NEW to 6x6 and a couple questions

[ezryder]

Just bought my first 6x6. I've wanted one of these since I was a kid, and found one I could finally afford. It's a mid 80's Hustler-think its a 950. Not the tall one. Brown plastic body-twin cyl Briggs. Really very good condition considering its age.

My first questions (the first of many I'm sure).

1) The plastic body seems to be wide open to taking a beating (rocks,stumps,limbs, etc...) do you guys worry about this or is it tougher than it appears?

2) I'm not impressed with the power or torque of the Briggs. Is there any mods to tweak it? Do you guys that have these have problems with powering out when under a load such as heavy mud or steep hills?

3) Is there any place to aquire a repair/service manual for it? I need to tighten the chain on the driver side rear-the one that runs right under the drive belt pully, and I don't have a clue where to begin. It's slack enough so that its rubbing on the frame.

Any input will be much appreciated-I'm totally out of my element here. I've worked on a lot of 4x4, dirt bikes, etc, so I am mechanically inclined, but a repair manual would save a lot of time

Just chomping at the bit to find a pond to bail off in!!!

[jpswift1]

1) HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic is really, really, really hard to bust. I never had any issues with it at all, and the same goes for pretty much every member out there. It's nearly unbreakable. ABS plastic and fiberglass bodied machines are another story.

2) So, you're not impressed with the power or torque of the Briggs? Sorry, but I am (very impressed) and so are many, many other members here on the site. Briggs, Kohler, and Kawasaki V-twin engines make very good power and torque, and couple that to CVT clutches and a low geared transmission and 6 wheel drive and they'll pull a quad out of the mud, or pull it backwards when hooked back to back. A 6 wheeler with a Briggs, Kohler, Kawasaki, or whatever engine will do very well in pretty much every terrain. If you load down a lower horsepower machine with more passengers, weight, accessories like big tires or tracks and you'll feel it in deep mud, very steep hills, or deep snow, but it'll still do the job. To compensate for that you can get a red driven spring for the driven clutch. I've got a 16 to 23HP engines in all my machines and they all move and climb over anything without an issue. My Hustler has BIG 26" Vampire tires and it climbs some big hills with 4 adults in it without hesitation Want to see some videos to prove what these machines can do?

If you want more power go to Performance V-Twins Or if you want to go fast, get a 440 Cuyuna or G50B Chaparral 2 stroke.

3) If you want parts or service manuals you can get them directly from Recreatives Amphibious Six-Wheel Drive All-Terrain Vehicles: MaxATVs - Call 1-800-255-2511 Buffalo Bearing or Snowmobile Parts, Go Kart Parts, Lawnmower Parts, ATV Parts, and more | MFG Supply . Just don't deal with Richard Clark/Route6x6 unless you want to pay ridiculous amount of money for inferior quality parts and poor service.

Keep reading throughout the site here and you'll learn a lot more about these great machines and you'll be hooked. Welcome aboard!

[ezryder]

Thank you jpswift for the insight and the info. I didnt mean to slam the twin cyl Briggs. I really haven't driven it enough to make an informed opinion, just a first impression. My experience has been with dirt bikes, 4 wheelers, etc... and the gearing, carburation, RPM range is much different onthis beast. I will check on your link to find a service manual. If anyone has any links for manuals in PDF format, or exploded view diagrams ofthe machine it would be much appreciated.

[jpswift1]

I hope I can be of some help to you. I read your post and I see you have a mid 80's Hustler, most likely a 950 with a flat twin Briggs I/C engine, correct? You can do quite a bit with this machine.....the Hustler is a great starting point. First, don't worry about the body, it can take a serious beating without succumbing to any structural damage. If you'd like, you can swap out the old Briggs flat twin for a newer Briggs V twin Vanguard. I'd say an 18HP would do the trick. You can just swap your current clutch over. If you want lots of extra low end torque you can put a red spring in your driven clutch on the transmission. Next, add some larger tires. 22" Goodyear Rawhide III's would do the trick, but they're discontinued unfortunately and getting harder to find. You could get some 22x11x8 GBC Gators if you want to get through real deep, sticky mud. There's a lot of things you can do with the Hustler......they're great machines. Hope this gives you some ideas for a starting point.

And here's a manual:

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/content/section/285-hustler-amphibious-atv-manual.html

And some original sales brochures:

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/conte...bious-atv.html

[hydromike]

2) I'm not impressed with the power or torque of the Briggs. Is there any mods to tweak it? Do you guys that have these have problems with powering out when under a load such as heavy mud or steep hills?

I wasn't all that crazy-impressed with the overall power of my opposed-twin Briggs, either. It was a good engine and made decent power for how my 980 is geared, but it was getting tired. A V-twin is a much lighter, compact engine compared to the hulking 18hp I/C, but the 'ol flattie still got things done. I'd double check your driven spring to see if it's lost a lot of its "spring" over the years. The springs do get tired. A fresh 4-stroke spring and a good cleaning and service of both clutches will do wonders.

I'm in the slow process of shoehorning a Kubota triple into my 980.



It's a pretty tight fit side-to-side, but compared with all the exhaust and heat duct work that the original opposed Briggs required, there is gobs more room, now. I know it sounds sort of contradictory saying that it was a good engine while simultaneously yanking the pig to make room for a 25hp liquid triple, but I have tinkeritis.

If you can sit through the first 50 seconds or so of the video, check out how gearing (read: primary sprockets the size of wagon wheels) helps out an engine that's probably only making about 8hp, barely off idle.

chug-chug-chug....

[ezryder]

Thanks for the info. I feel better about the unprotected body now after hearing from you. Guess i'll have to drive it some to get the feel of it. I'm working on getting the chains adjusted now. They are stretched and no adjustment left. Never seen such a pain in the ass! I removed a link from each chain, then they were too short. Been messing with it all day. The two rear axle sleeves are sloppy on the axle, but the others are tight.

[jpswift1]

If you removed a link and now they're too short just put a number 50 half link in there and you'll be set.

[ezryder]

Went and picked up a couple half links this afternoon. Hopefully get to try it out in the water tomorrow.

[amphibious drew]

Went and picked up a couple half links this afternoon. Hopefully get to try it out in the water tomorrow.

Half links are ok in a pinch, but I wouldn't run it like that too much. It really sounds like your chain is due for replacement