Looking into my 1st 6x6

[Tango42]

Hello everyone, 1st poster here.....I'm looking into grabbing a 6x6 since I saw one not to long ago and it reminded me of when I was a kid and my uncle used to give us rides in his. Of course, funds are limited, but I would like to grab something that with little or no work I could have some fun, and then work on it as time/money permits. I came across this add today:

1981 ATTEX 6X6
Rare. Wht. 18hp, gd running Briggs eng. All new chains. New $80 belt, 2 new axles & bearings. Sprockets mint. Body OK other than a crack in the frt. Lights are gd. Seats great w/a pad. Brand new winch, solenoid, plugs, air filter & 6 wht whls w/5-lug axle conversion. 6 brand new Carlite tires, less than 1 hr on them. Pd $700 just less than 1 mo ago. T20 trans. Lk a skid steer, floats & drives in water awesome. Left stick doesn't engage. Simple fix w/just 3 hrs of labor to get it mint. New throttle & cable. Had much fun on this mud/water monster, fishing, hunting spots no problem to get into. Has Attex graphics. Sold as is, $1500;

Anyone have any insight into this unit? Does it sound like its worth a look? What questions should I be asking? What could "left stick doesnt engage" mean? Maybe and easy fix?? Sorry for all the questions but I never expected to find one this close by this soon.....and I dont want to miss out if its worth it.

Thanks,
Ron from massachusetts

[jpswift1]

Ron, I believe that is a fellow 6x6World member selling that Attex. If the left stick doesn't engage it could be a bad band in the transmission. If it has new tires and a Briggs 4 stroke in it, I would say that that is a good start for a reliable trail machine.

[Don]

Hi, Ron, welcome to the 6x6 boards;

I don't think that machine is an '81. It's pre 1976 and has an ABS body by the looks of it. There's nothing wrong with ABS, but it isn't as rugged as the later Polyethylene models.

The transmission problem could be a number of things: some very easy and some needing the transmssion taken out and torn down. Even if you need to rebuild the T20 trans, it's not too difficult, but the parts can get pricey.

IMHO, It's not worth the money he's asking by quite a bit. Maybe $500-600. You should be able to find a better deal without too much trouble.

Good Luck

[jpswift1]

Don, I'm glad you caught that it was a pre '76 machine.....I didn't even realize that until you brought it up. I looked closer at the ad and saw the more pointy edge by the top of where the seat sits. Don is also right about the parts for the T-20 transmission. If you have a drum or two that is bad it could start adding up. There is lots of excellent tech support and some really great articles on rebuilding the T-20 in the articles section of this site too.

[Tango42]

Hey Guys, thanks for the info. Where are you looking at pics of this machine? I just called the guy and had him email some pics over. He swears that its an 81.....says it needs some tranny work and a key switch (hes been jumping the solenoid to start). Someone apparently painted it white. I also know where I can get my hands on 2 t-20's.....not sure of their condition either but maybe I can sell them to pay for parts?

Thanks,
Ron

[Don]

81 Attex 6x6

In 1976 Attex changed the body composition from ABS to HDPE, and made subtle changes to the molds. The most obvious is a rib that runs along the top just above the seam and arcs up to form a "J" at the rear of the body. If the number on the frame ends in 76, someone must have put a later frame in an earlier body. If you have access to the other transmissions and don't mind some work, you could most likely use the parts and fix it or sell them like you said.

Most paint won't stick to HDPE (except Whipper's)

[Don]

Sorry, I meant that if the serial number ends in 81, not 76, but looking at the picture I can't tell if the rib is on the body or not- maybe someone else got paint to stick to a polyethylene body. Take a good look at the pictures and you should be able to tell.

[Tango42]

Guys....thanks for the input! I looked at some pics I found of hdpe machines and I see the rib and more rounded part behind the seat....this one definitely looks like abs.

So, I will probably check it out this weekend since its close by.....if the abs is in decent shape, is it reasonable durable? I dont plan on beating the hell out of this thing.

If I could prove to him that its a pre-'76 and get it for $1000-1200, would I be doing ok? I dont mind the work....I'm in need of a new project.

Thanks again,
Ron

[Don]

So, I will probably check it out this weekend since its close by.....if the abs is in decent shape, is it reasonable durable? I dont plan on beating the hell out of this thing.

If I could prove to him that its a pre-'76 and get it for $1000-1200, would I be doing ok? I dont mind the work....I'm in need of a new project.

ABS isn't bad, especially if you're not too crazed with speed. Taking a look won't hurt, and will give you something to compare to if you don't buy it. The new wheels and tires make it worth more, as does the Briggs if it's in good shape. You have to decide for yourself if it's worth the money to you, but personally I think five or six hundred would be my limit for a machine with a suspect T20.

Good luck

[Mike]

Like jeff mentioned, he is a member of the site. He has some more pictures of it on his myspace page.

[Don]

That's an ABS body- pre 1976. If the headlights are stock, it's a Chief or Thunderchief.

[Tango42]

Yup, those are the pics he emailed me. This is all starting to make more sense now.....he told me the guy he bought it from in NJ offered him the original 440 2 stroke motor and he declined!? (I'm a 2-stroke guy too Don) That would make it a thunderchief, no? I'm going to try and take a look this weekend and see what he'll take, may end up just a reference point for the future like you said.

One more question: when looking at the serial # on the frame, is it the first or last or larger #s that are the year. For example, in this pic, what would it be a 72 or 79??



This whole search started with a friend of mine coming across 2 6 wheelers in a field he now owns. He offered them to me but I declined because there isnt much left and they are junk.....but now I have the fever! One is a max and one an attex.....about all that is left are the t-20s The sprockets still turn free... I'm going to grab 'em.

Thanks guys,
Ron

[Mike]

Yes, grab, grab, grab! You can never have too many T20's If you got this Attex for a good price you could just throw one of the other T20's in there and have it running in a couple of hours. Then you could rebuild the T20 that is in there at your leisure.

Plus, we have several How-To articles on getting the T20 out:

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/aatv-transmission-articles/2232-t20-skid-steer-removal-installation.html

as well as completely rebuilding it:

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/aatv-transmission-articles/2332-t20-skid-steer-rebuild.html

or

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/aatv-transmission-articles/1460-t-20-skid-steer-transmission-rebuild.html

[Don]

I'd grab the other two asap for parts whether or not I got the Thunderchief. You can always sell the good parts you don't need. The larger numbers of the serial are the year, but sometimes you'll find them at the end of the series instead of the beginning.

Happy Hunting!

[Tango42]

Well, I checked it out and walked away.....the body was rougher than I wanted. It seemed to be in good shape mechanically, but the body was beat, and it was definitely an older model. I couldnt see a # on the frame, it could have been painted over or just removed.....if I was more serious I would have dug for it. The flathead briggs didnt do anything for me either.

Damn!!, it was so close to home too. I'm going to continue my search......if you ever hear of one in the new england area, let me know!

Thanks for all the help!

Ron