By Don Abernathey (Dla) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I'm dreaming of buying a Max IV 900T, but I'm a bit short of cash. I could also buy a used Max. I'm wondering what the "new" versus the "old" are like to drive? Is the 25HP engine really a big improvement?

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

Don, Yes, it is a big improvement in performance, but is it important to how or where you will drive? Higher altitude, bigger loads and steep terrain are where the extra HP really shine. The driver also has to learn how to keep off the throttle when traction is an issue. It is real easy to spin yourself stuck with the 900T in soft stuff.

If you just want to get there, buy a used machine. If you want the very best performance vehicle on the market, buy a 900 T (but plan on learning how to drive it).

By Don Abernathey (Dla) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

You just mentioned something that I don't understand - getting stuck by spinning. I would think that unless the tire tread pattern is prone to digging, you'd be hard pressed to get 6 tires to dig enough to bottom out the rig.

Somewhere on this forum I read where it is easy to dig in on sand. I find that amazing. I don't understand how folks could bottom out a Max in sand.

I can understand gooey mud, but that is because the stuff has hydraulic suction.

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

Don, With the 26" tire (I always recommend the largest tire) or the 22" rawhide III, it is pretty easy to dig a hole - especially with a big engine. The Max is not a power machine and anyone who drives one in that manner will have problems; the Max is a finesse machine where balance, good traction and low PSI on the ground will get it almost anywhere. There is so much bottom area on the machine and the machine is so light (especially in the front) that it is pretty easy to bottom out in the soft stuff until you learn how to drive.

If a driver is aware and stops putting power to the wheels when he no longer can go forward, he can almost always back out of troublesome situations. If one just hits it hard, full bore on the engine, the Max will get stuck just like any other machine - only you will have gone farther and made it harder to retrieve.

In anything soft, it is a good idea to keep your power even and at a minimum - once traction is lost, you had better back out and find another spot.

By Travis Chrystal (Travisch) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Don
Fred will chime in and tell you that if you drive like him you can actually get clear up to the moon in a max due to less PSI on the ground.
I've got both a Bigfoot and an older max - they will both dig themselves stuck in a quick hurry if I'm not carefull. They will also go almost anywhere you want if you are soft on the throttle.
Too much gas is like having six backhoes on viagra underneath you.