I was just wondering if shifting in and out of 4wd ( when completely stopped ) is hard on an atv whether it is Honda or Polaris or Suzuki or any other brand. I know that shifting into 4wd while driving can mess up the transmission. Should an atv be left in 4wd all the time to avoid problems? Im almost 100% sure that thats why there is a button to go into 4wd and just like a 4x4 car it is meant to be switched in and out depending on the riding you are doing. You don't even need 4wd that often from personal experience. Can someone please tell me what you know about this.

 

its for when you need it. you can do it on the fly or stopped. now dont be going 60mph and put it in 4wd although it will probably be ok, its unnecessary and hard on it. dont leave it in 4wd all the time. steering will be harder and obviously more wear/time on the front end parts that wouldn't be spinning in 2wd. the option is a nice thing to have and yes you will find plenty of places where you need 4x4.
no its not hard on it to go in and out when stopped. thats best for it i always slow mine down to at least a slow roll before i go to 4x4 just to be nice to it.

 

If you are not operating under a load and as long as the front wheels are turning at the same rate as the rear, then there is no problem with shifting on the fly. Shifting in and out while stopped is fine of course.

If you run in 4wd 100% of the time you will get slightly less milage, will have slightly more driveline wear over time and will find it slightly harder to turn. So if you want, run it in 4wd all the time. Otherwise, run in 2wd and only put it into 4wd when you need it.

There are some ATV's that will only engage 4wd if the front wheels are turning (the Kawi 650 being one of these). For these models, it's a good idea to put it into 4wd before you enter an area that will require 4wd, just in case youget stuck in 2wd first. BTW, your KQ400 will go into 4wd under all conditions.