Hey guys,

Looking at new machines and am narrowing my list of contenders. The 800 Outy is definitely in the running, but the infomercial left me with one question...How does she crawl??? Rock crawling is what I do...Dangerous and expensive rock crawling. Having four tires on the ground at the same time is a rarity. The only undamaged plastic on my machine is around the gas tank. The riding is slow, precise, and very rider-active. I've been in situations where I've had to apply throttle while standing on the front rack to prevent rollovers.

I require a 4-wheel drive system that is equal to the task without compromising performance or increasing the chance of rollover. I like what I've seen from my Sportsman and from the Grizz my friend rides. The Awd systems are true FOUR-wheel systems that engage very quickly. The Polaris does require 1/5 of a spin from the rear wheels before the fronts start to bite, but this is not noticeable in even the most challenging situations. I know the Outy is true 4wd, but engages differently. Picking the right line and placing your tires on key rocks is essential to making it through an obstacle without the aid of a winch. Maintaining your line is up to how well your 4wd system works and how quickly it engages. I believe a system that requires multiple full rotations to engage the 4wd would cause my tires to slip off a rock or cause my machine to push-pivot around an obstacle instead of climbing over it.

So....Does anyone do serious crawling with their Outy? Have you had any problems like the ones I described? How did it compare to machines with standard diff-locks? Let me know...


This is not a brand bashing thread...so please, serious replies only. If the thread title reminded you of a hospital room visit, or if you have spent more than 1G replacing plastic because of BFRs (Big F#$%ing Rocks)...you have the answers and input I'm really looking for.

Thanks to all who reply.

SprtsMNFan

 

great question. I've heard(only heard), that the visco lock technology requires the tire with the least amount of traction to go a full 3 rotations before the locker will engage. I don't know for sure if this is true as there is no info on the Can-am sight about "how" the visco works.
I do tend to agree with you though about the fact that if it does indeed require rotations, this could be bad when in precarious positions(near roll over status). Sliding and hopping is a bad thing when the pucker factor is high already. Hope someone with experience chimes in.

 

The world trials champ competes on an Outlander 400, this was on one of the sites a year ago. I rock crawl with mine with on problems, I think it is easy to rock crawl because the stability is better than others. The visco loc gives just the right amount of slip before total loc up for easy turning, try that with a fully locked diff. The Outty will need a skid for better protection for sure but that's it.

 

May wanna check outy this thread if you have a high speed connection
forums.atvconnection.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=499503&highlight _key=y&keyword1=locker

 

I think you need to find an atv with a full on locker. Here is why. I ride my 360 with a buddy who has an outlander 400. In some situations were we are rock crawling or going over a ledge, he cant make it up. For example, a lede that was about 2 feet high and on a hill were my 360 locked up can go strait up his cant. If you go fast at it you will flip back, if he goes to slow his locker doesnt engage untill a few rotations and by the time he is stuck. If his front end was locked before he started the ledge like mine, he wouldnt have a problem but with slow tecknical riding, the visco lok isnt better then a true locker.

 

For a split second a manual locker is better when just starting off on level surfaces. We rock crawl up and down dams at crazy angles, Outty's and King Quads seem to do the best because of stability but the KQ's are to hard to maneuver when locked. If you put an Outty in low gear it will climb instantly, high range takes a second more but the real advantage is the progressive lock-up on off cambers when you want some slip so you don't slide downward.

 

* sigh *

I hope the engineers at Can-Am are listening. We wouldn't even be having to have this discussion if they would just provide a simple override lock for the viscolock for just these sorts of situations. Oh no can't do that. Might uncut the marketing teams concept and tack on another 20 bucks onto the unit costs.

Had to be marketing or or accounting that stopped a great improvement like that. One of them or an engineering committee.

 

From video and audio on serious rock crawling on another forum, the consensus is 3 seconds from zero gradually to full engagement. With the 800 power, it would be difficult to stand on the front and manage instant full 2000+ rpm power.

Be careful what you wish for.