Anyone With Max ATV 6x6 Experience?

[Kelvin]

I've seen advertisements for these amphibious 6x6 vehicles since the early 1970s, yet have never seen one in person. My impression is that they would be a lot of fun but a maintenance nightmare, but there is absolutely no basis for my "impression".

I've wondered how they would operate in a mountain river that flows faster (probably not much faster) than they run in the water.

My neighbor is selling a military 6x6 truck, and while looking at Ebay to get comparative pricing I ran across this one ( Ebay Max ATV), and it made me realize that I've never seen any discussions of these ATVs on this site (which is unusual since just about EVERYTHING has been discussed on this site).

So...
Anyone with Max ATV experience they'd like to share??

Kelvin

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I saw them at a few shows. For the price, i was not impressed. Very rough build, like someone would do in their garage.

 

[Boone]

Unless there is an absolute need to put a vehicle in the river, I thought it was best to stay out and prevent damage to the fish habitat. On the Scot-Trak site they are doing a water crossing with a bridge in the background on one of the pics. Somebody must think different than me that took that pic.

A friend has a Max for his disabled father to use for hunting and fishing, it does a good job for him.

 

[shvl73]

I have a Max II, it's a pretty amazing machine. It's like having a small tank in the woods. Most stuff you don't go around you just go over or through. Maintainence is really minimal, grease zerks, lube the chains, basic Briggs Vanguard motor, that's about it. You won't win any races in the water. Mine is the two seater & with two aboard, you're barely moving in water. You need less weight & for the machine to sit higher in the water because the tire lugs are your only propulsion. By myself I have gone upstream against a very minimal current & driven up & over three beaver dams, all while staying dry. The advantages over four wheelers are the ability to take passenger over extremely challenging terrain, staying clean & dry no matter what the terrain & it turns on a dime (skid steer). Disadvantages are, suspension (or lack of it) 2 psi in the tires is your only suspension. It's wider (56") better for stability but, bad for narrow spots & it doesn't fit between the wheel wells on a pickup. It's slower (about 30 mph) but, it feels awfully fast in a skid steer machine. It's not a boat, if you're thinking of fishing from it, better get a small 12v bilge pump. Some people have rigged up trolling motors to the back. There are windshields & canvas tops available as well as tracks. A really good web site is www.route6x6.com. The one on ebay looks to be a great buy, go check it out if at all possible.

 

[Rip]

Kelvin,

The previous reply by SHVL73 gave a pretty good summery of this type of machine otherwise known as an AATV for Amphibious All Terrain Vehicle.

I have an ARGO which is a direct competitor to MAX... many similarities, but many differences between them as well.

Being able to take several friends or family in one vehicle is strong point. The 6x6's can carry up to 4, while the ARGO 8x8's can carry up to 6 adults for the price of 1.5 to 2x the cost of a single quad ATV

They definitely float (don't forget the drain plugs!!), and can scramble across streams and creeks that would stop a regular ATV in its tracks, but a somewhat swift river would be a challange. They do quite well in swamps and marsh lands and can also use snow tracks. I have skidded good sized logs with mine.

Get literature from both, try to find a local dealer, and by all means take several test drives under real world (not just a parking lot) conditions before you buy either.

There is a lot of good information on the Route6x6 site (including a classified section), but also a lot of BS, plus it is not nearly as well organized or formatted as TBN.

If you know what you are getting into, they can be fun and useful machines and certainly fill a unique niche with capabilities you won't find elsewhere.

Enjoy delving into new terrain at least!

Rip

 

[Boone]

Rip,
How well does the Argo go in deep snow? Are tracks necessary for deep snow?
TIA,
Boone

 

[Rip]

The issue is flotation first, then traction.

If you are on hard packed snow you can move around fairly well, but in the deep dry powder we seem to get a lot of here in the Rocky Mountain west, you need to stay on top. Without tracks you high-center quickly. Even snowmobiles sink and get stuck a lot if they go off trail.

I have the 18" plastic-segmented ARGO Super Tracks which work well in the deep powder. I also have ice cleats on them which you have to be careful about not spinning or you can high-center and get stuck. There is a technique to keep moving in snow.

In areas where the snow tends to be denser folks can get around reasonabley well without tracks in moderate depth snow, but high-centering can still be a problem.

They are not real good on any hills with ice, because they have such a low PSI on the ground with tires or tracks that you have a hard time getting enough traction. They can be a lot of fun out on a frozen lake, but if they do break through, the fun is over! They usually can not climb out on their own, and have to be pulled out, but with what? Most anything else could not get close without breaking through also.

Rip

 

[Kelvin]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( For the price, i was not impressed. )</font>

How much do they cost new?

I would guess in the $6000-$9000 range, which is more than I'd pay for that capability.

The 4-seater MAX IV ATV on Ebay sold for $3650. With a reminder that I know absolutely nothing about these machines, that seems like a reasonable price.

My use of the machine would be to help clean up the river and river banks of the mountain river that runs by my property. The river banks can get pretty muddy at times. Even though the river is typically only chest-to-shoulder deep at the deepest point, it would be nice to drive the ATV out into the river to tie a rope onto logs, trees, and other debris that get hung up floating down the river; then I'd drive the ATV back to shore and across the muddy bank, where I'd tie the other end of the rope to the tractor (or whatever) and pull the debris out of the river.

Kelvin

 

[Boone]

They can be a lot of fun out on a frozen lake, but if they do break through, the fun is over! They usually can not climb out on their own, and have to be pulled out, but with what?
=====================================
If you took a piece of flat stock and added a hoop or link with a short piece of chain to the center, with a strap back to the Max. Then drill a hole in a solid section of ice. Drop the bar through so it can pull up flat against the ice and use this as a deadman to winch from. You could use a come-along, a mounted power winch or a hi-lift jack.

 

[Boone]

I let some trees hang up on my river frontage, and then more came down and hung around with the first ones. A couple years later the sand dropped in downstream along side the trees and formed a neat little island. Then the river flooded again and washed all the extra trees away, cleaning off my new island.

It sure beats watching river bank drop in and wash away.