Hello im here to inform all predator owners to inspect all your welds on your predator.
I took delivery of my predator on 12/12/2002 as of that time I currently have 6 hrs on the machine.
(WHY) Beacuse I'm waiting for a new A-ARM! That's right I said A-arm upon further inspection as i always inspect. Because I admire the new predator so much I can't stop looking at it. I have come across a weld that was what looked like a hairline crack or paint chipped off. However not the case what I found was on the lower a-arm shock mount it has two welds holding it to the a-arm one of those welds was bad. I had it looked at by 3 different professional welders all 3 confirmed (DEFECT) in the weld. Could this mean (RECALL) I don't know we will have to wait and find out. As of this point and time my dealer has already confirmed it a defect and a warranty issue. Now we are both waiting the arrival of the new part......which is what brings me to say I have never owned another quad in my life (EXCEPT)polaris! the american way I cant say more about this awesome quad they have built for us even with my delema as long as polaris addressess this problem so far so good but I've got to give all that credit to my dealer. Now the only beef I have so far with polaris is how they handle there products with this new machine yes I underdstand that it is a new model but when you distribute thousands of new machines you need to have all the products available before the machine goes into public. WHY because it doesnt look good when you got new happy predator owners starring at there babys and they cant ride it because theres no oil,no filters,no o-rings and I must say very slow in getting parts.On that note I cant speak more highly of polaris its the only way...(THE PREDATOR IS THE RULER OF THE GAME)......................

 

the Predators aren't the only machines with hand welds. I have been checking out the Z400/KFX and there are plenty of hand welds on these as well. Some are robotic welds, but the hand welds have (atleast on the machines I have looked at) been poorly done. Poor penetration, and in some cases, not enough filler material. Not to mention carrying the weld 2 inches beyond the 2 pieces they are welding and up the frame. WHY IS THIS???? The frame problems that have been posted in this forum I attribute to the lackluster welding.

Don't get me wrong, Suzuki/Kawasaki aren't alone. I have had one Polaris with the same issue. I have seen Raptor's on the showroom floor with poor welds on the shock mounts on the lower A-arm as well. Hopefully this is corrected on future models from all manufacturers.

 

Good info Badazz, like you said, good idea to always give 'em a "pre-flight" inspection. When you consider what we put these things through, it's always best to keep them maintained. The beauty of the internet, we can all share experiences. Like you also stated, there's gonna be some first year burps, we'll just have to keep each other informed. This is a great new territory Polaris ventured into. We whinned about not having a true sport quad. Then we (me included) whined they were taking there time. Heck, they spent a month sandbagging their factory from a flood, and still got the product out in a very resonable time frame.

Ken

 

modquad wrote, and I Yeah and we whinned modquad when the first Predators were all hauled right by our doors here in Minnesota out to the west coast for all the lucky guys out there that got theirs in November!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Wow! You dont say. Boy I can recall someone mentioning this, along with other things.Its funny to see you guys post stuff that I have already encountered. The last time I said anything a bunch of guys bashed me. My pred is runnin awesome. My dealer is fantastic. My sponsors for this year are wonderful with gettin me my updates and ready for the season to come.

 

LEP7MM
Whenever you weld on something that has a dynamic (moving) load you always carry the weld past to help diffuse the stress loads. It helps to prevent cracking. I haven't seen any pics on the preds welding but thats the common procedure. The weld should travel in the same direction as the load i.e. when you weld on a semi-truck frame you always travel horizontal with the weld (same direction as the frame) you should never weld vertical on a frame, it disturbs the grain structure of the steel and makes a weak area, yes steel has a grain just like wood.
Well that always been my practice anyhow, and I've been welding for over 20 years.

Evan[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

evan,

I understand that metal has a grain like wood. I work in a sheetmetal shop running a press brake and a turret press. As far as the welding, now that you have explained it, I can understand that better than I did earlier. But to carry a bead 2 inches beyond just appeared a little excessive.

 

Maybe after doing the same welds for 8 hrs he or she fell asleep at the wheel, hahaha. Actually 2 inches sounds about right.JMO[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I posted a picture on MY PAGE of a funny looking weld I found on my predator and the over spray on the oil tank. I almost blamed the dealer for the weld job, but why would the factory make such a crappy weld and leave the over spray. This is still a great ride, just some small bugs.

 

You hit the nail right on the head about Polaris and not being able to get an oil filter and other parts. I just picked up my new Predator yesterday after a long wait, only to find that I can only run one tank through it, as my Dealer and every other dealer I have called around here, does not have the filter or oil required for the oil change after break-in! They tell me they are back ordered and should be a couple of weeks. The last time a dealer told me a couple of weeks, it turns out to be a few months! I loved the new ride, but now it just sits in my garage and laughs @ me every time I want to ride. Of course there is no snow to take my sled out either. It's cold out but my blood is boiling. Polaris really dropped the ball on this aspect of the ATV. Not a detriment, but c'mon, if your gonna sell an ATV at least have the parts available to maintain it!!!! Anyone have any suggestions?