PlowBoyII - New 900HP Hill Killer from Wide Open Design

WideOpenDesign · Jan 28, 2015

Richie Keith is one of the guys who helped put "Rock Bouncing" on the map. He is a fearless driver that will put it all on the line every time. He has assembled a fleet of awesome off road vehicles, including "Plowboy" rock bouncer, a 1,200 horse power mud truck, and a custom built RZR XP900. He is the only person to pull off a back flip in a rock bouncer and he says he wants to go bigger and better this year.

Richie approached us to build his next rock bouncer, using his top notch parts list he had already begun acquiring. The overall look of the buggy was a one of the hardest aspects of the build. Richie wanted a tractor theme, so our job was to build one that carried attractive lines as well as provided the structure that this rig would need. The front end is based around a set of custom built headlights that resemble those out of a new 8345R John Deere tractor. We scaled them to fit our buggy and went backwards from there. Bouncers are known for their open tube look and feel where the crawlers usually have panels covering the sides of their buggies. We opened up a section in the panels for the one of a kind look to showcase the engine. At the B pillar we gave it a little Class 1 desert car inspired look and wrapped the panels up to the roof, this adds style and protection.

The chassis is built from all 1.75", .120 wall and .188 wall DOM with some .250 wall in places like the rockers. This chassis will be abused so every part of the chassis that could be contacted by a rock is .188, including the entire roof. One unique feature Richie requested was welded on steel sides. We used 16 gauge steel and then ground smooth to create a very original look. We utilized the same link mount locations in this chassis as our production Wide Open Design Rock Bouncer chassis.

Safety was a big thing on Richie's mind throughout this entire build. We made sure that he had plenty of head clearance with a helmet on in this buggy. We chose a set of PRP Grand Prix RZR seats that have modified mounting tabs. We had them custom covered with tan leather and we kept the mud trap option to keep the seats clean. We also double sheared the seat mounts in this buggy to make sure nothing moves. We used PRP ratcheting seatbelts that are designed to be used with a head and neck restraint device. The chassis was really built tough around the driver's compartment. Extra bracing was used everywhere we could on this buggy. We know it will be used and abused.

The 510cid small block engine was custom designed and built by Tytech motorsports. The only piece of this engine that was pre made was the cylinder head castings. The Hogan intake was custom made to fit the angle and bore spacing of the custom block. The engine dyno'd at over 900 HP running on 113 octane race fuel. Fuel management comes from Big Stuff 3 injection, mounted out of harms way and in a (hopefully) cool and dry environment. We mounted the engine using engine plates then we backed up the heads of the engine with mounts there too. On the hard core rock bouncers we have seen the engine sees a lot of force being thrown out of the front of the buggy. We tried to limit this with diagonal braces in the drive train mounts. We built all custom brackets for the pulley system around the dry sump pump, and two separate steering pumps. All hydraulic and fuel lines use Fragola fittings and hose.

The chassis is fairly small, so building exhaust wasn't an easy task. We custom built headers and full exhaust out of stainless steel, all tig welded. The headers are 2", then merge into a 4" Magnaflow race muffler and carried all the way to the rear of the buggy. This might be the first "rock bouncer" with full exhaust.

WideOpenDesign · Jan 28, 2015

The cooling system in this machine is more suited for a desert race truck than it is a rock bouncer. We used a 38x18 Griffin radiator with dual 18" spal fans. We mounted an external water pump right under the radiator to push the water through the system instead of pull it through. For transmission cooling we used a heat exchanger normally seen with Ultra4. This type of cooling is a blend of what we have seen work in Ultra4 racing and rock bouncing. We took the good from both and used what works.

The Powerglide transmission, built by PTC, uses a Reid case and features every aftermarket upgrade you can think. One unique feature about this buggy is we used an SCS straight drive gearbox. No levers, no frills, just a 3.4:1 4-wheel-drive box. It is designed to be a drop case like what is used in monster trucks, but we rotated it to the passenger side, which required the axles to both be off-set.

The steering rams were custom built to match the hex theme of the trusses and suspension links and they utilize a small shaft diameter to achieve 1.5 turns lock to lock. The speed of the steering normally wreaks havoc on the pumps, pulleys, and belts. When the wheels are set on the steering stops, it creates a substantial pressure spike. In order to combat this we use Howe pressure relief valves to protect the dual PSC pumps.

The rams use 7075 aluminum tie rods with 7/8 shank QA1 chromolly rod ends with ¾ hole at the knuckle. The rear steer features a Stazworks self-centering rear steer.

This rig has the very first set of Ouverson drop out 3rd member 14 bolt axles. We built custom fabricated trusses using 1/8" and ¼" steel. 3:73 gears were chosen, which we believe to be the strongest 14 bolt gear available. Custom built spools were designed by Ouverson, to accept 2" diameter 47 spline axle shafts. The Ouverson built housings use a 3/8" thick bell and 4" axle tubes. The open cast knuckles and high steer arms house massive 2.5 Rockwell sized RCV axle joints. The brakes are a mix of light weight Spidertrax hats and rotors, Wilwood calipers, and Wide Open Design brackets built to fit Ouverson Super8 lug hubs.

WideOpenDesign · Jan 28, 2015

Drivelines are 2.5" diameter, ¼" wall with 1480 ujoints at each end.

This buggy will have two sets of tires based on what terrain it sees. One set are cut 44" Boggers on 20" Raceline double beadlocks, and the other is a set of 43" SX stickies on 20" double beadlock Racelines.

Richie wanted a buggy that would never be mistaken as someone else's. All of the rock bouncers are starting to look the same and we wanted to come out with something different. We worked hard to get the one of a kind look into this chassis. That is very hard to pull of these days with a buggy. The way the whole package tied together in the end really turned out to be one off. The chassis design is unique, the mix of bright colors and some chrome make it pop, and the overall fit and finish set it apart. We are proud of the way it turned out. Now we are ready to get this thing dialed in and see what Richie does with it.