Horsepower

[JohnK]

I am new to 6 wheel ATV's - have none yet - want to buy a new cheaper one. I have saw the 14 HP from Max. I know little to nothing about such, but my two wheel drive riding lawn mower has 12 Horsepower. This may seem like a bad question, but what makes a 14 horsepower 6 wheel drive carry two men, some gear and a bagged deer through very low and wet upland with only 14 HP? My lawnmower doesn't seem to have any power to speak of with 12 HP if it gets one wheel in an indentation if the ground is even a little loose and/or wet and soft. I'm sure a 6 wheel would do much better, but with only 14 horsepower does it have any drawbacks to low and wet upland? I know it needs tracks on marsh ground and that the greater HP one's are better suited to marsh - tracks - and the like - but how certain is a 14 HP one to handle wet and low ground better than 4 wheel ATV's? I don't want to spend much more than the lower-priced ones and for just me and my 86 year old dad, I don't need a larger one - unless the 14 HP is or could be suspect in low upland ground. It doesn't matter if you have 10 wheel drive, if you stick it to the axles, any vehicle gets stuck. I'm mostly talking power. I don't like talking to dealers, as they might tell me anything to sell one. Thanks.

[liflod]

The gearing and traction make the machine go anywhere. I have seen a 14HP Max II go through some serious terrain without problems. It will haul you and dad more places than you would care to venture. I would recommend paying the extra money for the 16HP version because it comes with better axles and O-ring chain.

[jpswift1]

The torque of the Briggs V twin is pretty high too, much more than a 12HP single cylinder lawn mower. Also a Briggs 14HP is the same 480cc displacement as the 16HP Briggs. The only difference is a bigger venturi of the carb. Hope this helps.

[liflod]

I have the 18HP Briggs in my Max IV. I hauled me ,my wife and 3 kids in the back all weekend. We took it in the lake , across the river, climbed a few pretty steep hills and never ran out of power. Granted, we could have done it faster if the engine was bigger.

The ATVs torque converter/ belt driven clutch set-up allows the machine to have a very wide range of gear ratios. The higher the load on the machine, the lower the gear ratio. As the load decreases, the gear ratio changes to a higher ratio allowing more speed. This change of ratios is smooth and practically unnoticeable while you are driving. With your lawn mower, the gear ratio is preset to whatever you have selected and does not change with the load. I'm sure your 12 HP has enough power to pull a lot of weight in low gear as long as you have the traction and enough weight to keep the front end down. Now imagine that low gear even lower and changing to a higher ratio when the load changes.

Best bet is to take one for a ride and see for yourself. And BTW, its harder than you think to sink 6 wheels up to their axles. 99% of the times I got stuck is because I wasn't looking for the easy way. Chances are if your worried about getting stuck, you'll take the easy path, even if its not a path.

[hydromike]

Lance's point is spot-on. ATVs have an infinitely variable (bewtween two points) transmission. A couple of my ATVs have as little as 20 horsepower, and as many as 52. The 20 horsepower machine is sometimes more fun because it's quieter, slower, and just seems like you have to pay attention more if you're going to do some serious stuff. It's rare that you get stuck b/c of a lack of horsepower. You really can't go wrong with the 14hp Briggs, but like Lance said, the 16HP machine comes with a much stronger driveline. There aren't too many of these six wheeler that stay stock forever. Performance gains are easy, and the need to tinker comes often. Ride one of both and see what you like.

~M

[Beeman]

A lot of the HP on a lawn tractor is lost via the mower.

On a side note, My John Deer uses a form of CVT along side it's 4 forward gears.. instead of a contentional CVT this has a drive belt and a driven belt attached to a 2 piece pully in which the middle piece slides back and forth according to how much pressure is given on the driven belt (by pulling this pully back with a lever).

[whipper-ag]

John, listen to these guys. They know what they're talking about. You just got to try one. You'll be amazed. After you try one you'll probably buy it.

[JOHN 317]

Also New At This 6x6 Thing

John; Im Also New At This 6x6 Thing,i Wasnt Even Looking For One Of Thease , I Always Used A 4x4 For Hunting,well While Visiting A Friend I Noticed It In His Shed ,, A Max Iv Winch,snow Plow Encloshier 2003 ,,when I Asked What It Was He Said,, Get In,well After An Hours Ride Through No Mans Land ,serious Hills And Swamps Full Of Mud,stumps And Rocks,and Unbeliveable Briar Patches We Came Back Dry And Not Covered With Mud,,asked Him To Sell It To Me And He Said Well I Only Use The Thing For Plowing The Driveway. 5 Grand Later It S Awaiting Next Year Hunting Season In My Garage,, So You Dont Have To Pay Big Money For Thease Things You Just Have To Be Patient And Find Someone Thats Not Useing His,,welcome To The Site Read The Forums Here ,, Thease Guys Really Know Aatv's ,and Well Steer You In The Right Direction, Good Luck To You And Your Dad Hunting

[Mike]

John, welcome to the forums and I don't think you will be disappointed regardless of which engine you go with. Like John 317 suggested, if you take your time and try to find a used one with not many hours on it and you can probably get a much larger engine, more options, etc. for the same price if not much cheaper. I'm not trying to steer you clear of a new one. I would love to have one if I could afford it but if you are set on a particular budget, used doesn't always mean abused. Just keep that in mind and have a look around craigslist and ebay just to keep your options open.

[liflod]

John K,
Where do you live? I'm sure we have some 6x6 owners in your neck of the woods. We're always looking to show people what our machines can do.

[hydromike]

JohnK,

you'd be amazed at how little you can get into one of these machines for. If you're the least bit handy, you can take a machine with a minor problem, and have one that's near perfect for little (or sometimes no) money.

AATVs are often misunderstood, which often leads to someone getting rid of them. They're incredibly simple machines, but simple doesn't mean that they don't need continual maintenance (like everything else) and a good understanding of what the machine needs from time to time. Often, something like a bearing or chain will go bad 5 miles from No-where and the machine is left sitting. A machine with a broken axle might as well be shot on site by most people. Performance, reliability and durability have increased ten-fold over the course of their existence.

Read some of the ebay auction descriptions for Amphib auctions. Many people sell their machines either because they don't get much use, or people don't know how easy it is to fix one. Fixing, customizing and upgrading is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby...

For instance, here's a nice fixer upper... It's about 2300 miles away from me, but the price is right...



Somebody will walk away very, very happy with this gem. It's not a "Max IV", and it's not a "1994". I think Whipper should go pick it up.


~m

[CREEPFACE]

Hi John Welcome

Hey John I am also very new to this, and i have already purchased my used max iv 440 cc 2 stroke, and i am looking at a max II 14hp. I am them not sure what the difference is in hp will make but this maxx ii 14hp seems to have alot of torque.. you really need to try a max iv as well test drive like i did, you wont be sorry..