Length: 3:10
Created: July 24, 2015
Tyler here at SuperATV. Here at the shop we receive a lot of calls daily regarding lift kits and axles. Questions like, how do I know if my axles are binding? Is this lift kit going to make my axles bind? Once I get this lift kit installed, how am I gonna check to see if my axles are binding?
SuperATV has over ten years of heavy-duty axle and suspension experience. We design each lift kit, from our 2″ to our 10″ lift, to put as little stress on your axles and drivetrain as possible. But not all axles have the same operating angles. We’ve seen some factory OEM axles only capable of 25 degrees, with some of our Rhino Brand Axles capable of nearly double that.
So we’re going to take a look at some of the measures you can take to see if your axles are in a bind. We’re gonna use this 2015 RZR S 900 behind me as an example. We chose this machine because from the factory, you can’t add high-clearance offset A-arms or a lift kit without adding heavy-duty axles. So let’s go take a look.
[00:57] First, you want to get your machine up off the ground using a floor jack or something like the lift we are using here. With the tire completely off the ground and the suspension at full drop, you should still be able to spin your axle freely with no issue.
On this side, we have a Rhino Brand Axle installed. So we’re gonna remove this bolt to show you how you want to check your axle. You’re gonna remove your lower shock bolt, let your suspension fully drop. All that’s holding up this A-arm right now is your axle. There’s no sway bar connected. So you should be able to freely spin your axle if it’s not binding.
We’re gonna step over to the other side where we have an OEM axle installed and show you what happens.
[01:43] So on this side of the machine we have our rear offset high-clearance A-arms, stock axle, OEM RZR S shock. You can see this axle is bound up tight. You can’t even get this shock bolt out. I have to push down in order to get some pressure off that. You see when I remove that bolt, the A-arm actually tries to pull back up with the stock axle installed. It’s because this axle is already in a bind.
We’re gonna move this out a little bit and show you how much I can lift up when that stock axle starts free spinning again. And when I come down here, like we said on the other side, all that’s holding this A-arm up is the axle. So now when I try to spin this at full drop you’ll see it’s very hard. And every time I do that, you see where it’s binding up in the cup, making everything rise because it’s in a serious bind.
[02:38] We’re not sure how our competition is able to sell a lift kit without selling axles, or how there are guys selling A-arms that aren’t selling heavy-duty axles. Because clearly, you cannot get any lift out of this machine without adding a heavy-duty axle.
