As a motor vehicle mechanic, when I was working on the bench, if a vehicle came in with an axel problem, we fixed what it needed. Sometimes all that was required was a replacement boot to repair a torn boot, other times the owner had let it go long enough that the CV joint needed to be replaced. In that case, we would replace the joint with a new boot of course.
But then it started to get to the point where the suppliers were only selling a complete half-shaft, no one was replacing the common wearing part, the outer CV Joint.
For ATVs I see many suppliers for replacement CV Joint boots, remove the joint from the axel, slide the new boot on, reinstall the joint,,,,, . Since the joint has to be removed to change the boot, and it is easy to remove the joint, why can't I find a source for a replacement outer CV Joint? I have an axel with a damaged outer CV Joint that I would like to replace and have on hand as a spare as I have 2 that use the same axel for either side and we often get into areas where parts aren't always accessible.
So the ATVs are 2014 and 16 Arctic Cat 500's, anyone know of a source for an outer joint instead of wasting all that money on a complete half-shaft?
Or can someone explain why one wouldn't replace a bad joint instead of replacing the entire axel? Maybe I'm missing something,,,,,