History
According to a 2010 interview published by the enthusiast site 6x6World, engineer R. Louis Gaither began designing the Hydratrek in late 2004 after field failures with another amphibious ATV. The first prototype, built in early 2005, had only four wheels [2]. Fire Fighting in Canada reported the commercial launch in June 2008 from Covington, Tennessee, after about four years of research and development, and gave the base price as $52,000 [1]. The company shared a factory with a sister firm, Rose Machine and Tool, and said it had sold or leased 24 machines from spring 2008 through 2009 [2].
The first Hydratrek was a six-wheeler aimed at disaster response and urban search and rescue [1][2]. Tracked models followed: the XT66 added rubber tracks to the six-wheel XA66 to lower its ground pressure, and the D2488 and D2488B were larger tracked machines [2]. Hydratrek now also sells the Land Tamer line of amphibious vehicles, which has roots in Townsend, Montana [3][8].
Design and how it works
Hydratrek hulls are hand-welded from marine-grade aluminum, and power comes from turbocharged Kubota diesel engines [4][8]. Each wheel or track drive and each propeller has its own hydraulic motor in a closed-loop hydrostatic system, so the driver can use land drive, water drive or both together without shifting gears [1][4]. On the D2488B, two planetary drive motors turn the tracks and two rear propellers push the vehicle through deep water [4].
The D2488B is the largest model. Hydratrek lists a 24 in (61 cm) rubber track system, a 2,200 gal/h (8,300 L/h) bilge pump and a ground pressure of about 1.5 psi (10 kPa) [4]. A dealer specification sheet gives seating for up to 10, a dry weight of 6,040 lb (2,740 kg), a payload of 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) on land and 1,400 lb (635 kg) in water, and top speeds of 14 mph (23 km/h) on land and 3 mph (5 km/h) in water [7]. The smaller tracked XTB66 seats up to seven and carries 1,600 lb (726 kg) on land or 1,200 lb (544 kg) in water [5].
Uses
Hydratreks are marketed to power companies for survey, inspection and maintenance work on remote rights-of-way, wetlands, flood zones and coastal marshes, as an alternative to laying temporary ground matting [6]. Hydratrek also lists government, military, oil and gas, recreation, search and rescue, disaster relief and wetland restoration customers [8]. The company says its vehicles have helped with search and rescue work from Tennessee to the Philippines [3].
Related entries
Sources
- Hydratrek amphibious vehicle comes to market, Fire Fighting in Canada (2008-06-03). www.firefightingincanada.com/hydratrek-amphibious-vehicle-comes-to-market-2118
- Interview: Hydratrek Amphibious Vehicles, 6x6World (2010-04-05). www.6x6world.com/forums/forum/miscellaneous/the-vip-of-amphibious-atvs/4992-interview-hydratrek-amphibious-vehicles
- About, Hydratrek, Inc.. www.hydratrek.com/about
- D2488B, Hydratrek, Inc.. www.hydratrek.com/d2488b
- XTB66, Hydratrek, Inc.. www.hydratrek.com/xtb66
- Tracked, Amphibious ATVs, T&D World (2012-04-30). www.tdworld.com/safety-and-training/article/20967311/tracked-amphibious-atvs
- Hydratek D2488B Amphibious Vehicle (specification sheet), Custom Truck One Source. www.customtruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HYDRATEK-D2488B-AMPHIBIOUS.pdf
- Amphibious Vehicle | Amphibious ATV | Hydratrek | Land Tamer, Hydratrek, Inc.. www.hydratrek.com
Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.
About the Amphibious Encyclopedia
WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.
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