Hi: Are there any Hoot owners that could shed a little light on these machines? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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:-) I see you are a good citizen of London,Ontario. Curiously I recently saw an ad for an 08 Hoot in that area.I have watched some of the manufacturers videos on you tube and it sure looks capable.How would you compare the performance and capability of the Hoot compared with the Argo or Max? They have less power and are one person machines but the video sure made it look more akin to a quad with amphibian capabilities.I was impressed just missed an 01 in my region for a very reasonable price.In short I'm totally in the dark about the Hoot but have been six-wheeling for some time.Thanks for the reply. Eldon
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Hoot Info
Eldon, Let me tell you what I know.
The Hoot is quite different from the rest of the 6x6's out there, the main difference is the size at 49" wide and around 600 lbs it qualifies for most State trails. It fits in the back of any pickup (between the wheel wells).
Because of its light weight (low psi.) it rides over, not through most soft ground, especially with the Frontier tires which I recommend. These tires make it a totally different machine, very fast in the water, excellent ride @ 2 psi. and very sporty handling.
The drive system was designed by a Canadian and it patented. It does not have a traditional transmission (no gears) but instead has basically 2 drive belts. Reverse is accomplished via "reversing wheels". It is powered by a 15 hp. Kohler 4 stroke engine.
Eldon, the Hoot was designed as a cross-over between a quad and a 6x6, you straddle the seat, and steer with quad type handle bars. It also has a suspension seat that smooths out a lot of the bumps. The way it is geared you never run out of torque in forward, it will climb anything you throw at it. One of the weak areas is reverse, it doesn't have the same torque as forward, but is quite adequate.
Eldon, the real fun is driving it, it has a very light feel to it, and with its "true 6 wheel drive" can challenge other 6x6's in most terrain. But like most "new" products (even though its been around for about 12 years), has had its R&D problems. I still enjoy the Hoot, it is a fun machine.
Hope I answered some of you questions.Last edited by Mike; 07-14-2009, 10:11 PM.
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Hello Eldon.
BW6 answered most of the possible questions.
The hoot also has nice (on-land) cargo carrying capacity So long as you use straps or rope.
The ride was better than i had expected and as far as rough terrain such as commercial logging areas the hoot is very impressive.
In muck i was much less impressed. The hoot does not have the ground clearance required to handle even shallow ruts where an old 200cc straight axle atv has no problems.
Once the hoot's bottom/belley is flat against the muck it is stuck and almost impossible to rock from side to side in order to get loose. Unless you lean completely over one side. Even then it's not easy to shift its 600 lbs.
I did notice that not all basic package hoots are the same weight. I recently rented one at it was 742lbs . Somehow i doubt that a full tank of fuel weighs 100 lbs.
On a farm the hoot would be even better than a Honda Rancher or Foreman atv.
In loose or watery mud holes and swamps the hoot won me over.
In muddy trails where regular atvs or utvs have been. The hoot was a royal pain the back side.
On the water the hoot could float better. Not as good as an argo or max 6x6.
The hoot will obviously be a low upkeep cost aatv.
Good choice in engine. However i don't believe it has a backup recoil starter.
In the end i do enjoy driving the hoot more than an argo or max. Being 6'1" and hefty. I find most aatvs to be cramped as well as little leg room, not to mention the position of the controls feels more like i am playing with one of the original nintendo game controllers.
The hoot seat adjusts so that your legs won't be over or under bent on long trips.
Improvements to the hoot could be:
Taller tires (24")
Larger engine, about 18hp.
More accessible cargo room.
Trailer hitch could be a little longer.
Have fun.
Addendum:
One other concern. The hoots belly & skid plate are not mounted to much of a frame. I would very careful about lifting the front of the hoot with a 2x4 or a tree . Not unless you have a couple horizontal 2x6's (flat side) between the 2x4 or tree and the skid plate.
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Thanks MUDBUG3; glad you enjoyed it.
I wanted to try my J-wheelz on the hoot (4 tires only). However the J-wheelz do not fit to 22" tires.
I would be curious as to what J-wheelz would do to an AATV in general performance.
23" is the minimum tire size for J-wheelz, 25" is the maximum.
Honestly. With J-Wheelz on an otherwise useless in mud atv. Tends to go better than a 6x6. Except for the the floatation of course.
Even with only four of the six 6x6 wheels with J-Wheelz i am willing to wager that the hoot would be incredible.
Jwheelz - a new bolt-on attachment for ATVs and UTVs
Last edited by cobalt; 08-17-2009, 04:52 PM.
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cobalt
MightyMaxIV and myself have both talked about how well a Hoot would perform in extreme mud conditions with a set of J-Wheelz installed on it. MaxKing on the forum recently became a J-wheelz distributor. A man from J-Wheelz came to his house , took measurements off of the 26 inch rims that are on his Max IV , and made him a custom set. They also made him some foam inserts to put inside his 26 inch rims. So this can be done if they want to do it.Last edited by mudbug3; 08-17-2009, 06:28 PM.
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Right On
Hi Cobalt,
Thanks for the unbiased viewpoint of the Hoot ETV. I agree the Hoot could use some more HP, like a 18 or 23. On my last Hoot I installed the Argo Frontier 24" tires, and couldn't believe the performance difference over the 22" RH III's. With 2 psi. in those tires the ride was soft, and the traction incredible! Your right about the weight as well, as more accessories were added the weight increased.
With the 24" Argo tires, some torque loss in reverse was noticeable. I often wondered about those J-wheels, but haven't heard about anyone installing them on any 6x6. So for me the verdict is still out.
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Hello BW6 & MUDBUG3.
If Mightymax, MaxKing or yourself have a chance to make a video of the J-wheelz on a 6x6. I would enjoy seeing it.
I did size one of my 24" Kenda Executioners to the hoot (perspectively) and it will not fit. At least not without rubbing. Darn..
BW6. The J-wheelz live up to their claims on regular atvs. The teeth are replaceable as well.
I mentioned the 18HP to solve the reverse and when towing problems. A 3HP increase would smooth out the initial power transfer curve typical to cvt & belt drives.
Any how i still found the Hoot to be enjoyable. At around 12000$ + taxes including better wheels. Hmmm not bad.
Have fun.Last edited by cobalt; 08-17-2009, 09:28 PM.
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Thanks for all of the Hoot info guys. I made the decision to find one. Although I was stuck in the recent winter storm that past thru Arkansas the Hoot was alot of fun in the snow/ ice on the ground. I guess it was a money issue on the larger engine but like you I would like the larger twin under the hood.
BW6, do you have a supplier for Hoot wearables, like the belts and reverser wheels? Since the MFG has shut down since Aug '08 I guess we have to make due for parts. I'll have to look for the larger tires so the Frontier 24s fit? I know there's not much clearance with the Hoot fenders.
Southern Comfort Kid
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SCK, I found with the 24" Frontiers the Hoot became a totally awesome machine, no comparison to anything else. With the suspension seat and 2 psi. in the tires it was like riding on marshmallows! It was claimed but I never saw it that "Andy" the owner of the US operation installed a set of 25" tires (RHIII's?) and they fit, but you would need a sprocket change to gain the torque back. As far as "wearables", I have a line on a bunch of Hoot inventory so let me know what you want to order and I'll see what is available.
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24 Frontiers
BW6 Did you have to get the tires from a Argo dealer? I've checked the Carlisle website and a tire dealer but he never heard of a AT189 or Frontier. The 22 RHIII that came with it measure about 21" so maybe the 25s are actually only 24 and fit?
I don't know what parts you would recommend, but if they don't start production again (TN Sec of State website shows Knox Outdoor is dissolved) I would think that to hold me for a few years would be a set or 2 of belts and reverser wheels. What else? So maybe a price per set of all of that. Also is there a Shop manual or Parts manual (maybe on CD) available that gives more info than the owners manual?
With the Hoot and Knox websites down do you have any access to know who the dealers were? The only ones that come up on a websearch are 1 in Alaska and 1 in Arkansas.
Thanks,
SCK
Southern Comfort Kid
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