OVerkill,
After you change to the red clutch spring, it will make a world of difference in the low end grunt of your machineAnd,,with all the weight the 23 hp briggs motor is pulling, I,m also sure you will have to change to different sprockets as well. The ones you are now running are not right for your amphibious application. They were for an Attex right?
Last edited by mudbug3; 09-26-2007 at 03:26 PM.
A few days ago,I talked to a man on the phone who owns an Argo Fronteer. He recently took off the Fronteer tires, that every one is so excited about, and replaced them with 25 " Maxis Mud Bugs. He told me he is happy with the Mud Bugs on his Fronteer, and is really glad he made the switch. This change of tires has made his Fronteer just about unstoppable in the mud he told me.
The reason for the switch? The places where he and his ATV friends like to ride at, his Argo Fronteer got stuck several times. He blamed this on the type of mud where they ride at, and also the tread pattern of the Fronteer tires.
He told me the Fronteer tires were great in the water for water speed , but for the type of mud riding he and his friends did, the Fronteer tires would glaze over with mud. The Fronteer tires would not clean out the mud fast enough, and this caused him to get stuck in several places , where his ATV friends did not. When ever he got stuck in his 6x6,, all of his 4-wheeler, ATV friends, would laugh at him, after they made it through the same mud hole.
After he made the switch to the Mud Bugs,,he went back to try them out. On that day, there were lots of people watching on both sides of the 60 ft mud pit. This is the first time they had ever seen a strange looking, 6x6 , amphib, face off against a Kawasaki Brute Force 750, with a snorkle kit,and 29.5, High Lifter, Out Law tires. The 750 Brute Force, ATV rider, felt very sure of himself against the strange looking 6 wheeler parked next to him.
The ATV rider taunted the Fronteer driver and said " lets see who makes it back here the quickest". The ATV rider nailed the throttle hard, hoping to get the jump on his amphibious opponent. The Fronteer driver rolls into the water, shortly afterward, but only at partial throttle, paddling beside the now struggling ATV rider. The 60 ft mud pit had been filled with about 4 ft of water, and already the ATV rider is half way across it. But by now, the Fronteer was swimming past him. As the 750 Brute Force rider rocks his ATV hard , side to side, to gain foward momentum,,the wheels of the amphibious Fronteer soon crest the far bank of the mud pit. The Mud Bug tires claw deep into the muddy incline, lifting the front wheels into the air. To the cheering crowd, it looks like a wheelie. The Fronteer then does a 180,and heads back the way it came. As the Fronteer driver passes the struggling ATV rider in the water, he waves.
Later the ATV riders say " Well,,you beat us all in the mud pit,, but, lets see now, how you do in the thick mud and rutted trails. With the Mud Bug tires,,the Fronteer driver was able to follow the ATV riders on all but one deeply rutted trail. These trails had ruts made with 29.9 , High Lifter, Out Laws. On most of these trails,, the Fronteer driver was able to straddle them, and claw his way through, on the outer edges of the deep mud ruts. Only one deep rutted trail,,brought the amphib driver to a halt.
The Phone conversation ended with " Well,, I was able to follow all of the big tire ATV,s there, on 9 trails, and only got my Fronteer stuck on one"
"Nine out of ten ain,t so bad
Since the Maxis Mud Bugs are made for ATV,s and not amphibs,,you can not use more than partial throttle for maximum water speed. These tires swim about 2 mph in the water, but really excell in thick mud. By next week,,I,ll be able to tell you the exact speed they GPS at in the water.
Last edited by mudbug3; 10-07-2007 at 02:45 AM.
Great story! I love hearing about when a 4 wheeler rider's ego is completely deflated when an amphib shows him what these machines are truely capable of. You guys might just have me convinced on picking up a set of these tires for my Hustler BIG FOOT.
"Looks like you have a problem with your 4 wheeler........you're missin' two wheels there"
I asked the man who owns the Argo Fronteer,how the Mud Bug tires compare in water speed, with other amphib tires. After he made the switch from the Fronteer tires to the Mud Bugs,,this was his responce :
Water speed on a scale of 1-10
The number 10 --> the fastest water speed, and the number 1 --> the slowest water speed.
Good Year Raw hides - water speed ---> 5
Maxis Mud Bugs - water speed ----> 6
Fronteer tires - water speed --> 8
Registered Rider
I got all the mod's finished on my home made 6x6 this weekend. That included new gear sets. I went up 1 tooth on the large jack shaft sprocket, and dropped two teeth on the axle sprockets. While I had it apart, I changed the torque converter spring to the red one from RI. What a huge differance. All the problems with skidding and smoking belts are gone.
Thanks for all the good advice. The "mudbugs" are awsome.
overkill,
Thats great news to hear!
Overkill,
Since you don,t have all the swamps and water bayous where my friends and I like to ride our amphibs , fully independant, 6 wheel drive suspension ,might just be the ticket for you. Have you checked out the springer set up on Whipper,s yellow Attex, and watched the video clip of it in action? It works great!
Last edited by mudbug3; 10-08-2007 at 12:30 PM.
Overkill,
Do you think now you will replace the 23 Briggs and go back to the hot 570, Yamaha snow mobile motor, or stay with the Briggs for your daughter?
Registered Rider
The only thing I've done as far as testing so far has been small climes and hard pavement turning. Before the mod's, I couldn't put one side of the T-20 into reverse and do a 180 zero turn without the belt squeeling. Now I can do it on pavement. As far as the springer mod, I already have a jeep with all kinds of wheel travel. I'm diggen the ride and off roading with no suspension. All though Whippers springer did get me looking at that snow mobile engine again.
The Mud Bug tire by Maxis, seems to be a good compromise ,when used in the water and mud for an amphib. Its not a fast swimmer in the water like a Fronteer tire or a Good year Terra tire. The trick to make these tires work on an amphib, is a very light throttle hand. This will give you a moderate amount of water speed.
In my opinion,,getting up a wet creek bank thats glazed over with mud , is more important than fast water speed. The tires now available for amphibs , glaze over far too quickly to suite me, in the thick mud I ride in. This is why I promote the Mudbugs and the Swamp Fox Plus tire. It is another good compromise in an amphib tire. The Swamp Fox Plus tires start at 26 inches, so this won,t work on most amphibs . My friend Dan has 27 inch Swamp Fox Plus tires on his Max IV, and loves them for driving through the log infested swamps where he lives !
But, on the flip side, both the Mud Bug and the Swamp Fox Plus tires, are great tires to have in thick mud , compared to any other amphib tire on the market . This is because they shed mud so much better and are more puncture resistant as well
The good thing about the Maxis Mud Bug tire , is the light weight, plus it will not sap the power of a smaller engine , like most heavier, more agressive , ATV tires do.
Here are some testimonials of people that have used them :
Customer Testimonials
I have a Honda 500 Foreman with a set of 27-8-12 and 27-12-12 Mud Bug tires. This tire is very light and has a good ride. The steering is very easy and smooth. I had my Honda in over 2 ft. of mud and made it to the other side of the mud bog. If you like to play in the mud and have a super ride this is the tire to go with!
-Steven Beshears
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I bought this tire in the fall of 2005. I have never had a tire perform like this one has in mud, snow, dry, rocky, it doesn't matter once the huge tire lugs get a bite you will go through whatever lays in front of you. Maxxis you really hit a grand slam with these tires. Nothing even comes close to the Maxxis Mud Bug.
-Jason Rhodes
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I had Mud Bug tires on my 300 4x4 Honda and I loved them. Even though they are called a mud tire, they were excellent in the rocks, snow, hard pack, etc. I went with other tires for my new '06 Vinson. I am now going back to the Mud Bugs because the other tires take up too much power in rolling resistance (I noticed this right away just pushing the ATV around in the shop). Thanks Maxxis for a great tire!
-William Stewart
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I have 25 inch Mud Bugs on my 06 Yamaha Rhino. I use these tires in rocky desert terrain. These tires have incredible traction, zero vibration on hard pack roads, and a compound that doesn't tear up in the rocks.
-Eric Heaton
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