i,ve had 4 6x6 's since the early 80's. in all these years i have never seen anyone else riding one in my daily travels. ( except at busco ) i have crossed the u.s. on my motorcycle from cal. to va. 5 times, and driven it from maine to florida over the years and in those trips never saw one sitting in a yard or someone riding one on their farm. and to this day have still not seen one anywhere.......i guess thats how few there are out there compared to 4x4's , etc. just a observation. johnboy
Other than the two I have currently, the only other 6x6 I saw in person is the one my buddy had. That was 30 years ago when we were kids.
Same here
My brother bought a used Amphicat in the mid 70's and sold it a year or 2 later, then it wasn't until 2005 that I saw one again (MAX II) and that was my neighbor and I
bought it. they are very few and far between for sure in a normal setting.
John
I have to agree. We are few and far between. VT is a small low population state, and I can count on 1 hand the 6x6's that I have seen here over the past 20 years, and 1 is mine and 2 of those were at the former 'dealer' about 20 miles away. He has since stopped selling. I currently know of one tracked ARGO that is used in a large 1000 acre maple sugaring operation, as I spoke with the operation manager just last weekend. In our conversation I found that they have numerous tracked 4x4's and one tracked JD Gator. Their reason for not having more 6x6's like the ARGO was the high original investment cost and the high cost for repairs/parts. Most of his crew preferred the tracked Gator.
Over the years I have traveled by car/van from Maine to Florida to Washington to California and most places in between. I have been through 36 of the 48 lower states. I only saw one 6x6 in those travels and it was in Wyoming on a ranch, a tracked MAX Buffalo used to haul hay to cattle. I have tried using member searches and the locater map and suspect there may be 5 or 6 other AATV users here in VT. Compare that to 4x4's that I see each and every day, and I would say we are definitely the minority. However, I think most 6x6 owners are not out for racing through the woods at high speeds. I might venture to say, many originally purchased their machine for a specific job or purpose, and that probably was not speed related.
I think part of the reason for scarcity is the cost. I have friends that purchased loaded out utvs for $10-12k, they ride so smoothly and have so much power, and many modern comforts like power steering and all around discs, and can haul heavy loads at speed. When they compare their machine my aatvs I get comments like "that thing is crude" "it's got a lawn mower motor?" "no suspension, you gotta be kidding" however, I have pulled every one of those machines out of swamps, or mud wholes. Several of those folks have purchased aatvs since then. When they get them, they are usually parked in a garage or storage shed, out of sight and protected. The UTV sits out in the driveway or yard, where it can be seen, but the more esteemed machines are usually tucked away for safety.
John, I was lucky enough to be around during the machines haydays, riding since 1976, going to some of the early NATVA races and have seen many over the years other than business related. Growing up we were part of 4 clubs NATVOA, PJ Fun Runners, Lehigh Valley ATV, and WYNATVA which is Buffalo based and the only current club based around AATVs, in fact you have to own one or have owned one to be part of it. Years ago most every dealer hosted a ride, we hosted an Enduro for 8 r so years that pulled people from Canada and on out to the Midwest as well as the north and south.
What Noel wrote rings true, most people keep their machines in a garage, barn, shed etc.. if they care about them, I unfortunately currently have 6 sitting outside in some type of weather shielding as I've run out of interior space for now. There are many places around the country with multiple machines either hiding or strewn about their yards like me, Drew, and an unnamed Uncle, however you most likely won't see them as we tend to live away from the highway, out of town and keep those somewhat camouflaged from the public.
Keep your eyes open and there is a better chance of seeing something from the passenger seat on that cut that looks interesting.
My new beer holder spilled some on the trails - in it's hair and down it's throat.
Joe Camel never does that.
Advice is free, it's the application that costs.
I keep mine covered/inside because of severe weather and thieves. I think here in Maine, when you invest upwards of 30K, you do those things to protect your investment. I do the same with my SxS.
i guess you just have to be cruising by at the right time and place to get a glimpse of somebody riding on one. that's why my first time at busco was so thrilling riding with 10 to 15 other aatv's in one location. and it's still one of the highlights of my year. johnboy
i guess you just have to be riding by at the right time and place to get a glimpse of someone cruising around on one. that's why the first time i went to busco and saw 10 to 15 machines it was amazing. i had know idea there were other people that rode them. and it's still one of the highlights of the year to go and spend a few days riding with other enthusiasts. still just as much fun !! johnboy
I live in Ontario, Argos are as common as raccoons here lol, I see them weekly in my travels.
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