I was riding my 99 AC 300 4x4 today with my kids. Was running on a paved road at the time and was accelerating through the gears, was in third. All of a sudden the rear end of the machine locked up on me. Tires just locked up. I fooled with it a little and it was the rear tires that were locked up. It wasn't the brakes since you could rock it back and forth slightly (seemed to be tranmission). You could put it in gear and try to accerlerate and it wouldn't move. We debated a little about how we would get it up on the truck. Well I tried it again and it went forward some, but it felt like something was dragging. Backed up a little and it felt better, forward again and it seemed to free up. Well I took it easy coming home and it seemed to run fine the whole way home. Put it in the garage and figured I'd better look into it and see what might be up. Any ideas?

 

Maybe a CV joint problem?

 

What range where you in when this happened? Did you try to run it in a different range after it happened? I have heard some bearing siesures with the low range on the older machines. They came out with a oil lite bearing for the 2002 and newer so you wouldn't ever run into that problem. Its something to check out....

 

Thanks for the input, at the time that it happened I was running in high range. I will also check out the CV joints in the back, I need to go over the machine anyway. I know that the boots are all fine since I checked them Saturday. I figured that I'd change the oil and look for shavings, adjust clutch, check joints...when it happened I was hoping for something simple like brake lock-up, but it wasn't that, any other ideas are greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

I dont mean to be pesimistic, but it sounds like a piece of metal, got in your gears, and locked it up. Drain the rear gear oil, and strain it thru a fine filter, and look for metal pieces. When you rolled it back and forth the chunk fell to the bottom of the case. If you find a piece of metal in the gear oil...it gonna have to come apart and find what is broken.

 

about the same thing happened to me with my 2000 300 and well the only way i could get mine to move was i could put it in superlow range and i could drive it but high and low were locked up and what mine ended up being is there is a gear in your tranny that controls high and low range and a seperate one for super low and it has been a while can't remember how much it costs but they gotta split your tranny i think it ran around 500 dollars for repairs i could be wrong don't quote me but it sounds like you are having about the same problems as me try it out in super low range and see if it drives fine cause mine did i guess i shouldn't quote you a price cause it was so long ago but if you aren't that great with mechanics just take it to the dealer to get fixed

 

Yea to be honest with you I was thinking (but not hoping for) the same thing. It definately felt like the tranny was locked-up and then freed itself. The only thing that felt funny, was when it started to free-up it felt like it was still "dragging" and then let lose. Not quite like a piece jamming the gears, but definately a possibility. But right now it seems to be working fine, just don't want to bust up anything else.....

My son's warrior was down last week and he was riding mine with his friend. His friend has a Honda Foreman Rubicon. They went through some deep stuff and the Rubicon got stuck. Well they hooked up my cat and yanked and pulled and finally got the Rubicon out. I am sure they are not to gentle with it, but nothing seemed broke at the time. I will admit we beat the snot out of the 300 this winter plowing snow, rough winter around here. Anyone of which could have hurt the tranny.

Thank for all you input.....

 

sounds like the exact same situation how i locked up my tranny i took it on the hardest mud running trip i had ever been on and i flooded it out so we had to pull start it to get it going finally got it going and about 10 miles down the road going home from the mud pit was doing about 40 and the back wheels locked up solid but i couldn't break mine lose for nothing if i was you if you don't plan on taking it to have it checked out at least change the oil to see if there is any metal shavings in there cause having it tore down might save ya alot of money i am sure it would cost you an arm and a leg to replace that casing if a gear or something would go through it and strip everything out good luck with it

 

Just thought I'd follow-up on this. I went all over the bike, drained the oil through cheese cloth, had a few flecks, but really nothing. Opened the oil filter up and checked it, had it up on jacks tried everything, short of looking inside and nothing. Have been riding it since and have not had the issue at all. Now I don't believe in things fixing themselves but it has been fine since.

We have been using it to skid out wood. We are cutting our wood for next winter. I figured if something was broke in the tranny we'd find it, it has been fine. The other day we had a huge piece of Oak we were skidding up a hill, my son was driving and I was sitting on the back rack for traction, it was fine, pulled it right up, no clicking sounds from tanny or anything. So I have not idea what happened that day, but for the time being it is running fine.

 

hey there
I know this is an old post but im just reading it now
my 99 300 4x4 just did the same thing
locks up in high and low but not super low
do you remember what part you had to replace??
any help would be appreciated