Sidewinder?

[Muddin907]

Hello all! I recently purchased what the previous owner stated as a hustler but after researching and looking at different posts on here I think it might be a sidewinder instead. Took it for a test drive and seems to run good. Only problem I suspect it the brakes aren't working properly( or it might just be and I don't know) since this is my first amphibious atv I am fairly new to this world. Can any one shed some light? I would like to get to know this machine better! Thanks in advance!!!

[JoeMeg]

Hi Muddin907,welcome to the site. Does your machine have a jet pump? I'm looking at the lever on the left side with the chrome ball knob on it.

Joe.

[Muddin907]

Hi Muddin907,welcome to the site. Does your machine have a jet pump? I'm looking at the lever on the left side with the chrome ball knob on it.

Joe.

Hey there Joe and thank you for the welcome. It might be from the angle of the photo but there's no knob on there it's the volt gauge on the side alongside the winch controller. No jet pump. Here's a better picture.

[hydromike]

That's certainly a Sidewinder... good research pays off!

So, what are the brakes doing that lead you to believe that they may not be acting right? Describe its behavior during tight and wide turns and when going in forward and reverse. Are you getting a lot of "chatter" at the sticks?

Welcome to the Site... Nice looking machine...

[Muddin907]

Hey there Mike! Well from what I understand, again I might be wrong and brakes works perfectly fine, but when your driving along and want to stop, it just keeps rolling. It turns and goes just fine, no chatters at the stick. Only concern is if I'm on a trail and headed downhill and want to stop? From what the previous owner told me, all I do is release the sticks and it should lock up? It doesn't seem to do so. This is my very first aatv so I might not be doing something right here.

[amphibious drew]

Great find! Welcome to the site.

[hydromike]

Only concern is if I'm on a trail and headed downhill and want to stop?

Oh... these machines don't do that. We usually just plan a good route to the bottom. .

All kidding aside.... pull both on BOTH sticks to stop the vehicle completely, or to hold it on a hill. One very important note is that the machine MUST be in gear in order for the laterals to hold it on a hill. If you shift in into neutral, the sticks are useless, and THEN you really need a good route to the bottom.

So ... ahem... let's summarize.

gear selector in forward: Pressure on both sticks to go forward, relieve pressure on left stick to turn left slowly, pull back firmly to BRAKE the left side to turn left quickly. Vise-Versa for right hand turns.

gear selector in reverse: Pressure on both sticks toward you (pull backwards) to go in the reverse direction. Relieve pressure on either stick to turn in either direction slowly, or push the stick all way forward on either side to make a more rapid reverse-turn.

The T-20 transmissions have a ton of breaking surface on the drums, so it's a pretty efficient brake. You'll get used to it pretty quickly once you spend some time behind the sticks. The tricky part comes when you're bouncing around at 30mph or so...



You'll get the hang of it....

[Andyman]

nice roll cage, looks beefy

[Muddin907]

Oh... these machines don't do that. We usually just plan a good route to the bottom. .

All kidding aside.... pull both on BOTH sticks to stop the vehicle completely, or to hold it on a hill. One very important note is that the machine MUST be in gear in order for the laterals to hold it on a hill. If you shift in into neutral, the sticks are useless, and THEN you really need a good route to the bottom.



So ... ahem... let's summarize.

gear selector in forward: Pressure on both sticks to go forward, relieve pressure on left stick to turn left slowly, pull back firmly to BRAKE the left side to turn left quickly. Vise-Versa for right hand turns.

gear selector in reverse: Pressure on both sticks toward you (pull backwards) to go in the reverse direction. Relieve pressure on either stick to turn in either direction slowly, or push the stick all way forward on either side to make a more rapid reverse-turn.

The T-20 transmissions have a ton of breaking surface on the drums, so it's a pretty efficient brake. You'll get used to it pretty quickly once you spend some time behind the sticks. The tricky part comes when you're bouncing around at 30mph or so...



You'll get the hang of it....

Nice! I do appreciate the detailed input. I was wondering why it was stuck solid and not moving when I had sticks fully pulled toward me! I feel stupid now Haha. It's always great to know that there's a online community like this that I can turn for my newbie questions! Guess the guy that sold it to me didn't know how to drive it either as he told me it stops when you release it. Thanks again!!!! I can't wait to take it out again!!!

[Muddin907]

Oh one new thing I was looking to get some 22x11x8 rawhide III tires for this. Are these tires good and at 100 a pop am I getting a decent deal? If not, any recommendations? Tires are holding air except one in the right middle. I heard this can affect performance off-road quite a bit or should I not be too worried?

[amphibious drew]

That seems like a good price for the tire if it's new. Used tires can fetch that much and more because people like them and they are no longer in production.

[hydromike]

The Rawhide IIIs are a pretty decent tire for an AATV, and about the biggest tire you can fit on your Hust...oops... Sidewinder with your 8" rims. They'll fill it out nicely. They're not producing them any more, so if you find some and decide you need them, go for it. There are several other tires that you can fit on it, but if you really want to swim, you'll need to gravitate towards certain brands that swim better. Most of the tires that swim well and handle mud well are found in the 9" rim variety. Your machine is basically a Hustler 900/950 body, and there's lots and lots of discussion about what tires people like on them.

For instance....

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/hustler-atvs/27600-hustler-950-swim-gbc-gators.html

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/hustler-atvs/27947-25-inch-tires-hustler.html

http://www.6x6world.com/forums/hustler-atvs/23206-largest-tire-hustler-950-a.html

For best performance, you'll want to have all six tires pretty close in circumference. That doesn't necessarily mean the same air pressure, though. You'll want to find the leak in the one center tire and try to get it fixed, or replace it if necessary. It might just be a rim leak; yank it off an give it the 'ol soapy water test.