idea for preventing body sag on Max iv with big frame

[kghills]

Ran across this thread when researching body sag on my Max IV with factory roll cage. After running my Max IV with AquaTorques and 3" wheel spacers I noticed the front tires were starting to rub on the tub slightly. It even sat with a slight rake. I think the previous owner trailered it using the front winch to hold it secure. I feel the machine needs a support bar but I needed to lift the body first. I picked it up with my two post hoist lifting it by the cage.

In the next picture you can see where the front tire was wearing into the body lip. The AquaTorques tape 24" across with no air which is how I am running them now. Also notice I have it hanging to the point that the body is actually being pulled up enough to bend it in front and behind the roll bar. I heated the tub with a heat gun and let it hang over night. In the morning I had 4" of clearance between the tub and tires.

Letting the the Max down until the body line was level gave me 3" of tire clearance. If I let it all the way down to on its own weight I have 2.5". I plan to build a support bar that doubles as a grab rail to hold it level and maybe keep the 3" of clearance but that will come in another post.

Keith.

[wfo]

if you ck out the GOLIATH thread i did that to mine using the rear seat to hold up the body
my old 94 max iv had that standard from the factory and the later years they drop it. i do not
know why..when something works don't change it..

[kghills]

I will try to find that part of your build thread thanks. Here are a couple pictures of my machine and body sag. You can see the rake the body has over the tracks and how close it is to the front tires. It should sit level.


Keith.

[kghills]

if you ck out the GOLIATH thread i did that to mine using the rear seat to hold up the body
my old 94 max iv had that standard from the factory and the later years they drop it. i do not
know why..when something works don't change it..

I found this picture in your build thread.


For me this would actually lower my bottom tub as the tub should be up against the seat and there would be no room for your support. Also it is far enough back where it does nothing for where the sag seems more prevalent, in the front. My factory rear seat belt mount does sort of the same thing. The problem I see with your support and my factory seat belt supports, front and rear, is they are too far inward and the body just sags beyond them.

Keith.

[kghills]

Here are a couple pictures with a 2x4 as reference. Room for tracks?



Keith.

[kghills]

Picture of the support bar/hand rail I bent up for the Max IV last night. I have it positioned with the body lifted. Just need to fabricate the uprights and cross brace to tie it into the front seat.



Keith.

[kghills]

Here is a shot of the body support bar tied into the seat.

Here it is installed in the Max.

And here is the bar with the body being supported by it ready for testing. I now have 3.5 inches between the body lip and the top of the AquaTorques.

I can still lay a 2x4 on the top of the tires with room between it and the body. Should be more than enough room for tracks.

Keith.

[kghills]

Here is a quick video Jason shot this morning of the Max IV running on his old RC track. The jumps for his RC cars try to twist the Max up pretty good and so far I still have over 3" of body clearance over the 25" AquaTorques and nothing seems to have moved. Driving the Max IV even feels different now, like I eliminated a bunch of body flex. The bar also works out awesome when getting in and out and for holding on if your a passenger. I am super happy with this modification.


Keith.

[kghills]

Well I bought a set of 26x12-12 Super Terra Grip tires and mounted them up. Inflated to 12PSI and took it straight to the pond. What a blast. Need to get that boat license before the weekend. Here are a couple quick pictures.

There is 1.5" between the body and the Terra Grips at 12PSI with the support bar. Rides a little rough but swims like a fish. Will probably only use the tires for swimming so the ride from the trailer to the boat launch should not be that bad. Keith.

[hydromike]

12 psi?! Why so much? 3psi should do the job just fine, and will improve ride quality (even if you *are* only using them for swimming). 3 psi should be enough to keep them on the rims in most situations without any issue. If you're running the Recreatives "K-locks", you can use 1psi without much worry.