New MAX IV owner

[tonyk72]

I've been wanting one for years, finally got one today. It had been stored in a garage for about two years with about 75 hours of use. It was difficult getting it started, but the motor ran well one it fired up.
I took a crash driving course today and literally almost crashed. Good thing the seller has a good sense of humor. I have all the documentation, been reading about how to steer and drive, but I have a few questions/obersvations with my Max.
1) I noticed the left side stick doesn't pull as far back as the right one. It doesn't seem right to me. Where should I look to fix this?
2) I was't able to take it out for a full test drive. I managed to just move forward and back. I seemed to move slower in reverse than in forward and have much more control. When I put it into forward gear, it took off pretty fast. Are these supposed to be equally as fast in forward and reverse? I think I may end up replacing the throttle cable as it does seem to bind up. Could this be part of the problem?
The seller said he had no issues with it at all when when he last put it away. Do these sound like an easy fix?
Other than that, it all looks pretty good.

Thanks!

[rdr]

coool sounds like u got a great mechine 1 st lube ur t cable sound like it's dry a cable luber from the cycle stor makes it easy ther munch less that 10 bucke to adj ur leaves right at the base where ur t 20 rods hook u can adj there first the if that doint fix it adjust the t 20 plungers . as for reverse make shure u have the sticks pulled all the way back make shure u put only atf in the tranny when u change it 24 o/z of atv 4 o/z of L/S now would be a good time for that . my max book sez typ f i do have one running around here with dex 2 in it works great with the dodge l/s addtive . robbie

[Mike]

Congratulations on your Max IV. If you follow the laterals down to the frame, you can adjust their position there to get them even. It could be that one side of the transmission has bands that are a little more worn than the other but I would start by adjusting the laterals themselves and see if that takes care of it. The max should take off the same in forward and reverse but having to pull back harder on the laterals (because of the springs) may make it seem like it is moving slower. Make sure you pull all the way back hard on the sticks when trying to reverse. The same goes for going forward. Even though the springs hold the laterals in the forward position, you still have to push the laterals all the way forward to fully engage the transmission. You will really notice that when you try to go up a hill.

Did you try turning at all? I just wondered if it seemed to steer the same in both directions.

[Dirty Harry]

Grease everything that moves and lube the choke & throttle cables; put a tablespoon of Seafoam in the engine and run it for 15-20min then change the oil and replace with full synthetic; replace oil filter and fuel & air filter and spark plugs; run some seafoam through the gas tank (1/4 can thru next 3 full tanks). That should take care of most problems related to long-term storage/setting.

[tonyk72]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll take care of the engine stuff today and will continue reading up and get familiar with the T20. I'll check all the moving parts before I take it for a ride again. It really seems to jump forward and want to go...didn't try turning when moving forward, I turned a bit when going in reverse. I'll probably take it to a big empty lot next time to practice so I don't have to worry about crashing.

[Dirty Harry]

That's a great idea, Tony. Lots of open space will be your best friend while you're learning the basics. Nothing worse than running out of space when you're trying to remember how to stop one of these things! LOL

[tonyk72]

How fast it is supposed to go at just idle speed? Does it creep along or go like 4-5 MPH?

[Mike]

It may creep a little at idle on flat ground if you don't pull the sticks back. What kind of terrain are you on when it is doing 4-5mph? That sounds a little high. Make sure the idle on your motor is adjusted properly and is not too fast.

[tonyk72]

I was in the garage! I thought I had it in neutral and started it and it leaped forward. I'll tool around with it some more...still working on the levers. I have a couple pages of service bulletins from RI and the factory parts diagrams which are very helpful in understanding the mechanics of this thing...

[shinall]

thanks