Using a motorised ride-on bulldozer which she found on a kerbside junk pile, Mikalah (Aged 12) attempted to make the worlds first amphibious bulldozer.
Under the watchful eye of her father she first removed the exisiting electronics, wiring and battery. She added lots of empty plastic bottles and expanding foam for buoyancy. Mikalah then used a jig saw to shape a foam surfboard which she attached to the underside using glues and screws.
Using timber which she cut to length herself on the power dropsaw she made a bracket which she could attach the electric outboard to. The steering system was constructed using some lengths of pipes and clamps. Finally Mikalah completed the electronics by wiring up the outboard to the new, larger battery and installed switches for the wheels and outboard.
Mikalah was very excited to try her invention down at the local lake. The bulldozer operated really well on land, but when it was driven down the ramp and into the lake, not so well. MIkalah and the battery were too heavy and so the back of the bulldozer got precariously close to the waterline! A few hidden leaks meant it started filling with water as well. Mikalah quickly extricated herself from the bulldozer. Her father Jacob then tried the bulldozer out without a passenger and it moved surprisingly fast through the water.
Mikalah has decided to turn it into a remote controlled amphibious bulldozer and make it look like a large stuffed toy dog is driving it.