Max II doesn't move, just spins in water.

[Swampghost]

Today I got up the nerve to cross into my creek with my Max II. I have the smaller tires on the machine. Got into the creek ok, was pleased how it moves through shallow water while moving over cattails, etc... In open water, wheels just spin with no movement while trying to move forward. Will move slowly in reverse. There was just a little crosswind. Think it might be a tire issue as I was not stuck. Floats real well. Thanks for the help.

[Mike]

What tires do you have and what direction are they mounted?

[Swampghost]

Hi Mike I have 21X11X8 in tires mounted with the arrow point facing forward. The only other tires that came with the used machine are 22X11X8 (no rims).

[hydromike]

What brand tires are you running? The tread pattern (as well as tread direction) makes all the difference in the world with regard to swimming ability. The Vs of the tire (or arrows) should be facing backward at the top of the tire to increase swimming speed. If you're talking about the arrow on the sidewall of the tire, that indicates the manufacturer's suggested driving direction for maximum traction. Unfortunately, best swimming speed and best traction are more often than not a trade-off.

[Noel Woods]

To get the maximum swim speed you may even have to play with tire orientation, on my Max2s and Max 4 I mount the rear tires according to the arrow for forward, and on the other 4 tires reverse the order. That is based on having a swimmer tire. Depending on what tires you have , you may not have tires designed for swimming. What tires do you have? Only a handful of tires actually swim.

[Swampghost]

Thanks guys The tires I currently have mounted are Carlisle Power Trac II 21X11:00X8 NHS The point of the "V" on the actual tread of the tire is pointing ahead. I have tubes inside the tire. The machine will swim backwards but not forwards.

I have a second set of tires that don't have rims. They are sitting idle. They happen to be Goodyear Rawhide III Terra Tire
21X11:00X8 - NHS

The only swimming I need to do is get across my creek that is 180 ft across. It has varying depths with some silt in places.

[hydromike]

Turn your Carlisle around so the V is pointing backward. This'll get better swim speed in the forward direction. Your Rawhides will swim as well as long as the Vs are point backward in the same fashion. These are about identical to the Goodyear Rawhide Is. I'm betting your Rawhide IIs are actually 22x11-8s. They're nice tires that might ride a bit better than the 21" Carlisles, but I don't know if they'll swim as well on a Max II.

[Swampghost]

Oops, yes the rawhides are 22 inch. Will try reversing the v. Thanks very much.

[allwheeldrive]

Not to derail the thread, but I always wondered if snow chains would help swimming speed. They sure as heck help all other movement speed in mud, slush etc. Not sure if they would work like a paddle or the water would just pass in and around the links.

[philipatmaxfour]

Not to derail the thread, but I always wondered if snow chains would help swimming speed. They sure as heck help all other movement speed in mud, slush etc. Not sure if they would work like a paddle or the water would just pass in and around the links.

I bet the chains will do nothing for speed in the water. Its fun to watch the things that people try. Goodyear super terra grips like on Max 4s and the new argo tires are the only things that i have tried that go pretty well. Please let us know.

[Swampghost]

Hi Switched the arrow of the first four tires to point backwards. The machine now moves but slow in the water. One thing I noticed is that it tends to pull hard to the left. When you hold the stick, only one side moves and it just kind of sit in the water. Had to use an oar to get some windage to line up into the turn. I'm thinking I might as well move the last two tires in the rear also so that the arrow of all the tires are pointing backwards. I probably should see how the tire pressure and circumference measures for all six tires. What do you suggest? Thank you.

[liflod]

I agree with everything your planning on doing. All 6 need to be aimed the right direction.
Also, leaning into a water turn helps significantly.

[Noel Woods]

Max2s have some other quirks to check if its not in the tire pressure. Chain tension is a major culprit of lack of power, deflection should be from .5-.75 inches at the mid point.

The other issue that I've seen on multiple machines if for the set screw to work out of the middle sprocket, this allows either too much slack or binding of the middle and front axles as the sprocket floats on the axle tube. When this happens the rear end will get most of the power and the tell-tail sign is that the machine will sit really low in water towards the back of the machine. The other axles may still turn but the bulk of the power is lost.

[Mike]

I think liflod's suggestion is probably all you need. The engine sits off to one side in your Max II so it is not perfectly centered. That alone will cause it to steer better to the left. You have to get used to shifting your body weight around. If you slide over to the right, lean and pull back on the right stick, you should turn better to that side. You don't have to lean with it, but at least make sure you have the weight balanced out with the motor which will probably require you to slide to the right of center a little.

[Swampghost]

Got busy stacking wood but reversed the last two tires for all six. Looking forward to trying it out. Thank you all for the help. You guys are great.