Thinking of making the jump to a Max

[Growler]

Hello all and thank you for allowing me to join this community.

A bit about myself, I'm an avid ice fisherman and the wife is pressing me to be more careful when on the ice. I've been searching for an amphibious atv for a while and I think I came across one. I found a 2010 Max 2, I've contacted the dealer and am waiting to see what the specs are on it. They actually had it listed as an Argo Max, so I'm going to have to wait till I get more info as it wasn't listed correctly. It is going for 4k though so I feel this is a good deal. It has the roll cage, seat belts, meters, and winch with plow but I'd mainly be using it for ice fishing and maybe hunting.

Can anyone more experienced give me advice on what to check out when I go look at it (earliest I can go there is next week). I want to be sure I'm not getting myself into something that is going to leave me stranded 3 miles from shore. Thank you for your time.

[tbone9]

Hello and welcome to the site. I use a Max IV for ice fishing for the safety factor as well. First of all if you plan on running tracks the machine will have to be set up for that. It must have three bearings per axel which supports the axel all the way to the hubs to handle the extra stress of the tracks. You can also check the bearings by jacking the wheels off the ground and check for play by trying to wiggle the wheels. Check the sprockets and chains for wear. This will give you a good start what to look for. If you have more questions feel free to ask. There's tons of great help and advice on here.

[john swenson]

hey growler...welcome !! first of all the general appearance of the max can hopefully tell you if it's been taken care of.fairly well . main things are the chains,sprockets, axle bearings ( when jacked up do the wheel and axle have ''play'' in them, etc. ) tires good ? start and run smooth, trans shift easily into gear and does machine turn well right and left ? if it's a dealer that is familiar with these machines , hopefully he has checked most things and repaired any needed parts, etc. most stuff on a max is pretty easy to repair if your somewhat mechanical and enjoy doing that. anyway, that's a few pointers and others will chime in..keep us posted and good luck. johnboy va.

[Growler]

Hello and welcome to the site. I use a Max IV for ice fishing for the safety factor as well. First of all if you plan on running tracks the machine will have to be set up for that. It must have three bearings per axel which supports the axel all the way to the hubs to handle the extra stress of the tracks. You can also check the bearings by jacking the wheels off the ground and check for play by trying to wiggle the wheels. Check the sprockets and chains for wear. This will give you a good start what to look for. If you have more questions feel free to ask. There's tons of great help and advice on here.

Thank you tbone, I didn't realize that about the tracks. in your opinion how necessary are tracks? I live in Syracuse, NY and fish in the snowiest part of the country here and there (Northern NY- Chaumont Bay). I've been running snowmobiles the past few years and honestly don't see anything other than snowmobiles and 4 wheelers.

I'll definitely check the sprockets and chains for wear as well as the wheels. Thank you for your advice.

One more question, the engine has 380 hours for a 2010, is this a reasonable amount of hours?

[Growler]

hey growler...welcome !! first of all the general appearance of the max can hopefully tell you if it's been taken care of.fairly well . main things are the chains,sprockets, axle bearings ( when jacked up do the wheel and axle have ''play'' in them, etc. ) tires good ? start and run smooth, trans shift easily into gear and does machine turn well right and left ? if it's a dealer that is familiar with these machines , hopefully he has checked most things and repaired any needed parts, etc. most stuff on a max is pretty easy to repair if your somewhat mechanical and enjoy doing that. anyway, that's a few pointers and others will chime in..keep us posted and good luck. johnboy va.

Thank you John. I'll definitely check the wheels and tires. It looks clean in pictures but I question how much the dealer knows because it is listed as an Argo Max IV when its definitely a II and obviously not an Argo.

How do these fair in cold weather, like really cold -25ish. Would I need to run a block heater on it with an extra battery to ensure it'll start?

[tbone9]

In my opinion tracks are a necessity for fishing. I can go out no matter what the conditions are. I sometimes travel a long ways and don't need a trip ruined because I can't get on the lake. 380 hrs is a fair amount. It all boils down to if it was well kept. Chains lubed and adjusted bearing greased. I'll field your other question as well as I don't believe the cold starts should be an issue just run synthetic oil to make it easier.

[Growler]

Excellent, thank you tbone! The setup doesn't come with tracks but I can always get some after market. I really appreciate all the help, I wrote the dealer and I'll try to get there and check it out.

[marauder]

I wouldn't be too concerned that the dealer listed it as an Argo Max, lots of people do that so that in case someone is doing a search for an AATV and just uses one of the names the vehicle will still come up on the search, seen it done all the time on Craigslist. I'd be more concerned that it is listed as a IV instead of a II. Is this an AATV dealer or just a general off road machine dealer trading in quads, side-by-sides, etc.? Hopefully if it is the latter he knows a little something about the AATVs. Good luck with it.

[simpleman]

hey growler i too just got a max2 and have a place on chaumont bay after that kid floated out on an ice patch i fiquired it was time lol