I have a chance to get a Trail Boss for around $850. It is a 250 and appears to be in decent shape although it is by no means "beautiful". It is a 2 cycle, 2 wheel drive, with kind of a teal colored plastic. Owner says its a 1998 but I have yet to confirm. Is this a decent price and is there anything good or bad that stands out about this model. I'm not looking to go mudding, racing, or jumping with it. Mainly open road rides, ice fishing, and some light food plot work.

 

rock solid motor with lots of aftermarket stuff for it. buddy of mine has that exact machine and it has been bullet proof

 

Well I decided to buy it. It seems to run pretty strong but I have a couple questions.

#1 On the carb there are two clear plastic hoses near the top. One goes into the frame, and the other is just hanging down. Is this setup correct?

#2- There is another clear plastic hose coming up from what i believe is the trans. The end is burnt and this hose is just hanging near the one from the carb. Is this supposed to connect somewhere?

#3- Where do I check/fill the trans? There is a plug on what I believe to be the trans next to where the clear plastic hose connects. This plug has XXXX marking on the bottom half. Is this the dipstick, is so the fluid is not touching it. What should I fill it with?

#4- The air filter is dirty and I will be replacing it. I have read about a pre filter but do not see one on the unit?????

Sorry for all of the questions but I just want to make sure I have the machine properly setup before I ride it more and risk serious damage.

 

#1 yes its correct
#2 just supposed to hand (vent line)
#3 fill in the dipstick hole. drain fluid first then it wouldnt be a bad idea to flush it with some deisel. put about a qt of diesel in there and run for about 15 minutes to get everything washed. then fill with medium weight oil. not gear oil but not 0w. try something like 20w40 or so.

#4 there is usually a "prefilter" on the snorkel end by the gas tank. if its not there its not a big deal. the paper in the filter will filter everything. if you get a k&n or uni just remember to keep it oiled.


no problem with asking questions. better to ask than to spend the extra $$$$ to fix something that could have been prevented with a simple question.

 

Thanks eggenz7.

About the trans fluid. You say to use 20w40 or something similar but I have also heard to only use Polaris AGL. Does it matter either way?

 

its just gears and bearings in there. no need for special fluid.

 

I just changed the fluid and put in some heavy duty 15w40 I found at Sears. I also did some slight adjustments on the carb and throttle cable to get rid of the grinding while shifting out of neutral. I am going to order a couple air filters tonight. I took it out for a quick test drive on my block and I got up to 45mph (using my gps as a speedo). I can't wait to get this out in the woods.

One last question. I want to check the tire pressures and get them all even but the gauge I have only goes down to 10psi and the tires call for no more than 5psi, any suggestions?

 

any auto parts store will have a low pressure tire gauge.