Well I was following some old atv tracks the other day, and they must have been really old, because they led right into some soft ground that gave way under me into a water hole. I was crawling, but there was a stump or log or rock in the hole and the sportsman landed on it, right on that tow point on the bottom of the front end.

Got home, spent 3 hours taking off the winch, brushguard, front rack, and then the whole front end to find that the bottom of the radiator was bent pretty good. Its not leaking, but the bottom 2 or 3 rows of fins are obstructed and crushed pretty well. The contractor at our house took a look and said it would be ok, just keep an eye on it. I spent about 4 hours with a sledge getting everything back into shape so I could get the Glacier plow mount back on, but I didnt want to touch the radiator, incase it was close to leaking as it was.

Everything is buttoned back up now, and I am leaving the glacier mount on now for extra protection.

Should I replace that bent radiator? There are the rare times when the weight of the sportsman show its disadvantages...

 

IMHO, I would ride w/ it unless it doesn't seem to be cooling as it should. You'll lose some cooling efficiency but it should hold up. Just keep an eye on it and if it's overheating then get another one.

 

Thanks. That's the plan.

I'll just clean out the radiator a little more often and keep an eye on everything. These machines should come with temp gauges, but I was thinking about one anyway.

 

Run her!!! I was F'n around with my nephew ( he has a 400ex ) pushing at him bumper to bumper with my 500 Scram. when somehow his bumper ( a DG V-Pro ) got in around my stock radiator guard & mushed the side 2 rows pretty well. I never fixed mine. If it doesn't leak, run it.

 

Alright, sweet. $315 for a new rad isnt a cup of tea.

 

I hear 'ya, my $36 clearance bumper on now hopefully does the trick also vs. $300

 

I hear ya, if whatever I hit had been about an inch taller it would have hit the bottom bar on my brushguard like it's supposed to, leaving my frame unbent. But why would it do something like that?