Went out for the first ride today with my new 28" Mud Lites. Lousy riding conditions, deep snow melting, got stuck all day long. Anyway, about the fifteenth time I got stuck I heard an ugly snap and the left front tire stopped spinning. Turns out the inboard u-joint broke. It looks like both yokes are ok so for now I'm just going to replace the u-joint, and probably the other side as well. I knew when I lifted it that the front axles would not last as long, but the first time out with the big tires? I used to grease it religiously, but since its been below freezing for months I have been slacking. I have around 750 hard miles on, and the lift has beenin for almost a year. So, do you think the front u-joints just can't handle 28s, or is it because it was worn out already. Does anyone know how long u-joints can be expected to last? If I wear out u-joints every year and a half so be it, but if the big tires break them every time I pound on it, then I can't deal with that. I would really like to go with double CV front axles, but they are just way too much money right now. So anybody got any ideas?

 

Three strikes against reliability:
1 Big rubber puts greater torque on drivelines
2 Lift kit puts CV's and U-joints at greater angles
3 Big horsepower from the 700
Be glad it was just a u-joint because CV joints are pricy. Years ago I had one of the original Polaris Trail Boss 4x4's (1988, I think) and burned a lot of cash on CV joints. With big rubber and a lift kit there wasn't a quad around that could follow me. I don't remember how many $200 CV joints I went through, but I eventually gave up.
Polaris builds a much stronger driveline now, but it was never engineered to withstand the abuse of your modifications. Good luck.

 

I have been building off road trucks and have been in 4x4 clubs for about 15 yrs. I can tell you that your lucky that you broke a u-joint instead of an axil or a pinion shaft. The u-joint is like a fuse. Usually it is the first thing and cheapest thing to break. The stress of the bigger tires with them packed with mud is overwhelming on u-joints. People then want to upgrade the u-joints to stronger ones and then it puts the stress on the axil shaft and then the pinion shaft. One of the biggest mistakes people do when they get stuck is turning the wheel all the way from one side to the other. This actually puts the most stress on the joint because you have the torque from the motor, the resistance from the mud and you pull the axil apart from going from side to side to try and dig out of a rut. The joint will last much longer if you use very little side to side movement and that will let some stress off of the joint. The machine is not made to handle the bigger tires. Thats why people put tons of money into thier rides to make them as invinceable as possable but no matter how much money you put into it, something is allways going to break. You have to pay to play. Thats the fun of it. A day without breaking is a good day. And if you dont break then your not playing hard enough. But for real if you get stuck it is ok to get on it for a bit but if there is no chance of getting out then let someone help and this might make your day last a little longer.