Can am really needs to change their skidframe from so called hardened plastic to good ol' fashion metal. I hit one big rock, I wasn't looking, and the whole underside cracked all the way through and came off, so I just tore the whole thing off and now I'm left with no skidframe. And with can ams history with bad frames it just worries me.

 

 

My thoughts exactly! That's why I enjoy this forum and visit here daily. Always something new to be learned. Such as: Can Am's history with bad frames. I never knew!?! As the proud owner of 7 DS's over the years and still having 4 currently I've experienced many issues with the ol' sand pig, all of which others have run into and have been discussed in detail on this very forum. But never once have I had an issue with a bad frame, sub frame, swing arm, or A-arms. Those, along with the bad azz Rotax motor are what makes Can Am the most reliable and dependable ATV on the market.
I do mostly dune riding but also ALOT of open desert riding and have literally beat the shiatt out of most of my DS's and have yet to experience any type of frame failure. I've pancaked some wheels, thrashed some aluminum skid plates, worn through some of the plastic ones, knocked a bunch of paint off of the undercarriage, but not once any history of "bad frames".
If you have a habit of riding over rocks I would very much suggest investing in an Armadillo skid plate. By far the thickest and toughest on the market. Has saved me many sprockets and rotors over the years and I've tried them all. Avoid AC Racing skids unless you're intent is to just add bling. They are not as durable as the stock plastic skids.

I'll bring up this history of bad frames at DS Days and see what I've been missing out on over the years.

 

What about the outlander models? I really have no idea if the ds and the outlanders have the same frame.

 

From what I've read it's mainly Outlander and Renegades. When my son bought his we ordered a plastic insert that we put in the mainframe to stiffen it up. I'm more at peace about it now. The piece is made out of high molecular weight plastic.

 

Do you know if the 2010 models come with that installed or will I have to order that seperately?

 

My bad! I forgot that this wasn't a DS exclusive forum like it was for years...
I've driven an Outlander Max 800 around Dumont a little bit and it performed awesome for it's size and weight but other than that I can provide no input on Outtys or Renegades. I guess now when we start a thread we need to specify what were talking about since the DS isn't the only Can Am/BRP model any longer.
The ride was fun while it lasted!

 

I'll keep that in mind next time, sorry for the mix up.

 

If you mean the frame stiffener, I don't think so. There are aluminum ones available too. Just do a search on frame mod and you should be able to find one.