rhino steering box defect
 

Has anybody here broken the steering box ( rack and pinion )? I broke 2 in one day. The first broke the shaft in half. I also bent the spindles and broke a tie rod end.

rhino steering box defect
 

Did you fall into the Grand Canyon?

rhino steering box defect
 

Ha, that's a good one P.

rhino steering box defect
 

No, I just don't drive like your mom!

rhino steering box defect
 

My mom never drove!Sounds like "King Kong" was driving yours!

rhino steering box defect
 

Isn't this forum to talk about off road vehicles? I think you belong on Myspace or Craigslist. I wasn't being that hard on the Rhino. It just isn't made as well as I had hoped. The steering box is cast aluminum for crying out loud!

rhino steering box defect
 

OK! 'Nuff said,your not dising the Rhino.All I was implying is that most any vehicle can be torn up!Even the Rhino. My truck has a plastic brake fluid holder.The transfer case has an aluminum housing etc.etc. I would like to know how this SXS was torn up!What did you do to it to make hamburger out of the the steering box!How did you break the spindles? The reason I am asking,is I don't want this to happen to me............

rhino steering box defect
 

I wasn't jumping. I was driving in the baby dunes and was coming down a dune, got to the bottom and the dune went straight back up again. I heard a cracking or metal flexing noise. Both times it cracked on the passenger side. I spoke with Rhinocraft and they have heard of this before. Liberty Motorsports in Yuma had 7 steering boxes on hand that day and I got the last one @ 1:30 p.m. Why would they carry 7 if this was not common. The spindles may have bent from when I was getting towed back to camp. The wheels were just flopping freely and the truck was not taking it easy. My beef is that I had a $1800.00 150 cc go cart that took more abuse than my rhino. I love it. But, I will definitely be purchasing the aftermarket steering box once available in a month or so.

rhino steering box defect
 

I do a lot of deer hunting in southern Alabama,and most of it is in creek bottoms,cut overs(were trees have been harvested) and dropped off in skidder ruts,which are two to three feet deep.Logs and limbs have been mastered by my Rhino.Going full tilt through a clear cut that hasn't been cleaned up will test the best vehicle ever made.Sticks and other dangerous lime stone rocks figure into the play also.... I have yet to break anything on the Rhino ....who knows,it may break next week, I did have a hunting camp owner tell me the best SXS built was a Polaris Ranger,he uses his to transport hunters all over camp.I use my equipment to its fullest,and I maintain it . Its hard for me to think that you have had so much problems with such little use as you have described....Just thing outloud!

rhino steering box defect
 

The reason I am having the problems is because I drive aggresively as if it were a quad. I realize that it is not what it was designed for however, it's 10 grand and a yamaha. It should be able to take it. The reason you havn't had this problem is because you drive it in a farm or wooded terrain like it was designed. You probably will never break anything. If you ever go to sand dunes, be very cautious. It breaks down to the vehicle being very heavy and the steering box not being strong enough to handle the weight. If you drive into a trench and your wheels get impacted forward to backwards you will more than likely break or bend a spindle, steering box, tie rod end, etc. Thanks for the discussion. Let me know if you hear of this problem.

rhino steering box defect
 

I learned something new today, thank you. 40 plus years of experience riding every terrain on earth and over 35 years spent turning wrenches or teaching students how, and I did not know running on smooth obstacle free sand dunes is more likely to break steering componets than running over boulders & logs in the woods. Wow. Thanks again for that tasty bit of knowledge.

rhino steering box defect
 

Pro. I have to concur with you,a skidder trail is not nearly as bad as a sand dune....loaded with a deer and other heavy objects able to jump stumps and logs along the side of a hill with holes and muddy water,I guess a dune is tougher on the components.Of all the dunes that I have ever ridden on,the worse thing I ran into was sand getting into spindles and grinding up the bearingsWE have a lot of sand stone and river bottoms,that will turn the best ATV into a useless piece of equipment.

rhino steering box defect
 

rhino steering box defect
 

What kind of wheels are you running, if your running after-market wide offset wheels it puts more stress on all steering componants and can cause the tie rods to break or in your case much worse.

rhino steering box defect
 

I get it. You are so proud to be a country hick. I am so glad I don't live in the south. If you have ever been to Glamis you would know what I was talking about. Obviously I ride harder than you, I broke something. Sand dunes are alot different than sand in a stream or driving over a log. If anybody here west of the rockies can help me, please do so. Please no more rednecks.

rhino steering box defect
 

Thank you yellowrider250ex for simply offering advice and not turning this into a stupid war of words.

rhino steering box defect
 

I am truly sorry if I offended you.I did not call you any names,and I wish you wouldn't call me any. I live on the coast, and we have some very high sand dunes on the outer banks.And I don't ever remember them being tough on any vehicles that I have owned. The guy may be right about your tire size. I do invite you to come to my hunting camp and try out our cut overs. I think you would see the light. Sand is soft and forgiving,where a forest has been cut,looks like a bomb went off!Terrain thats mean to an ATV of any kind. BTW I am real tough on my equipment also.Sorry!

rhino steering box defect
 

Personnaly I haven't heard of the Rack & Pinion breaking. I can relate to your post as I ride (hard) in the sand too: Glamis, Pismo & Oregon. From my experience you'd had to have been beating/launching your Rhino quite a bit, many times to inflict the damage you have, or... have had one serious crash... I damaged the front end of my Rhino by launching it @ Pismo. I was out in the dunes beating the Hey-seus out of it (launching it various dunes) and on my last launch headed for camp I came up short. I caught about 4 feet of air & came down about 20 feet out onto a table top. Sounds okay except I didn't see that someone had cut a donut at the top. I of course came down nose "heavy" right into the (hard) face of the donut. I hit so hard I was seriously dizzy for quie a while. Anyway I got out, looked it over and noticed that both front tires were really toed out. I limped it back to camp and loaded it up. Once at home I started working on it. Nobody could tell me how to check/determine what components were bent. So It was hit and miss. I replaced the Rack & Pinion, no change, returned it. A friend had some factory a-arms, so I put them on, it helped, but only about 15%. I also found some cracks in the frame @ the front area near the lower skid plate area (near the factory welds), so I had them welded. The last thing I did was order and install new spindles. Wa-La! back to normal. "My case" was due to self abuse (trashing the unit). You play, ya gotta pay... Anytime your using/abusing something beyond the way it was designed, issues may arrise ..

Rude Dog

rhino steering box defect
 

Rude,tell it like it is! You know what happened like I do!.Anything can be broken...over and out!!

rhino steering box defect
 

I agree. If you are too hard on anything it will break. However, I was really not that hard on it and a Rhino costs 10k! Obviously Yamaha agree's with the defect ( They warranteed everything! ). I have done my research and this is a common problem for people who ride in the sand dunes. Yes, SAND DUNES. If you have a rhino and the wheels are forced into a forward to backwards motion verses an up and down you will break or bend something. DRIVING through the woods and mud really does not apply. Sorry Alabama it's just a different environment.

rhino steering box defect
 

Lets see! Hmmmm a sand dune in Ca. is different than one at our beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. On Dauphin Island the dunes are as much as 60 feet high.....sand is sand....!Sorry "Tony".... "Forward to back ward motion" does that mean you went forward,but went backward, when you jumped off the top of the dune and landed on the nose of the Rhino?... just asking? What gear was it in?

rhino steering box defect
 

I have an aftermarket steering box.Its complete all the way from the steering wheel to the hubs.if you have long travel no problem i have made longer tie rods.if your interested let me know and i can explain all the bitchen things about it from the heavy duty steering box,5/8 hiem joints and the 3:1 steering ratio.This kit is fnnnn awsome.you will not believe it untill you see it.

steering rack
 

I had the same problem with my steering rack i went hunting last month and had a steep trail my tire got wedged in between a trench so when i turned the steering wheel i heard a crack and it was from one of the bolt holes on the rack it self. so out of the 4 bolt patern wholes only 3 are good. this is the second one i have broken is there any good beefy aftermarket racks?