The Ranger 6x6 Crew started its life as a 2008 Polaris RANGER 6x6.
When Kevin got a hold of it, the Ranger was in sad shape. The engine and
transmission were in the bed. The roll cage and 90% of the plastic was
removed, and there were a lot of parts like the shifter cable, relays, spark
plugs, injectors that were just plain gone.
Kevin found an older Polaris Ranger 4x4 that was used for
parts and the cage, seat and frame were used for the "stretch" in the
middle.
According to Kevin, the stretch it's self was really simple. Since he
had the Polaris Ranger 4x4 for parts that he cut the chassis and seating
area out of it.
To keep from having to extend all the cables, wire harnesses, coolant
lines and what not, he cut the Ranger 6x6 frame between the bed and seat
frame, keeping the engine and transmission under the front seat.
Then the extra seat and frame from the donor Ranger was welded in
place, plus it was extended it out another 7" for leg room. Then some
channel iron was used for bracing so it won't fold like a taco.
Kevin was forced to use multiple diameters of pipe to extend the
exhaust, and some good ol' back woods engineering to extend the rear
driveshaft (which could not be farther from balanced).
Then the fun began... The rear floor, engine cover, rear seat storage
boxes, and roof were made of 3/8" aluminum sheet and 1/2" aluminum
diamond plate. All of the welds were done with a MIG spool gun, as
Kevin's TIG stopped working. The panels were lined with low budget
acoustical/heat mat (very similar to Dynamat) to control heat and the
massive amounts of rattle.
He also made two rear seat storage boxes, one of which holds 2 JVC
speaker boxes, and the other holds a 400w amplifier with room to spare.
A JVC MP3/CD player is mounted in the glove box.
Overall Kevin said it is a blast to drive. A bit slower and lower
than factory, forcing them to attack speed bumps at a 45 degree angle to
avoid bottoming out.
The turning radius suffers the most, now at about 45ft. curb to curb.
It comes in extremely handy out in the Iraqi desert. Being a 6 seater,
they now have the ability to shuttle 5 guys with all their gear without
making more than 1 trip, which is very important when *you know what*
hits the fan.
The Ranger 6x6 Crew is driven daily, making parts runs, meal runs
when we work late, and pulls multiple trailers, one of them weighing in
at 7,300lbs (well over the manufacturer towing capacity).
Kevin wishes that he could have had the right materials and equipment
to work with, making the Ranger 6x6 Crew much lighter, safer, and more
sensible. But I think this project shows that good old American
ingenuity and knowhow are alive and well in the U.S. Army. I
wonder if anyone at Polaris Industries will take notice and come up with
plans for a factory Ranger 6x6 Crew?
