I went serious mudding this weekend. There was a lot of water and clay and mud that seemed to obscure even the color of the Grizz and the Twin Peaks. After about 7 hours of cleaning, I got almost all the mud off. I cleaned each radiator thoroughly. I checked the air boxes and both were bone dry. I greased up the joints on the Grizz also.
Is there any other maintenance I should do for each machine? I want these machines to last as long as possible. I thought this thread might be helpful for others also that have utilities. I'm new to the utes.

 

Change your fluids check and grease your bearings check and clean air fliter an try to clean all the mud so it donst lay there and rust out your quad.

 

I think you pretty much got it. Main thing is get rid of as much mud as you can. The radiator seems to be biggest thing then the lube. I have never had any problem with water or anything in the air filter box. Personaly I would not bother with fluids, these systems are sealed pretty well. Cleaning after mudding is can be a chore but is worth it to me, what a blast!!

 

make sure your cv joints aren't wrapped with grass and make sure your boots aren't ripped one little stick can poke a hole or rip it pretty easy. another thing to keep in mind if you go out mud running yet want your atv to last a long time is to not let it sit in water to long. yes they are sealed very well but water can seep in the bearings drying them out which can suck when you have almost all sealed bearings.

 

Thanks for the advice. I try to change the differential fluids once a year according to the dealer. The only grease joints I know on the Grizzly are in the rear. I don't know of any on the Kawasuki 700. What is everybody using as a cleaner? After I get the major deposits off, I use Hondabrite which was even taking off the clay stains on the hoses.

 

After washing my quad I use Pledge furnature Polish. Works great on plastic and makes it easier to get the mud off next time.

There are also grease zerks in your front and rear drive shafts. Two per shaft. Rear are easy to get. Front are hard to get at without a needle type greasegun adapter.

 

Try spraying the whole bike down with Simple Green - let it sit a few minutes and hose it down with a water hose. It just washes off. Then spray the whole bike down with Silicone spray. the silicone won't harm any seals or boots.

 

i just take the pressure washer if it gets really bad and wash off the majority of the mud and call it good. with me living on a farm and my atv is always on the go it doesn't pay to keep it super clean cause it will just get dirty within a day anyways.

 

I have also been using Hondabrite for all my wheelers and it works pretty well. It must leave a film like wax because most of the mud washes right off after spraying down with water. The water sheets off like it was waxed. It also makes all the hoses nice and black and shiny. It is a little pricey but for the time saved scrubbing, especially in the hard to reach places, it is well worth the money.

 

After mudding I always take the time to fully clean the bike, get rid of any grass wrapped up around stuff and so on. Next, inspect all your brake lines and vent lines for tears or cracks, debris in the mud can do damage that you dont realize.

Important to changing your fluids on a regualr interval is to check them for water after a mud run. Make sure there is no cloudines in the engine oil and both differentials. If there is your going to be changing the oil early.

Like mentioned, if you have a radiator or oil cooler, make sure the crap is cleaned off it so you get proper heat transfer and to aviod overheating on your next ride.