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Off-Road.com's SportQuad.com

Publish date: Oct 1, 2005
By: ORC STAFF
Source: ATV at Off-Road.com

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My quad pulls to the left (or right ).....Do I have a chassis Problem?

Ohh My...That looks Bent
Prolong the life of your Chassis and Bearings	Is That A Crack I see?
Help Me......I'm Rusting..	Protecting the undercarriage

My Quad Pulls To The Left (or right ).....WHY?

(1) Check your tire pressure. ATV tires are so soft and flexible 2 to 3 lbs difference between tires can do it. The reason why is air pressure causes the tire to expand. If you have 2 tires with different air pressures,they will be different diameters,causing the tire with more air to "Push" the atv. If it pulls to the left,check the right rear. If it pulls to the right,check the left rear. (2) Check the front end componants. You could have a worn or bent.....(a) Shocks (b) Tie rod ends (c) A arms (d) Ball joints (e) Steering column bushing (3) Check front end alignment. See your owners manual for specs.
If you have any free play in any of these components replace them as soon as possible. Worn components can break.

Prolong the life of your frame and bearings

After you're done riding for the day and after you wash the quad, GREASE THE BEARINGS. Do this after every time you ride in the mud. Greasing the bearings pushes the mud and water out of the bearings. This will greatly extend the life of the bearings.

Add grease fittings to the quad everywhere you can. Here is a list of places you may be able to add fittings:
1) Upper and lower A Arms...(2) Steering column bushings...(3) Rear axle bearings

Things to note:
When you put a grease fitting in, do not put the fitting exactly where the bearing is.
Put it next to the bearing. The grease has to go in through the side of the bearing.
You should only bother put a fitting next to an Unsealed bearing. If the bearing is Sealed, the grease can't get in anyway.

You should NOT attempt to put fittings into a ball joint or tie rod end that is not made to have one. This will only ruin it.

I do not recommend putting a fitting at the swing arm pivot bolt. I do know that on the Suzuki LT250 the bolt is exposed to tranny oil to lubricate it. I have seen people attempt to drill the bolt to put grease fittings in - after they pumped it full of grease, the cases cracked and began to leak tranny oil.

Help Me I'm Rusting

It is always a good idea to look over the frame on occassion to inspect it for rust. Not only is rust unsightly, but left alone long enough, it can cause structural damage to the frame. My recommendation is to sand any rusted areas immediately when you find them and then touch them up with some rust-inhibiting spray paint.

That Looks Bent

If you look at your quad and something doesn't look quite right.I recommend taking it to your local dealer.let them look at it.They can let you know if something is wrong.
If something is wrong you need to assess the extent of the problem 1)Does it affect the handling? If the frame is bent between the suspension points, it needs repair.
2)Is it just Cosmetic? If the frame is bent outside the suspension points, the decision is yours.

Can It Be Fixed ?

Many times..YES . If you feel you are capable of tackling the job ...GO FOR IT !!! Otherwise I recommend finding a local body shop that feels they are capable of repairing a small frame.

Where did that crack come from?

Cracks Happen - it's a natural thing. ATV frames are designed to flex. If they didn't flex,they would break. The most important thing is to find cracks as they develop. Cracks develop mainly at the points where the suspension attaches to the frame. They can and will show up in other places also. BUT don't worry, they can be fixed. In many cases it's a simple case of taking the frame to a local body shop to be welded. In some cases where cracks redevelop it may be necessary to weld a "GUSSET" in place where the crack keeps arising. A gusset is a "PIE SHAPED" piece of 1/8 thick steel. The steel is custom cut into a pie shaped to fit the part of the frame where the crack is. The gusset is then welded into place. The reason for using a gusset is to reduce the amount the frame flexes in a peticular area where the frame cracks, thereby reducing cracks. While gussets can be used to repair cracks, if cracks persist, WELL......you may need to replace that old frame.

Please submit any technical questions to the bulletin board.

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Comments and Questions from our Readers

Danny / lawton, OK, UNITED STATES
Posted Apr 16 2008 07:43PM
I have a Yamaha YFZ450V 4 wheel ATV with a cracked fron frame feom an accident, can the frame be welded back together? its a clean break.