By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I don't think you who use it, should call our machines AATVs. They are amphibious, but they are ATVs. Water is part of the terrain so we have the only true ATV. Those other machines should be called quads or 4 wheelers or STVs (some terrain vehicles), anything but ATVs and, I for one, will not waver.

By liflod (Liflod) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Amen !!!!

By David Keeso (Argomag) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Fred, Amphibious All Terrain Vehicle: Makes perfect sense, thats what they are. Technically, water is not a terrain because you aren't on it, you'de be in it. Or at least, thats how i think of it!

By Midwest atv's #1 since 2000 (Hustler) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I agree with Fred. What we have are ATV's. Thats why my Company's name is Midwest ATV's, not Midwest AATV's.

By bigredwolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Ok Guys,

Point taken, and understood! You will never see me mention the acronym "AATV" again. In addition, we have aslo made one other small change to our new dealership name, rather than being known as Metro Detroit ATV, we would really prefer to be known as "Motown ATV". This name will advertise much better up here, people here will relate to it very well. We have a Motown Harley Davidson Dealer here, and that is huge hit.

By David Keeso (Argomag) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I am going to change what I said above just a little, but im not going back on what I meant!!- I still think its an AATV, but when Im telling someone something related to the ARGO, i call it an atv. Don't know why but thats just what we've always called it. It was never, "im going out in the ARGO- its always, "Im going out in the atv. However,I still think its better suited to AATV. I think I also said something about what I (I- not necessarily you, I) think terrain is classified as. I don't think water really is terrain, you aren't on it, ur in it, but I'll look into that one. Amphibious, All Terrain Vehicle, it tells more what its capable of, and makes it that much better than a quad or other vehicle alike. (IM NOT BASHING QUADS- THEY HAVE THEIR PLACE, AND i EVEN WISH I HAD ONE ON CERTAIN OCCASIONS, BUT I'LL KEEP MY ARGO THANKS!)

By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

David K., I thnk terrain refers to a geographical area or a piece of land. What ever is in that area or on that piece of land is all part of the terrain. If a parcel of land has a pond or lake on it, that is included in its terrain. To be able to access all terrain on a parcel that has water on it in one or more parts, you need a vehicle that floats.

I guess under the shroud of honesty, even we should not call our machines ATVs either, because they will only climb about 50 degrees. Maybe the AATV acronym does fit. Almost All Terrain Vehicle.

Still, I will stand by ATV because of all the vehicles made in the entire world, our skid steer (and hydraulic (maybe hybrid electric) cousins) come the closest to being "all terrain".

By BigRed Wolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Well Fred,

I have no alternative but to stick with "ATV" now. I have already finished registering and buying my new internet domain name!

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Fred,
How do you figure that what an ATV or AATV is powered with has anything to do with a type of
terrain?

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

If your in a big pit of mud which is not water in whole or dirt in whole what do you call it if it's not a type of terrain? remember your going to be in it!

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Just because an atv will only climb a certain degree angle of a hill does not mean we shouldn't call them ATV's

Terrain is basically: Land or Water regardless of how steep or flat it is, or if you want to get more technical you could mention all kinds of different types of terrain like: snow,ice,mud,sand,or rock.

By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Gary, I hope you know I was kidding.

Howard, I was trying to say that skid steer ATVs, regardless if they are actual skid steer or hydraulic drive or the new electric hybrid (if it really exists) are as close as is possible to being true ATVs ("all terrain vehicles") even though they will not climb cliffs or an incline much over 50 degrees, they will handle most anything else (and some makes are more ATV than others). I was being sarcastic - our machines do have limitations (and maybe should be called "Almost All Terrain Vehicles"), but not near as many limitations as the quads and other such vehicles have and if any vehicle is entitled to call itself "All-terrain", the skid steer is the only one that is.

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Thanks for clarifying your points and I understood the sentence where you say our skid steer come the closest to being all terrain
but in parenthesis you say hydraulic and hybrid electric which refers to a type of power in an atv you may have been kidding but that is what I was talking about. I don't know anything about the performance of the EM2K but I have rode in a Hydrotraxx and it is a very capable machine regardless of what it is powered with the only big thing I didn't like about it was the constant engine noise.

By BigRedWolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

No offense taken! These discussions are enjoyable for me. It did make me re-think how the internet search engines work. Using only the acronym "ATV", does seem to bring up many more successfull search hits, versus the acromyn "XATV".

By roadwolf on Unrecorded Date: Edit

fred, i think we should really call them AAATV's, amphibous almost all terrain vehicles.

By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Yeah roadwolf, I like that one!

By Douglas MacCullagh (Dougmac) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Roadwolf,

Why not call them AMPAATVs? (That's Amphibious Multi-Passenger Almost All Terrain Vehicles)I work for the Department of Defense, an outfit where people can have entire conversations based just on acronyms - nothing found in Webster's Dictionary. I hate acronyms! I usually refer to my Argo as The Amphibian, which also makes for a good conversation starter. ATV makes a good key word to work in a search engine, but otherwise acronyms make more confusion than clarity.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

By mike martindale (Wetsu) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

i used to call my bigfoot the W.E.T.S.U. also an accronym.and me and my buddy always refered to it as an ATV until i found this site. and if someone made a machine that will climb a 50 degree incline and not stall,flip,or any other way try to kill me........i would be interested in that.