Today I got up the nerve to cross into my creek with my Max II. I have the smaller tires on the machine. Got into the creek ok, was pleased how it moves through shallow water while moving over cattails, etc... In open water, wheels just spin with no movement while trying to move forward. Will move slowly in reverse. There was just a little crosswind. Think it might be a tire issue as I was not stuck. Floats real well. Thanks for the help.
What tires do you have and what direction are they mounted?
Hi Mike I have 21X11X8 in tires mounted with the arrow point facing forward. The only other tires that came with the used machine are 22X11X8 (no rims).
What brand tires are you running? The tread pattern (as well as tread direction) makes all the difference in the world with regard to swimming ability. The Vs of the tire (or arrows) should be facing backward at the top of the tire to increase swimming speed. If you're talking about the arrow on the sidewall of the tire, that indicates the manufacturer's suggested driving direction for maximum traction. Unfortunately, best swimming speed and best traction are more often than not a trade-off.
To get the maximum swim speed you may even have to play with tire orientation, on my Max2s and Max 4 I mount the rear tires according to the arrow for forward, and on the other 4 tires reverse the order. That is based on having a swimmer tire. Depending on what tires you have , you may not have tires designed for swimming. What tires do you have? Only a handful of tires actually swim.
Thanks guys The tires I currently have mounted are Carlisle Power Trac II 21X11:00X8 NHS The point of the "V" on the actual tread of the tire is pointing ahead. I have tubes inside the tire. The machine will swim backwards but not forwards.
I have a second set of tires that don't have rims. They are sitting idle. They happen to be Goodyear Rawhide III Terra Tire
21X11:00X8 - NHS
The only swimming I need to do is get across my creek that is 180 ft across. It has varying depths with some silt in places.
Turn your Carlisle around so the V is pointing backward. This'll get better swim speed in the forward direction. Your Rawhides will swim as well as long as the Vs are point backward in the same fashion. These are about identical to the Goodyear Rawhide Is. I'm betting your Rawhide IIs are actually 22x11-8s. They're nice tires that might ride a bit better than the 21" Carlisles, but I don't know if they'll swim as well on a Max II.
Oops, yes the rawhides are 22 inch. Will try reversing the v. Thanks very much.
Not to derail the thread, but I always wondered if snow chains would help swimming speed. They sure as heck help all other movement speed in mud, slush etc. Not sure if they would work like a paddle or the water would just pass in and around the links.
I bet the chains will do nothing for speed in the water. Its fun to watch the things that people try. Goodyear super terra grips like on Max 4s and the new argo tires are the only things that i have tried that go pretty well. Please let us know.Originally Posted by allwheeldrive
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