outlandish
AWF Admin
| Joined: | Thu Jun 2nd, 2005 |
| Location: | East Iron Range, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 18602 |
| Wheeler: | Po RZR | | Prefer: | Trails | | Age: | old |
| Status: |
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There are actually quite a few tricks one can use to make it through big, deep, nasty mudholes. It’s certainly not as easy as just sitting back and hitting the thumb throttle and hoping for the best. With that kind of an attitude, you’ll probably get stuck!
- Most mudholes are best handled in first gear, unless your quad has a super-low first gear that would cut down too much on your momentum.
- One of the tricks to keeping water out of the carb in real deep mudholes is to get your weight back on the seat to keep the air intake (which on most quads is up under the gas tank or handlebars) above the water line.
- If it gets so deep that the quad begins to float, stay on the throttle and try not to let the engine stop since that will allow water to get into all the vent hoses. Keep the throttle pinned, pull the front end above water, and let all four tires search for traction.
- If you feel the tires losing traction in a shallower situation, stand up and rock the quad back and forth, looking for something the tires can get ahold of for traction concentrating on keeping the momentum going forward. Wiggling the bars can also help the front wheels find more solid ground.
- Ride loose in the mud. In other words, let the quad twitch and wiggle as you stay on the power as it searches for traction. Don’t try to fight it by staying on a perfect line, because you’ll lose momentum.
- As soon as you start getting into muddy ruts, rock the quad back and forth to keep the wheels driving.
- If you happen to get stuck, don’t make it worse by spinning the tires and burying the quad even deeper. Get someone to help you pull the rear end up and over to find more traction or get someone to winch you out. Sometimes you can throttle it out by walking alongside of it.
- As you follow other riders on the same line through a mud section, the line will actually deteriorate from the spinning tires, increasing your chances of getting stuck. Look for another line or position yourself near the front of the pack.
- Some riders of automatic shifting quads like Polaris’ and Grizzlys add a homemade extension to the transmission vent tube. They usually route it up underneath the handlebars. Otherwise, if the machine stalls in the deep water, water rushes into the belt-drive through the stock vent tube.
- Silicone or coat your spark plug cap with electrolyte grease to make it waterproof.
- If your quad has drum brakes, they will need regular cleaning if you ride in mud and water often.
- On shaft-drive quads, occasionally check the gear oil in the front and rear differential for any signs of water contamination (a milky color is a sure sign).
- To keep mud from sticking to your quad, spray the fenders and frame liberally with a lubricant (the one-step tire cleaners also work). A way to keep mud from building up inside the wheels is to stick a circular piece of foam inside.
- Put a piece of tape ahead of the air intake to keep water from splashing in. Don’t run your quad in mud and water without the airbox lid, or with holes in it.
- If your quad is water-cooled, carefully clean the radiator after each ride. Some racers will tape up the front bumper and build shields around the radiator shrouds to keep mud from getting into the cooling system and front-end components.
From Aurora Wheelers Main site http://atving.us
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