Broken axle. Not good

[A4x4nutt]

Bought this max 4 a week ago first ride today Went 50 feet and axle broke
Not a good way to start Broke between the two gears
Where is the best place to get a axle ? I know the new axles will have c clips Does anyone have used parts. ?

[mopard3]

Your best bet would be to call recreative industries directly. I would get one new axle and two sprockets and replace both in the rear. the new sprockets are one piece to prevent this problem and if you only fix the one side it could very well happen to the other. The sprockets and axles are around 150 ea. I also thought about using a spacer on the old sprockets and weld them together so you would not need to buy them. Good luck!

[mopard3]

BTW i live 10 min north of boston what part of NH are you in?

[A4x4nutt]

I live in Hudson 10 minutes from exit 3 off 93. This is my first 6x6 and I have a bad taste already.
I did some research on the one piece gear set I'm a certified welder it will be one piece when I am done with it.
That's the weak link for sure it broke between the two gears

[mopard3]

Yup I'm in stoneham. They can be aggrivating at times but if you maintain it you should be ok. Do you have splined axles?what year is it? Also where do you ride is there a good spot in southern nh?I have had a couple max 2's and attex but I just got an 02 max iv.

[A4x4nutt]

Yes splined axles ! I have ridden every trail in southern and northern nh on my quads now I have a 2 year old and a max has seat belts. Woohoo. Mostly gonna be used at our camp in ossipee nh 25 miles of dirt roads and no houses around for miles.
There is no power no nothing just peace and quiet until I fire up the generator lol.
Its a 2000 max 4 but made late 99 .
I got it cheap. Cause it wouldn't charge. Replaced the stator and regulator and its all good.
It has 26 inch agriculture tires on it
Full cage
Soft top
18 horse vanguard
Winch. Bilge pump
I am the only one who has one everyone we ride with has quads still.
You must had ridden the trail in pelham near gumpus pond
I have seen a few Argos and maxes there

[mopard3]

I use to ride in sanford ME but I want to find some more local trails ill have to check out pelham. Sounds like a great machine with the splined axles your only real weak point is the 2pc sprockets, keep looking around on this site you will find answers for anything. Same here all my friends ride quads but ill take my max anyday these are very capable machines. The people at RI are great they will also answer questions and get you any parts needed. Good luck with everything!

[trevorakm1]

I'm down in Rhode Island but do alot of riding up in your neck of the woods. My brother has a camp up in Freedom Maine right off 25 and access to the logging trails right at the end of the street. The Ossipee river is on the edge of the property so plenty of swimming also. This was the first winter I was riding up there but in the summer we usually go up every other weekend. It's 2-3 hours for me to get up there so it's not spur of the moment but a great area to play once there. I wish it was closer to home or have the same opportunity here at home.

[A4x4nutt]

Your only 20 minutes from our camp we are off rte 25 also Our camp is actually in Effingham
But everyone says where is that so its easier to say ossipee We ride the trail that goes to parsonville Maine

[A4x4nutt]

Can't believe how cheap the metal is that they use for axles
I cut the stub off with a sawzall like it was nothing Who makes a better axle than this stock stuff ?
Is the axle designed to be the weak link ?

[thebuggyman1]

Basic metallurgy: Hard steel is brittle and snaps under shock loads. Soft steel will bend/twist/shear. I'm sure Recreatives is using some intermediate grade that isn't too expensive.
Axles are often made from medium grades, then have the outer surface flame hardened so it will hold the splines. For our purposes, I would use a "spring steel" alloy, something like chro-moly. Just be careful because different alloys require welding the hub on differently....and some are not supposed to be welded at all.
Axles need the ability to "flex" to absorb the shock load, then return to original straightness.

[trevorakm1]

Was talking to my brother yesterday and he wants to head up to maine soon before the bugs come out. We usually wait till after the bugs calm down in the summer months to go up more often. We get off 25 right after the Freedom market and it's only about a mile and a half from that road. Also the freedom market has a gas pump selling ethanol free gas.

[A4x4nutt]

I was up there last weekend there is still a lot of snow in Effingham
I buried my f250 up to the doors in snow
2 hours of shoveling I gave up and called a logger with a Skidder. 300 bucks later I was headed home .
I thinks I will give it another couple weeks and all the trails are closed anyway until may 26 (mud season) nh passed the law all trails owned by the state closed for mud season 500 dollar fine if you get nailed

[A4x4nutt]

Ordered a complete update kit new shafts ,bearings , sprockets might as well do both sides and make it more dependable
Not as pricy as I thought it would be
Got the motor out also to make it easier to work on
Should I rebuild the t20 while everything is apart ?

[Mike]

I would rebuild it too. While you have everything apart, it is really simple to pull the transmission and replace the washers/orings and those are cheap. They come in a kit from the manufacturer. I think I would consider replacing the main output shaft bearings while I was in there and then just check your bands / drums for wear. The seal kit is probably $50-$60 which is cheap but the bearings are expensive as they are custom ground and can only be sourced from the manufacturer. To me, it's worth it to buy them and replace them while you are in there though.