OK, so I found a few hairline cracks, but this is very traumatic for me.....There's one in the weld where the swing arm pivots, one where the chain slide bolts to(right across the threaded hole), and another down a little more above where the linkage would set. Do you guys suppose welding this would be a good long-term investment?(actually no investment, my uncle's a welder) or should I replace it? I plan on using my quad for fast trails, maybe a small 5 foot jump every now and then, and that's about it. So, repair or replace? Oh, the Zilla's an 87 and the swingarm doesn't appear to have been cracked and welded before......Thanks

 

I have an 86 LT250R and it had a cracked swingarm too. I welded mine and havnt had probs yet and i do exactly the riding u described. I have not the idea of the weight of a LT500. What i strongly recomend doing is to weld the cracks, heliarced the welds and then weld a aluminum brace along the side of the swingarm. That should keep you going for a while.

 

fasternu

I played the "weld the swingarm" game for a while. I had my stock swingarm welded once, then I had it "boxed" the next time. It cracked again and I ended up replacing it with a +2 Laeger. If you plan on keeping this machine for a long period of time, I suggest you invest in a new swingarm. The laeger is a quality unit that has a nice chain adjuster. I'm sure there are others that are just as good.

 

Well, I think what I'll do is run it welded up, then if it cracks again I'll invest in a new one.....