hey all, just picked up a 2009 trx 420 last week, love it so far, but, to me it seems like one of my wheels it toed out more than the other, and when i have it in the garage and stare at it it kind of seems like my handle bars are too, is it all an optical illusion because one tire is towed out more, its like you cant get both tires straight with the handle bars straight, it seems hard to get both tires straight without the toe looking weird or something, ive riddin it a little hard but never had any wrecks, just lots of fun anyone else find this at all ever? it just seems weird to look at to me like its not symmetrical or something haha i could be crazy or what?

 

Are the bars straight when the machine is going straight? I'd also check to make sure there's no play in the tie rod ends or wheel bearings, as well as making sure the tie rods and other components aren't bent.

You can measure toe out with an alignment gauge or with two builder's squares. You can't measure the distance between the tires at the rear of the tires directly because the engine and frame are there, so you basically need something U shaped of a fixed width to use as a reference. A toe gauge is basically a horizontal rod with two long pointers.

If you use squares, c-clamp the long ends together so it is shaped like a U about the width of the centers of the tires.

Slip that under the machine, with the short ends propped up against the backs of the tires. Mark the tires with a pen along the edges of the squares.

Pull your squares out, roll the machine forward until the marks on the backs of the tires are now at the front. Lay your squares on the ground up against the fronts of the tires. Line up one side with one of the pen marks, and measure the distance between the other mark and the other edge of the square.

Spec for a 4x4 Foreman is 30mm toe out (wider at front) + or - 15mm as measured at the treads of the tires. I'm not sure what it is for the Rancher.

I had a quad into the shop once where the mechanic set the alignment to spec but measured to the rim, and the result (naturally) was way too much toe out... The factory spec measurement is to be taken at the tire tread.

Anyhoo, if it turns out to be off, loosen the lock nuts on the inside and outside tie rod ends, and turn each rod in by the same amount until you get the alignment back in spec. When you tighten the lock nuts up, make sure the tie rod can rotate (as opposed to having one end of the tie rod locked at one end of its play, and the other locked at the other end of the play).

I hope that makes sense...

 

i find when i i hold the handlebars what i would call straight, the machine goes a bit to the right, so in order to go straight the bars are cocked a small bit to the left. Last night i was sizing up the tie rods and one has more thread left out than the other, could that be my problem?

 

If nothing is bent, you can adjust one tie rod in or out to get it to go straight when the bars are straight. Then measure toe out and if you need to adjust the toe turn both tie rods the same amount to maintain the bar is straight/quad goes straight relationship.

 

yeah, that's an easy fix. First adjust the toe in to spec, disregarding where the bars are. Look in the manual for the spec. Measure (and mark) the tires center to center on the front of the tread, then rotate the tires 180 and measure the exact same spot when the spot is in the back. Look in the manual for the toe in spec. If you don't have a manual, it's usually 1/2" closer in the front than back. Then once the toe is good, Adjust the bar by adjusting the rods equally on each side. In on left/out on right or vise versa.

 

where i have to turn my bars a bit to the left to go straight i would imagine that with my bars straight i would have to turn both wheels to the left? Also when i looked at my tie rods last night i noticed there is more thread left out on one that the other, i think this might me be my problem.

 

yes, that is the problem but you still need to adjust toe.

 

ok, and that can be done by loosening the nuts on the tie rods, turning them to get desired toe, then tightening the nuts again? seems relatively easy perhaps i will take a look at doing that tonight, id have to have to take it to the dealership for something so simple..

 

It's easy. Don't take it to someone. A few things are to make sure you use two wrenches. One on the rod and one on the end nut. Also, after you reposition it and tighten it, make sure it has play enough to twist it back and forth. No binding. Check this play with the wheel all the way right and also all the way left.

 

Good point. Do use two wrenches. You can damage the tie rod ends by forcing them at the end of their range of motion.

It will take some trial and error, but you will eventually get it. I'd measure toe first. If it is has way too much toe out, it could be that bringing one wheel back in will make it steer straight and bring the toe to the correct specification.

Was this machine new? It could be someone bent a tie rod, or broke a tie rod end, and didn't set it up properly afterward.