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Are there any plans later down the road for Matt and his crew to produce a Mudd-Ox "lite" ?? An 8x8 is just too much for my needs, (weekend fun-running with minimal gear-hauling on tight, thickly-wooded trails). When the time comes to replace my Max II I'd rather go with a beefy unit like the M-O, but only if it's in a more compact 6WD size.
I even did a quicky photo-shopped to give folks an idea of what COULD be...
I think it would be too heavy and slow...?? I hear rumors that another company will be producing something like a bigger machine like a hustler /big max... for about 8,000.00+
Early on Matt planned on a 6x6 eventually. I think it's too much trouble for him now, as popular as the 8 is. For a 6x6 that's not as big as a maxIV, the argo Frontier is the thing to get, nothing more comfortable and all around capable than it is.
Not to offend some folks, but I personally don't care for Argo. Besides, for what they charge I'd rather pay that amount and get something I know is more heavy-duty. Matt has proven he is committed to constantly (and surprisingly rapidly) improving his product; much of it thru interaction via customer feedback. ODG, and especially RI, seem to drag their collective feet about getting improvements put into their machines, and those two have a larger, far better established corporate base than a young upstart like Matt, so there's truly no excuse - except being cheap and just churning out the same old thing because there's really no competition except each other. That's simply not the case anymore fellas. Wake up and smell the coffee!
I mean look at the existing Max II. How hard would it really be to do a small bit of tinkering to spread the axle set-up slightly and raising the line of the front lower body tub section a couple of inches in order to allow for fitting of larger tires like ODG's Bigfoot? (Which is about the only Argo I care for - at least in the looks department.) They also need to get off their collective butts and work out a way to bring back the 9" rims for the IV and Buff so the fatter 25" tires can be used, which give a much, much softer ride. (Hey now... those would really be welcome on the Max II, as well!!)
Personally I'm not concerned so much with speed as I am with comfort and more importantly, ruggedness - which is where the Ox really shines. Where I ride the trees & undergrowth are too thick to be zipping around. Anything over 10 - 15mph would get you wrapped around a tree. (Actually, by porting over the existing Ox internal components for a 6x6 version, I think the compact Ox would be a little quicker than the same beast in an 8x8 configuration since there'd be less frame & body = less weight.)
While I'm dreaming, I'd rather that the back of a shorter 6x Mudd-Ox be designed more along the lines of the classic Attex angled rear end, with the higher sides. Maybe multiple vents, but cut farther back from the front section to keep heat further away from the driver & passenger. It would allow for better cooling, but screen it in to keep junk out of the engine bay. Another plus of using higher sides in the cargo section would be allowing for more gear to be stacked & stored behind the motor hump. Something sorta like this...
I changed the lines and raised the sides in the passenger section a bit to help keep folks from sliding during the rough stuff.
Last edited by Dirty Harry; 07-25-2009 at 04:36 PM.
Reason: changed vents from 3 to 4 and raised bodyline in passenger section