
How high of a lift is it?

The rear seems easy since I can probably put a set of jeep or Suzuki Samurai leafs in there. The front independent suspension will take some engineering lol.
I will probably do like you did and buy wheel adapters because sourcing materials would take more time than it’s cost to buy new.

 

[m1west]

I bought the lift ki, it comes with longer dual rate springs for the front and shackles for the rear. I would have to go back and see where I bought them from, You defiantly need the lift kit, I believe it lifted 3.5" any more than that it messes with the cv joints in the front drive lines. I also put a set of air shocks in the rear. Just took measurements and bought them from Ebay. I remember everything costing$300-$400.00, you will also nee wheel adapters. Also Ebay.

 

[Fitzy]

I bought the lift ki, it comes with longer dual rate springs for the front and shackles for the rear. I would have to go back and see where I bought them from, You defiantly need the lift kit, I believe it lifted 3.5" any more than that it messes with the cv joints in the front drive lines. I also put a set of air shocks in the rear. Just took measurements and bought them from Ebay. I remember everything costing$300-$400.00, you will also nee wheel adapters. Also Ebay.

I copy, thanks I’ll check it out.

 

[Fitzy]

I finally tore into the MiniCab. I removed about 50 feet of after market wiring that had no purpose any longer along with the bed. It took me a bit yo get the engine started. I had to pull the starter because I thought it was bad. But it turned out to be a 24v starter, not 12v. It started instantly after I hooked up the second battery. I’m going to start pulling the Kubota out and attempt to put the truck back to stock.

 

[m1west]

So it has a Kubota diesel in it, thats interesting. Was it hooked up to the OE drivetrain?

 

[Fitzy]

So it has a Kubota diesel in it, thats interesting. Was it hooked up to the OE drivetrain?

Correct, yes they built an engine adapter from angle iron and who knows what else. Now that I know how to start it, I’m going to attempt to pull it out into the driveway to pressure wash it before I pull the engine. Here are some more pictures of their shenanigans.

 

[PJL]

Red neck engineered.

 

[Fitzy]

Red neck engineered.

Heavily RNE!
I will be doing some fabrication to it but not like this lol. I am thinking about designing a new front suspension or possibly even swapping Suzuki Samurai axles under it in the future.

 

[m1west]

You can get a good running unit down here for around 5k, you sure you want to do all that work?

 

[Fitzy]

I have done a lot of fabrication and wiring work on my other trucks so I can physically do the work. I don’t know how many hours it’s gonna take me though lol. But I enjoy working on stuff. This is one of the rare left hand drive trucks, so I think it might be worth it in the end. If I decide that I don’t like the truck after all, I’ll sell it and hopefully make a little profit.

 

[m1west]

I have done a lot of fabrication and wiring work on my other trucks so I can physically do the work. I don’t know how many hours it’s gonna take me though lol. But I enjoy working on stuff. This is one of the rare left hand drive trucks, so I think it might be worth it in the end. If I decide that I don’t like the truck after all, I’ll sell it and hopefully make a little profit.

It will keep you busy and out of trouble for a while.

 

[Fitzy]

It will keep you busy and out of trouble for a while.

Well, maybe… Probably get me into more trouble if I get it running lol

 

[alryA]

I hadn’t thought about purchasing tracks because I had heard of people flipping tracks and getting stuck due to it. I don’t normally deal with deep snow, just crusted snow that stops my truck.

Everyone needs to have anti-rotation attachments installed. American TT offers them but not everyone gets them but most co's simply sells them with the pods.

 

[Fitzy]

Everyone needs to have anti-rotation attachments installed. American TT offers them but not everyone gets them but most co's simply sells them with the pods.

Thank you, that’s great advice!

 

[Fitzy]

Well since I know the mini cab runs, I messed with it today and got it to where I can drive it. The clutch cable was fucked off to the point that it was holding the clutch disengaged. I disconnected the cables and now I can drive it as long as I start it in gear. So I put the bed back on and put all the crap that I pulled off, onto the bed then pulled it out of the garage. I’m going to start working on the truck, get it to where I can mount the axles and pull the body off to clean the frame. Then I’ll pull the motor out of the Mitsubishi, figure out the transmission adapter and install it. Until then the mini cab is parked next to the garage. Here’s a video of the first test drive!