johnboys max 2 highboy

[john swenson]

ak, the extra ground and tire clearance is nice. i could have gone with bigger tires, but would have had to buy new tracks, tires and rims. just bought all those from adair last year !! only bearings inside are the center axle bearings. those are a easy change. only one brake chain inside. goes to the front left axle shaft, no wheel hub outside of course. i didn't weigh the frame, so i'm not sure of the extra weight. haven't noticed any difference. since i geared it down a bit, the 16 h.p. easily pulls up a good hill and took me thru a mud hole that buried the tracks. i later realized if i would have used pillow block bearing holders instead of the 4'' sq. flanges i could have gained another 4'' or so of frame clearance. not sure they would have been as strong though. i could put 4'' spacers between the tub and frame and really get up there !! i do like not having the tracks slap the tub. thinking i will be able to go thru 2' of snow now. john boy va.

[akcrawler]

John Boy,

It looks like this setup would be easier to clean in some situations. I do a lot of off-trail riding so I wrap up a lot of grass, wild rose bushes, and devil's club (a north country scourge that has nasty thorns) among other things around the axles. It is a real adventure reaching in around the tires to pull all of that off of the bearing rails and axles. If it were just grass...no problem. The thorns make it real interesting. On the one hand, what you have could tend to pick up even more stuff, but it is below the tub so somewhat easier to reach for removal. I could remove the tires every time I take it out and really clean it, but that is a lot of work...especially with tracks added into the mix.

You mentioned spraying off the mud, do you pick up much other debris that has to be manually removed?

[sgtlane04901]

Now we need blue prints.

[john swenson]

ak, we have blackberry bushes and heavy brush here. haven't noticed anything in particular getting wrapped around the axles or caught in the bearing flanges. seems everything just gets kinda smashed or pushed down. even more with the tracks. the only under surface besides the tub are the 4 parallel inch and a half frame rails. the dupont chain saver lube really keeps a lot of mud from sticking to the chain. what does rinses off easily with a hose as does the frame. so far i have no need to remove the tires for any cleaning. it is a lot easier to clean than unbolting and raising the tub top,pulling the drain plugs and washing the inside out. i'm thinking it will be easier to keep the chains cleaned and lubed. if your not in mud all the time they should stay fairly clean. i think this design being used just depends on how and where someone runs their machine, if it will work for them. i'm to post measurements or just describe how i did it if someone wants. of course it would vary for each model of machine, but the basic design would be the same. john boy va.

[john swenson]

do you guys think my max 2 highboy would steer with 4 28'' tires ? thanks, j.b.

[john swenson]

max 2 big tires

not sure this post went thru. was wondering if my max 2 would turn o.k. with 4 , 28'' tires. would use when i didn't need the tracks , thanks j.b.

[john swenson]

well after all the r @ d and testing the max, i'm really enjoying it. feels like all the bugs are worked out. ready for the oct. gathering. john boy va.

[flippy]

that thing is awesome!I wonder if some kind of leaf springs or coil springs could be used between the outer frame and the tub for some kind of suspension.Keeping chain tension on the middle drive might be a problem but I think it could be done.

[john swenson]

i think it would work other than keeping the drive chain tight. a spring loaded tensioner may work, but in order to have any suspension the springs couldn't be too stiff which means the chain would slack on each bump. i think the seat on a spring setup is better. j.b.

[flippy]

one great thing is the amount of time getting stuck from high centered trails is greatly reduced.Seems like every time I get stuck its from the center of the tub bottoming out and all 6 wheels just spinning,especially when driving through a well used trail that has turned into a pond .

[john swenson]

yes, at some point i am going to get 4 , 12'' offset rims and install 4 28'' tires on them just as a option on the max when not using the tracks. that would give me about 11'' ground clearance to the frame. that should be cool !! john boy va. if you ever have anyone coming down this way you are still welcome to my tracks. even if you do the frame design , the tracks are still fun.

[flippy]

great!I will have to figure a way to get to you some day.Unfortunatly for me all my travels to the inlaws take me west.I will figure something out one day.

[flippy]

how did you attach the exo frame to the original frame?Did you just use long grade 8 3/8" bolts and nuts with silicone for a water tight seal?

[john swenson]

flippy, i welded a angle bracket at each of the four bolt down points to the inside of the existing frame. then bolted thru that bracket,thru the tub , then thru the new frame. just going thru the tub is not strong enough. and i did use silicone sealer when installing the bolts. i used 1/2'' regular hex bolts. in order to tighten the 2 main drive chains, i put 1/2'' flat washers between the tub and new frame. if i need to tighten the chains i just loosen the nuts, jack the front or back of the body up till the chain tightens, then slip another washer or two on the bolt ( i cut a slit in the washer ) and tighten down. the main drive chains on mine were too short to get a idler to work good. and i only used 4 bolts to fasten the body and frame together. j.b.

[flippy]

ok,I thought going through the existing original steel frame then through the tub then to the exterior frame would be good enough.I am interested in where you welded onto your original frame.