first of all, thanks for all the help. I bought a 04 rancher4x4 today and appreciate all the help i got from everyone on here. this was my first quad purchase. i rode today a bit and it was great.

anyone have any suggestions i might need to know as a first time quad owner such as care,maitence(?) modifications, etc....

thanks again

 

What are you going to use it for? Winches, bumpers, lights, tires and wheels seem to be popular upgrades.

 

My advise? Be nice to it during the break in period. Every manufacturer will have different procedures for this time but it usually involves about 10 hours of various NO LOAD RPMs and not maintaining any particular rpm for extended periods of time. After the 10 hours I would change the oil and filter and trans. oil to clear out any metal shavings from gears and bearings "setting" themselves, also a good time to check bolts for proper torque and to grease zerks. Happy Ridin'[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

no load = poor ring seal

 

I was told by my dealer to ride it like I stole it then change the oil at 15 hours, that was Yamaha. When I bought my sleds from Polaris they said the same thing and so did Suzuki on my King Quad so what gives? Do you baby them or do you ride them? I have had no engine problems in any of the sleds or King Quad and the Yamaha only has 17 hours on it. What is the answer? AlaskaBoy.

Of course there was no oil to change in the sleds.

 

I'm just going by the book on this one, with a $7000 machine, I don't want to take any chances. Also, every engine rebuild manual I have ever come across has said something similar. Not saying this is the Golden Rule, just my 2 cents.

 

On a new machine I change oil at 5 hours, then again at 20. Its important, IMO, to run under load otherwise the rings will have no pressure to keep them against the cylinder walls. A poor seal with cause blow by and harm engine life and fuel economy. I do agree with no wot or sustained rpm for the first 10 hours though.

 

When saying "no load" I'm suggesting you don't take it off the trailer and try to uproot that old oak stump in the back yard or racing your buddy on his new 500 predator for an hour. Smooth acceleration to various speeds should provide the load to "set" the rings.

 

Don't fall for the $170 checkup.I talked to my service rep and he said maybe one in ten need the valves adj.Just change the oil and filter and break it in how you intend to ride it.I have two Minitrail 50s 70&71.They start and run just fine.No they are not for sale.

 

Air filter service...........a must to keep it breathing good and the engine running good . Dust is a BIG enemy! Also when you get done cleaning it let it dry and then spray S.T.P sun of a gun on it and it will look like you just picked it up from the dealer! Congrads on your new Quad.........good luck and keep the tires under you not on top of you [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]