rear axle jam nut size

Dan Kroes · September 18

Does anyone know what size wrench I need for the middle axle jam nut on a 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500 6x6? same part used on rear axles of these models.

2000 INT'L BIG BOSS
2001-2002 INT'L BIG BOSS 6X6
2002 LUH 6X6 P
SERIES 10 PTV 6X6
1998 SCRAMBER 500
1998-1999 SCRAMBLER 400
2001 SCRAMBLER 400 2X4
1999 SCRAMBLER 500
2001-2002 SCRAMBLER 500 2X4
2001-2002 SCRAMBLER 500 4X4
2002 SCRAMBLER 500 4X4 FREEDOM
1999 SPORT 400
2000-2008 SPORTSMAN 6X6
2005-2007 SPORTSMAN 6X6 MV
2000-2002 TRAIL BLAZER
1999 TRAIL BLAZER 250
2002 TRAIL BLAZER FREEDOM
2000-2002 TRAIL BOSS
2001 TRAIL BOSS 325 SE
2000-2001 XPLORER
2001 XPLORER 400
2002 XPLORER 4X4

Edited September 18 by Dan Kroes
clarity

**Gwbarm** · September 19

From what i recall i think it was 1 1/2 inch open end to use to get in there.

Dan Kroes · September 20

I guess the best thing to do is get the harbor freight jumbo wrench set. 1 3/8 - 2 inch

**Gwbarm** · September 20

The jumbo set is nice, but I ended up getting their large impact sockets for the larger size that you very rarely need, they were cheaper but the drawback was they were deep well sockets too long to get in tight places. I also got a set of huge open end wrenches sometimes you just can’t get in there with a socket even the shorter ones,

**Mech** · September 20

Can't you measure across the flats of the nut ?

Dan Kroes · September 20

I wish, the ATV is in NY and I am in Louisiana. Trying to get my tools together before I go work on it.

**Mech** · September 20

Ha.. Ok.

**Gwbarm** · September 20

That does make it difficult, to work on.

**Mech** · September 20

How about buy a new spare nut.. cheaper than a whole set of spanners.

Also, some of those nuts are skinny and the inner nut needs a thin spanner. I've made thin spanners before out of 6mm steel strap. You plan it so the hex will be at an angle to the handle, then cut two sides of the hex out of the end at that angle, then take a wedge off the other end and weld it on to make the last side of the hex. As long as you use it so the load comes on near the inner end of the welded bit they are plenty strong enough.

davefrombc · September 21

The large size combination wrenches are handy to have.. Most bolts and nuts from about 1" / 25.4 mm up to 2" / 50.8 mm can be handled by those wrenches without having to also have a set of metric wrenches of the same sizes. My inner nuts on my Honda rear axle were either handled by my 1 !/2 wrench also, I believe.. Like GW, It was a while ago and I'm not sure which one it was .. Torque specs are fine if you have a specialized torque wrench that you could use, but not necessary. Snugged up solid , and checked to be sure nothing has loosened up after a few hours of running will do.

**Mech** · September 21

Yeah quite agree about the torque. It's not critical.

It's not too hard to learn what various torque figures feel like with different length wrenches anyway. Just put the torque wrench in a vice and try various torques holding the wrench at various lengths. We got made to do it as part of our training. It's a good thing to know and reconfirm occasionally, especially as you get older. Things change..