Polars Drive Belt Survival Guide
One of the most common faults we see in Polaris vehicles is the failure of the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) transmission belt. While these bugs can be costly to fix, most of them can be easy to prevent.
The easiest way to extend the life of the belt is to use the low speed transmission range when the vehicle is not operating at high speeds. Heat is one of the biggest enemies in the belt. The clutches on most CVT systems incorporate fan blades into the clutch design, and the faster the clutches turn more air circulating through the belt drive housing. By operating the vehicle in low range, it is not only applying less stress to the belt, it is also moving additional cooling air on the moving parts. That keeps them refrigerators and helps them last longer.
Our normal rule is that the low range should be used below 15MPH, but you should check your owner's manual for specific guidance on the particular vehicle you own.
The second most common failure we see is the hourglass on the belt. The term hourglass comes from the way a belt handles this failure has occurred. If you turn the belt sideways you can see that it will be full width, to be narrow where it burns, and then back to full width. The most common cause of an hourglass on a belt is when the vehicle becomes stuck and the operator applies the throttle to the vehicle to move. When this happens, the clutch of the unit will rotate at full speed, but as the belt does not move, the clutch will overheat the strap where it comes in contact with the clutch of the unit, which then strap sand watches.
Depending on the degree of hourglass, the belt and drive system may continue to operate after this occurs, but the vehicle will exhibit a "tapping" of the drive chain when the hourglass section of the belt passes over the Clutches The best preventive against the hourglass is to use the low drive range along with the 4 × 4 drive system when you are running in areas where you may be stuck. If you get stuck, and when applying the accelerator does not move the vehicle, use your winch to remove your vehicle or have another vehicle tow it to a point where it is no longer stuck in the mud, sand or water .
While Polaris offers an extended belt warranty on your vehicles, this warranty applies only to failures that are the result of a manufacturer defect in the construction of the drive belt. More than 98% of belt drive failures result from misuse, abuse and lack of maintenance, and none of these failures are covered by the belt drive warranty.
