New Member: Attex pricing help guys? thanks!

[mustangwagz]

Hey folks, new member here. names WagZ. (aka. zac) From western PA. First off, AWESOME SITE!! wow, alotta useful info packed into one site. very nice. i like the setup, colors and navigation. Props to the creators and maintainers!

anyhow, onto business...

Went and looked at an attex 400 chief. has the jlo 400, and comes with a spare 300 jlo motor, wrapped in plastic on a pallet. Entire 6wheeler is Intact and ALL THERE! everything guys, tires aint even dry rotted. has factory hubs, axles etc. I'd say it was barely/carefully used. Tub is in excellent condition, with one minor little hole in bottom, about the size of a raisin or an M&M (non peanut M&M that is..) Guy said 750 takes it all home.. Motor runs, but i can tell the carb needs cleaned and its wicked fast!! ...so...is it worth it guys? from what ive seen, ill need diff axles or hubs and wheels to put bigger tires on it. i wanted to go with Tires N wheels i could easily replace and that were stronger than the ole ballon tires and weak axles/hubs.

Also, are they prone to issues? i read about weak axles N stuff and was curious. Id like yinz's input before i buy it due to the idea that you all seem to know what your talking about and everyone here is pretty damn helpful!

Just curious to see what yinz had to say, and what i may expect to spend in tires, wheels, and axles to upgrade it. Please let me know what how you feel and if i should jump on the deal or not! Thanks folks!!

-WagZ-

[Mike]

Welcome to the site. That is a good price if everything is in as good shape as you say it is. Plus, if the tires really don't have any dry rot, then they will bring a premium if you sell them. You could use those proceeds to pay for new tires, wheels, axles, etc. Do you have any pictures?

[mustangwagz]

Welcome to the site. That is a good price if everything is in as good shape as you say it is. Plus, if the tires really don't have any dry rot, then they will bring a premium if you sell them. You could use those proceeds to pay for new tires, wheels, axles, etc. Do you have any pictures?

Not at the moment sir, no i dont. but..surely once i get a few more opinions like yours, ill have plenty of pictures...if you catch my drift..haha. Just wanted to make sure it'd be a wise investment, didnt want to buy a machine that was prone to a bunch of breakdowns n such. as i stated, it is in great condition. the frame is still black paint/powdercoat. Hope i get a bunch of "hell ya's" and not some "no ways" lol

[George]

Sounds like a very good deal. I've switched to bigger axles but Attexes are not that hard to maintain/fix with the original one inch axles. You can buy adapter plates to make the new wheels fit on the old hubs....most folks have done that because good floaties are very difficult to find.

If the tranny is in good shape, buy it!

[lewis]

Sounds like a great price. T-20, motor, tires. Go for it!

[mustangwagz]

Im still kicking the idea around. Im more concerned about the body than i am anything...by sounds of it, new bodys are xpensive. and this ABS welding stuff (if its abs body that is) sounds interesting...i can weld metal like a mofo, and fabricate stuff to no end..but this welding plastic might be interesting. lol im trying to search for skid plates or even a HEAVY DUTY body like on the new MAX's but i aint coming up with much..do they make either for the old attexs? I live in a very rocky area of PA here and my concern would be trail riding and creek crossings where id encounter a majority of rocks..and i know if i smash up the body, im screwed when i get to the creek. lol

can anyone shed some light on these thoughts? '

Thanks guys!
-WagZ-

[jpswift1]

This machine sounds like a GO for sure the way you describe it. You could easily pick up a set of 6 go kart hubs with a 4x4" bolt pattern here:

NEW pair of 1" ID LIVE AXLE HUB 4 BOLT HOLE PATTERN | eBay

If the ebay link doesn't work just search by item number 280519181773 or look search "go kart hubs".

Then pick up a set of 6 wheels here:

8X7 4 Bolt Silver Bell Trailer Wheel | RecStuff.com

Add some tires of your choice and you're in business. You'd be looking at around $150 for hub adapters and rims and then whatever it would cost for a set of 6 tires. You could always keep your eyes open for used tires on the classified section here as well.

Post some pics of the machine, we'd certainly love to see it!

[racerone3]

For the plastic welding and skid plate, those are both DIY Items. That machine would be ABS, so repair is much easier than a poly body. you can weld it, but don't have to. you can melt down scrap ABS in Acetone to make a repair putty (commonly referred to as ABS GOO... a search will turn up lots of results)

Hydromike did an article on the home made skidplate on his chief http://www.6x6world.com/forums/conte...kid-plate.html I've done it on my last 2 rebuilds, and it is a PITA to do, but the end result is well worth it

I would go for it.

[mustangwagz]

For the plastic welding and skid plate, those are both DIY Items. That machine would be ABS, so repair is much easier than a poly body. you can weld it, but don't have to. you can melt down scrap ABS in Acetone to make a repair putty (commonly referred to as ABS GOO... a search will turn up lots of results)

Hydromike did an article on the home made skidplate on his chief http://www.6x6world.com/forums/conte...kid-plate.html I've done it on my last 2 rebuilds, and it is a PITA to do, but the end result is well worth it

I would go for it.

wow, that guy did one hell of a job!! holy crap! lol Now thats what im talkin bout. Something like that would be EXACTLY what i'd need for my neck of the woods. Ive pretty much got my mind set that i'd buy it, but i'd have to bring it home, and do the "skid plate plastic HDPE" immediatly unless i was only gonna ride it in driveways N yards. lol I may look into this method of madness, cuz it seems to look great and according to his testimony, it sure does take a pounding for the most part. id just have to locate me a bada$$ heat gun and alotta time and water proof rivits.

Hydromike should start selling these things! lol i'd buy one, NO DOUBT! cuz thats the xact same model im thinkin bout buying. haha

[racerone3]

Skip the heat gun... propane torch is the only way to go. On an Attex, you can do the 2 center bends before you ever start putting it on. Measure and mark the bend locations. torch them till the poly has a nice shine to it and fold the sheet in half at the marked lines. It will spring back a bunch as it cools. once you have it riveted to the machine, you can reheat those bends a little to perfect their shape before moving on the the next set of bends

[hydromike]

Hydromike should start selling these things! lol i'd buy one, NO DOUBT! cuz thats the xact same model im thinkin bout buying. haha

Hydromike would love to be able to sell them, but he has two other machines that need skid-plates first. AND they're a total PITA.

Thanks for the compliments. The skid-plate on the Chief (the one in the write-up that Admin Mike posted for me ) is pretty solid, but the one on Big 5 took the process to another level. The one on 5 is 1/4" thick UHMW polyethylene. I ended up using an aceytlene torch to heat it up for bending. The small-bottle propane torch just sort of looked at it. It was a lot of work, but you only have to do it once. Race did it better with the 3/16" poly on his 'Tank. Much easier to work with, I think.

You can get the whole plate bent up and riveted in place in a weekend's worth of work. The closed-end (waterproof) rivets are easy to come by; you just have to order the right length for your application. On your Chief, you could get by with a 4x8' sheet of poly very easily.

Here's a shot of me wrestling with the UHMW.


Here's a quick clip JP took of UHMW wrestling with a boulder.

[mustangwagz]

Hydromike would love to be able to sell them, but he has two other machines that need skid-plates first. AND they're a total PITA.

Thanks for the compliments. The skid-plate on the Chief (the one in the write-up that Admin Mike posted for me ) is pretty solid, but the one on Big 5 took the process to another level. The one on 5 is 1/4" thick UHMW polyethylene. I ended up using an aceytlene torch to heat it up for bending. The small-bottle propane torch just sort of looked at it. It was a lot of work, but you only have to do it once. Race did it better with the 3/16" poly on his 'Tank. Much easier to work with, I think.

You can get the whole plate bent up and riveted in place in a weekend's worth of work. The closed-end (waterproof) rivets are easy to come by; you just have to order the right length for your application. On your Chief, you could get by with a 4x8' sheet of poly very easily.

Here's a shot of me wrestling with the UHMW.


Here's a quick clip JP took of UHMW wrestling with a boulder.

So..where can i find the rivits and the sheet of plastic ill need..by sounds of what the voices in my head are saying..i think this weekend ill be bringing it home..lol Just figure ill get all my links n stuff rounded up so that when i do it can easily get ready. May even have to have to ask around n see if any memebers close by wanna come help drink beer..err..i mean help bend that plastic.. lol I like the idea of doing it on the ground, not turning the whole buggy upside down..that could get interesting. haha. anywho. keep the input coming guys im lovin it! lol see..i toldja in my first post..this site is awesome! Deff most active members with helpful info. I hope this 6wheeler deal turns otu great, and once i kno i have a good skid plate, i wont be scared! till then..maybe just a little bit. lol

Thanks guys! Big help so far!

-WagZ-

[hydromike]

Cool... You can buy 3/16" dia closed end blind rivets in varying grip ranges, depending on how thick your skid plate turns out to be. An easy way is to go to fastenal's website, or McMaster-Carr. I'd definitely go with steel mandrel, steel rivet for strength. You can also just get them from Recreatives. I did the math once and just stopping by the factory (I live nearby) was the same cost or cheaper versus getting them online. They'll sell you the rubber washers and "backing washers", too. Ask 'Race where he gets his. He's got a good source, I think.

Pick it up, and get it running by the Fall Busco ride in North Carolina. Full immersion in this nonsense is the only way to go...

EDIT:: Here's the link to McMaster-Carr's sealing rivet page...

[mustangwagz]

Excellent! Thanks mike. Any links for the 3/16th plastic? I'm ready to drag it home n get er done! Lol

[hydromike]

Any links for the 3/16th plastic?

You can give Greg Senior at BuffaloBearings a call at (716) 874-1720. They sell a lot more than bearings, and can usually get a decent price on a piece of recycled UHMW (cheaper vs. virgin material) or straight-polyethylene if you want.

Oh, and...

...and once i kno i have a good skid plate, i wont be scared! till then..maybe just a little bit.

A well-tuned 400 Chief is probably good for around 42mph with 22" tires. 'Ever driven a skid-steer at 42mph without a roll cage, helmet and a harness?