Max II going up very long hills?

[neveroddoreven]

I recently bought a used ~1995 Max II with a 2008 Vanguard 23 HP engine, and have yet to take it out on anything serious. Assuming its T20 is in good condition, what is the chance of success in trying to drive up -- and back down -- a winding canyon-side gravel road with some talus patches, that looks from Google Earth to be about 2.5 miles and averaging 15% grade? Engine and T20 heat on way up, continuous braking wear on T20 way down, adequacy of auxiliary brake on way down, belt wear, anything else of concern?

[msafi65]

Uphill is easy for the max. Forward down steep hills under control is a learned skill. Try to drive down the hill with engine speed just enough to apply clutches. When you pull stick back part way it releases that side. It steers the opposite direction until braking that side. Absolutely do not regulate your speed by braking with transmission. I’ve had T20s come in that actually caught the fluid on fire from braking on long steep downhills. I apply the foot brakes and drive down steep stuff with quick steering movements on sticks. You can use the sticks to stop the vehicle just don’t use transmission for braking.

[onlyonce]

I will second always having a brake in addition to the trans. If something goes wrong with either the trans or drive chain you are going to have a very exciting ride down.

[dirtdobber]

Neveroddoreven there is something else you need to know about steep slopes and the T20 transmission. The braking action of the laterals is robust as you can tell from turning the machine (but follow the advice above regarding heat buildup and low throttle, etc). However, that braking action is horrible if the machine is rolling in the wrong direction. For example, if you are in forward gear headed up hill, but for some reason the machine starts rolling backwards, the braking action of pulling back on the laterals will be of little help. Same is true for reverse gear but rolling forward. I believe the difference is that when the machine is rolling in the right direction the rotation of the internal drum actually tightens the braking band, but rolling in the wrong direction the drum tries to loosen the band. Be careful on steep hills!

[john swenson]

sounds like your best bet if this is where you will be riding alot is to upgrade to some quality disc brakes for your machine . seems i have seen some posts on here in the past that some have done . good discs and big calipers . johnboy va.

[neveroddoreven]

Thanks all for your comments about the mechanical aspects, and the handling tips. The foot brakes don't do anything on this used unit. I will get them into good working order for sure before I try any hills. I'm in Western WA, and from what I gather, most of our interesting Green Dot OHV terrain has a lot of ascent/descent to offer.

[ARGOJIM]

Your first line concerns me as to wanting to attempt this rather quickly. I would get some experience first on smaller shorter slopes and go from there.
Do Not SHIFT On A Hill. Please

[neveroddoreven]

Understood ARGOJIM about your concern. I share it. The canyonside is unforgiving, hence my question in the first place (-: I have about three weeks to get everything in order, including my experience. I plan to heed the many warnings about not shifting on a hill. Thankfully it's a Green Dot road in WA, wide enough for a full size pickup. Should I decide to turn tail, I think I can do so by skid steering in a little circle (pulling around toward the canyon wall, not the dropoff side) and avoid use of the shifter altogether.

[john swenson]

how about for extra safety a heavy anchor and chain ... anyway take your time and be careful . j.b.

[neveroddoreven]

Thanks again to those who replied with suggestions. After testing on flat and then mild hills, I tried a steeper incline yesterday chunky/toothy gravel for a quarter mile. The foot brake works just fine if I press it firmly, to come to a stop and stay there whether downhill or up. Stopping distance isn't great but it has holding power and certainly enough drag to allow me to use it combined with a little throttle on one side or other to turn a bit if I need to finish a slow tight turn without fumbling through the transmission's coast zones. Tested doing a couple of turnarounds as well, it's not super hard but just need to do a five pointer to keep myself very comfortably away from the dropoff.