2015 Sportsman 570 Cracked Oil Pan

[westomatic]

I have a 2015 sportsman 570 in the shop currently with a cracked oil pan. It is a rental unit, (not my own rental company but a customer's) and the renter that was riding it apparently hit a large rock and dented the bottom of the skid plate into the oil pan and has cracked it where the drain bolt is. (And before any-one tells me to just JB weld it, I am not going to do that for obvious reasons relating to it failing down the trail.  ) It is a quite large chunk that is broken and oil drains out about as fast as you can pour it in. I currently have the customer quoted for removing the engine and replacing the oil pan. Is this the best option? Or should I be looking into cutting the skid plate out, replacing the oil pan, and welding the skid plate back into place? Has anyone done that before? 

Thanks!

[Gwbarm]

I totally agree, oil pan needs to be replaced. I know JB weld is a standard cheap fix but i have not had good luck with it. If it was mine i would pull the engine and replace the oil pan, but since it is a rental unit i might be tempted to go with the easier option.   

[westomatic]

Well, I should also say that I would consider myself a very novice welder. That and worries about structural integrity of the chassis are my only concerns about doing it that way. It would definitely cut a lot of time out... 

[Gwbarm]

I would agree I’m no pro welder myself and structural integrity would also be my concern plus that takes time also. That’s why I said if was mine I would pull the engine, but you also want it safe for your customers , so I would just take the time and pull the engine,it shouldn’t be too bad .

[Mech]

Taking risks to save a customer money is something that needs to be discussed with the customer, and put in writing. I'm a mech, that can weld, but I'd explain the options and opt for pulling the engine.. If they want to save some labour by cutting the bike then it's their risk.

[westomatic]

Cool, thanks for the input. I already discussed it with the customer and recommended to R&R the engine. Anyone have an idea of how many hrs that should take? My guess was 4-6 hrs but I might be way off.

[Gwbarm]

That sounds about right , including the repair.