Just changed the oil on my 09/550. I found it a little difficult and dirty to do this with the skid plate in place. How do you guys do it? Do you remove the skid plate when changing the oil/filter?

jim

 

You have the metal skid plate over the plastic one? Thats what I have on my Kodiak 450 and I have to remove one side of the Ubolts so I can get the socket over the oil drain plug. I put aluminum ramps on the front of my trailer, then drive atv onto them, so there is clearence under it, then undo the Ubolts on one side, then drain oil. To get plate back on is tricky. You have to use a floor jack to push it back up, if no body else is around to hold it for you. There is a cut out slot on the metal plate, but for some reason it won't allow my socket to fit through them properly.

 

The oil change on the 550 may be different because it is a entirely different frame. I have not personally changed mine on the 700 (same frame) but have heard it is a PITA

 

I have an 08 Griz 700 and I didn't have to take the skidplate off. I was able to remove the plug through a hole in the skid plate. I did have a time getting the oil filter off though. It was tight as hell and wound up using a 12" pipe wrench to get it loose.

 

Yes I did find it a pain to get the filter off but the drain plug is easily accessible through the hole in the skid plate. What I did find worse was the mess of oil the skid plate collects and drips for hours afterwords. This is why from now on I will be removing it to do the oil changes.

Jim

 

Further proof that I do not listen and follow directions, lol. I too had the oil collection on the skid plate, but it was from the oil filter and not the plug. I just sprayed a lot of degreaser on it and wiped it up the best I could. The degreaser thinned out the oil and allowed it to dissipate or evaporate whatever it did. If mine were not always on the trailer I would be concerned about the oil dripping on the floor of my shop as well. My trailer has a plywood floor that is always covered in a layer of dirt from all the mud and it soaks it up I imagine.