By Charger69 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Experiences with most of the classics and some newer max’s have pointed out flaws and advantages. All six wheelers I have seen use a chain drive. This is also used on skid-steer loaders which develop tremendous torque. Unfortunately aatvs have no protection for the chains which often get soaked with water and sand which grinds them up. Instead of spring-loaded tensioners most have fixed position idlers or nylon rub strips which cannot adjust to increasing torque. Adding spring loaded tensioners have eliminated the chain troubles in my Sierra. The bearing systems of most machines are beyond stupidity. Using the seals of a sealed bearing is NOT adequate especially when water seeps in through the shaft and mounting plates. My Attex has always leaked inside and I finally set the bearings with silicone to help. Last resort I manufactured a cast aluminum seal block to bolt on over the bearing and hold a simple spring-loaded nylon and carbon seal- leaks are gone! I got this idea from a pool pump. The two-stroke engines sat in a terribly hot place under the seat, so the machines depend on shrouding and venting, yet unfortunately many aatv owners remove them or allow it to deteriorate. The hot engines become temperamental and break down eventually. Coils and condensers were never meant for such extreme conditions. No machine has any suspension, but they had integral suspension when the proper tires were made. Soft 1.5 PSI balloon tires are the only ones which should be used on any six wheel aatv which gets any kind of speed. They are very forgiving and absorb most bumps and holes when traveling off road. The also flex to allow tight skid-steer turns on all surfaces. Rawhide tires and heavy wall tires all started on the Sierra trail boss but unfortunately the lack of give transfers all the stress back to the axles and frame. Turn a MAX or any hard tired aatv on grass and see how it digs it up while an amphi-cat or attex with one-piece tires does not even leave a mark. The one thing which seems to work well is the non-metallic bodies of every six wheeler out there. As for controls and seating, it’s a matter of personal taste. The relationship with the manufacturer can be a big part of owning a machine, especially when there are no local dealers to get parts from. My own experience convinced me that ATTEX was the best of the bunch but I recreatives seems to have the same helpful attitude. I have never been able to contact anyone frome Argo – in fact when I did get someone on the phone it was just an answering service who never put me in contact with anyone. As for quads, they can be cool but feel uncomfortable on one. I have nothing against four wheelers, but since my friends ride then I have tested them out and was dissatisfied. One more thing, quads don’t usually break down but when they do it’s more expensive than fixing my ATTEX where bearings only cost $9.00 Bottom line, all 6x6's are my favorite, .