Front Diff's-They Must be Different
#11
03-21-2001, 03:56 AM
Cowboy,
Sounds like I missed one heck of a good trip .Hopefully next time. Where exactly were you in Or.?
I made spring spacers out of gray pvc pipe.I believe it was 1-1/4". They seem to work great. Might go with a 1/2" in the rear. I carry most of my weight there.
Well glad to here about the diff. Test that you did. Beats the Ell out of every thing I 've heard so far. Real life tests are much better.Well enough said. Thanks for the post.
Good Riding
Sounds like I missed one heck of a good trip .Hopefully next time. Where exactly were you in Or.?
I made spring spacers out of gray pvc pipe.I believe it was 1-1/4". They seem to work great. Might go with a 1/2" in the rear. I carry most of my weight there.
Well glad to here about the diff. Test that you did. Beats the Ell out of every thing I 've heard so far. Real life tests are much better.Well enough said. Thanks for the post.
Good Riding
#12
03-22-2001, 12:21 AM
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GrizzlyRules:
Hey, I'd be glad to help, though I think you might be better off just doing it yourself. I bought a couple shaft collars for a tractor, then cut them down to size, which work great. However, TheRetreaver (posted just above) just made a set out of the grey PVC pipe. His are probably lighter than mine are, and I'm sure they'd work just as well. My guess is that they probably didn't charge him more than a couple cents for the "spacers", as you can buy pvc for around $1.00 a foot, or less. At that rate, 3/8" or even 1/2" wouldn't cost much at all-less than a dollar I would think, unless they charge a "cutting" fee.
Anyway, I'd sure help you if you want, but you'd be able to get them a lot quicker down at the local irrigation or hardware store. Of course, if you'd prefer, I can just as easily go down myself and get them for you, but you would probably have to wait a couple days for the mail to deliver. Either way, let me know what you decide, I'd be glad to help if you want.
Once you get them though, you'll simply compress the spring slightly (after taking the spring/shock assembly off the 'Cat) to remove the top retaining clip. Next, just slide the spring off, then the plastic spring/shock spacer, and finally the large flat bottom base plate. Now, slip your new "spring spacer" over the shock, then install the large flat bottom base plate thing, and continue assembling the spring/shock the reverse of how you took it apart. It's really easy to do, and shouldn't take more than maybe 20 minutes or so to do both sides, either front or rear. I found the rear on my machine to be extremely easy, in fact, the rear springs damn near fell out in my hands. I've got the 1/2" up front due to my heavy weight, but you might just want to try putting them in the rear like TheRetreaver did, they might just work better there for your needs. Personnally, I don't think you'll want anything bigger than 3/8" up front, unless you carry a lot of weight up front. Otherwise, it might rattle your teeth out! Heh heh heh.
Anyway, let me know what you decide, I'd be glad to help if you like. Best of luck with the project too!
TheRetreaver:
Hey, yeah, we missed you down there for sure! We did have an awesome ride, even though it did rain quite a bit. Rick had me buy a rain suit, and I'm damn glad he did, it definately made things so much nicer. Also, it was so much easier to clean up after running through all those mud pits-most of the big ones were about rack deep, so mud and water was being thrown everywhere-and I do mean everywhere! By the end of the day, we were pretty much covered, it was cool.
We were down outside of Newberg Oregon, around the Yamhill area, if that rings a bell. It's outside of Portland probably around a half hour or so??? I'm not familiar with the area and it was pouring rain so bad it made driving through all the maniac traffic rather interesting to say the least-needed a beer by the time I got there!
If you like though, maybe we can all try to get together this summer for a ride somewhere??? One of the Texas boys mentioned gathering in Utah somewhere, which might be a little closer for some people. If that doesn't work out, maybe we can all plan something somewhere else. I really don't mind where I travel, as long as it will last for a couple days-depending on the drive of course. Always makes those really long drives that much easier if you get at least a couple days of good trail riding in, ya know.
Anyway, take care, and let me know what you think-anybody else for that matter who is interested!
Mike
Hey, I'd be glad to help, though I think you might be better off just doing it yourself. I bought a couple shaft collars for a tractor, then cut them down to size, which work great. However, TheRetreaver (posted just above) just made a set out of the grey PVC pipe. His are probably lighter than mine are, and I'm sure they'd work just as well. My guess is that they probably didn't charge him more than a couple cents for the "spacers", as you can buy pvc for around $1.00 a foot, or less. At that rate, 3/8" or even 1/2" wouldn't cost much at all-less than a dollar I would think, unless they charge a "cutting" fee.
Anyway, I'd sure help you if you want, but you'd be able to get them a lot quicker down at the local irrigation or hardware store. Of course, if you'd prefer, I can just as easily go down myself and get them for you, but you would probably have to wait a couple days for the mail to deliver. Either way, let me know what you decide, I'd be glad to help if you want.
Once you get them though, you'll simply compress the spring slightly (after taking the spring/shock assembly off the 'Cat) to remove the top retaining clip. Next, just slide the spring off, then the plastic spring/shock spacer, and finally the large flat bottom base plate. Now, slip your new "spring spacer" over the shock, then install the large flat bottom base plate thing, and continue assembling the spring/shock the reverse of how you took it apart. It's really easy to do, and shouldn't take more than maybe 20 minutes or so to do both sides, either front or rear. I found the rear on my machine to be extremely easy, in fact, the rear springs damn near fell out in my hands. I've got the 1/2" up front due to my heavy weight, but you might just want to try putting them in the rear like TheRetreaver did, they might just work better there for your needs. Personnally, I don't think you'll want anything bigger than 3/8" up front, unless you carry a lot of weight up front. Otherwise, it might rattle your teeth out! Heh heh heh.
Anyway, let me know what you decide, I'd be glad to help if you like. Best of luck with the project too!
TheRetreaver:
Hey, yeah, we missed you down there for sure! We did have an awesome ride, even though it did rain quite a bit. Rick had me buy a rain suit, and I'm damn glad he did, it definately made things so much nicer. Also, it was so much easier to clean up after running through all those mud pits-most of the big ones were about rack deep, so mud and water was being thrown everywhere-and I do mean everywhere! By the end of the day, we were pretty much covered, it was cool.
We were down outside of Newberg Oregon, around the Yamhill area, if that rings a bell. It's outside of Portland probably around a half hour or so??? I'm not familiar with the area and it was pouring rain so bad it made driving through all the maniac traffic rather interesting to say the least-needed a beer by the time I got there!
If you like though, maybe we can all try to get together this summer for a ride somewhere??? One of the Texas boys mentioned gathering in Utah somewhere, which might be a little closer for some people. If that doesn't work out, maybe we can all plan something somewhere else. I really don't mind where I travel, as long as it will last for a couple days-depending on the drive of course. Always makes those really long drives that much easier if you get at least a couple days of good trail riding in, ya know.
Anyway, take care, and let me know what you think-anybody else for that matter who is interested!
Mike
#13
03-22-2001, 12:24 AM
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Grizz:
Oops, sorry-got carried away there and forgot to answer your question about the outerwears. From what I've seen, I would think you should be able to keep them on just fine. The spacer fits just below the larger base plate thing, so I would think the shock cover thing would fit just fine.
Hope that helps,
Mike
Oops, sorry-got carried away there and forgot to answer your question about the outerwears. From what I've seen, I would think you should be able to keep them on just fine. The spacer fits just below the larger base plate thing, so I would think the shock cover thing would fit just fine.
Hope that helps,
Mike
#14
03-22-2001, 01:03 AM
hey cowboy..if isnt to much trouble..can u take some pics and post them.....i want to see what the design of them is and what they look like and see if i can do it myslef or if i need u to make me some......thanks.....if not...ill buy a HL lf for it.....do u think i will need to re-align the front end if i get them?
#15
03-22-2001, 01:13 AM
Hey Cowboy,
To bad it rained. There's nothing worse than riding in the rain. At least you had the rain suit. Still sounded like a good time.
A ride this summer sounds good. Only thing is, from mid June to end of Sept. is fire season and I never know whether or not i will get my days off.Sure as $hit I plan something and a Fire will break and I am either sent to the fire or held on duty at my station. So i basically don't plan anything after mid June.
Still planning a ride in Boise sometime in April. Let me know if you have a free weekend.
Well enough said. Good Riding!!!
To bad it rained. There's nothing worse than riding in the rain. At least you had the rain suit. Still sounded like a good time.
A ride this summer sounds good. Only thing is, from mid June to end of Sept. is fire season and I never know whether or not i will get my days off.Sure as $hit I plan something and a Fire will break and I am either sent to the fire or held on duty at my station. So i basically don't plan anything after mid June.
Still planning a ride in Boise sometime in April. Let me know if you have a free weekend.
Well enough said. Good Riding!!!
#16
03-22-2001, 11:40 AM
What a refreshing sight. Someone actually giving an honest real-life review of how something works, not just empty gum-bumping of something they heard their neighbor's cousin read in a magazine somewhere.
I have no firsthand experience with this, but a friend of mine with a Honda Foreman says that hitting the front brake will lock in his front end sooner. He has the problem of it not locking in at all sometimes. Other times the front wheels take 'turns' spinning when in snow. I always favored the Polaris system because I never saw firsthand a lock-up system that truly worked automatically, but it sounds like AC found a way.
GOOD REVIEW!!!
take care
I have no firsthand experience with this, but a friend of mine with a Honda Foreman says that hitting the front brake will lock in his front end sooner. He has the problem of it not locking in at all sometimes. Other times the front wheels take 'turns' spinning when in snow. I always favored the Polaris system because I never saw firsthand a lock-up system that truly worked automatically, but it sounds like AC found a way.
GOOD REVIEW!!!
take care
#17
03-23-2001, 11:01 AM
Farmr123
I Have found that dragging the front brake would assist in getting some traction to the traction wheel. I've had to drag it prior to wheel spinning for it to work at all, and even then it didn't work that well. If I tried dragging the front brake after wheel spin had already occured, it didn't work at all. I just installed a Dirty Howie locker in the Grizzly and got to see how the front differential is set up. What a useless design! No wonder I never got any front end traction. It has only 2 clutch plates behind one side gear to bias torque between two wheels. Yamaha really fumbled the ball when they designed that one!
Rick
I Have found that dragging the front brake would assist in getting some traction to the traction wheel. I've had to drag it prior to wheel spinning for it to work at all, and even then it didn't work that well. If I tried dragging the front brake after wheel spin had already occured, it didn't work at all. I just installed a Dirty Howie locker in the Grizzly and got to see how the front differential is set up. What a useless design! No wonder I never got any front end traction. It has only 2 clutch plates behind one side gear to bias torque between two wheels. Yamaha really fumbled the ball when they designed that one!
Rick
#18
03-23-2001, 11:52 AM
I just talked to a friend who is a Kawasaki nut. Seems he went to some propaganda thing a Kawasaki dealer had about the new 650 twin. Seems they run a pretty much 'open' front diferential for steering ease, and then have a spring loaded lever on the handlebar (kind of a stubby brake lever kind of thing, I guess) that, when held back, locks the front end together with no slip at all. He didn't get a chance to drive it to see if it worked as advertised. He figured it would, but we both wondered how handy it would be to have to pull the lever. If it was easy to do, and not a pain in the you-know-what to have to pull, that may be the best system yet. Open for ease of turning, but locked solid whenever YOU wanted it to be, not when or IF it decided to (like my friends Foreman).
My 4wd system has been trouble-free so far and I like how the Polaris system works, but prefer solid linkages, not wires and electricity when it comes to something that you may have to walk if it doesn't work right.
My 4wd system has been trouble-free so far and I like how the Polaris system works, but prefer solid linkages, not wires and electricity when it comes to something that you may have to walk if it doesn't work right.
#19
03-24-2001, 02:16 AM
For the guys with a 2WD/4WD option, I think the most exciting thing going is the Detroit Locker being manufactured for the front dfferential on quads! Unforunately for me, I didn't hear about it untill after I had already bought my Dirty Howie front locker. Oh well, I can't complain, its not available for the Grizzly yet anyway. In the mean time I've got "absolute 4WD"!
Rick
Rick
#20
03-24-2001, 05:50 PM
It's not avalible for anything yet. I would not be surprised if it's a year before they get it out on the market.
Remeber, it was only a year ago when High Lifter anounched it was gonna have an easy steer kit out for the 450 and Grizzly with a locker, but since they could not figure out how to make it work without having a super wide turning width-- they put that project WAYYYYYYY on the back burner.
Remeber, it was only a year ago when High Lifter anounched it was gonna have an easy steer kit out for the 450 and Grizzly with a locker, but since they could not figure out how to make it work without having a super wide turning width-- they put that project WAYYYYYYY on the back burner.