Mont,
As you've probably gathered by the other posts, a standard 150 with a TTD conversion, is basically a standard 150 but the third wheel is at the tail, so the performance is pretty much exactly the same as what you just had.
With the 150hp it is a different animal altogether, although the benifit in forward speed (marginal) is taken away with fuel flow.....yes it will lift extra weight(legally and otherwise) but the cabin is still 150 size
In all honesty, if you want a bigger payload, go for a bigger aircraft. The later model 170 is better than the first series as it has a metal wing not fabric (+ flaps if I recall correctly) - not that there is anything wrong with a fabric aircraft, as I also own one of them, fabric aircraft that is, but if the fabric on the wing is in average condition you can expect to spend some money on a rebag soon($,000.00) but once its done, you can bank on another 20+ years of service provided you keep it hangared. 170's will lift a little more weight that a 172 but, only a little.
Not quite sure why a Maule is more expensive to insure over there other than the fact you have extra seats when comparing it with a 150, and a greater hull value - that value should be on a standard sliding scale along with the seat value.(in other words a 4 seats of insurance should not be twice the value of 2 seats of insurance - if you know what I mean) $5000.00+ sounds too high to me, but then again that's insurance for you......Get some tailwheel time quickly...
Good Luck
