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Amphibious Encyclopedia · ATVs and work machines

MAX amphibious 6x6 ATV

MAX is a line of small six-wheel-drive amphibious all-terrain vehicles originally built by Recreatives Industries of Buffalo, New York, and in production from about 1970 [1][4]. A MAX has a floating plastic body, skid steering worked by two hand levers, and tires that paddle it slowly across calm water [1]. After passing through several owners, the line went back into production in Bradenton, Florida, in 2024 [1][4].

MAX six-wheel amphibious ATV on rubber tracks with a camouflage canvas top at an exhibition
A MAX amphibious ATV fitted with rubber tracks, at the Arms and Hunting 2008 exhibition.Photo: Vitaly V. Kuzmin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

History

Recreatives Industries was founded in 1969 and put the MAX into production in Buffalo, New York, in 1970, according to Silodrome [1]. The company's own accounts differ slightly: a 2021 press release and a 2023 letter from its current chief executive date the start of production to 1969, while a 2024 release says MAX vehicles were built in Buffalo from 1970 to 2013 [2][4][5]. Models over the years included the two-seat MAX II, the four-seat MAX IV and the Buffalo Truck, a two-seat utility version with a powered tilting bed [1][9]. Between 1985 and 2008, 22 MAX vehicles appeared as prizes on the US television game show The Price Is Right [1][10].

Recreatives sold the line in 2013 [1][9]. The new owner, Mudd-Ox, built the MAX in Shipshewana, Indiana, until 2016 [1][2]. Agile Vehicle Technologies, a British company, owned the brand from 2016 [2]. On 26 November 2021 Planet Resource Recovery, a Sarasota, Florida, company headed by Andrew Lapp, bought the product line, tooling and intellectual property from Agile [5]. Estimates of how many were built before the pause vary: the 2021 release says more than 25,000 between 1969 and 2016, while Lapp's 2023 letter gives more than 20,000 over 47 years [2][5].

In 2023 the company took the Recreatives Industries name, and on 1 September 2023 two tractor-trailers set out from New York with what was left of the original Buffalo factory's tooling, bound for a new plant in Bradenton, Florida [2][3]. A maker post that October planned full production from January 2024 [3]. By the company's own account, MAX 2 production actually resumed in June 2024, and it forecast 300 to 400 MAX 2s for 2025 [4]. In February 2026 the Business Observer reported that the company, traded over the counter as RECX, had agreed with a manufacturer's representative to sell the full MAX range nationwide, and that it planned to bring back the four-seat MAX 4 and the Buffalo Truck during 2026 [6]. The maker's website listed both as returning in summer 2026, while Silodrome, writing in October 2026, described them as expected 2027 models [1][7][8].

Design and how it works

The MAX has upper and lower body shells of high-density polyethylene, and its six stub axles are sealed where they pass through the hull [1]. Chains carry the drive to the axles [1][8]. Silodrome says an early prototype used a belt drive before the company settled on the T-20, a skid-steer transmission originally developed by Borg-Warner [1][8]. The T-20 behaves much like a pair of planetary gearboxes, each serving the three wheels on one side [1]. Each of the driver's two hand levers controls one side, moving it between forward drive, neutral and braking, which lets the MAX turn in place [1]. In water the spinning tires push it along like paddles [1]. The maker sells a removable rubber track kit for deep snow, mud and swamps [8].

Silodrome describes the 2027-model MAX 2 as having a fuel-injected 627 cc Briggs & Stratton Vanguard V-twin of 23 hp (17 kW) and weighing about 730 lb (331 kg) [1]. The maker lists speeds of 24 mph (39 km/h) on land and 3 mph (5 km/h) in water, and a towing capacity of 1,000 lb (454 kg) [7]. Silodrome gives about 2.5 to 3 mph (4 to 5 km/h) on flat water [1]. The MAX 4 is 96 in (2.44 m) long, weighs about 805 lb (365 kg) and seats four adults, with a roll cage and seat belts as standard [8]. The base MAX 2 was listed at $14,699 in November 2024 and from $15,279 in October 2026 [1][4].

Uses

Silodrome reports that hunters have used MAX vehicles as small boats for duck hunting, anglers to reach remote water, and search and rescue, forestry, oil exploration and survey crews for work off road, and that the type has seen some limited military use [1]. The maker's current website also lists farming, industrial work and oil and gas operations [7]. The company says its North American dealer network once had more than 200 MAX dealers, and it has been rebuilding that network since the restart [4][6].

Sources

  1. For Sale: A 6x6 MAX 2 880-S, an ATV That Doubles as a Boat (Ben Branch), Silodrome (2026-10-26). silodrome.com/max-2-880-s-amphibious-6x6-atv
  2. Letter from the CEO: Introduction and MAX Tooling Moves to Florida (Andrew Lapp), MAX ATVs (Recreatives Industries) (2023-09-10). maxatvs.com/letter-from-the-ceo-introduction-max-tooling-moves-to-florida
  3. What Have We Been Up To?, MAX ATVs (Recreatives Industries) (2023-10-26). maxatvs.com/?p=2200
  4. Recreatives Industries, Inc. (OTC:RECX) Partners with FreedomRoad Financial to Offer Consumer Financing for New MAX Amphibious ATVs, ACCESSWIRE press release, via Stock Titan (2024-11-04). stocktitan.net/news/RECX/recreatives-industries-inc-otc-recx-partners-with-freedom-road-dlfvl4xvwgl3.html
  5. Planet Resource Recovery, Inc. Acquires MAX Amphibious Six-Wheel Drive All-Terrain Vehicles, ACCESSWIRE press release, via Stock Titan (2021-11-29). www.stocktitan.net/news/PRRY/planet-resource-recovery-inc-acquires-max-amphibious-six-wheel-drive-q6kzx33wgs1n.html
  6. Manatee ATV manufacturer makes move to expand dealer network (Elizabeth King), Business Observer (2026-02-28). www.businessobserverfl.com/news/2026/feb/28/manatee-atv-manufacturer-expansion
  7. MAX ATVs (home page), MAX ATVs (Recreatives Industries). maxatvs.com
  8. MAX 4, MAX ATVs (Recreatives Industries). maxatvs.com/max-4
  9. The MAX Buffalo 6x6 Truck Is a Small Amphibious Beast (Dale Spangler), eBay Motors Blog (2024-07-11). www.ebay.com/motors/blog/the-max-buffalo-6x6-truck-is-a-small-amphibious-beast
  10. MAX Amphibious ATV Returns to The Price Is Right for Star Trek 60th Anniversary Special, Recreatives Industries press release (GlobeNewswire), via Taiwan News (2026-09-08). www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/6436061

Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.

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WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.

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