By MaxRules (Brandon_price) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have just found a web site for the new Hoot amphibious 6x6 ATV. I saw it advertised on Ebay and it looks like a new company is building a completely different amphib. It is designed more like a quad but is still skid steer. It has handle bars, a suspension seat that you stradle, only 49" wide and 620 pounds. Check it out,
http://www.hootatv.com .

MaxRules

By mr. tinker on Unrecorded Date: Edit

looks like they thought of everything.if it works as good as it looks and as good as they claim it would be much superior to any quad ever made.couple of questions i have already. do you think it could use tracks? and how about a small enclosure for really cold weather and or a windshield? they have put everything i would want or need already on it.i forgot what about mirrors? but with standard motorcycle handlebars the possibilities are endless for more trick stuff.

By ISAAC EISENMAN (Tropicjungleboy) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

this design sucks!!! it's the worst of the 4 wheel-aatv world!!!!

* only one seat
* small hull dimension means less boyancy ( after all is aatv no???)
* seat located at high center of gravity
* for that money you can choose a max 14 h.p.
* weight is similar to max 11
* where is the reverse?????
the good feature is that it can bounce!!!
and can be transported inside a pocket!!!..

By argogeru on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I think someone was trying to find a happy medium between a quad and a amphib. obviously the designer has a liking for amphibs more than quads. it is basically a top heavy amphib with a quad seat and handle bars. It is pretty cool looking though and the price seems alot more reasonable at first impressions of the machine than the argo and max, but it probalbly wouldn't replace to many maxs' and argos' of people on the site. good find brandon, it is nice to see other machines other than the regular ones.

By JT Barleman on Unrecorded Date: Edit

As usual ... there seems to be a wide gulf between the opinions voiced. Before making any rash assessments ... May I suggest we find out a bit more about this vehicle.
Wave riders [Jet skis] have a hell of a lot bouyancy ... this vehicle looks very similar to the Wave Rider design ...!
Additionally, Wave riders are remakably stable in the water ... AND ... They make TWO passenger Wave riders ... DON'T THEY?

Accordingly ... Before I comment ... I'll wait for the Manufacturer to answer my questions about the design, tire, wheels, axles, TRANSMISSION, and bouyancy of this vehicle.

As to Tropic Jungleboy's comments about H.P.

Believe it or not ... Some of us actually ENJOY the freedom and mobility that a "slow" AATV offers. In fact ... Many of us "disabled people" view our AATV as our off road wheel chair ... without which we would never be able to enjoy the recreational activities that the woods provide.

SO ... if you want a crotch rocket ... TRADE IN YOUR AATV IF YOU HAVE ONE ... AND ... BUY A QUAD ... BECAUSE ... AMPHIBIOUS ALL TERRAIN VEHICLES ARE NOT YOU SPEED.

JT

By mr. tinker on Unrecorded Date: Edit

it costs less than a max. yes it has reverse,forward,and neutral.the bouyancy is in the tires mostly not the hull.some people only have one in their family. one of the reasons six wheelers lost their popularity was because you could buy two honda three wheelers instead of one sixwheeler and have to go where the driver takes you in a sixwheeler.people can get used to handlebar steering easier and faster than two sticks. alomost all have ridden a bicycle when young.yes sitting higher on it rather than in it may be a handicap except for maybe better forward vision.it is definitely faster on water and land than a max.

By ISAAC EISENMAN (Tropicjungleboy) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

HEY JT: if you check my post i DON'T MENTION ANYTHING about h.p. or SPEED....

* 4 wheel offer fast speed + SOFTER RIDE
* aatv offer better lateral STABILITY (low center of gravity, wider body (56" wide) AND BOYANCY.
* on the wave rider stability plan comparation those water machines only work on horizontal flat water surface from lateral point of view...and keep position due to inercia forces when moving forward...and when you try skid turn on it you better be prepare to reach water!!! on aatv you reach step hills...otherwise you should be ride a golf car instead of aatv!!!
* shock absorber cushion seat is a nice feature.
* about transmission..this hoot do have transmission...is an open system 3 belt driven..

one exactly the same as max and argo

and one on each side that makes tension release clutch for each side....simple and reliable system....it's a true six wheel drive!!!

* due to skid steer behavior is important to have on design wider body..

and MR. THINKER: incidentally 3 wheels disapear due to many deadly accident related to LATERAL STABILITY...also happens on 4 wheels.........

my point is that this hoot design is less LATERAL STABLE than a max or argo.....cann't be compare with 4 wheels standard on the lateral stability plan because 4 wheel turn by change angle of front wheels....skid steer are afected more with lateral forces due to skid steer nature...and that's the risk......aatv user don't need negative repport on roll over issue ( in the case of non aatv first came the 3 wheel and then the more stable 4 wheel)... of couse this design have a practical and easy solution...make a wider body

By Big Bob Hall on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Richard has had that site posted for weeks,
I would like to know what he thinks about it.

The Hoot people should send him one for testing...........

I bet they would not dare.
He is way to honest........

Big Bob Hall

By George Gorman on Unrecorded Date: Edit

hey guy's I e-mailed Hoot International
they say they have two options 1.Tracks 2.more aggressive tires
Weight limit 250lb plus 50lb on rack on back.
They have RED GREEN &YELLOW colors
Dosen't sound to bad to me.
George

By ISAAC EISENMAN (Tropicjungleboy) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

hoot should offer the "double tire package" ( 12 wheels)..that way that design will pass LATERAL STABILITY LIMITATION.....also rotate handle bar foward so driver can located at front area of seat for better balance at step hill climbing or logging ( included on the aatv driving menu!!!)...as now hoot is 34% LESS lateral stable compared to max or argo...( 14 % narrow****20 % higher seat level from ground)

By argogeru on Unrecorded Date: Edit

the 250 lb weight limit excudes me from riding one, I am 260 6'4. I wonder why such a light weight limit? no frame inside the fiberglass would be my bet. I didn't look at it that much but it is a cool looking machine. whos gonna buy one first? haha

By Lee Bowers on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have read the opinions on the stability issues and it seams a little one sided to me ( on the side of the AATV's). The concept of the Hoot is that you ride it like a 4 wheel ATV. In order to make it work well the rider must be an interactive part of the weight distribution. On a ATV the rider can shift 150 to 200 lb of 'balast' 18" to 24" to each side. This is good for a 'sport' type of vehicle, it gives the rider a more interactive sence of driving (I'm not saying the AATV is lacking anything, just the Hoot has somthing extra). The down side is that it takes more skill and phisical effort to use well. Also there is 1 factor that has been overlooked. At 49" wide the Hoot qualifies for traditonal ATV trails, most states and the federal forests limit vehicles to 50" on ATV trails. I can see that it may not be for every one, but I would love to try one out :-)

By ISAAC EISENMAN (Tropicjungleboy) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

HEY LEE: about your point for "legal atv trail" on the hoot..if so hat's off!!!..it's a good "selling point"...but on the "balast" stuff...check it again...on regular aatv ( with bench seats) you can transfer "ballast" (100% of operator weight and still having control due to stick design)just by sliding waist across the bench seat.....on the hoot atv seat design (with operator hands attached to handle bar and legs atached due to seat in between) only will "displace upto 20% of his weight from center.....unless operator transform on a "rubber man".... on the aatv limits ( all regular brands mention 45% lateral tilt capacity) i think that hoot with actual external tire wide (49") will be limited.......even the first honda odyssey (the red ones) with lower center of gravity (due to lowered seat position) maked nice roll over( operator were lucky to count with integrated roll cage as a standard feature!!!)..then honda "improved" their design by a wider version (the ones that also have reverse gear)..so why to return to the unsafely experience by "narrow" design???...better to modify ignorant's law maker concept by update them about relation between narrow design and roll over chances.....atv trails law must be improved to allow wider design and maybe ....if the ecology save is the target..they should look for weight over soil ( fred's psi!!!)instead of wide limitation...

let's bounce!!

By mr. tinker on Unrecorded Date: Edit

there is a new video clip on the HOOT website.check it out. http://www.hootatv.com/media/watchvideo.asp

By Mark Walton on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Price for the Hoot is $5995 and they have a distributor in Hew Hampshire....all they told me when I inquired.

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Has anyone seen or tried one of these Hoots yet?
I live about a 45 minute drive from the manufacturer. You guys give me a list of things to go look for/check out and I'll report back to you. But keep in mind..... I own a TerraJet, not a Max or Argo, so trying a skid steer will be new to me.

By max4me on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I like it. Affordable, meeting the wants of the customer. Quad owners may be interested as it sits like a quad and the seat is adjustable and spring loaded for comfortable ride.

Looks like they may just be what the 6x6 industry needs. Look out RI and Argo.

By bigkodiak on Unrecorded Date: Edit

The biggest problems I saw with the Hoot is:
1. They are completely belt driven
2. The belts look like a nightmare of crossings
3. If the belts get wet you go nowhere
4. Max capacity of the unit was around 300lbs.
These were just things I noted when I looked, briefly, at the one at Humphrey last summer. My memory may be waining on these points and if they have made modifications or I am incorrect on any of these points my appologies.
Russ

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

While shopping for a trailer earlier today, I happened to have a chat with the owner of a dealership that has sold a few Hoots. I still haven't seen one yet, but he told me they're not too bad. Apparently they just received some investment and are planning on opening a manufacturing facility in (I think) Tennessee (sorry about the spelling if I got that wrong, I'm from Canada). The guys who make the Hoot are based in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada. They clearly know their market is in the US and appear to be gearing up for it. The dealer I talked with today told me he has sold several units, most recently to someone in Alaska. That's a very long way from his dealership. I still plan on visiting the manufacturer in Kentville over the next few weeks. I'll post what I learn.

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I just checked their web site again. They list the weight capacity limit at about 350lbs (250 for a rider and 100 for gear on the rack is how they break that down). They state this is more of a safety consideration than a physical/strength thing. hmmmm... is there a difference? Does this thing become top heavy?

I have to admit, I'm intrigued. What does everyone else think? You're all being pretty quiet.

By Laurier on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I have a 4 min video on the hoot but they do not show it in the mud only in sand and water. The Body is filtered fan pressure and has a water trap to keep the water out. They are raising the fenders 1 1/2 inches to allow for snow tracts, and are making it 5 1/2 inches longer. It looks like it will be a great little machine. Hopefully they will add a winch and tow hooks on the front so we can add a snow blade for the winter months.

By Laurier on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hoot atv's are back with some new photo's

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

That's a neat coincidence. A woman was just canvassing at my door for charity and saw my TerraJet in the back yard. When I told her what it was, she started to talk about the Hoot. It turns out she knows the owner of the company making it. I just called them, but as it's just past 7pm here (I'm located not far from where they make the Hoot) there was no answer, so I left a message.

As I learn more about their reappearance, I'll post the news here.

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

OK, I spoke at length earlier today with Doug Neary from Neary Manufacturing, the maker of the Hoot ATV. They are still in startup mode and took their web site down last year as they simply were not ready to sell machines and were getting too many requests/phone calls.

Full production is still at least 6 months away. At present you cannot buy any Hoots.

Several modifications and improvements have been made, mostly to the inner workings, although it didn't sound like any major redesigns, just some tweaking here and there based on feedback from the couple of dozen field trial machines. I think there was also one tweak to body design to solve a cracking problem.

It doesn't sound like Doug was in a screaming hurry to rush things. He wants to make sure he's got all the bugs worked out before pulling the trigger on entering the market.

This machine seems to be aimed at the 4 wheeler market in terms of price and overall capabilities, but with the added features of being amphibious, better traction due to more tires gripping the ground (that might start an argument lol) and the overall psi discussion that Fred likes to engage in (weight/tires blah blah, less harsh on the trails etc etc.)

Last May, Laurier posted that Hoot was raising the fenders 1 1/2 inches for tracks. I can confirm this. In fact, take a look at the video on the Hoot web site to see the tracks in action. The web site also references a plow and winch as options. Also, Laurier said the length was going to be increased by 5 inches. Doug has confirmed this as well. This is a second model type intended to accomodate a second rider in the same way that current four wheelers do it (Bombardier has the only true two-up 4 wheeler on the market).

Last time Doug and I talked he invited me down for a test drive but I never acted on it. He invited me again and this time I'm going to go. If you look at an earlier post I made, I drive neither an Argo or Max (or any other skid steer). I have a TerraJet, which hasn't been runing the past 3 years or so. So I have no previous bias/expectations etc. regarding 6 wheeled AATVs (except that I want one, and probably don't care which at this point in time).

I'll post again after my test drive. Maybe Doug will let me take a few pics as well, and if so, I'll share them.

By tropicjungleboy on Unrecorded Date: Edit

looks like the hoot will become a great machine...with the improvement ( higher space between axles and fenders and more large body) will be a smart choice to spread center between axles so hoot can handles even the 28" tires....that will add flotation in mud/loose sand/water...
axles chain size arenot mention on web page but they should go between 50-60 to avoid breackage...about transmission system....great!!..it-s a true 6 wheel
drive....it"s a variant design of the kaddo..basically the left/right belts are tensioned.when handles keep on center..when handlebar moves left..the left side belt looses a little and start to slip over the pulley..(clutch action)..if you moves more to the left the belt still loose and left disk brake start to apply......meanwhile right belt still on full contact and right brake released.....
HEY BIGKODIAK: if you noticed both argos and maxes utilized belt media to drive.......open belt system give you the oportunity to inspect and easy/cheap to overhaul the system ( just replacing the belt!!)..adjustment will be another easier skill..
since it"s supose to be a wild machine integrated legs protection agains the elements (mud/water/logs/snow) should be added on upper part...
does the hoot has reverse capability???
will be nice if the hoot convert into the mini monster aatv!!!

By tropicjungleboy on Unrecorded Date: Edit

improving the internal air flow of the hoot the fresh (cold) air should be transfer fron front of machine ( where hoot can be flooded if reach water on nasty angle)to the right side of machine (next to cooling intake on engine)..a duct shoul be added to guarantee fresh air for cooling prupose...bredding air could be connected to this duct or another way so engine will receive cold air for combustion....hot ambiance air drop power!!...the hot air should be release ONLY at left side BEHIND muffler so this air will also help on keeping muffler temperature down....muffler should has to bend 90 degree foward to avoid involuntary burning with hand or left leg.......yeah..the hoot could become a mini monster aatv........
can somebody explain how the hoot makes reverse???

By Brian Evans (Bmevans) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Yes, the Hoot has reverse capability. As for the chains, I believe they are #50. Not sure though as I've yet not gotten down to Kentville to take a good look.

Check out the video on the Hoot website. Good footage of the Hoot going in reverse gear.

Regards,

By Brian Evans (Bimmer) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

The following text is quoted directly from the Hoot web site and talks about the drive system (I'm too lazy to paraphrase, so I simply did a cut an pasted and then deleted a few lines here and there due to space):
***********
"The drive system is patented and does not use a transmission. Power is delivered from the engine through a torque converter which turns the main front shaft... What our patented technology has allowed us to do is replace the transmission with two simple swing arms with a large pulley on the end of each (one for each set of wheels).

When you ask for power the swing arms (which are attached to independent front axles) swing back (action/reaction) and takes up the slack on the belts which are attached to the front shaft. The more power you ask for, the tighter the belts become, as it is a tension on demand system. As a result, the belts never slip and are never under undue strain. From here the chains which are attached to the sprockets in the middle of the large pullies turns the front axles which in turn turns the other two wheels on each side by the use of #50 chains.

Inside each large pulley are disk brakes which are controlled by the movement of the handle bars. When you turn the handle bars to the right you are applying the right brake which slows down the large pulley on the right, which in turn slows down the right set of wheels and you then turn right.

Reverse:
To get reverse the swing arm is simply pushed forward by the movement of the shift handle into reverse. As a result the belt becomes loose and the large pulley with a second groove in it engages a small pulley on the front shaft. It's that simple!"
************
Again, this is how the Hoot web site describes it. I've not tried it in person yet, but the video shows the Hoot scooting along quite nicely in reverse.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

By Corrie Nutting on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Some of you guys have jumped the gun on your hoot assesment. A cross between a true aatv and a 4 wheeler...Talk about traction! and you can use more of your body wieght to move the hoot around...and at 49" wide the stance is greatly improved over the standard 4 wheeler. As well as sitting at the same height. Not saying it's the best thing out there but damn it is a hell of a design and has a market...but it is not for everyone...