Hey,

Well for starters, let me say I just replaced my first (front) CV boot on my 2004.5 Sportsman 500. What a piece of cake! Anyone with decent mechanic skills shouldn't even think twice about doing it yourself and you really don't need allot of tools either. Thanks to detailed instructions from 'thecvman', I completely disassembled and cleaned the cv joint and all it's parts. Like anything else, once you do it, it's 10 times easier the second time around. A tie-rod "pickle fork" makes things easier during disassembly and I used a small pair of needle-nosed vise grip pliers to attach the new boot clamps. Also the service manual is a must have when working on an ATV.

And speaking of the Service manual, I think I found a typo regarding the proper torque for the FRONT hub retaining nut. On page 7.2 of the Polaris service manual there is a "Wheel and Hub Torque Table" that lists the hub nut of late 2004 models to be torqued to 40 foot pounds. Then, on page 7.12 they show a photo of a front hub and rotor assembly and list the "Front hub retaining nut torque" as 70 foot pounds!?! Which one is it?

I set mine at 40 ft lbs for now, but I wanted to ask you guys. Anyone know which is correct? Or maybe I'm just reading the manual wrong, but I don't think I am. I never use to give a rats a$$ about proper torque when I was younger, but after warping brake rotors on several cars and trucks, and snapping off countless bolts and nuts, I finally made my life easier and got a torque wrench.

Thanks in advance!

RC