Frustrated as hell!!!!

[Tennesseemudbug]

I checked that and replaced the fluid before resembling the amphib.

[kghills]

If the machine is jacked up also double check all chain tensions and the bearings in the adjusters the sound you are describing could be the chain moving around for some reason when the extra force or turning is applied.
Also make sure you transmission is bolted in tight and not trying to move around when you turn.
If you contact Mudd-Ox (there is no new RI) in the morning they may also have some insight. Mudd-Ox now has dedicated people for phone service and parts of the Max models previously sold by RI. Seems they have made a lot of improvents the last few months including setting up a new network of active well invested dealers I am told.

Keith.

[ARGOJIM]

Perhaps we could get a new set of manuals printed up and posted here for forum members to reference when ordering parts, with serial number breaks and any upgrade and or retrofit kits part numbers.
It would help with parts sales and ease work load of mfr. employees.

[Model Citizen]

[lewis]

The set screws that you are looking for are called Dog point. Also with the split collars you can double set screw them and then install a worm grear clamp to keep the set screws from ever moving out. This is the way the Crush is done and we ran all over Arizona and not one axle moved.

The shims can be bought at the tractor supply store they are called machine spacers and they come in different thicknesses. You can buy several packs with different thichnesses and mix and match to get the desired spacing. When i did the Crush i probably assembled it 2 or three times at least out of the tub so i didnot have to do all that bending over. This was to get all the axles to exactly the same length in the tub with relation to the frame.

All chain alignment was done then, since the idler and the T-20 are locked in place and have no left/right adjustment that was where i started my alignment and moved from there. Others may have other ways but this is how i did my machine and it seemed to have worked well for me.

Hope this helps some

[ARGOJIM]

Ya, but then the site turns into an "arm" of the manufacturer. Thought this was Admin Mike's site for 6 or 8 wheel enthusiasts. Why should we ease the workload of the mfg. employees. Like I told the post office mgr once, if I have to keep delivering others mail that is placed in my box to the correct recipients , then put me on your payroll...with benefits.

Bridget

Point taken Bridget, I was actually hoping it would help myself and all the other Max owners with out manuals.

[Tennesseemudbug]

Okay so I have the verdict. ... we the consumers are dealing with a rather shrewd business and it seems that when it is pertinent to have information readily available to you by the "experts" their only logical response is to blame someone else ... in the corp we called this a Barney or "the purple dinosaur" .... okay I contacted mudd ox and learned that they only purchased RI and all the disfunction they are not truly experts in the industry ... I say that because when you have an expertise in something such as an industry that has a very narrow market and only a handful of products such as amphibious atv's do you would not only know the ins and outs of your own products but also those of your competition. Example if I had an hvac guy come to my house and on the side of his truck it read Carrier " turn to the experts " but yet I had a lennox air conditioner in my home and the guy says well I am an expert on carrier systems but let me look at how your neighbors air conditioner is put together and I can tell you if yours is right I would probably call his boss and say "hey" why in the hell didn't you send someone out here that knows what the hell he is doing. But either way I could go on all night about it. ...... so when I finally got through to mudd ox today no one really had a plausible answer for me other than we will look into it . Oh and that every part and piece and screw and nut and bolt and whatever else you order will be an individual peice.. well thanks for selling me the ham bone and no meat . I appreciate you sending me the car but no tires thanks for the watch with no battery I love getting a the lamp with no cord or theydoor knob and no keys the shoes and no laces ... when I orde an axle assembly that's what the hell I want dont send me no surprises . I mean give me a break I am the consumer not the "expert" but rest assured my friends that will change ..The wheels are turning and you will one day see something that no one ever expected.

[egoperf]

I have dealt with Jay And his crew for years and have had nothing but great professional service. When ever I bought a part it always came with all hardware.

[George]

I have dealt with Jay And his crew for years and have had nothing but great professional service. When ever I bought a part it always came with all hardware.

Ditto! Usually in the same week I placed the order. One time I ordered a heated throttle cable and it came with installation instructions and illustrations.

[lewis]

I also have had great experiences with RI in the past. Have not bought anything form the new group that is going through the transition period. I understand the frustration as i am sure all have gone through this one time or another, maybe not with a AATV but with some type of mechanical beast. That is what makes this site so valuable is the knowledge of the members and their past experiences and knowledge. A lot are very mechanical and others not as much but we all try to help. Next time before a big project give the site a howler and you will be amazed at the help you will recieve. I know this does not do much for the situation you are in now. Post pictures with questions or start a thread with you rebuild along with questions and your thread will light up like a Christmas tree.

When i bought my first Argo in 2006 i thought i was the only one in the world with a 8 wheel machine. Found this site and the world opened up. I thought all those old machines went the way of the dinosours. This site has a great group of people and have a great deal of knowledge and are willing to share.

I am happy that you are determined to get the machine right and once finished it will all be worth it. Look forward to seeing you final product.

Lewis

[xbunsenx]

I recently ordered a throttle cable and throttle lever from the last guy at RI. He was great and I received the cable fast and it came from Muddox in Indiana.

[amphibious drew]

I recently ordered a throttle cable and throttle lever from the last guy at RI. He was great and I received the cable fast and it came from Muddox in Indiana.

Galen is still in charge of parts orders as far as I know. He has been a part of RI for some time prior to Mudd-Ox taking over the brands. The good folks at Mudd-Ox are truly invested in the hobby in more ways than just money. Matt grew up having aatv's, created his own brand, and then purchased RI. I have had many conversations with him, and he has the passion and ambition to not only keep the brands alive, but to grow the brands, the industry, and the hobby. To do this, things will change from time to time. You cannot expect a new owner to run the business identically to how Jay ran it. Things always need to be changed, updated, and tweaked to make the brands all fit together in a logically for the business. This includes how parts are ordered and what is included. I would assume an axle assembly is the axle with the hub on it. That's it. I have purchased over 100 axles and never received any more or less than that. To assume any other parts are included without asking the question "what does it come with?" seems a bit off and would almost always result in disappointment. An axle assembly and hardware would most likely come with c-clips, spacers, washers, and a bolt but no bearings or sprockets if they offered an axle plus hardware package. To use the automobile example. If you order a dashboard assembly for you dodge truck, and assume it comes with a radio as well because it's in the dash, I guarantee you will be disappointed when only the dashboard shows up. However, there is nothing wrong with the manufacturer or the part. Most likely if you went on the web complaining about them not shipping your radio that fits right in the dashboard you ordered and you strongly felt it should have been included, Dodge still isn't going to send you a free radio. It's unfortunate that you did not know how the new axle was supposed to install and you have to slide it out and back in real quick, but we all have had our turns at putting things together at least 2 times and sometimes many more before we got it right. That's the wrenching side of this hobby. It is not for everybody, and even those of us who really like that aspect get frustrated with mistakes we make at times. The only real way to avoid ever doing something 2ce is to pay to get it done by a professional. That way when there is a mistake made, they are the ones pulling it apart multiple times not you. If you enjoy the wrenching side, ask questions on here prior to even calling and ordering parts. Our fellow members are more than happy to help steer you in the right direction.

[wfo]

"WTF I ASKED WAS THIS EVERTHING I NEEDED WHEN I TALKED TO GALAN AT RI I GAVE HIM THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE MAX"
.........i think the question he asked was not" A BIT OFF"..when i upgraded my 94 max to splined axels i'm pretty sure i asked the same question, " i want everything to do the upgrade except the bearings" and that is what i got the WHOLE 9 YARDS..
AND WHEN THE RADIO WAS NOT IN IT I DIDNT GET CRABBY BECAUSE I KNEW I DIDNT ASK FOR IT..
so yea sombody made a mistake, so WTF just own up to it and move on....

[jpswift1]

yea sombody made a mistake, so WTF just own up to it and move on....

Exactly, no excuses. A business should very promptly get back to the customer to try and make them happy and solve the issue. Making it right for the customer will generate positive word of mouth advertising which will quickly spread and have a positive impact on the business, take no action and leave the customer upset and the results will be quite the opposite.

[Matt O.]

Okay so I have the verdict. ... we the consumers are dealing with a rather shrewd business and it seems that when it is pertinent to have information readily available to you by the "experts" their only logical response is to blame someone else ... in the corp we called this a Barney or "the purple dinosaur" .... okay I contacted mudd ox and learned that they only purchased RI and all the disfunction they are not truly experts in the industry ... I say that because when you have an expertise in something such as an industry that has a very narrow market and only a handful of products such as amphibious atv's do you would not only know the ins and outs of your own products but also those of your competition. Example if I had an hvac guy come to my house and on the side of his truck it read Carrier " turn to the experts " but yet I had a lennox air conditioner in my home and the guy says well I am an expert on carrier systems but let me look at how your neighbors air conditioner is put together and I can tell you if yours is right I would probably call his boss and say "hey" why in the hell didn't you send someone out here that knows what the hell he is doing. But either way I could go on all night about it. ...... so when I finally got through to mudd ox today no one really had a plausible answer for me other than we will look into it . Oh and that every part and piece and screw and nut and bolt and whatever else you order will be an individual peice.. well thanks for selling me the ham bone and no meat . I appreciate you sending me the car but no tires thanks for the watch with no battery I love getting a the lamp with no cord or theydoor knob and no keys the shoes and no laces ... when I orde an axle assembly that's what the hell I want dont send me no surprises . I mean give me a break I am the consumer not the "expert" but rest assured my friends that will change ..The wheels are turning and you will one day see something that no one ever expected.

I normally do not respond to these threads because I am the owner of Mudd-Ox and Max and like to keep my post about vintage machines and trail rides to respect the no commercial post rules. I would like to fill everyone in what I see happening as the parts orders have been coming in. Jay was able to help most people with getting the correct parts for their machine and help retro fit / upgrade if needed because he had in his head all of the undocumented changes that Recreatives made over the years. There are many items even as simple as an axle that they produced two or three different styles, lengths, and inside bearing types but all have the same part number. There is no documentation what serial numbers had what style. This makes it very hard to help customers get what they need when the records are sketchy at best. For example, when the RIM was produced they started at a high serial number. The problem is now some years back the Max IV serial numbers caught up to the RIM serial numbers, and a customer will call saying they have a Max IV when they really have a RIM. The RIM looks like a Max IV but the drive train is very different. So know we have to make sure the serial numbers do not fall in that range. If they do we have to ask if it says RIM on the front or not. As I have learned about these issues I have asked Jay to help out and write down some notes on the history of changes and the odd ball items, but his notes are lacking. All of us here at Mudd-Ox are doing our best to help our customers out and keep their machines out on the trail for years to come.

Regards,

Matt