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MAX IV: first impressions / improvement list
Damn! This thing moves! Who ever said these are slow!? I need someone to follow me on the road and clock my speed because I swear to God this thing was doing 30+ easily! Or did it just seem that way? Wow. Maybe I really DON'T want that high speed clutch! LOL Now I'm afraid I might accidentally flip it in a too-fast turn. Zoinks!!
Yes, those 26" Terra-Grips are nice-n-grabby, but the narrow sidewall = back agony. They're also a little too good at tearing the hell out of my lawn. Oops! They will have to go as soon as budget allows, and 9" rims from Matt O. and either 25" Goodyear RH III's or some other tires with at least a partial-chevron cleat design will take their place. My spine's telling me I need more cushion than traction.
Having admitted that, a single tractor seat swap is first on the list. I'll be mounting it much closer to the floor while I'm at it, for a lower center of gravity. Of course lowering it will necessitate modifying the new seat further, with an adjustable slider bracket, like the ones I installed on my CJ7, so I can move it forward whenever I have passengers. I'll probably leave the mounts for the stock bench - just in case I need to transport four people.
Speaking of passengers... Has anyone ever tried mounting side-by-side seats in place of the rear bench? Either ones from a current production side-x-side, (Rhino, Sportsman, Gator, etc.) ...or even small car or truck seats? I seem to recall in another thread where a member ("Killr" ?) installed two re-covered seats in his Max II that were sourced from, I believe, a Suzuki Samurai. That sounds like a GREAT idea for better support & increased comfort for folks riding in the back half of the Max IV. Either that or shoehorning in a pair of suspension tractor seats? I'm going to see about somehow hopefully lowering the height on the new rear units also. Perhaps relocating the battery somewhere else - maybe building a suspended frame to mount it in the dead space to the right of the engine where the spare belt usually sits.
Next... some sort of heat insulation & sound deadening material (I think I still have a big chunk of Dynamat laying around somewhere in the garage left over from my Cherokee mods). I intend to put it behind the passenger section to cool and quiet the cab area to some degree. I'm also thinking of a rear window, rubber-mounted to the roll cage behind the rear passenger seat; mainly to aid in keeping noise away from the cabin, but also to help deflect heat and keep any rear-stored gear from accidentally tumbling into the back of the cab and hitting unsuspecting passengers on the head.
Regarding the engine area... Has anyone ever modified the top of the engine shroud by mounting a vented hood, like those on the Argo (or the old Terra Tiger), setting it up to face the rear of the Max IV - to redirect noise out the back away from the riders?? Of course that could impact engine air flow, which might mean fabbing up some side scoops to help direct more air into the engine bay?
A somewhat better-designed roll cage that fully wraps the entire perimeter of the upper/lower tub seam is in order. Integrating a winch plate and brush guard are 'must-haves' for this project, too. Adding a rubber-coated wire mesh between the front-to-rear bars of the roll cage seems a practical way to utilize this area of wasted space for an overhead gear rack.
A powerful and reliable, yet small 2500/3500lb. winch is on the "want" list, too. (Any suggestions / recommendations?)
Finally, I want straight control sticks. I do not care for the outward pointing stock units at all. Piss poor ergonomic design. Either some that sit straight up or even angled slightly inward, towards each other will have to be bought or more likely made.
Jeez... I didn't intend to make this thread start out sounding like a hater's rant. This new machine is a BEAST and I like it. These are just a few things I thought could stand improving that popped into my head during my first shakedown run. (and my second, and third, and...
)
Any other ideas / suggestions / rants / raves ?????
Yes, those 26" Terra-Grips are nice-n-grabby, but the narrow sidewall = back agony. They're also a little too good at tearing the hell out of my lawn. Oops! They will have to go as soon as budget allows, and 9" rims from Matt O. and either 25" Goodyear RH III's or some other tires with at least a partial-chevron cleat design will take their place. My spine's telling me I need more cushion than traction.
Having admitted that, a single tractor seat swap is first on the list. I'll be mounting it much closer to the floor while I'm at it, for a lower center of gravity. Of course lowering it will necessitate modifying the new seat further, with an adjustable slider bracket, like the ones I installed on my CJ7, so I can move it forward whenever I have passengers. I'll probably leave the mounts for the stock bench - just in case I need to transport four people.
Speaking of passengers... Has anyone ever tried mounting side-by-side seats in place of the rear bench? Either ones from a current production side-x-side, (Rhino, Sportsman, Gator, etc.) ...or even small car or truck seats? I seem to recall in another thread where a member ("Killr" ?) installed two re-covered seats in his Max II that were sourced from, I believe, a Suzuki Samurai. That sounds like a GREAT idea for better support & increased comfort for folks riding in the back half of the Max IV. Either that or shoehorning in a pair of suspension tractor seats? I'm going to see about somehow hopefully lowering the height on the new rear units also. Perhaps relocating the battery somewhere else - maybe building a suspended frame to mount it in the dead space to the right of the engine where the spare belt usually sits.
Next... some sort of heat insulation & sound deadening material (I think I still have a big chunk of Dynamat laying around somewhere in the garage left over from my Cherokee mods). I intend to put it behind the passenger section to cool and quiet the cab area to some degree. I'm also thinking of a rear window, rubber-mounted to the roll cage behind the rear passenger seat; mainly to aid in keeping noise away from the cabin, but also to help deflect heat and keep any rear-stored gear from accidentally tumbling into the back of the cab and hitting unsuspecting passengers on the head.
Regarding the engine area... Has anyone ever modified the top of the engine shroud by mounting a vented hood, like those on the Argo (or the old Terra Tiger), setting it up to face the rear of the Max IV - to redirect noise out the back away from the riders?? Of course that could impact engine air flow, which might mean fabbing up some side scoops to help direct more air into the engine bay?
A somewhat better-designed roll cage that fully wraps the entire perimeter of the upper/lower tub seam is in order. Integrating a winch plate and brush guard are 'must-haves' for this project, too. Adding a rubber-coated wire mesh between the front-to-rear bars of the roll cage seems a practical way to utilize this area of wasted space for an overhead gear rack.
A powerful and reliable, yet small 2500/3500lb. winch is on the "want" list, too. (Any suggestions / recommendations?)
Finally, I want straight control sticks. I do not care for the outward pointing stock units at all. Piss poor ergonomic design. Either some that sit straight up or even angled slightly inward, towards each other will have to be bought or more likely made.
Jeez... I didn't intend to make this thread start out sounding like a hater's rant. This new machine is a BEAST and I like it. These are just a few things I thought could stand improving that popped into my head during my first shakedown run. (and my second, and third, and...
)Any other ideas / suggestions / rants / raves ?????
That really is how a Max II should look sitting at a dealer's showroom. Well, a full option one anyways. Is the wheel pushed when in Fwd and pulled when in Rev?(I would think this way would allow you to still use the T-20 to brake, not just relying on the aux. brakes) Or do you have the F/R lever acting on the linkage from the wheel to adjust which set of bands are pulled? (Trying to picture how it could be done, if you went this route, please post many pictures, not that I'm going to a wheel but I'm most curious 
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