I have a 500HO with a 2000lb Warn winch and a twin tube style front bumper. I know that both of these add some weight to the front end making the suspension seem a little soft for my style of riding. I do not want a firm ride but rather one that is somewhere in the middle. Does anybody have any suggestions? Has anybody tried using the "coil spring spacers" or are these only used for snow plows and such. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

3TV IS RITE ON THE MARK

Until I purchased my SCRAMBLER 500 3TV let me ride his wifes yamaha wolverine 350 its a great machine,but after riding it for most of a day he let me ride his sportsman ho ,and iI tell you what, it felt like sitting on your couch at home.Its got an awsome trail ride but it wears you out if you try to ride it like a sport machine.I had a hard time trying to keep up with DESERT RACER 3TV when he hopped on the 350 wolverine.So my sugestion as 3TV said, is try the fox shocks first.But if that doesnt seem to work for you,ride a 4x4 sportquad like my scrambler and see what you think.the handle is awsome.Doesnt haul much, but it does depend on what you intend to use it for.

 

The other option would be a set of Works struts, they have a few advantages over the Fox struts. First they are custom built for you and take into consideration Your weight and the weight of your machine and acessories along with your riding style. Second they have an air ajustable feature which allows you to adjust for load. Third they are rebuildable from what I've heard the new Fox are not. They are also $10 cheaper than the Fox! I know there next on my list. http://www.worksperformance.com/index.html

 

I bought the progressive adjustable springs through dennis kirk. they work great when you have a load on like a plow you can crank them up. or loosen them when you have nothin. they are a lot stiffer than stock spring even when adjusted loose. so these would probably be nice for you

 

I put the heavy duty front springs on mine. Part number 7041450-067. Made a world of difference. I also have tube bumper, winch, blade, front tool box, and 250 lb. fat a$$. They are not too expensive and not to hard to install. Dont let the smaller wire size confuse you over the progressive wound stock spring though.

 

I to upgraded to the Polaris HD front springs like chopperbill and I am very happy with them. When my stocker struts die I will be looking at upgrading to Works or Fox.
Just my 2 bits.

 

I had the same complaint on my Magnum. The tire that come stock on the Polaris' are only 2-ply tires and are very soft. The sidewalls roll under in turns causing hard nose diving. If you ungrade to a better tire like I did, you will notice a big difference in handling.

 

3TV, thanks for the education. I contacted Works and from what I was told they can build front struts for any Polaris using the narrower Sachs cartridge stock. The one thing that has me leaning more toward them is the air adjustabilty of them. Altough the valve on the bottom of the cartridge isn't exactly what I'd call easy access, still its there. I do know its time for me to make up my mind because, I've got one strut bleeding fluid like a stuck pig! Thanks again for the comparision.

 

Try the Polaris Spring rubbers first. I tried the stiffer front springs, but took them off, too stiff for me. A put the rubbers on back in early '99 and have camo Moose covers over the springs. Never had one come out yet. It's an easy fix that you can return to normal quickly and easily.

 

I also have the same problem with the front end bottoming out. I blew out the stock front struts at 300mi. and the dealer replaced them, now I'm going the HD spring route. My riding partner had the same problem, but he went with the fox struts and progressive spring setup. It is stiffer but no more bottoming out for him anymore, plus, I can't keep up with him anymore because min still bottoms out. I can't justify the $400 upgrade, so I'll see if I can get by with the heavier front springs, I tried the rubber inserts and they didn't work out for our riding style. Good luck.