I've got an '07 Sportsman 500 Deluxe with about 2K pretty hard miles that I bought new. It's got the controversial ADC system and to make matters worse, this is an '07 with no means to turn it off. Had I known better, I would have installed a switch long ago...but that's history.

Anyway, my front gearbox is mostly trashed from the abuse of skidding logs, farm chores and some hard trail riding...not to mention lack of knowledge between local dealers about what is actually the right oil to be using in that unit. The general consensus is that it ends up cheaper to replace the entire thing instead of rebuilding it...then I read all the threads about the JD Gator parts and how they are a fraction of the price and work just fine. Thought I was just going to rebuild my current unit until I was given a front box out of an '07 Sportsman 700 that was an insurance total after it rolled down a rock embankment (don't ask)

Finally the questions....

1. I THINK this is a standard gearbox with NO ADC as it has only two wires coming from it...is that right?

2. Anyone foresee any problems with a swap to a non-ADC gearbox in a machine that has all the gear and electronics for ADC? I'm assuming I just plug it in and the two extra ADC wires just coming from the ECU just sit there looking expensive.

3. Anything I should do before I throw it in there? I was thinking of splitting the case and having a look just to make sure before I go through the hassle of making the swap.

I like the idea of keeping it simple and I really don't need the ADC braking system for the kind of riding I do...especially after reading how it really works and how many problems people have with this system. This is essentially what trashed my gearbox after only 2k miles, so I'm done with it.

Thanks for making it through this far! I appreciate the help...this is a great site!

 

"Standard' gear case on the 700 as you said and has just two wires. As far as replacing,not really sure,NEVER had any one that wanted to do it,but gear cases basically mount the same, THING is mainly if frame allows for your drive shafts(should work,I guess?) and the electrical would be just hooking up the correct wires,eliminating the unused ones or just finding a "regular" awd switch?? NOT really my area on "swaps"! Hopefully others can say "YEA" OR "NEA" and go into more detail. OPT

 

Thanks for the quick reply. As far as I can tell, it's the same gear case, so the physical swap should be a simple R&R. I was just looking to see if the Polaris ADC ECU was going to have a fit now that it doesn't have anything to "talk" to.

As far as the swap...

I've spent lots of time reading the forums and talking to owners and there are so many people with ADC problems that it seems its not a matter of IF, but WHEN the system fails. Lots of discussion about what gear oil to use and in fact, many Polaris owners manuals in 2007 (including mine) had a misprint telling owners to use the wrong gear oil in the ADC gear boxes...and the dealers were mostly clueless about this. Polaris finally stepped up in 2008 and fitted an ADC switch enabling the user to disable the system when not needed and prolong its lifespan.

The general consensus seems to be that the standard gear box is the more desirable of the two eliminating the ADC clutches all together. Then there's the topic of the plastic bearing cages cracking, but that's a whole 'nother topic. That's right...plastic in a gear box. This all shouldn't be new information to experiences Polaris riders, though?

If I knew all this at the time of purchase, I'd have bought a Grizzly with a real 4x4 system with lockers. AWD is for people that don't know how to use real 4wd and lockers, IMO.

Thanks again,

Tim

 

Yes the early models had plastic cages that cracked a lot,but a lot of guys are using the John Deere cages in place of the plastic ones. OPT

 

What was considered an early model? Also, aren't the JD bearing cages also plastic, just a heavier design? I could be completely mistaken here, though.

Thanks for the help

 

As far as my understanding the John Deere are aluminum cages. I do know some 2007 models show aluminum replacement cages on the OEM parts lists in place of the plastic ones. OPT