Has anyone had to replace their belt yet on a AC 2000+?.If so why?How many miles?I was just wondering since all I hear in other forums is auto's with belts, break and burn up.(mostly from people who do not own one)I have had mine in somewhat deep water,enough to get the belt pretty wet,but had no real sliping that I could tell.Also I have pulled heavy loads,small trees,and have been in very dusty trail conditions for long periods,deep mud,etc.I have looked at the belt and see no wear,still looks like new with 600 miles on it.
Any of you have long term experience with belt drives?What seems to cause these problems that everyone talks about?
I am not sure at what point you should change/replace the belt to be safe.Guess I will continue to inspect the belt and if I see any wear or damage then replace it.
Since the Polaris owners seem to get the bad rap on belt drives I would like to hear form them too.
Cowboy,It sounds like you use your auto a little harder than me,have you looked at the belt? how many and what type of miles do you have on yours?

 

I just got my AC 500 Auto 4X4 two weeks ago and have put 200 very hard miles on it. I've noticed a breif "barking" sound on the drive from the belt on a half a dozen occasions. Usually when I goose it pretty hard and have a little load on it.

The machine is in the shop right now getting its first check up and I'm having the mechanic check the belt out. I'll be sure to ask him if and how many auto cats he's had to work on.

I'm picking the machine up tomorrow so I'll let you know what he has to say then.

 

Winston:
Yeah, I drag a lot of trees and logs with it, but always in low range. I've only got 500 miles on it now, but that has been mostly working conditions. I never looked at it brand new, but just recently when I checked, it looked pretty good. I couldn't see any signs of wear or anything else, so I'm hoping it's OK and everything is good still. My dealer said that the belts are supposed to last for nearly 2000 miles under normal conditions, and less of course for hard work, though I don't know how much the "less" would be. Can't remember what the price was for the new belt, but he does give me parts for cost, so I can't imagine they're that much money to replace, only the time it takes to do it. I've never done it before, so that would be a little longer than an experienced belt replacer!

I'm getting some replacement springs on friday though, for $14.50 each. Mine were sagging slightly from the weight I've got, but then when my Dad strapped it down with a 10,000 lbs ratchet strap to full compresion, where they bowed out over a 220 miles trailering, they collapsed. We tested the weights of the brand new machines and it took over 250 lbs. on the front rack to drop the front end to the point of where it was level with mine. I've only got about 100 lbs. on mine, so I figured I had better replace the springs before anything serious happened. And, why not for less than $30. I sure wish somebody made aftermarket spring kits for the AC's, even something like snow plow shocks or something. Anything would help. They've come out with a new spring/shock set-up for the Polaris SP500 which looks pretty nice, but nothing that I have found for the 'Cat's yet. Anybody else know of anything?

DreyMac:
That barking you refer to might have something to do with running quick, then stopping fast. I don't understand how it works exactly, but the Auto on the 'Cat is always under tension, not like the other brands auto's with the snowmobile type setup. As a result, when the rpm's are up and you stop suddenly, the drive system slows down faster than the belt, or vice versa, something like that, and it takes a second for the belt to "catch up" so to speak, if that makes sense?. I've had it happen a couple times when driving along and stopping fast, then taking off again. This could be similar to what you are experiencing.

Is it possible that due to the design of the duramatic transmission, and the constant tension on the belt, that it would cause less strain or wear on the belt than the type of tranny that the other auto's use? I don't know, but I would think that the snowmobile type of slipping, then catching would cause a little more wear than one that is under constant tension. Does that sound right, or is that logical thinking?

I think the issues people have with belt driven quads are blown highly out of proportion. I know I've worked the hell out of mine and never had a problem to date, Winston-you do a lot of the same stuff with yours, and I know there are several others out there who do the same. I think common sense and overall caring for your machine go a long way.

As for Andy's issues with the SP's belt drive, I know he prefer's the gears advantages, but I don't think you'll have anything to worry about with the belt. I think a lot of people are talking out their **** with no real knowledge of the subject at hand, thus blowing it out of proportion. Sure you can have trouble if you constantly abuse it, but same thing will happen with gears if you beat them hard enough.

Winston, sorry to be so lengthy, I'm not sure when we should be changing them. Let me know if you get a good judgement call. You'd think they'd have some reference, like for Honda's every 60,000 miles or so.

Take care!

Mike

 

I just got off the phone with the service manager at the at my dealers shop and he said he has never had to replace a belt in the AC 500 Auto.

The Auto has been available since 1999 and they have sold about 25 each year. Decent odds. I will put about 1200-1500 miles a year on mine and if that were average, someone with a 1999 would probably be needing a belt by now if they only last 2000 miles.

 

I also asked him about the "barking". He said he has heard it before on some of the newer machines. My brother bought an AC 500 Auto the same day as I did and he has heard it too. The service manager said not to worry but if it keeps it up it's covered under warranty and to bring it back in. He also suggested that it should go away one the machine is completely broken in.

Now that you mentioned it Cowboy, it does happen when I start and stop quickly. Heavy thumb I guess;-).

 

I also asked him about the "barking". He said he has heard it before on some of the newer machines. My brother bought an AC 500 Auto the same day as I did and he has heard it too. The service manager said not to worry but if it keeps it up it's covered under warranty and to bring it back in. He also suggested that it should go away once the machine is completely broken in.

Now that you mentioned it Cowboy, it does happen when I start and stop quickly. Heavy thumb I guess;-).

 

I have 1200 miles on my cat now, I've only had it slightly less than 6 months. My dealer say that the cost of the belt is about $119.00. That's not cheap so I hope it lasts longer than 2000 miles. My buddy got 4000+ from his 98 polaris. Also this past weekend while using the winch a limb on a tree broke that I was dragging' it snapped back and broke my speedo and the little plastic thingy that holds the indicator lights. The speedo is no big deal, but does anyone know the cost of the plastic do-hikky?

 

It would be nice to have a comparison between the polaris and AC belt drives. The ATV connection review implied that the AC was better because the belt is always engaged. This sounds very much like the AC liturature so it would be nice to here from
people that have tried both machines.

 

Minehunter:
I don't know about that plastic do-hicky thing, but the speedo estimate to fix my Dad's after he rolled it was $70 for the entire speedo unit. And, I was wrong about the 2000 mile thing, don't know what I was thinking. I just got off the phone with him about my springs, and asked about belt life. He said he has never changed one, and that under normal conditions, you shouldn't have to, they are supposed to last the life of the machine. I think that is rather optomistic, though maybe it is possible considering engine failure, I don't know for sure. Man, 1,200 miles in under 6 months! You are a lucky guy getting to ride that much. Wish I could do that!

Polarisite:
Yeah, that would be nice to see. I hate to say it though, but I don't know that I'd believe the magazines. I think real world experience from actual owners and users would be the best way to judge it. I think they're both great machines though.

Mike

 

Got 3200 miles on the belt on my Xplorer - no problems so far. I think the A/C belt should last longer under similar riding conditions because it is always under tension, where the Polaris uses the front pulley grabbing/releasing the belt as its 'clutch'. This can build up alot of heat in heavy load stop & go type driving. However, it is simpler, requiring no internal clutch and is cheaper to replace @ around $35. Either system seems to work fine around here, as long as it is driven with common sense. I personally prefer the simplicity of the Polaris, but if I did alot of heavy work the oil cooled wet clutch in the A/C would likely extend the belt life greatly over using the belt as the clutch.
Farmr