May buy a 2002 Prairie 300 need information on the (kaps) automatic transmission. How dependable are they?

 

My dad has 3600+ miles on his 99 300 4x4 and has had no tranny troubles- yet.

I have 3300 on my 99 400 4x4 and have had 0 tranny issues.

I got the belt wet once(its not a submarine, it's not a submarine- sorry got cought in a therapy trance)anyway I decided waiting for the tranny housing to dry while idling in nuetral was too time consuming, so I drilled a hole in the transmission housing's cover on the bottom and installed a small livewell plug in it. Now if it gets wet I can just drain out the majority of the water, then air dry the rest.

p.s. unless your getting a killer deal or just have to have an atv now, I would wait for the 360 to come out. It's gonna be a sweet machine.

 

There is a guy on another forum who has approx 9000 miles on his prairie 400, and he plows with it. He has owned Foremans before and he says although he has replaced his belt 3 times, the Prairie is less maintenance cost per mile than the wet clutched ones. This guy uses his for work, and it is used to plow a park (I think) and lake for ice skating, so he may plow more than you do. But he clearly feels that the Prarie is the best choice for reliability.

I have one and my brother does too. We have had no kawasaki related problems. We have however, broken things due to roliing and hitting things.

As far as belts go, we feel that people who are smart enough to use low range anywhere more power is applied at lower speeds, experience much longer belt life.

 

Another reason you might want to wait. One local dealer told me the 300 would be discontinued after the 360 comes out - since the 360 would be a better machine at a similar price. If you still wanted a 300, you could probably get a real deal then.

 

The only prob i had with my 2000 300 was the headlights melted due to the switch shorted and both beams on the lights became engerized and got too hot. Zero probs with the bik in any other way.

 

My wife has an '01 300 4x4 with no problems as of yet,it's driven on hard trails,sandy mud,snow,ect.We did find slow trail riding on technical trails it perform's better in low range,(and save's on belt wear)Ride's as nice as any straight axle Polaris also.We paid 4800.00 plus tax a year ago for it,now has 500 miles on it. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

i have an 01 praire 300 4x4, had no problems so far. it runs real good w/plenty of power for its size. use it for fun and work around the house,also pull a 3foot york rake to keep the driveway in shape.

 

Me and my brother both have one. Mine is 2001 (1650 miles) His is 2000 (1200 miles). Both bikes have been just about prefect since the get go. The only problem we've had is his taillight cover melted and the plug in for such things as spotlights didn't work. Mine the headlight housing melted. Never had a problem with the trany other than the belt getting wet and slipping.

 

'99 Prairie 4X2. Haven't broken anything that wasn't my fault. (Spindle and Tie Rod End) Mileage unknown but on the 3rd set of tires. No transmission problems, however possible catastrophic failure yesterday. Changed oil and filter Friday night, same brand, weight and filter as always. Unload Saturday AM out in the wide open desert, estimated 45 degrees F. About 2 miles down the road, stop to open a gate, notice a massive oil leak, oil filter area. Pull the cover, check filter, no problems there. On the Output Bevel Gearcase, forward end where the front driveshaft would connect, the seal had pushed out and was hanging on the shaft. So now the question is why after 3 years? Never in 35 years of vehicle and aircraft maintenance have I seen a lip seal come out by itself.
If not for a gate, my 1st indication of problems would have been when things started clattering and quit turning. So, I tapped seal back into place, 2 quarts to refill, so it never got completely dry, appears to be staying in place. Check them out. A 4X4, the drive shaft might keep it in place but I just have a splined shaft hanging.

 

No problems with mine, either. I have 26" Vampires on mine and run the crap out of it.