I am unable to tell when the 4x4 system engages or disengages on my Sportsman. It is totally seemless, which I enjoy. I have heard others say that under the right conditions, when engagement occurs, there is a shock to the drive train which can cause the machine to react abuptly and potentially be dangerous. I have ridden quite a bit in all sorts of ice, mud, snow, wet grass, etc, and have never been able to tell if or when the 4x4 system was active or not. All I know is that when I needed the traction, the 4wd was always there. Are the stories of abrupt engagement real or are they fictional storys by people who are trying to bash Polaris?
Sod

 

The only time you are going to feel a kick is if you are on solid surface, I forgot I had 4x4 engaged one time a tried to whip a kitty on some pavement and unit dipped on inside front wheel when front engaged and threw me off. But I asked for that one.

 

It isn't supposed to be able to switch from 2 to 4wheel about 3,200 rpm, but you can go to 2wd at any rpm. The atv will handle / feel like your in 2wd until the rear wheels spin or travel faster than the front. I guess if you in 2wd and get the rear tires spinning under 3,200 rpm and shift to awd you might get some drive train noise or clunk when the front locks up. I have had many 4wheel drive trucks and I don't try and shift into 4wd with the rears spinning. It is just plain hard on everthing. I do the same with my sportsman, let off the gas and shift to awd, hit the gas again.

The speedomoter has an icon that shows your in awd or not when you move the switch. It will only give you the indication when you are in low and high. In netural and park the icon will go out. I am not sure about reverse with the override button pushed....

 

xcrider -
I'm sure that you would feel the engagement if you hit the switch with the rear wheels already spinning. That would be hard on the entire drive train. My question is referring to a situation where you have already selected 4wd and the system automatically engages when it detects slipage of the rear wheels. Have you ever been able to feel when it engages under the conditions I described?

Sod

 

No I have not felt it kick in ever but my experince have only been on a 2002 HO and the 2004 1/2. My 2004 1/2 is a differnt set up than the 2002.

 

How is the 2004.5 different than the 2002? If they are different, that could explain why some people talk about engagement being a "shock" to the drive train, thus causing the machine to react unexpectedly.
Sod

 

The 2002 had a hillard bearing on both hubs along with coils and magnets to engage each. Both front hubs had fluid in them. The 2004 1/2 went to a drive system that the 700 came out with. The hillard bearing (1) is in the front gear box. This gear box uses the ATF type hub fluid (instead of the 90wt gear lube) that the old system used on the outboard hubs. I don't have enough riding on my new one to really figure out if that makes much difference. I do know that the old system could leave one hub engaged (magnitized) once in a while and pull the handle bars right or left. The new system I don't think this can happen. The transmission is also different using the inline drum shift. This shouldn't change anything because the front drive shaft turns all the time anyway whether your in 2wd or awd.

 

I can tell when it hits in reverse if I have it in AWD and hit the yellow button under power :-O You best be holding on to something!

SLG