New to 6x6, bought a clunker and need help

[RollTide334]

I am a new owner of a 1998 Max IV and new to this forum. The machine is in very very poor condition. Tons of rust and neglect. I would like for my son to use it through the summer and start rebuilding it in the fall. I'm just not sure it's in good enough condition to use (at all) until it's rebuilt. We got the engine running and tuned it up, seems to run ok. The drive belt is worn down to 1.045" wide, should be 1.150 I think. The secondary clutch is rusty. The chains are rusty. It sat in the weather, uncovered, for a long time. It drives, we drove it down our 1/4 th. mile driveway several times. When it turns it makes a very noticeable clunk, turning either left or right. It has bolts that connect the sprockets to the axles.
With the transmission in neutral if I twist the wheel hubs back and forth 5 out of 6 hubs are hard to twist back and forth and 2 have a lot of play in them. One is easy to twist back and forth and only has a small amount of play in it. The others have moderate play in them.
Seems to me that it needs all new bearings at minimum. Can the axles be machined (drilled) out and larger bolts, or sleeves put in them? I read somewhere that someone makes repair kits for axles. Might this be a temporary repair. The chains are tight right now. I've sprayed them with Blaster PB several times. I know they may not last long.
I plan to use emery cloth to de-rust the clutch. When we drove it the CVT never changer ratios, I received a new belt from RI but I'm not ready to install it yet. And lastly, I can't find the drain plug for the transmission, must be on the back where I can't see it. I would appreciate any advice that any of you can give.

[Mike]

I would plan on replacing all of the bearings and chain. As for the axles and sprocket tubes, you will have to pull them out to see how damaged they are. Most likely your axles are find but the bolt holes in your sprocket tubes are probably elongated. If you will search the site for "body bound bolt" you should find several threads that detail why this happens to the sprocket tubes and how to fix it. You should most likely be able to salvage your sprocket tubes by welding washers on both sides.

For the transmission drain plug, there are two on the back of the T20. One on the top half for filling and one on the bottom half for draining. If you will look on the home page of this site in the how-to section, there is a transmission rebuild article with lots of photos. That will let you see where the plugs are.

You can try to get by with running it this summer but if I were you, I would go ahead and tear it down and rebuild it. You may end up doing more damage to where you aren't able to salvage any parts.

Good luck with the rebuild.

[Tomo]

hi ,
the best advice would be to overhaul machine at least to have some level of reliability . Unless u like walking and leaving the 6x6 in the swamp . Even when u have done all this I have had a coil fail but the walk was a short one ha ha..
I would leave the engine and transmission until the rest r done . Although if the general appearance and the trans oil is the wrong color or very dirty o/haul may be needed straight away
Do all bearings/plates and chain
Repair axles ,sprocket tubes as needed ,tensioners as needed
Strip and overhaul both cvt units ,reinstall with new belt
All this may be the best time to remove and repair frame ,sand blast and powder coat
Have fun !!!!
tomo

[RollTide334]

Thanks for the reply. I plan to change the transmission fluid soon. But if it drives ok why do you recommend rebuilding the transmission? Will I have to remove the frame from the tub to remove the secondary clutch? Can anyone recommend a company that I can ship the clutches to and have them rebuilt?

[jpswift1]

Thanks for the reply. I plan to change the transmission fluid soon. But if it drives ok why do you recommend rebuilding the transmission? Will I have to remove the frame from the tub to remove the secondary clutch? Can anyone recommend a company that I can ship the clutches to and have them rebuilt?

Here you go:

Quality Drive Systems

And you will have to pull the transmission out of the frame and out of the body/tub to remove the driven clutch off it.

[thebuggyman1]

If it drives OK and turns OK, you don't need to rebuild it. BUT, if there is any grinding or poor turning that can't be adjusted out, it needs to be split open. The bands inside(4) wrap around drums (one per) and when the wear material gets worn off you have metal to metal contact......The drums are a cast iron, and it doesn't take long to score/ ruin them. Drums are VERY expensive.

Pull the trans out of the frame to pull the clutch. This is the best way to drain the fluid anyway, as the bottom plug is the "fill to" level and not really a drain plug. 1 Qt capacity.

If the secondary is pitted it's junk. Here's a new one 300782A - 780 Series Driven Clutch for Recreatives Ind Max ATVs | ATV Parts | MFG Supply

[Tomo]

Hi
The reason for treating the transmissions condition with suspicion is they can be expensive to repair .The t20 transmissions donot like abuse and suffer accordingly.
If u could open the transmission up to inspect the bands ,this would be highly recommended . PS If the output sprockets are more than a little worn an overhaul is recommended .

Have fun
tomo

[RollTide334]

To all, thanks for the replies. All good information. Secondary clutch is pitted, so it's trash. I am going to buy a clutch set. I'm going to buy all new bearings, hope I can reuse the axles. How much #50 chain does it take to re-chain the whole thing? My guess... 50 feet. What is the best (least expensive) way to get the t20 rebuilt? Ship it off or take it to the local skid-steer repair shop? (where to ship?) If I were going to bolt on a 25 hp engine next year should I buy bigger clutches now, if so, what and where? Anybody know a good banker?