Will the 2011 xp850eps polaris hold up to towing,snow plowing etc. with belt drive?I assume it must be tough or why would Polaris put it on thier biggest machine.Seems like a trad. type tranz would be stronger.Looking for people with belt drive expierience.Thanks

 

Always use low when towing/plowing and you will not have any issues. My 800's have all seen major use hauling trailer loads of wood, etc and spent the winters plowing almost an acre at my place along with all the other people I help out. Never smoked a belt and they were pushed to the limit regularly.

 

plenty strong!
suv's and crossover cars and trucks are now using cvt transmissions, motorcycles that have tripple the power of an atv use cvt belts, every sled I know uses a cvt belt.....

plus, a traditional tranny still uses a friction disk clutch to transfer power from the motor to the tranny that can burn out just as easily as a cvt.

 

I'm not sure what the HP is on the 850, but sleds are all belt drive and the bigger engines, toward the 1000cc+ range push 200 HP.

Although, it's apples to oranges in comparison, belt drives can carry tremendous horsepower. We build portable rock crushers and our largest uses an 800HP electric motor that is a belt drive. No worries.

 

I have over 2700 brutal miles on my original belt. The key as others have said is to do the tough stuff in low range. What usually happens is you run out of traction before even getting close to frying a belt.

 

No problem at all. A mighty powerful ATV...top of the line.

 

the biggest issue to any belt is "heat". the harder you run what ever it is say like the atv it needs plently of cooling air on it and thats why you should use low range while hauling or going slow as the clutch turns faster causing more air to help cool the belt.

 

Name a Powerful Utility ATV thats not CVT Belt drive? All the bad boy Big bore 4x4s are belt drive only, these CVT drives systems on the same that are found on Snowmobiles that push 150+ HP so if anything ATVs hardly work them since 70hp is considered powerful for a ATV.

Just use Low Range when common sense dictates and the ATV's 4 wheels will dig 4 ruts into the ground before a belt will ever slip.

 

I tied onto a tree and when I gave it the gas it dug 4 holes that I needed 4x4 to get out of. The belt didn't get smoked or anything like that. That's tough enough for me.