I was told by my dealer not to trailer my Sportsman with the transmission in park, but to put it in neutral and lock the brakes. Anybody have any input on this? If it is harmful, why does the tranny have a park position?

 

Never heard of this but i would question his "locking the brake" advice. Over time the fliud pressure is going to bleed out with the quad not running and your brake will not hold (that's why Polaris says chock your wheels when on a hill, besides setting your brake) I tie my machines down pretty tight when trailering, and have it in Park, they don't move much so I can't see that Park would be taking much abuse.

 

I suppose the dealer is thinking that there might be extra force on the system if it were to slide around. The main reason for park is so that it won't roll when you're parked on a stationary surface. I always travel with mine in park, with the brake locked, and tied down so it can't move.

 

The owners manual says to place in Park and to Lock the Brake.....

 

Trailering in Park..with no other restraint could cause wear and possibly breakage to the park components in the transmission. If you strap it down securely like most do and everyone should..it won't hurt a thing. Personally I set the brake and strap mine...doesn't matter what gear you are in if you do that.

reno82....As for setting the brakes being a problem it is not IMO..the brake system is totally self contained..has nothing to do with the quad running...and if the pressure bleeds off it means you have a leak...but I wouldn't suggest setting the brakes and leaving them for days.

 

Highoctane I'm not doubting what you're saying but why do both of my machines seem to bleed off? When I initially lock the brake it takes a bit of strength, you can feel good resistance, but after the machine sets for a spell the brake seems like it's lost that resistance....seems like they've bled off?
What you say makes sense,without a leak they can't be bleeding off but they feel like it......
As for trailering in park I always have but might not in the future.
Last week I hauled my machine about 150 miles, and somehow the two back straps got a little loose causing the quad to sit and roll/slide back and forth on the bouncy trailer. I don't think it hurt anything but there where some pretty good black marks where the tires slid/bounced back and forth. Never let anyone else load your quad! A friend helped me load and he didn't set the brake! I should have checked but it was cold and I was in a hurry,besides I thought he knew better....oh well now I know better!
Anyway if the brake would have been set the bouncing/sliding wouldn't have bothered me as much......

 

Good info! I tie mine down, but my son doesn't, and I think he puts his in PARK? I can't remember if his AC has park? LOL

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: hddoperator

Highoctane I'm not doubting what you're saying but why do both of my machines seem to bleed off? When I initially lock the brake it takes a bit of strength, you can feel good resistance, but after the machine sets for a spell the brake seems like it's lost that resistance....seems like they've bled off?
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OK. I guess I should have explained further....my point was more toward the comment that appeared to suggest that the machine being off affected the brakes. A "leak can be internal..hence why I said not to leave them set for "days" I'll explain..
There are a few possible reasons for that "bleed off" other than an external fluid leak ....but the affects can be minimized by following the correct procedure for setting the brakes. When you set the brake you should pump them a few times..you will feel them sort of pump up..them set them..have you been doing this?
The reasons "bleed off" are..1) components can expand(brake hoses) and compress(pads)..it isn't much..but it doesn't take much..think about how small the volume of fluid is that you are moving/compressing. All it takes is for the hoses to expand with pressure and the pads to compress a minute amount and the pressure will "bleed off". Pumping the brakes will pre-expand the hoses to their limit(they have steel braiding..the flexible will expand until retrained by the steel braided jacket) and compress the pads..although that is a very small part compared to the hoses.
2) Temp changes can cause the brakes to seem to bleed off..if you set them right after you pull the machine out of the garage and load it on the trailer..then the fluid cools it will contract and the brakes appear to "bleed off"...again pumping them up can minimize this.
3)The master cylinder seals can leak slowly..this is a form of leakage..just internal..and why I said not to leave them set for days..
4) Obviously air in the system...
So technically the brakes can bleed off..but with the brake set properly it is of no consequence to trailering..unless maybe you are going a very long distance or going from a warm climate to a very cold one..
The "parking brake" is a temporary thing IMO..besides if you strap properly you don't even need to set them..
I've set mine properly and trailered the machine for 4 hours and the brakes were still holding when I offloaded it.

 

when my dealer delivered my Spyder - he put it in park and tied down all the wheels. If the straps give way you have your tranny to keep it there. I would rather have my tranny abused than the quad falling off. Like others said, when the rest it tied down, there is no stress on the tranny

I DO HOWEVER tie the quad down nice and tight BEFORE I put it in park and applying the parking brakes!!!! I think that is a key step.

 

I put mine in P, lock the brakes, & do not tie down unless going on a long trip. My trailer has 18" racks so would have to flip to come out.