Climbing Ability MaxII

[fraundo]

I am wondering how steep of a grade people are able to climb with a MaxII. I feel like mine starts slipping before it should. Belt wear is OK. Anyone out there climbing hills and have an opinion on this?

[Jeff t-boss]

Alot of it depends on what tire tread you are useing, what kind of terrain you are on, what kind of load you are carrying, and how much throttle you are applying while you climb. All manufacturers will tell you what grade their vehicle will take, but that is under ideal circumstances as built from the factory.

[thebuggyman1]

It should climb like a goat. On a t-20 trans, you have to push the sticks forward to prevent the bands from slipping under heavy load like steep hills.

[Eldon]

I believe a Max II will climb a grade of 42-45 degrees.Again as Jeff t-boss pointed out depends on tread and the terrain.Not a good practice to seek out the steepest grade to practice on.Personally I would much prefer to run out of traction before flipping over backwards which a 6x6 can do.Running out of traction is no picnic either.If you do,... don't touch the shift lever,just feather the sticks with some throttle on tap to back down the grade using forward as a brake.A Max is a first cousin of a farm tractor out of gear on a steep hill.

[fraundo]

OK it sounds like from the replies that I should lose traction tires spinning as it tries to climb and digs a hole. I have engine wide open and my tires do not spin which is either belt slip or not fully enagaging clutch. I should have enough power to spin the tires trying to get up a hill and I do not for some reason get the power to the tires. Thanks

[Mike]

Like buggyman1 suggested, make sure you push the sticks forward HARD while you are trying to climb a steep hill. It is easy to become reliant on the springs to hold your sticks forward and then not realize you have to push forward to fully engage the transmission. I know it sounds simple but try that and see what happens. If your belt was slipping you should be able to hear it squeal or smell it burn a little.

[Jeff t-boss]

OK it sounds like from the replies that I should lose traction tires spinning as it tries to climb and digs a hole. I have engine wide open and my tires do not spin which is either belt slip or not fully enagaging clutch. I should have enough power to spin the tires trying to get up a hill and I do not for some reason get the power to the tires. Thanks

You mentioned belt slip here. If your belt is slipping on these climbs, you WILL smell it burning. I'd be inclined to think that you are not fully engaging the tranny. Like the folks said, push the sticks HARD and see if it makes a difference.