davefrombc

Steel cable winch line can be deadly in recoil when it snaps under load. Chain can recoil some and kill or maim, but not nearly as much as steel cable.. Synthetic line recoil isn't quite so dangerous because it is much lighter, but in the wrong circumstances it can still kill. You can get synthetic winch line with insanely high breaking strength but the down sides are the price and they must be kept clean. A lot of hard core off roaders use synthetic line because of its light weight and ability to have a much longer line on the same size winch drum.. I stick with steel cable because it is far less maintenance to keep it in working order, and cheaper when it needs replacing.

Lead acid batteries do not like to be discharged beyond half their capacity before they begin to degrade. "Deep cycle" batteries are more tolerant of draw down beyond half but even they begin to lose capacity much faster the deeper they are pulled down. Lithium batteries can be drawn down to nearly their full capacity without similar degradation, but they are not as tolerant of the cold. They can be left sitting at less than full charge without degradation but they cost a lot more than lead acid of the same capacity rating . Lead acid batteries need to be fully recharged after use or they begin to sulfate up and lose capacity rapidly. What kills most ATV / UTV batteries is letting them sit partially discharged , or unused for long periods unused. If you want long service life out of lead acid batteries , they need to be kept on a maintainer when not in use. Newer cars and recreation vehicles are pretty much all electronically controlled and their computers draw a small constant current whether in use or not so they increase the discharge rate when the vehicle is idle. There's nothing wrong with Duralast batteries. Like all lead acid batteries they must be kept fully charged on a maintainer if you want long service life from them. Leave them partially discharged or idle for months and you will be lucky to get a year or two out of one .. Keep them on a maintainer and you can expect several years use. If it uses a lead acid battery , get a maintainer for it if you want it to last, whether it is a big name brand battery or some generic brand, and whether it is in a car, truck yard maintenance machine or recreation vehicle.

The winch with the lower ratio ( higher speed) will require a bigger motor pulling a lot more amperage out of the battery than the one with the higher ratio. It may have a higher line speed unloaded, but it puts a LOT more strain on the battery and charging system when loaded. There are a lot of other factors that determine which is the best winch than the gear ratio.

I think Mech answered the power source to the fan with key off.. There are 2 power source in and out on the key switch, so likely the second circuit is the one that powers the fan in key off .. I would suspect the fan sensor is faulty since It would appear to me the second power source on the key switch is to provide constant power to that sensor to power the fan when the motor is still hot after shut down. When the motor is below fan triggering temperature it should remain off no matter which circuit is powering it . Check the output of the fan sensor with the motor cold there should be none if the fan is powered directly through it , and if there is a relay the fan sensor triggers, check that relay for it being failed on ( points fused closed) delivering power to the fan constantly.

That orange and black "side by side" sure does a great job of disguising itself as a Jeep

If you bought that quad used and this has been happening almost right off, it might be someone has messed up the wiring to the fan. It seems to me from your description that possibly the hot wire is going directly to the fan and the ground is switched by the relay. Fan stays off until the sensor calls for it to run at temperature but the ground is switched off by the relay. When the key is turned off the relay switches to normal off position and in doing so actually grounds the fan so it'll run.. As Mech says , there should be a wiring diagram in a service manual covering your machine in the download sectio n to help you trace down the gremlin..

Just my 2 cents worth, but the picture he shows of the stuck Polaris is hilarious to anyone who has driven 4x4s / ridden ATVs in the gumbo we have in north central Bc and farther north, Those people standing around the ATV would have about 20 pounds of mud on each foot . Where they are looks more like a fine sand than mud. Since that appears to have an open differential in front ( back also?) it is at best 3 wheel drive since if one tire loses traction on front there is no more pull there . If the rear diff is also open the same goes for there. I would hazard a guess that if the machine had locking differentials front and back it would easily have handled that hole. Sorry , but that ground doesn't look like it is slippery at all; wet and soft , maybe , but not really a challenge to all wheel drive or on demand 4x4 with at least a locked or locking rear differential. As far as the belt shredding goes, I strongly suspect it is the driver or mechanic's fault far more than the clutch set manufacturer's. The posts and claims by Keys has that familiar farm smell to me.

You'd be amazed at how many big name American products are either made in China or are composed mainly of Chinese made parts made to American specs by a company affiliated with an American one's foreign investment. NAFTA has nothing to do with it . As far as the orange one is concerned,, that scammer has cost the US far more than you realize. Hopefully after November he will be called to task for it.

Contrary to what so many conservative Americans think, the Chinese and Asians are just as capable of making quality parts as anyone, and North Americans are just as capable of making junk as the Chinese and other Asians. You want to try to bring some of the manufacturing back to the US? Bring back the tax regime of the'50's where companies and individuals were encouraged to invest and re-invest in the US rather than take their profits and run offshore to invest them while demanding more subsidies from the American taxpayers. Don't blame Asians for the tax and business decisions made at home.

The basics you mentioned plus a snatch block if you have a winch, or a "comealong" if you don't.. A dedicated GPS works everywhere. They don't rely on cell service. Not really "extraction gear" but an accessory socket wired into your ATV, if it didn't come with one already, and a 12v to USB adapter and cords to connect you cell or other USB charged accessories. It's no fun being broke down within range of a cell tower and having you cell battery go flat. If you don't always leave with a full gas tank, an extra full gallon can of gas might be a good idea too.

I see no reason an atv master cylinder ( and wheel cylinder(s) can't be bled the same way automotive cylinders are bled. Fill master cylinder, pump up and hold brake and crack the bleed valve. The fun part comes with some atvs when you need to remove the seat or plastics to access the rear master cylinder cylinder or bleed valve.

That's what makes me suspect a loose or corroded connection. Turning on the power can make a momentary surge in power that can connect through a little corrosion, and movement can make a loose connection make contact when previous movement made it lose. I'd bet more on a loose connection or even an incomplete break in the wire where the ends are close together and a little movement makes connection. It's possible in the ignition switch too if a little corrosion in there .. Next time it doesn't want to turn over, try turning the ignition switch on and off a few times to see it that makes it work. Electrical gremlins that cause intermittents are the most evil. It's much easier finding a complete failure / disconnection.

I would look for a loose connection or a corroded connection or ground in the circuit to the ignition switch and starter circuit.

You can add one to the line to the carbs. Quick search just showed 2 electric settings for the fuel pump -On and Prime- with no shut off valve.. If your quad is going to be laid up for an extended period you could disconnect the fuel hose and use the prime position to pump the fuel tank dry to prevent sludge build up in it from the gas rotting in storage. To simply run the carbs out without installing a shutoff valve you could wire a switch into the power line to the fuel pump to turn it off when you want to run the carbs out.

Looks like it is remove and disassemble time to find out why it is sticking.. If the quad is gumming up from sitting unused for a considerable time, I would suggest every time you do use it you turn off the fuel and run the carb out when you're done. That way there's no fuel left in it to rot and gum up the works. I make a habit of doing that with all of my equipment from the quad to lawn and garden gear, power saw and snow blower.

Have you checked system voltages, tried to rev it up with headlights on? . Other threads have pointed to faulty voltage regulators causing erratic running / stalling and acting as though running lean due to a faulty voltage regulator.

There's always 2 0r more prices for everything transportation or leisure involved.. Years ago there was 3 prices for an identical alternator used on a vehicle , boat or aircraft. Yes, there were slight differences between them--- the marine alternator had screening to make them less likely to ignite fuel vapors in the bilge and the aircraft certified ones were much more tightly quality controlled; but it still didn't justify a more than 3x price increase over the automotive one. Price the identical part for a Chevy and Cadillac, or any companies basic models and their luxury line. You are paying a premium for the name or "luxury". Even some power tools have huge price differences depending on the brand name on them. I remember a 4 " angle grinder made by one company having 2 prices .. The very common utility brand was $100 cheaper than the "elite" branded one. The difference between grinders? the expensive one had a polished aluminum gear case while the basic one was matte finished as it came from the forming die. Otherwise the two angle grinders were screw for screw identical. When the tool salesman was confronted with that he admitted the utility grinder maker also made them for the company whose tools he was selling .. I won't say their names but the initials for the two companies were B&D and S.O. LOL... As far as chains are concerned, it isn't that hard to cut down chains or add to them to modify them to fit a different tire diameters, a little more work to modify width You don't need to pay the higher price tags for new if you don't want to.

Got this off a Polaris forum The specified juice is Polaris Premium Synthetic Gearcase Lubricant PN 2871477 (Gallon) PN 2871478 (12 oz..) Capacity: . . . . At change: Approx. 20 oz. You could use ATF, Harley high shock synthetic transmission oil, Bel Ray Big Twin transmission lube, (my favorite) Honda two stroke transmission oil or any JASO rated 5w20 through 20w50 multi grade engine oil approved for use in motorcycles that lube the transmission with the same oil as the engine. Shop Owner and Mechanic with over 50 years experience

I'd be hesitant to use a brush cutter attachment for a quad. I think sharp stubs of brush could likely too easily puncture tires. One would be ok for mowing jobs. I can't see it as a haying machine.

The Big Bear 400 is air cooled and the Kodiak 400 is water cooled according to their specs I found on line .

My guess is the transmission is locked in two gears; possibly one forward and the reverse. There should be a service manual in the downloads section here to help you with diagnosing and fixing the problem.

Is that a center saver under the tip of the puller rod? It looks like if there is, it appears slightly off center / too large for the shaft and catching on the clutch preventing the clutch from moving out when I blow up the picture.

There's something not indexed right in tranny assembly then That is most likely the reason for the lock up. There should be a manual in the downloads section that can help.

Is it possible you have the wrong length bolts in the clutch assembly? I've seen car motors locked up because in replacing a motor they used bolts for a manual shift flywheel to install a flex plate for an automatic. The longer bolts contacted the motor block when tightened and effectively seized the motor. Something similar could be happening in the Honda if one or more long bolts got swapped in where shorter ones were called for.