Hunter's Quadcycle

Okay, this is definitely one of my weirder ideas. Nevertheless, let's explore it. Dragging a deer or hog for any distance through the woods is an exhausting experience. The obvious solutions are an ATV or a horse. However, motorized vehicles are prohibited on most public land, and an ATV is expensive. A horse is also expensive, and must be cared for.

I started to think about traveling through the woods on a mountain bike while hunting. Bulky clothing and lots of gear make that impractical, plus how would I cart a deer home? That's when I thought of a pedal-powered ATV — a quadcycle. It turns out that there are quadcycles out there, but none that are designed for off-road use and hauling cargo. But what if I built one?

It should be a one-seater, but it should be possible for a passenger to ride in the cargo gondola. It should be lightweight. It should have a place to attach a rifle scabard. It should have a cargo gondola suitable for loading up a deer or a hog. It should have a wide range of gearing, so I can move up steep hills and tough terrain with a heavy load, yet still be able to make quick progress on roads. And if at all possible, it should have a power train that provides power to all four wheels. Oh, and it should have a more civilized seat than a bicycle.

I can weld it out of aluminum and paint it olive drab green.

Drive Train

I should be able to find the pedals and derailer from a regular mountain bike and use those. With the smaller wheels, that should provide a sufficiently low gear.

It should also be trivial to direct power to both rear wheels. In fact, there are probably drive systems for tricycles that do this. A differential should probably be avoided, since this is for off-road use.

How can I bring power to the front wheels?

Steering

I could do a steering wheel or I could do handle bars. An ATV uses handle bars. That is probably the best thing, especially since I can buy them.

Suspension

I probably should have a spring suspension system. A lightweight cycle doesn't need it, because the rider's legs perform that function. Here, we have a heavy cargo bed and the rider is in a normal sitting position.

Wheels

I don't want fat tires like on an ATV, because they are heavy. Mountain bikes can sink into mud, but not so badly that I need to worry. I don't need big 26" wheels, either. I'll bet common 20" dirt bike wheels would be fine.

How does the drive chain engage the wheels?

Cargo Gondola

There should be a cargo gondola large enough to hold a deer, a hog, or a person. My target capacity is 350 pounds (because the most likely person to ride in the cargo area weighs 300 pounds not counting his gear).

Whatever I come up with should be lightweight. Sheet aluminum, perhaps.