[bnprowler650xt]

I made a ride this weekend on my 08 Prowler 650 XT. I have had the Prowler for 6 months now. On my first mud ride I broke an axle at the boot joint away from the wheel. Luckily it was under warranty and was fixed. This weekend was my 2nd mud ride and I was looking forward to it. Less than an hour into the ride, I was semi stuck in some mud and thought I was hearing my belt slip. I dis-engaged diff lock and put her in reverse. At that point I heard a loud POP and thought another axle had blown. After getting out of the hole by being pulled by a RZR, I realized my front differential was split and axle came out at the differential. I did buy a 3 year warranty up front and the dealer has her now putting a new differential and possibly axles. I am wondering if this is a common theme or if I got a machine that just can't handle what others can. At this point I don't know if I should cut my losses and get rid of it or trade it up for another model. Any comments are welcomed.

 

[sandchris]

I have had zero issues with my front diff.I have heard of people breaking diffs in the deep sticky mud in low range.I have heard of a lot of other utv's breaking axles belts etc in the mud too.I know the mud guys are having heavy duty side covers made for the diffs.Usually the rear though.

 

[sandchris]

Here is a photo of a heavy duty billet side cover on the rear.Not the best photo but you should be able to see what i mean.The good thing is obvious in that the side cover is ten times stronger.What is also good is that this cover stiffens the whole diff. case.I have had zero issues since this and a lot of hard hole shots.

 

[Gusie1]

I had the same problem,,,front axle broke apart,,I was told that there is a flaw on the axles,,that a pin holding the gears together comes out of breaks the case apart,,,good thing I had extended warranty on my XTX
700,,,so far the front axle broke apart,the rubber part between the rear axle and the driveshaft ripped causing the driveshaft to slip and not engaging,,,warranty took care of that,,,the fuel pump took a dump,,,warranty took care of that,,,I'am feel the same way,,,did I invent in a lemon,,I hear alot of horror stories and the manufacturer not backing them up,,,reminds me of Polaris getting out of the watercraft business,,,
just my opinion and bad experiences,,,

 

[jcsandsrt]

My front diff blow apart with only 302 miles on it. Warrenty covered it, and it has been great since. good luck

 

[Northern Mud]

The 08's had a problem with a pin in the front diff not being welded properly and when it falls out the pin hits the case and can break the case. Cat knows about it and are replacing the diffs but only after they break. The new diffs have the pin welded in properly and dont have this problem. Im currently having problems with the front axles breaking but i have a lift and 30 inch tires so i think i just need larger axles.

 

[Dentless]

You clearly need to upgrade your axles. With that lift and tire size you are puting a huge strain on everything. Like Chris said, every brand has issues doin that type of riding with those mods. Most mud guys carry extra gorilla axles with them. They even break the heavy duty ones.................

 

[bnprowler650xt]

I got the same explanation from my dealer today. He said that the Arctic Cat 700 4wheelers were really bad with this problem but the prowler wasn't. He said the new diff will be done right. Thanks for the post.

 

[team arctic]

where does a guy get these side covers,and is one aval for the frt??

 

[team arctic]

Could you tell me where to get these side covers?

 

[Desertcat]

PM Sandchris he had them custome made I think

 

[newfiehunter]

i have the same prob with my 2010 700 xtx,have had it back to the dealer 4 times,each time i get a couple hours of use with it when the axle pops out,ac is going to have to get a fix for this my love for this machine has turned to hate

 

[st7ebert]

This problem and tread is exactly the same as mine.
Today playing at Sand dune in OK. I stoped ontop of a hill and started again and the front differential locked the snaped and started pouring fuilds. Looking underneath it, it appeared to be spinning the outer housing (shavings all over)
It appears unfixable.
Where can I get a complete Good Differentials.

Steve

 

[Berto]

This problem and tread is exactly the same as mine.
Today playing at Sand dune in OK. I stoped ontop of a hill and started again and the front differential locked the snaped and started pouring fuilds. Looking underneath it, it appeared to be spinning the outer housing (shavings all over)
It appears unfixable.
Where can I get a complete Good Differentials.

Steve

Gonna be expensive.. Just replaced mine.. Got it from babbits.

 

[nick2010tundra]

Is there a recall for the pin falling out and splitting the case yet?

 

[riddler28]

No but they are good willing it to alot of customers.

 

[nick2010tundra]

Is the new one better than the original, or do I need to have it taken apart and welded as well

 

[riddler28]

Yeah they have improved the welding in the later machines.

 

[nick2010tundra]

Thanks Riddler, I had it happen this weekend and placed a call to customer care. But of course customer care makes you leave a message and might call you back. My dealer is going to look at it tommorow and take pictures and send to arctic cat, although they have never heard of it being covered. Hopefully Arctic Cat realizes this is a common issue.

 

[nick2010tundra]

Well I got my prowler back, was actually a matter of the gears not meshing correctly and instead of the gears intermeshing the jammed and split the case. ( This according to Arctic Cat ). Anyways they payed for a brand new front differential, which I thought was excellent of them. I only had to pay for the labour and fluids. Anyways nice to see a company look after its customers.