I have a 2002 prairie 300 4x4 that acts like the front differential is locked at all times. The steering is really hard at higher speeds. Does anyone know what the problem is and how to fix it?

 

Lift the front on a jack and see how hard it is to turn each tire separately.

I doubt there is a prob with it. The diff would affect you more the further you turn the handlebars and not necessarily more at higher speeds.

Any chance the tires are flat in front and high in back? That might do it. Any chance the tires are not the same dia front to back? The front tires must roll approximately 2 inches less than the rear ones in one revolution. If the rear ones roll much further than the fronts it makes steering really hard and wastes power. You can't check rolling distance on a fulltime 4x4 without lifting one end off the ground.

 

Wazz,

I've seen water in the differential do some wild and wonderful things to the clutch packs too....have a look at the state of your lube.

 

The front tires are 4 psi and rear are 5 psi which is what is recommended in my 650 owners manuel.

 

Can you lift the front up with a jack and try to spin the left tire? The right one should spin the other way. It should not spin freely, but it shouldn't be really hard to either. Since it is full time 4x4 the rear tires being on the ground will force the other tire to spi the other way.

Make sure there is oil in the front diff (85w90).

 

Which is it a 300 or a 650 ??? you make reference to both .

 

I lifted the front end and the tires spin in opposite directions. Not too easy and not too hard. I will check the oil. The tires are Dirt Devil which were on it when I bought it. They are pretty aggresive tire. I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

It is a 300 but I have a 650 also.

 

The dirt devil is wide, that makes steering more difficult. If you have ITP rims on the front, they are spaced wider and that may make it worse too. Is it easy to turn the h-bars when the front is off the ground (should be real easy)? Are you sure the tires are the same diameter, such as 25x10-12 in front and 25x12-12 in rear?

Recheck your tire pressure. I think you have a rolling distance issue. May have to let air out of fronts or pump up rears (or both). Try altering the air pressure until it goes away.

 

Yes it is easy to turn the handle bars. The tires are 25x8-10 on front and 25x12-10 on rear with original rims.