New MAX IV 950T 27HP

Route 6x6 Discussion Board: Other Related ATV Topics: New MAX IV 950T 27HP
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Jim Stiver - Western PA MAX Dealer (Viper) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Recreatives Industries just announced that they are taking orders for the new Max IV 950T. It is powered by a Kawasaki FD750D 745cc, liquid-cooled, overhead-valve v-twin. This motor produces 43 ft. lbs. of torque and has an integrated radiator and belt-driven fan. The new Max IV 950T also has a new flip-up top for quick access to the engine bay or the entire cover can be removed like before. Other new items are a new throttle lever with an aluminum base that will not crack, a new improved throttle cable that has rubber seals on both ends to minimize water entry and a new choke cable that has a steel shaft rather than plastic for more durability.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By bigkodiak on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Damn, sounds like Recreative is finally getting their heads and asses wired together. I don't know if they can make any more changes this decade, they have about run their quota.
HAHAHAHA
Russ

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By David Sanders on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Wow,,this is the Max I,ve been waiting for, for quite some time now!!

I have been staying in touch with an engineer at Recreatives by e-mail,,, about the new bigger engine Max IV,that is "supposed" to be coming out in the near future.

I just wish this new Max IV had been out last year, at the same time I bought my Max IV 25T. I would have bought this Max model in a heart beat!!!

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Midwest atv's #1 since 2000 (Hustler) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Its taking time, but RI is finally starting to give the public what they ask for in a Max.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Missouri's Max Dealer (Brandon_price) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I knew that machine was coming but didn't know this soon. I haven't got any pics of it yet?
My new machines already have those other improvements with the exception of the flip up engine cover. The aluminum throttle lever is very nice and is about 20 years over due.
Will they drop the 25hp engine for this one?

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By bigkodiak on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Now if they only put the 27 horse in a MAX II.
Russ

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Jim Stiver - Western PA MAX Dealer (Viper) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Brandon,

According to the "MAX FACTS" bulletin I received,(As a Max dealer, you should receive one too)the new engine cover will be unique to the 950T. By the way, the retail price announced is $11,935.00. They must be planning on keeping the 900T (25hp)because it is still listed in the new price list which will go into effect on August 1, 2003.

Jim

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By David Sanders on Unrecorded Date: Edit

( Jim Stiver )
Is it possibe to put the new 27 Hp water cooled Kawaski motor, in my 2002 Max IV. If so,,I,m sure I will selling my Kolier hp 25 motor in the near future.

Also,,is the new 27 hp, V-Twin,water cooled motor,,the same one,,that is now used in the 650 Kawasaki 4x4 ?

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By mark harding (Promoza) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

that will make it 1 bad manchaine cant waite to see it.

Mark midohio maxIV owner

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By max factor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Glad to see any type of new AATV come out, but it doesn't seam like a quantum leap forward. Just two more horse and hinged motor cover. I have the twenty-five horse Koehler that I stepped up from an eighteen horse Briggs, that seemed like a big jump, and unless the new motor has a heater on it, I can't see trading up.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Jim Stiver - Western PA MAX Dealer (Viper) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Dave Sanders,

I'm sorry that I am unable to answer your questions at this time. I have passed along all of the information that I have received so far. As soon as I am able to answer them for you, I will let you know. There are some pictures of the new motor which are shown on my website on the "NEWS" page.

Jim

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Eugene Kochnieff on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Sounds like a good upgrade for the aatv'ers who want to customise.

Should be easy to fit a heater and an alternator that 2 extra hp will run allot of lights/ accessories.

Think of it as a 25 HP max iv with the ability to be heated, less noise, better engine life.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Midwest atv's #1 since 2000 (Hustler) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

David,
As far as changing out the Kohler 25 hp for the 27 hp Kawasaki, that I am not sure. I would think you might be able to do that. One call to RI and they can tell you.

No the Kawasaki engine is not the same as what is in the 650 Kawasaki 4x4. This one is much bigger.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Dave Wurth on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I test-drove the prototype last year at the Jamboree and it has a lot more power than my Kohler. Smoother and quieter too. I was riding behind the one factory guy for a bit and the machine would spin the tires on the hills with his family in there with him. The President of Recreatives ran it in obstacle course and had the fasted (four cycle) time, but didn't have it count because of his position. I think it is worth the extra cash for that kind of power. I might have to trade in the Kohler Max IV. Hope they come out with a heater kit for it.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Eric on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Has anyone purchased and tried a 950T? We like our MaxII but, would enjoy taking friends/family along with us for rides.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Big Wolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey Eric,

As a matter of fact I bought a new Max IV-950T unit back in August or September of 2003. It is an absolutely awsome piece of equipment. The entire rear end of the unit is completely filled with that new 27 HP Kawasaki liquid cooled engind stuffed in there.

This unit has some increadible power with that new engine in it. This machine will climb hills even being over loaded with gear and passengers with no problem at all! I have not had or found any problem with my new machine at all. I take my hat off to R.I., the quality of build and craftsmanship is outstanding!

I have completely transformed and cutomized my machine to better suite my apllication and use. I have posted some reviews of the new unit over on Brandon Prices web site, under the "Max" topic, which is listed in "The new Max IV-950T Unit". And I have also posted some photo's of my customized machine there to look at, posted under "Max IV-950T Custom Hunting Rig". Or you can also visit my web site to see the same photo's by going to the Route 6x6 links page on this site, and clickng on the Max Dealer web link for Motown ATV's, and once on our web site, you can visit Big Wolf's Custom Cave which is listed on the site navigation bar near the bottom.

I have put a substantial amount of custom work into my new unit, and it is well worth the time to take a look at! I figured that I would share the work that I have done with others, which provides some ideas of what you can do to custom outfit your own machines.

If you have any other specific questions about the Max IV-950T and its capabilities, just let me know! I would be glad to share my experience about this machine with any one interested!

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Eric on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Big Wolf,

You've done a lot of nice work to your machine. How is the 950T in the way of accessing bearings for lubrication, T-20 for fluid checks/changes and oil changes for the engine? I've had a few Attex's, one Terra-Jet and a 2002 MaxII so, you can get an idea of the type of access to the inside of an amphibious machine I'm used to.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Big Wolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey Eric,

Access to all the bearings grease fittings is real nice. There is only one grease fitting that is a tight fit to get at, and it is the one for the jack shaft under the engine mount area. It is a tight squeeze for my fore arms, however, it is reachable with an extension hose on the grease gun. To gain better access to the outer bearing cage extension bearings, I just pull the tires off so that I can actually see them better for greasing. They are reachable, however, with the tires still on the unit using the extension hose on the grease gun.

Getting access to check and change the T-20 transmission fluid is not too bad, its doable also.

The access for changing the engine oil filter is good, it is directly behind the rear seat area on the New Kawasaki engine, and the drain valve is directly below the same area. There is plenty of room to get at both the filter and the drain valve with out a problem. I am able to easily place a coffee can and a piece of extension hose on the oil drain valve to drain out the oil.

The access and position of all the chain tensioners adjustments is excellent, and very easy to make adjustments.

The amount of clear area between the body structure and the main drive belt pully is a real tight squeeze, however, it looks doable.

In general, most every thing on the machine is laid as well as it could be for ease of maintenance access and making repairs. Every thing looks real good and very simple to work on. By that I mean there is nothing real complex about the drive train.

The T-20 Transmission is definately buried underneath the engine and engine mounting bracket, however, it looks very easy to just unbolt the entire engine mount and lift it out, to gain complete and clear access to the T-20 Transmission and linkages.

The Max IV-950T machine with that 27 HP Kawasaki liquid cooled engine is an excellent combination package. It has some increadible power as I mentioed in the prior note. You would be very pleased with that machine. I also bought my unit with the 26 inch Terra Grip tires, the Warn winch package, the package "A" option, the Halogen head lights, Factory roll cage and seat belts, and I had them install the outer bearing cages and bearings in preparation for the snow track kit, later on down the road, when I am ready for it. Now I am glad that I had these items installed by them!

In a nut shell, I am very happy with the machine. I am always in side of it checking things out very closely and trying to find flaws with it, and I have not found one single flaw or had any problem with it at all. They did a really nice job on the assembly and Quality Control for the build of my unit.

When I picked it up from the factory, I also quizzed them on the QC and testing, and they were able to present me with the actual QC check out and hot run testing documents for my unit. And I also made them start it up and operate it for me, so I could see that every thing looked good. Afterwards, Carl Bish cave me a tour of the entire facility, and I made him buy me a coffee also, that was part of the deal when I bought it, he had to buy the coffee and donuts for when I arrived there in Buffalo,NY in the morning.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Big Wolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey Eric,

Access to all the bearings grease fittings is real nice. There is only one grease fitting that is a tight fit to get at, and it is the one for the jack shaft under the engine mount area. It is a tight squeeze for my fore arms, however, it is reachable with an extension hose on the grease gun. To gain better access to the outer bearing cage extension bearings, I just pull the tires off so that I can actually see them better for greasing. They are reachable, however, with the tires still on the unit using the extension hose on the grease gun.

Getting access to check and change the T-20 transmission fluid is not too bad, its doable also.

The access for changing the engine oil filter is good, it is directly behind the rear seat area on the New Kawasaki engine, and the drain valve is directly below the same area. There is plenty of room to get at both the filter and the drain valve with out a problem. I am able to easily place a coffee can and a piece of extension hose on the oil drain valve to drain out the oil.

The access and position of all the chain tensioners adjustments is excellent, and very easy to make adjustments.

The amount of clear area between the body structure and the main drive belt pully is a real tight squeeze, however, it looks doable.

In general, most every thing on the machine is laid as well as it could be for ease of maintenance access and making repairs. Every thing looks real good and very simple to work on. By that I mean there is nothing real complex about the drive train.

The T-20 Transmission is definately buried underneath the engine and engine mounting bracket, however, it looks very easy to just unbolt the entire engine mount and lift it out, to gain complete and clear access to the T-20 Transmission and linkages.

The Max IV-950T machine with that 27 HP Kawasaki liquid cooled engine is an excellent combination package. It has some increadible power as I mentioed in the prior note. You would be very pleased with that machine. I also bought my unit with the 26 inch Terra Grip tires, the Warn winch package, the package "A" option, the Halogen head lights, Factory roll cage and seat belts, and I had them install the outer bearing cages and bearings in preparation for the snow track kit, later on down the road, when I am ready for it. Now I am glad that I had these items installed by them!

In a nut shell, I am very happy with the machine. I am always in side of it checking things out very closely and trying to find flaws with it, and I have not found one single flaw or had any problem with it at all. They did a really nice job on the assembly and Quality Control for the build of my unit.

When I picked it up from the factory, I also quizzed them on the QC and testing, and they were able to present me with the actual QC check out and hot run testing documents for my unit. And I also made them start it up and operate it for me, so I could see that every thing looked good. Afterwards, Carl Bish cave me a tour of the entire facility, and I made him buy me a coffee also, that was part of the deal when I bought it, he had to buy the coffee and donuts for when I arrived there in Buffalo,NY in the morning.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Motown's (Bigwolf) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hello every one, its been a while since I posted any messages. Its been a real nice and busy summer, we have been RVing and camping every chance we get.

I figured it was time to post some updated information on my Max IV 950T. We have been taking the Max with us every time we take a camping trip. Most all of our trips have been up in Northern Michigan and out to the farm to work.

We had quite an eye opening experience in the Max while we were surveying the damage, that a colony of beavers have done to my buddies new property he bought. The max perfomed very well in the newly created beaver flood area and climbing over the dams. The most challenging thing was crossing over the canals that the beavers trenched out, they were about 3 feet wide and about 4 feet deep, with sloppy mud banks. We took the trenches head on with four men on board. The Max would dive into the trench and bury the front end and winch in the opposite bank, and it took some throttle and horse power to climb out and power through the trenches and canals. The trenches were every were running in all directions to and from about 8 gigantic beaver huts or dens. We also had to cross over many very large diameter trees that the beavers cut down and dropped directly across his only access road to the rear of his property.
What a huge mess and a excellent challenge for the machine. It performed very well, we never had to get out or winch out of any thing, and we did some real tough stuff.

Just this past week I installed the Thunder Products Dial-A-Jet on my two barrell Mikuni carburator. I have been testing it performance wise for a few days now and I am very pleased with how it works. It has just about eliminated the intial hesitation that I experienced when you pull and or jump on the throttle lever. It seems to have smoothed out and filled in the hesitation spot that I had before installing the kit. The throttle seems to perform just a bit more responsive through the entire range of power now also.

I had to do some custom mounting work on my carburator for the pro mounting kit, however, it was well worth the extra time to do it right. With the two barrel Mikuni carburator I had to install two Dial-A-Jet devices, one in each intake barrel opening area. I also jetted down the main carburator jets to the smallest possible size, as recommended by Lon at Thunder Products. You start out with the jets lean, and the Dial-A-Jet will fill in the lean spots with it atomized fuel injector tubes.

When I completed the installation, I turned the key on and it started right up and ran great with the need to make any adjustments to the carbutor or the Dial-A-Jet. I left the Dial-A-Jet set as it was shipped from the factory. It runs just great. I now have complete adjustment capability of my carburator jetting via the Dial-A-Jet, for any altitute from 0 feet through a past 12.000 feet. The other nce feature is that I can make minor jetting adjustments durin the cold weather months the fine tune the engines performance at any time I wish.

Need less to say, I am very impressed with the Dial-A-Jet so far, and I look forward to trying it out at higher altitudes at some point in time.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Steve ( - 203.173.17.136) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I like the sound of the MAX. I must say that with the new machines, Max would be my preference.
One thing I often wonder is how can you guys stand the slow speeds these machines do these days? I am not wanting to stir up anyone here by asking this. We own 2 Attexs and each of these machines are capable of speeds around 50mph. We don't do that kind of speed, but feel that in the terain we negotiate (mostly beach and soft sand), we could get stuck with a machine that did slow speeds. Also, we think that driving long distances would be a pain in that the Max or Argo that go so slow.
I understand the 4 stoke and low down torque factor.
Does anyone else wonder about this?
I reckon if I were to purchase a Max, I would have to customize it with an engine capable of higher speeds...

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By al ( - 205.188.116.80) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

i still think the max is far behined the times with there 6x6 there are many more things that they should do before i buy a new one again when will we have independent supension. heaters. high amp alt. more ground clearance wider tires throtles cables that will last many years split shifters and easyer axcess to the lower tub and a good factory light weight full roll cage and five point belts then i would by a other one in a skinny miniute dont get me wrong i love my max but i want the ultimate 6x6 and as of yet it has not ben built by any body in my book

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Timothy Schotanus (Mudbuster) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

you are asking for things that are tough to build. For ex. some of the old racers had suspension, but how do you seal them for water use? Maybe it could be done but then there is the cost. I have looked into tires and there's not much available wider than we already use. I am allways up for something that is easy to work on but I think the MAX4 is the best out there as far as axcess. Recreatives may not build the perfect machine but they have come a long way over the last few years in improvements.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Motown's (Bigwolf) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Well summer is coming to a close and it's time to provide another update on the performance of the Max IV-950T.

As I mentioned in a prior update note, we have taken the Max with us on many camping trips all over Northern Michigan, as well as using it to get a lot of work done at our farm and my buddies farm.

We did a fair amount of trail riding and hill climbing up north with the machine. Most of the riding up north was around the Ausable River and Foot Dam areas. We camped at Old Orchard Park which is a huge county camp ground on the Foot Dam basin area, situated in the heart of the Huron National Forest just outside of Oscoda, Michigan. The terrain in that area is very hilly, very wooded, and very sandy. Many of the trails and power line that we road opened up into very loose sandy scramble areas. I was impressed just how well the machine handled and rode in the loose sand.

Last week we went back up north to my buddies farm in the Prescott area, to help him clear out the downed trees the beavers dropped accross one of his access roads. What a job! We had eight guys and four chain saws going all day long. We cut up and cleared about 40 very large diameter trees from his access road. We used the Max to tow a utility trailer and loaded it with all the euipment and gear that we needed for the day. We put my buddies brother Eddie behind the sticks of the Max, so he was our designated driver for the day. Eddie has terminal bone cancer and is very sick, but he still wanted to help out. I spent about five minutes teching him the basics of driving the Max and then we turned him loose. He did a great job hauling equipment, gear, supplies, and refreshments for us all day. Eddie looked like he had a real good day driving for us, every time I glanced over to see how he was doing, he always had a huge smile on his face and he would always show us the thumbs up. There were only a few times that he was hesitant to drive through the real tough stuff, until we yelled to him to just hit the throttle and power his way through the obstacle in front of him.

It was a very different feeling and perspective to watch him operate the machine while pulling a utility trailer full of gear and supplies. We had him pull that trailer directly through two of the beaver canals filled with mud and water. What a sight to watch, that machine literally drug that trailer right through that stuff like it was nothing. I watched the machine dive into the canal hit the mud bank, power its way accross, and then the trailer wheels would dropped into the canal and bottom out on the fenders and axles, and the machine would literally rip it right out of the canal and keep on going.

After we finished opening up the main access road and all the wood was stacked up along the raod, we had Eddie haul some sheets of very heavy gage roof decking back to the canal crossings. we used the galvanized sheet steel to make bridges accross the canals so you can now drive utility vehicles and a tractor accross.

The next and final task for the day was to open up and blaze a two track through the center of the property directly through the center of the beaver pond. There was a two track there at one time, until the beavers flooded it and it grew back over very thick. We pilled three guys into the Max and with the untility trailer trailer in tow, we put four more guys in the trailer with more sheet metal to bridge the canal ahead. Eddie pointed the Max into the heavy brush and started to blaze the trail open. He was driving over and knocking down brush, saplings and clumps of small trees all the way through. At a couple of different points, I saw the trailer get so clogged up with trees and brush in front of the fenders, that it would just about raise the wheels up off the ground. At that point Eddie would get a little nervous and start to back off the throttle, and we would yell to him, hit it and keep on going. I would see him just shake his head like we were crazy, then he would grin and hit the throttle and power us right through the obstacles. When we approached the flooded area of the beaver pond, we had him drive the Max and trailer right out into the swampy area of the pond to the canal crossing the center. We constructed one last brigde to cross over that area with sheet steel. Of all the guys on board that we hauled out into the pond, only one of us had rubber knee boots on, and that was me. Every one else had to pile out of the Max and trailer and work in the mud and water almost upto their knees. Of course Eddie did not need to get wet, beacuse he was our designated euipment driver.

When that task was done, I had him due a U-turn and drive the Max and trailer back out of the swamp and pond and go back the same way we went in. On the way out of the property we went back through the main access road and loaded up the trailer full of wood as we worked our way out. When it was fully loaded, we had Eddie
take off and drive the Max and trailer full of wood back to the main farm, which was a couple of miles down the road. We hauled out about five trailer loads of wood that day, and just left the rest of it there stacked up so they can get it as they need.

At the end of each day when we were all done working, we would just sit around in the evenings after dinner, and play some cards and have a couple of cocktails and shoot the crap. Some of Eddies thoughts and comments that I will pass along and share with others were, "If he was not so sick he would buy himself one of these machines", "he said that he had no idea that these machines could perform and do the things that we did with it during the week end", "He also said that machine is noting short of a monster machine".

We are planning a big bow hunting trip up in the U.P. of Michigan. This trip will probably be about the last trip that Eddie will be able to make with us, as his health is beginning to degrade rapidly now. We will be taking all of our RV rigs and ATV up there with us. All the girls are coming along for the fall color tour, and we will be taking Eddie on his last hunt. Eddie will haul us and our gear around in the Max and we will get him set up to bow hunt on the ground some where near the machine. It will be a great hunt and a great time for all of us. We really do not care if we are successfull hunting or not, this trip and last hunt is for my good friend Eddie!

While I was at his farm, I also took the opportunity to run the Max in his big fishing pond on the main farm. The Max IV floated and handled real nice in the water with the original factory roll cage installed. I also had my Kolpin gun boots and brackets installed at the time, and there is a Warn winch on the front end. I tried it by my self first and then added one person at a time on board to see how it would float and also to see how stableit was. The most I felt comfortable with on board was three people. It was good and stable enough that you could get comfortable, although it will bob a little bit. There is no comparison between the stability of a 8 foot wide beam fishing boat and a Max in the water. In the Max it feels like you are sitting on top of a fishing bobber, although it does feel OK. When speaking of the pure floatation of the machine in water, it float just great, it can handle a lot of weight in the water and still ride high. I suppose if you removed the roll cage and gun boots, it would probably feel even better stability wise. I will probably add some form of stabilizers at some point in time, just to make it feel rock solid.

We have also been using the Max out at our Farm located in Southern Michigan during the summer. We usually tow my wifes fifth wheel camper/RV aka (Mobile Base Camp) out there to camp, and we take the Max along to ride around and also get some work done. We have been using the Max to haul brush with, as I have been trimming trees and doing general clean up work. We just hook up the utility trailer behind the Max and use it to haul brush. It is a ten foot long utility/landscape trailer with a drop down tail gate. We load the trailer up as high as you can plie it with brush and haul it over to burn piles. Using the machine and trailer to work this way really helps me to get my work done much more efficiently. I taught my wife to drive the Max and to tow the trailer for me, so I can move along and get the job done much qucker also. She does a very good job driving the Max and hauling the brush around to the burn piles. We still have more work to do out there this year with the Max, but we will take our time and do what work we can every other week end.

We missed all the big ride events this year because we just had too much to do this year, between getting our work done at home and the farm and every one elses place, it used up the entire summer.

Well its time to cut this note short and get back to work.

Take care

Gary
aka "Big Wolf"

P.S. Hunting season is just around the cornerfellows!

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By maxindetroit on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Big Wolf....Thanks for the update, and the touching story about your friend, sounds like you did alot of work, got tired just reading it all. Glad you could bring a smile to your friend Eddies face. I am sure he is grateful to have a friend such as yourself, in his life, and to make the time he has left as enjoyable as possible, I am sure he will enjoy his hunt, and the friendship, and careing you provide him. Good luck this hunting season, and may Eddie bag the buck of a lifetime. Take care.
Jim

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By terry harrison (Th3) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

big wolf, i enjoyed reading about your adventure. my max iv is a different machine in the water when i remove the roll cage, of course we all know the higher the center of gravity the more tippy it gets.

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of pageLink to this message   By Motown's (Bigwolf) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hello Terry,

Agreed the more stuff that you pile on top of your machine, the more it changes the floatation and feeling of stability in the water. Don't get me wrong, the Max IV-950T floats just fine fully loaded with people and is plenty stable side to side in calm water. In no way does it feel like it's going to roll over in the water, it is just that tippy and bobbing feeling you feel. If I plan to do any more extensive water work, then I will add a pair of small ethylfoam floatation aids, similar to what you would add onto a canoe for added stability side to side. As I mentioned in a prior note, it floats just fine and is plenty stable when fully loaded with people and with the factory roll cage and gun boots and winch and so on installed.

I just did a complete PM and clean up and wash down on the machine this week also. I greased all the bearings, changed the oil and filter and changed the T-20 transmission fluid, and lubricated all moving parts and exposed metal surface area's, and re-checked all chain tensions. I found that the bearings do take grease much better when the machine is off the ground and the axles are turning slowly. I read this tip in another message post from some one else. The transmission drian and fill/breather plugs are very easy to get at and remove with a ratchet and socket. To dran the transmission I went out and bought a cheapo drill motor driven fluid pump at Home Depot and connected hoses to drain out the tranmission. It worked just fine with very little mess at all. I refilled it with the type "F" transmission fluid and the factory specified GM brand locking differencial additive as it calls for in the owners manual. I was going to refill the transmission with the Amsoil brand synthetic ATF type fluid, however, Jay at the factory talked me out of doing that. It seems that they have tested a couple of synthetic transmission fluids and really did not see any significant advantage with it. He did not belive that it would harm any thing if I did run synthetic, however, since my transmission runs just fine with the type F and GM additive, then why mess a good set up.

I did change over to running synthetic motor oil in the engine now. Based on my experience with using sythetic oil in other types of vehicles, it does help to extend the usefull life of an engine beyond the norm!

I find maintaining this machine to be very easy. There are quite a few things that you have to do and pay attention too, however, it is not bad at all. Access to every thing in very good!

Also I mentioned in a prior update note that I had installed the Thunder Porducts Dial-A-Jet system on my carburator, so that I can quickly and easily re-adjust my main jetting externally on the carburator. Well I took things a step further now and I also bought and installed the Thunder Products T.P.I. (Total Performance Intake) kit as well. The T.P.I. kit for my engine consists of a couple of air breathers that you can install on the carburator air box. The T.P.I. air breathers have a micro adjustable sliding trap door on them, so you can fine tune the amount if air intake to the carburator, in conjunction with the Dial-A-Jets. This now give me the ability to fine tune my engines air fuel mix ratio even further. Thunder Products does suggest that you do install both products for this reason. With htis complete package installed, I now have complete control and flexibility of my air fuel mix ratios externally, which will allow me to fine tune the engines performanc in any atmospheric, temepature and altitude condition. In a nut shell it is an inexpensive method of sqeezing out every horse of power in your engine, and allows you to quickly and easily re-adjust your set it up to the optimum performance levels in any conditions.

I will provide further performance updates of these procusts as I use them over the course of time.

Later guys!
Gary
aka "Big Wolf"


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. If you do not have an account, enter your full name into the "Username" box and leave the "Password" box empty. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail:

Administrator's Control Panel -- Board Moderators Only
Administer Page | Delete Conversation | Close Conversation | Move Conversation