My Max II shudders, acts/feels like tires spinning, going up a steep incline

[famvburg]

Ive been able to play with my '03 Max II regularly here lately. However, I've noticed when going up some pretty steep ditch banks & the like, as it starts to peak, it starts shuddering, like the tires are spinning & trying to get a grip. In fact, I thought that was it the first couple of times. However, yesterday I noticed it's not tearing up the ground behind me, like I'd expect if the tires were indeed trying to get a grab. I'm running Rawhide IIIs, so I think I should see some evidence if they were spinning on the grass or mud. It doesn't pull to either side when it does this & the belt isn't squealing either. I just want to make sure this is either normal or if it needs attention, I do it sooner than later. I called myself searching for something like this earlier, but maybe I didn't use the right words, so I apoligize in advance if I'm doubling up on something. Thanks for any advice.

[hydromike]

Hey Fam'...

The first thing that comes to my mind (if your tires aren't spinning, and the belt isn't slipping) is that the bands are slipping on the drums in the transmission. Since the Max II comes from the factory with spring-loaded laterals, many folks let the springs do the work, and don't actually push the sticks forward enough when needed. If you only experience the shuddering when the machine is under a lot of load, this may be the problem.

Try it again and see if it makes any difference when you really push hard. If something is slipping, it has to be the belt on one of the clutches, the tires, or the bands. Everything else that would "slip" (chains jumping teeth on the sprockets) would make a very horrendous noise.

~m

[famvburg]

Hmm. That may be. When I got it last summer, when going up a hill, I tended to pull back on the sticks. Being a pilot, I guess that's the instinct, pull back to go up. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but maybe I am leaning back just a bit, so that could be it. My Max has only about 173 hours on it, so I'm hoping nothing's that badly worn or out of adjustment. Thanks, I'll check it out in a few days.

[famvburg]

I took the Max out this afternoon for an hour or so. I pulled some pretty steep inclines, including my usual ones that I hit. I made sure the sticks were shoved forward all the way & no more shuddering! There's a little bit of slack in my sticks & if I relax just the slightest, they're not full forward. I wouldn't have thought that tiny bit of slack would have hurt, but it apparently does. Thanks for the suggestion.

[mad_max_500cc]

ive done that before myself always got to shove those sticks forward when climbing to prevent band damage!!!!