i have a few questions....

i never understood what a diff. lock is or does...can someone explain that to me?

what types of thing should i need or want if in a quad if i doing hardcore mudding ?

for a quad that is belt driven, what types of downfalls are there? what do i have to do with them to be able to make the quad basically a submarine?

at what psi should i keep my tires at if i'm mudding and trail riding?

how many hours until i should change my rear gear case oil?

if i change my brake pads in my brake drum, do i seal the brake drum? if so, with what?

sorry for all the questions but hopefully you guys/gals can help me out...thanks!

 

A locking diff means just that. Both front wheels are positively locked. Both will spin together. Big help in mud , but very hard to steer when locked.
Hardcore mudding? I'd look more into an IRS machine. Mainly for the ground clearance.
Downfalls to belt drives? Boy that could start a war. But the only real downfall to a belt is IF it gets wet. You just need to seal the belt cover and snorkel the vent. Just make it water tight.
Tires? It depends on the tires. Generally between 3 and 5 pounds is a good start.
If in the water alot, I would at least check the oil after every ride. But I change mine when I change my oil. About every 400 miles. This is way early but I'm **** about it.
The brake drums should have a seal on them but sometimes leak anyway. A good silicone will help as does marine grade grease. Rub it around the drum and anywhere water might get in. This will help deflect water.
If you don't ask questions, then you won't never know the answers.

 

o man thanks so much....yeh, my manual says to change my oil every about 20 hrs but i change it around 15 hrs of riding....

i wasnt sure if you did put silicone or the grease to seal the brake drum, i didnt know if that was bad...now i know what to do about that...thanks

if we do get another quad....i think we might just go ALL out and get a quad with IRS, 4x4/4x2 select, and atleat 500ccs......i hope lol.....

thanks so much!

 

I have the belt driven Yamha Kodiak 450 with diff lock. It is a great machine, as are many out there are. I dunked mine pretty hard yesterday while riding in a field with river backwater. I was in water/mud about up to the front rack and I was just about thru when the belt vent sucked some water. The vent is up behind the rear fender, and got a pretty good drink. I made it thru and pulled the drain, seriously about a gallon of water came out. I let it drain completly and put the plug back in and rode the rest of the day with no problems. I have ridden in deep water before, but date that was the deepest for an extended time underwater. I will do complete maintenance check before I ride again, but everything seemed OK. I would call that a minor issue with the very good Yamaha automatic tranny, or any belt drive for that matter. Oh by the way the diff lock is a huge advantage, get a atv with one imo. You will be sorry if you don't, whether muddin', rock climbing, or pulling someone elses atv out you will like to have one. If limited slip is good enough wouldn't SERIOUS 4x4 trucks/Jeeps use one instead of the the Detriot Locker...just my 2 cents worth.

 

yeh...my neighboors 1997 big bear 350 4x4 doesnt have diff. lock......i understand now since sometimes i'll only see one of his front tires spin.......

so with the belt driven quads, is it easy to snorkel them out just as easy as the air box or no?

 

Yes, I've seen a bunch of belt quads with multiple snorkels. If your going serious mudding, consider moving the radiator to the front rack.

 

3 to 5 lbs in the tires is pretty low on a ute... I'd probably run something closer to 6... (personal experience with blowing a bead when I was running at about 4.5lbs of pressure... and I wasn't the only 1 that day...) You don't want to go too high either... It will give you a lil ground clearance, but it'll also make the ride more rough... Lower tire pressure works better in mud. (wider footprint, more traction)

I run between 3-5lbs on my yfz... but I'm also running Hiper beadlocks...

 

well, i never understood that....putting the readiator on the front rack....what happens if it gets wet? is that bad?

right now i think my front tires are rock hard and my rears are probably around 3 lbs.....i do tons of mudding so i dont want em' too hard i guess......i think ill put them at 4 and leave it there..?

 

Getting your radiator wet is a good thing. It helps cool it. But clogging it up with mud is very bad. With it on the rack it puts it up higher away from the mud your going through. Yes, you will sling mud on it. But with it on the rack cleaning it is way easier.

 

If your looking to buy a quad look for one with disc brakes all around. They will clean out easier and they stop better to.