Thinking about a new Prairie 650 when it becomes available.

My question is how watertight is the tranny on your current ride? Do you have problem with belt slippage?

 

Snowshark,
The belt on the Kawasaki Prairie torque converter is as water tight as any belt drive made. The intake and exhaust are as high as they can make them. Unless you run in water right up to the seat, it is fine. If you keep the front up, (the intake is just under the front rack to the right of the steering column) the back can even be deeper as long as you keep the engine revved up and don't stop. This keeps air blowing through the converter (it acts like a fan) and out the converter exhaust so it won't let water in. I have never flooded mine and made the belt slip, but I'm told (and it makes sense to me) that if you do, tow the machine to dry ground and rev the engine with the transmission in neutral. This will blow dry the housing and belt. If you try to go and have to rev higher than normal to move, go back to neutral and run it longer. If you dry the belt by letting it slip until it dries you may ruin it by glazing and burning it. From different posts I've read on people that have done this properly with several different makes, they haven't hurt anything. If you were in water any deeper with any ATV, you would flood the engine.

 

jscyoung,

thanks for the information. Now all I have to do is wait for more info to be released on the Prairie 650.