Ahhh, not to worry, her aim isn't very good when throwing things at me and even worse with a gun in her hand... Plus, she isn't on facebook and doesn't read her email when she gets it anyway... Too busy thinking up new ways to aggravate me for sure.

 

Let's see, help educate the kids or buy a new $15,000 quad? Hmmmmmmm, decisions, decisions. LOL!

 

Trust me, the quad would be way cheaper.

 

I've owned a dozen big-bore can-am's and punish my atv's with 30" tires, mud, rocks, sand and snow- plowing, pulling wagons with 1500 lbs of firewood, even dragging rocks. I've never had a single issue with any axle or cvt. I had a fuel pump issue... winch issue...rear spring issue and bushing issues (most of these issues were my fault )- but no axle issues.
The xmr 1000 did have axle issues from what I remember when they were first released- I believe I recall them snapping because they were using stock factory axles on the 30" tires- however, soon there after they started using monster axles and gave everyone a very generous 3 year bumper to bumper warranty. I've done a lot of canada riding (and maine & nh) you'll find pics in my albums- it's brutal terrain; deep mud and tons of rocks. I never feared I wouldn't make it back from a 100 mile treck into the deep woods, and I was never left stranded by a downed can-am. I've been stranded multiple times on my (nearly new) rincons (tranny issues on both!) and once on my kq from a charging / cpu issue...

 

Not to mention rolling a quad or two over....

 

highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend the EPS!
it makes the rock gardens and hill descents so much more manageable- effortless really- and is a god-sent for people with carpel tunnel (like me )

 

that wasn't ever my fault... damn nitrogen filled tires and floating atv's - cant even ride a 1000 lb machine without it floating away

 

Yeah, the only reason I would upgrade would be for the EPS. Both of us passed the 60 mark some time ago, and I didn't know what I was missing until I took a test ride on a Grizzly with it. OMG. Now recall I had been riding sport machines and a old model Rubicon that was 4x4 full time. That thing is a tank for sure, but you had to have Popeye forearms to ride it all day long. That Griz really opened my eyes. Now after open heart surgery a few years ago, I don't have the upper body strength I once had, and that EPS is a necessary thing. Now the Mrs... well that is just a concession to her letting me have a new toy. I mean she can't complain, I have about 60 Grand of top of the line embroidery and quilting sewing machines staring at me around the house. (Even have one in our Raptor toyhauler). Oh hell, probably twice that much now that I think about it. So she shouldn't mind if a shiny new machine ends up in the shed. (Speaking of which, after 10 years, I finally got that project done too) (Not my fault though, first I destroyed my ACL in the right knee, then 8 surgeries later, I got a deep bone infection, then I literally broke the foot off, a series of surgeries there, then the stroke and open heart surgery 4 years ago, so I have an excuse.)
Anyway, the reason I am writing, I didn't say anything about the axles. My question was about Diffs and clutches. I hang around Youtube and watch MechMike and another guy from Canada. Mike does a clutch kit in every build he does, and most of them get the XMR Diff upgrade too, as well as upgraded belts. The other guy has a full time business rebuilding Can-Am Diffs. All of the stuff they show having issues is due to their riding style and the skeg riding they do. Big tires and full throttle on modified motors etc. In talking to others, it appears that there are a couple things going on.. Originally the diffs were having a heat treatment issue with the gears caused by problems with the bearings. Can-am eventually beefed up the bearings and improved the metallurgy to where they solved some but not all of the issues. Apparently there is still some more work to be done, but again, we are talking EXTREME conditions that 99% of us will never see, and probably never have issues with. Some of these guys were destroying a DIFF in less than 30 hours of riding. The XMR diffs were supposedly beefier and had the upgraded bearings. This is one of the reasons I was considering the xmr. I won't be mud riding, neither will Mrs DB. (I am adverse to cleaning) so I will simply put a less aggressive tire combo on it and throw the mudders on if I need to pull a heavy trailer in soft ground or less than optimal traction conditions. Or if some pesky gopher becomes a problem and I need to root them out without a shovel. Anyway check out another guy, Ostacruiser on You tube if you want to see the extreme riding conditions that I am talking about. Thanks for joining in...

 

my bad... for some reason I focused on the axles.
however, I do recall an issue I had with my 2012 outty max 1000- right around the 35-45 mph spot i noticed the diff would make a deafening whining sound- even the guys in front & behind me could hear it- it literally hurt my ears. I brought it in under warranty- the shop said they went through the whole rear diff and cvt and found nothing. Never did figure it out- I firmly believe the 30" tires had something to do with it; maybe the way the axle angle was- and I did have spring spacers to help with the factory spring sag, which I felt was a problem in hard corners.

 

The other guy mentioned is on you tube. Everything you want to know about the Can-am diffs is in his video section. The guy goes by Mudnwheels on youtube. Warning, the website is very technical, but it gives a history of the Diffs, problems and fixes over time. He makes his living rebuilding them into bulletproof units.