This should be fun. - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

The_Bishop · 03-05-2015, 06:49 AM

Yesterday while plowing the last snowfall we had, my ATV started acting weird. The steering would start jerking to one side. When I checked it out, I found that one of the front axles had a tear in the boot, and the CV joint was all dried out. No big deal, I thought. I'll just get a replacement, toss it in, and away I'll go.

After calling every Yamaha dealer in a 50 mile radius, I determined that there are *no* front left axles or CV joint kits available for my '05 Grizzly 660. After hearing "We can get you one by tomorrow afternoon for $350" for the 28th time, I hung up and ordered two new front axleshafts from Amazon for about $170. I figure they're equally old so doing one at a time would be a bit stupid.

Only issue is they're not going to be here until tomorrow, Friday.

Right now there's at least 3" of snow down and still falling. Current plan is to spray lube inside the boot, hope it holds and plow. My driveway is freakin' long. If I try to shovel it I'll likely disappear to be discovered when the snow finally melts away, probably some time in July.

Nothing every goes wrong when it's convenient.

WildBillyT · 03-05-2015, 07:55 AM

Can you pack regular grease in there? Spray stuff might not stay put long enough.

NJSPEEDER · 03-05-2015, 08:00 AM

Pack with grease and wrap in cut zip lock bags or other medium to heavy plastic and secure with every piece of tape and zip tie you can fit.

BigAls87Z28 · 03-05-2015, 08:14 AM

Get a universal boot from a parts store. Comes with grease and new bands.

sweetbmxrider · 03-05-2015, 08:25 AM

Pull the axle and enjoy the benefits of rust proofing!

Featherburner · 03-05-2015, 08:34 AM

Light it on fire and melt the snow!

The_Bishop · 03-05-2015, 10:39 AM

Well, thanks for all the tips, helpful and otherwise.

I've been periodically spraying it with white lithium grease. It seems to be holding up, no more jerking and binding.

BigAl, If I knew what part number would fit, I would have. They can't look up ATV parts.

Where the boot is split is right where the boot flexes the most, so nothing would help keep the grease in. It's only a short split, so most of the lube is staying in place.

I plan to rebuild the original axles to keep as spares so I can avoid this conundrum in the future.

Also, the damn snow is still falling.

sweetbmxrider · 03-05-2015, 10:44 AM

Tape the rubber?

//<86TA>\\ · 03-05-2015, 02:06 PM

Good Electrical tape and grease it up. Should be fine.

The_Bishop · 03-05-2015, 03:30 PM

Well, it seems the snow is finally over. The axle lived long enough, and the new ones show up tomorrow so axle swapping shenanigans shall commence on Saturday when I get out of work. I'm hoping I can disassemble, clean and replace the boot on the original, so I'll have a set of spares that I'll probably never need.

Jersey Mike · 03-05-2015, 06:01 PM

I hope your purchase of new axle shafts causes the snow & winter to end... otherwise, I'm going to have to take one for the team and look into purchasing a snowblower.

Glad it all worked out, Keith!

The_Bishop · 03-05-2015, 06:09 PM

Haha, yeah - Thanks!

sweetbmxrider · 03-05-2015, 07:48 PM

How do you like plowing with an atv? I wanted one so I could dual purpose it and have some fun but ended up getting a bronco.....with a windshield, and doors, and a roof, and heat, and also have a decent sized lot to plow.

The_Bishop · 03-07-2015, 10:44 AM

It's actually not bad. I wanted to do the ATV plow thing for a few reasons:

1. Cost. I paid less for my ATV and a plow for it than a plow would have cost for my truck, and I'd be stuck with that truck or buy new mounts if I ever changed it up. Parts are less expensive, too.
2. Storage. I can put the ATV and the plow in my shed when it's not needed.
3. Multi-purpose. In the nicer weather I can take the plow off and now I have a 4X4 utility ATV to work around my house with. The winch has been almost ridiculously useful.
4. Fun. Hey, I have a badass 4x4 Grizzly 660 to play with!

The weather isn't a big deal as long as I put snow pants and a jacket on. Snowmobile gear is ideal, with that being said I don't have it, just regular snow pants and jacket.

The new axles are in, so maybe that'll be a Sunday activity. It doesn't look too hard. (Famous last words)

The_Bishop · 03-19-2015, 06:43 PM

So, as a late followup:

In light of the pending snowfall tomorrow, I decided I needed to quit jacking around and install the front axles I ordered. I expected a bit of a nightmare.

In reality it was pretty damn easy. It may have taken a total of 2 hours from start to finish, including putting the tools away afterwards. The new front shafts are much beefier than the original stockers.

Now I am all peppered for the snow. This means, of course, that we'll probably get none.