Belt Public Service Announcement

I blew my belt going down the highway this week. Normally not a big deal but it took a chunk out of the inner pvt cover as you see in the picture. The cover was a pain in the ass to replace today without an extra set of hands.

No fault of the machine just my own. The belt had about 1500 miles on it and a trip to the dunes in that lifespan where I know I slipped it a few times. I had been thinking about changing it before our next trip and it got me. Don’t be like me - if you have some wear on those belts change them out so you don’t grenade a cover!

Glad no one was hurt, thank you for the great advice!

Bummer on blowing the belt and breaking the cover, that sucks.

Anyone have any experience with the hunterworks belts for the expedition? I used them mine my general but I replace my belts every 500ish miles so I'm not really sure if they're any better. I've blown a belt once on a trail in a bad spot and swore I'd never do that again.

I have never blew a belt. I always run OEM. My Ranger has 5200 miles and is on the original belt. I remove the cover and blow it out on occasion.
My '16 XP Turbo had about 1500 miles and it started giving me a code. Changed the belt but that wasn't it.. Had a bad spark plug. kept the old belt for a spare.

The OEM belt should be good for thousands of miles unless you abuse it. Considering a replacement belt is about $280 I am not replacing mine every 500 miles

We ran Hunter works belts on our RzR. Smoother engagement, long life, no issues.

johndeerefarmer said:

I have never blew a belt. I always run OEM. My Ranger has 5200 miles and is on the original belt. I remove the cover and blow it out on occasion.
My '16 XP Turbo had about 1500 miles and it started giving me a code. Changed the belt but that wasn't it.. Had a bad spark plug. kept the old belt for a spare.

The OEM belt should be good for thousands of miles unless you abuse it. Considering a replacement belt is about $280 I am not replacing mine every 500 miles

Click to expand...

Just checked mine at 1200 miles. Belt looks fine. I was surprised how clean it was inside the housing. I also was fortunate to get thousands of miles on my Ranger. It is all in how you use them. I’m not a slow driver but I do know when to take it easy on parts.

johndeerefarmer said:

I have never blew a belt. I always run OEM. My Ranger has 5200 miles and is on the original belt. I remove the cover and blow it out on occasion.
My '16 XP Turbo had about 1500 miles and it started giving me a code. Changed the belt but that wasn't it.. Had a bad spark plug. kept the old belt for a spare.

The OEM belt should be good for thousands of miles unless you abuse it. Considering a replacement belt is about $280 I am not replacing mine every 500 miles

Click to expand...

I agree. The OEM belt should last Thousands of miles under normal use. Even with hard use, more than 500 miles. I’m wondering if there’s something more to it, causing that belt to fail.

I made a secondary shim adjustment with my new belt when installing it. I think the first that blew wasn’t tracking perfectly in the primary and that is what got it.

My point remains - check your stuff periodically (clutch alignment and belt condition) so you don’t have an issue and break the stuff I did. I’m not driving my machine like a Baja rig as is being implied here.

Great advice! Had to add shims to my secondary early on. A little bit of maintenance here and there can save on bigger repairs later.

johndeerefarmer said:

I have never blew a belt. I always run OEM. My Ranger has 5200 miles and is on the original belt. I remove the cover and blow it out on occasion.
My '16 XP Turbo had about 1500 miles and it started giving me a code. Changed the belt but that wasn't it.. Had a bad spark plug. kept the old belt for a spare.

The OEM belt should be good for thousands of miles unless you abuse it. Considering a replacement belt is about $280 I am not replacing mine every 500 miles

Click to expand...

The Hunterworks belts are $150. For me, spending $150 and replacing the belt every 500 miles is more about convenience than anything. I'd rather do it in the comfort of my garage on my time while I'm already working on the machine rather than trail side in mud or in the middle of a snow storm while running with tracks on. I change the oil, filters all fluids, and belt every spring when the tracks come off and every fall before the hunting season starts. I have had zero problems with my machines when following this routine. I see the price of a belt as just a part of the maintenance and at $150, when considering how much everything else on these costs, it's really an insignificant amount. But it really comes down to riding/driving style, terrain, and what works best for each individual.