Toolboy

Cleaning up a couple acres of woods behind the house. 

The only concern is height, height getting it into a trailer, or clearance under tree limbs and branches on your trails. Mine is over 82" high but I dont care, having heat and air is worth it all. The Defender turns very tight. If you high speed on trails the usable shock travel is very limited vs. X3. If you just drive normal on the trails you will get along fine. Figure out what is important to you and buy what meets those needs. I used to drag race a turbo apex RZR, so this is quite a change. But as I get older I hate the weather more each day. Sold some atvs and bought this, put 600 miles on since January, we drive it everywhere. I also had to haul 5 people which didn't leave many options.

Yesterday I went through my 2020 Max owners manual and there wasn't any 3 prong attachment point for the optional remote control cable.  I also could not find one on the winch or anywhere else.  I guess they figure the rocker switch in the cab was sufficient and an upgrade from the manual plug in control, hence no secondary controls.

On 3/30/2020 at 8:34 AM, Coyote03 said:

I understand that the increase in tire size will result in a higher speed than the speedo shows, but i'm curious to why this is more apparent in some more than others. Referencing the thread just a few below this one (32" rockabilys on a limited) he said that his speedo still showed in the 60s I think... just curious...

My speedo is about 6 mph off at top spedd with the 32" rockabilly. I GPS confirm stock and big tire speed. Top speed so far is 70 mph GPS with the rockabillys.  The rockabilly are the lightest 32 inch tire out there. They are also rounded, so it rides on the center of the tires on pavement. I run 16 psi in them, they have alot if sidewall so still ride well at 16 psi. Alot of the reason for the speed retention.

On 2/15/2020 at 12:26 PM, A hunt 2 remember said:

32's? Any rubbing at all? What is your shock preload setting? Did you stay 9" up front and 11" in the rear?  Dot tires? 

I did a 1.5 lift on the shock mount and one additional click up on the shocks. No rubbing now. All tires are the same 10 inches wide and are rotated for even wear.

On 2/16/2020 at 9:50 AM, Andystoy19 said:

I am not sure how you would have "higher speed cruise capability" with stock clutching and 32" tires?  I have 30" on mine and stock clutching and can only reach 58 mph corrected at 6650 RPM, a big loss from stock tires. Mine definitely needs a clutch kit as it is obvious the stock clutching does not allow the engine to get enough RPM throughout the shift range which would improve performance and belt heat. 

I haven't found a clutch kit yet but have been looking at the options and will post in the builds section once I purchase and install it.🤔

The 2020s limited have a lower rpm on the shutout to run quieter. I haven't lost any speed with the 32's. Still 66 mph flat ground, now 70 mph downhill or with wind.

By back brakes are squealing sometimes now so I will be changing out the pads with off brand that are of higher quality. Only 350 miles.

  I have a 2020 Defender Max Limited and I did my first oil change and noticed that my motor is not the same as other HD10 models.  The air conditioning compressor is belt driven off a pully coming off the engine crank.  Just forward of this is where the oil filter should be but it isn't.  The filter is cast forward of the motor, pointing toward the cab, only a couple inches short of the cab.  It is very difficult to get to and is blocked by coolant lines.  The dipstick is also mounted rear of the motor.  So I am not sure if the entire bottom of the motor is of a different cast or just the right lower of the motor.   Either way, I only changed the oil this time and not the filter.  I looked underneath to see if a section of the skid plate could come out but it is all riveted together.  I was hoping to see how the Can Am service guide for dealers recommends doing the filter change.  I also did notice just a little oil from the crank seal at the base of the pulley drive for the air conditioner.  I will be watching that and probably have it fixed near the end of the 2 year warranty. That should allow Can Am and dealers time to come up with a fix for it if it becomes a systemic problem for the air conditioner units.  

     This casting makes it appear that an Air Conditioning retrofit is not possible to older units.

I did not change the A-arms, the 2020 comes with forward A-Arms either 1-2 inches forward of center.

On 3/20/2020 at 7:52 AM, ktop said:

Has anyone mounted a flag yet? Been scanning the internet for pictures of options and not coming up with much 

Sure can, go to Amazon and look in the can am defender accessories.  There you will find locking flag mount that mounts into the rear rail of the defender bed.  I just got mine and with a couple twists of the tension knob and its real tight.  It comes off in seconds to put it in the trailer.  I might buy a couple more and run dual flags or light whips. 

On 3/19/2020 at 8:43 PM, Rudy said:

Did you have any pictures with the 32’s? 

I do but how do you get pictures to this site?????

On 3/5/2020 at 10:07 PM, Nekelneh said:

I have the exact machine and my brakes are making a rough grinding noise when i come to a full stop and depress the brakes fully. You having this issue?

No grind just not that firm of brakes.  I have around 240 miles now. I will say that I have never driven mud, just dusty road and asphalt.

Well I got the shocks adjusted finally.  I bought a large filter wrench that looks like a set of channel locks that works great for adjusting the shocks.  

UPDATE:  I took 5 of us for a ride and the front tires did rub when I turned and hit a little bump.  So, I ended up putting on a 2" lift on the shock mount, which was really only a little over an inch.  I also clicked all shocks on the defender up to the 3 of 5 setting.  The ride is a little rougher but not bad.  I just wanted to update everyone as I thought I could get by with the 32" rockabillys at first without doing any lift or shock adjustments. The defender now sits as 16" clearance now both front and back.

1 hour ago, A hunt 2 remember said:

@Toolboy you a 2020?

1 hour ago, A hunt 2 remember said:

@Toolboy you a 2020?

Yes mine is a 2020 Max limited.  

On 3/2/2020 at 8:44 AM, A hunt 2 remember said:

As for adjusting preload, jack the rig up and let the wheels hang. Adjusting then is a breeze. As for adding pictures.... below text box is a paperclip and hotspot that allows you to choose file to upload. Hope that helps

They would be if my shock wrench actually fit my shocks.  I have adjusted my renegade and outlanders shocks in the past.  I just can't believe they sent the wrong sided wrench in the tool pouch. Maybe the 2020 limited max has different shocks than other model and year defenders.

I am running 7 in wide 14" rims on the rockabillys.  All wheels are interchangeable  and rotatable.  How do you guys upload photos, is there a host site you use?    I have been adjusting the rear doors as they needed it and I can tell you it is no big deal to do it yourself.  Don't get ripped off by a dealer to do it.  Can am did it right and you just loosen the bolts and retighten when you get it where you want it, you don't have to take the inner door apart at all.    The tires fit great and I put a 2 in lift on the rear to give it the correct stance.  Now I have about 14 3/4" front clearance on side and 15 1/4" rear clearance on the side, both are slightly more if you measure on the front and rear of the machine.  I also can't seem to adjust m coil preloads as the wrench that came is the wrong diameter and just slips.  I would like to add one click to the shocks for just a little less body roll at high speed.  This machine looks totally different now and I would love to show you, just someone tell me how to get pictures on here.

   If it is anything like every other hydraulic pump and reservoir I have worked on, just cycle the plow back and forth 10 times, which should get the air out of the cylinders and back into the reservoir.  At that point, filling the reservoir to 3/4 full should be sufficient as with a two cylinder system that works in opposition the level in the reservoir should never change.  

12-15 hrs I change the oil and then go full synthetic from that point forward.  You don't want all that break-in materials in there scoring stuff up.

On 2/5/2020 at 7:40 AM, A hunt 2 remember said:

Where did you pick up your new skids???

   I got the rims at SxS Stuff.  But be careful, the preassembled split 6 beadlocks and 30" Rock a Billiys were a great deal but when I asked them for a quote for preassembled split 6 beadlocks with 32" Rock a Billys they cranked the price up a couple hundred to almost $1500 for the set.  So I bought the rims from SxS stuff and the tires from Chaparral Motorsports who had the 32" tires the cheapest and actually got them to my house in only 2 days!  So for a couple of hours of work I assembled the tires to the rims myself and saved around $300.

Super ATV also makes a different style for the defender.  It is flatter than Can Am's and pretty wide.  I believe that theirs would work better with large tires like 32", but they also cost around $400

I put 32" tires on mine but am going to leave the clutching alone.  I love the higher speed cruise capability.

I have not found out yet.  I thing the screen has now come back to about 90% brightness.

   I just changed out my stock rims and 27" 'big horns for a set of Sedona Split 6 bead lock rims and 32" Rock-A-Billy tires.  Each new tire and rim combo weighs in at 53 lbs.  The stock rear rims with the bighorns weighed 46 lbs. each.   So I figured I might lose some speed with the increased rotational mass.  However I was pleasantly surprised.  The machine still gps top speed on flat ground at 67 and will now run 70 down hill.  There is obvious speedometer error now but it also cruises better at 50 to 55 mph.  The new tires and rims fit fine even with the shocks on the softest setting.  No rubbing any direction lock to lock on the steering wheel.  The new tires are as quiet or quieter than the factory wheels.  I do notice a little more steering wheel wiggle at certain speed but I have not tried to balance each of the new tire/rim combos yet.  The machine looks as it should have from the factory.  Now it look properly proportioned.  I am sorry for not having pictures yet as it as dark when I finished tonight.  I took it for a 16 mile drive on the blacktop roads around my area and I can say I love these tires.  The power steering is not as strong (obviously) with the bigger tires, and there is slightly more road feedback in the steering wheel.  I am running 12-14 psi in the tires right now but will try up to 20 to see if it improves drivability even more.  This combo is going to be a hot ticket, looks and rides great.  

     I wanted to let others out there questioning what would fit and what would not, to know that this setup works great.  I will post picks soon.

     Well we took our 2020 defender max limited out sledding with my girlfriend and 4 kids the other day.  It was 36 F outside and we had the HVAC set on heat at 65 with the fan on low.  The air was blowing hot but after about an hour the HVAC display lost all illumination.  The control nob still worked but you could not see the readout.  I checked the settings "brightness" level on the dash and it was still at "4" which is the highest setting.  I did put my finger on the HVAC LED readout screen and it was HOT, and I do mean HOT!  I believe it was dropping into some kind of thermal protection mode. The fan was set on low but the plastic around the two air ducts directly above the HVAC panel was very warm as well.  

   I shut the HVAC system off for about an hour and turned it back on.  The screen was now illuminated but not as bright as when it was new.  I would say it cam 80% back.  This is going to be a real issue, that Can Am is going to have to address.  So remember a year from now that you heard it here first.  I have not tried to take it apart myself yet and see if I can heat wrap the air ducts so that they do not radiate heat onto the back of the HVAC module.   I have not taken it back to the dealership, as I just had a horrible experience with the dealership the day before.  My fitment on my back two door are to say the least, horrible.  The rear  doors closed somewhat hard the day I picked the max up.  After a month of riding the rear two doors will hardly latch from the inside.  In fact two of the door came open when we were pulling the sleds. You now have to slam then with a lot of force from the outside to get then to latch.  I took it to the dealership in my area but after a week they told me that Can Am would not warranty any adjustment to the doors, and that it should have been fixed at the initial set-up.  The front door fit perfectly.  I had told the dealership that the problem with the rear doors had gotten worse AFTER we had the unit for a couple weeks. This didn't matter to my dealer or Can Am apparently.  I did buy the Max from a dealer 7 hours away as he was the only one who had one or was getting one in the next 6 weeks. So now I will be adjusting my doors myself and getting in touch with Can Am by myself as well to see if what I was told was true.

   By the way if Can Am is listening you can reach me at 319 239-9988 if you would like to make this right.  I will say this other than the brakes being very soft, which the dealership was supposed to look at but didn't, the Max is great.  I do see this limited HVAC model becoming what everyone, or at least every spouse will want their significant other to be purchasing if you are going to be riding 365 days a year.  We pulled 4 kids on a toboggan and another sled for hours and more smiles have never been seen from them.  Inside the cab I had to strip down to a t-shirt and roll the window down to cool off from time to time.  I definitely don't regret the purchase and I will fix my Max myself if I have to.  Fortunately I am capable of such trouble shooting and repairing my own machine if I have to but it does not endear me to my local dealer or Can Am.

     On a separate issue, one of the rear bighorn tires was rimmed flat by the end of the day.  I have rode the exact same ground and paths on my outlander and renegade for years without ever getting a flat.  Upon examination I expected to find a thorn from a Locust tree, but I found a lot of little pokes in the tire from ordinary wood, with one penetrating all the way through.  The rubber on the bighorns is very soft rubber and grabs very well but I can see how these could be real problem tires if out for a big ride on a trip.  Luckily I had already ordered 32" Rock A Billys and new Sedoma bead lock rims.  Now I just have to slime the old bighorn and put together my new tires and rims.   

     I bought my Max Limited from Cowtown in Cuba Missouri and I can honestly say that I had the most pleasant buying experience I have ever had.  Check out Doug at Cowtown, if you find a great dealer I think people should share as my local dealer is becoming the dealer of  "what not to do to keep or earn customers".

I have had a new 2020 defender max limited in hyper silver for about week now.  Only issue I have had so far is the brakes feel somewhat weak, I will be taking it in to have then checked or bled if needed.  For a machine that can tow 2500lbs  the brakes don't seem like they can even lock up the machine alone, not to mention trying to slow down while towing anything.  The only other issue is bad fitment on the drivers side rear door.  That door seemed to open and close fine when I got it but the seals rub hard now in two spots and it is difficult to latch when closed from within.  I believe they can simply readjust the door and all will be well.  

   As for the heat, we have had it out at full speed (66 mph) at 17 degrees F. into a 25 mph wind).  There is some wind noise intrusion at that travel speed and wind speed and you will feel some cold air leaking in from the apex of the front doors and through the latch mechanism. There is no wind speed noise until very top speed and only into a stiff wind at that.   The heat itself gets "warm", not hot when the motor temps reach peak temp, around 172 degrees.  The fan does blow a lot of air so the volume of warm air coming out does warm the cab, even when traveling at very high speed with some cold air intruding.  Me and my girlfriend rode in it for about 30 minutes on the road with just a t-shirt and a sweatshirt on when it was 17 degrees F. and were very comfortable.  I can tell you this, I have had RZR's and a drag race SxS (turbo apex) which were a blast to ride and race, but the ability to ride 365 days a year without concern for the weather or temperature is a game changer.  I highly recommend this to anyone with a spouse and children who wants to spend time with them.  You do get some motor noise in the cabin but you can still talk to each other without having to yell even at wide open top speed.  The HD10 motor will cruise at 45-50 mph comfortably for miles on end.  While it is obviously not as "drive crazy" off-road the way the X3's are, but the ability to travel with my girlfriend and her 3 kids is unreplaceable.   I don't want people to worry about the noise, I suspect some of the noise is from the factory bighorn 2.0 tires.  I will cure that as soon as my Sedona beadlock rims and 32" Rock-a-Billys get here.  It has impressed everyone who has rode in it.  Compared to a normal SxS it is whisper quiet.  It would only be noisy when you compare it to truck or car cabin.

     The power steering works great at slow speed and the turning radius is very tight given the wheelbase as the front tires turn very sharp, I repeat very sharp.  The max turns and drives like a much shorter SxS. I do wish it had a little more power steering input at mid to higher speeds. The power windows work great but the driver and passenger windows do not go "into" the door recess, so when they are all the way down if you want to rest your arm on the top of the door, there is still about 3/8" window still exposed if I remember right.  I was raised on a farm and have more hours driving with my arm resting on a door with the window down than I care to remember but it has become a lifetime habit.  Your arm will rest on the top of the window slightly instead of on the flush top of the door sill that I had hoped.  

     The headlights on the limited appear to come stock with new high output bulbs with blue tips for a higher Kelvin color, probably near 5500-6000K.  I have not looked into what wattage they are but I can say that my bright beams are for hunting "racoon" and worthless on the highway.  I will be trying to adjust them back down to a level someone near the surface of the earth so they can be useful.  

     I purchased my unit from Doug at Cowtown USA in Cuba Missouri.  I don't know if you are allowed to praise or plug a dealership, so someone please let me know.  They are 7 hours from me but were willing to not gouge me like my only dealer in Iowa that was getting the max limited in the hyper silver I wanted.  Cowtown made my purchase so easy, smooth, and quick.  I say quick but I did stay almost 2 hours talking to them and going over all the working of the limited even though I had researched it to death on the internet.  I could have been out in 10 minutes if I had needed to be.  I would recommend other dealers go there so that there own sales staff can see how to treat people and build relationships.   It was the best purchasing experience I have ever had, bar none.

     I am the kind of person that usually experiences some form of buyers remorse no matter what the purchase, but I have not with the limited max.  It is unique in its design and its variable air conditioning and cabin filtration is unlike an other SxS manufacturer. I have owned and raced many renegades and outlanders but with this purchase I can finally let go of my last "normal" atv, my outlander 100xt.  I still will hold onto my 1400cc Yamaha Raptor for those snot nosed kids on their atvs that need to be put in their place out in the dunes drag racing.  I am 52 yrs old, and starting to feel the years of injuries.  The ride of the limited max is very kind.  Even with the lower travel than mavericks or X3's the limited max soaks up uneven terrain and with the long wheelbase it smooths out the bumps.  This was another reason for choosing the max.  Years of riding in the dunes has taught me that wheelbase matters, significantly on ride quality over rough terrain.  In fact the max rides smoother over the railroad intersection and rumble strips on the roads than my truck does.  We noticed this as we could almost not hear the rumble warning strips as we approached an intersection on our blacktop road.  

   Do not fear purchasing a max limited, it is pretty much everything Can Am has claimed, I won't lie for any manufacturer. I once bought an arctic cat t-cat 1000 atv and sold it with only 3 miles on it, it was that bad.  I believed the Exxon Valdez had a tighter turning radius than that T-cat had, so it was gone immediately.  If you have any questions you can post here and I will try to check it from time to time.