Posted by JL242 on August 21, 2009, 4:56 am
64.12.116.199

Well after a week in Georgia getting everything ready for September 12th (opening archery season) I had an issue with my Mammoth. I went to go check a trail camera and put the Mammoth in High gear. It wouldn't move, so I tried reverse, and nothing there either. I pulled down the differential lock and away I went. Any ideas?? Could I have broken an axel?? I really didn't rough house the UTV that much. Its been dry in our part of Georgia, so there wasn't a lot of mud. I think the only time I put it in 4 wheel drive was to cross a fire break. It goes forward and backwards fine when the diff lock is on, but the drivers side wheel does not spin, just the passengers side with the diff lock on. When the problem started there was no noise, kerplunk or grinding. I plan to put her up on jackstands tommorow unless someone has a better idea......

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Posted by Helidude on August 21, 2009, 7:28 am, in reply to "Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
Supporting Member

Yup, you've got a broken axle... I'd say it broke with the diff lock on if you never felt it go. Common sense is not so common!

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Posted by JL242 on August 21, 2009, 11:04 am, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
205.188.116.77

how hard is it to fix??

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Posted by jeffdeq on August 21, 2009, 9:41 pm, in reply to "Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
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Yes, you most certainly have a broken axle. Here are my broken axle pictures and information links. http://members7.boardhost.com/KazumaMammoth/msg/1234493955.html http://members7.boardhost.com/KazumaMammoth/msg/1232252749.html http://members7.boardhost.com/KazumaMammoth/msg/1232341487.html http://members7.boardhost.com/KazumaMammoth/msg/1232433316.html Put her on jackstands to remove the rear differential assembly. The left rear axle will be broken at the bearings. You can verify this by the wobbly left rear wheel. You only need to pull the left axle tube from the differential to replace just the left axle. However, you will find that the two axle bearings are bad. That is what helped caused the the failure of the axle besides the fact that the axle construction is a poor design. Since you need to replace those two bearings and the axle you need to keep in mind that the same thing may happen on the right side at some time in the future. My photos to my link should also show where I modified my axles to strengthen them. I also employed Aaron's axle hub modification in order to install double lipped seals to protect the new bearings. I also installed his clutch modification and new belt. You can easily do this job if you wish but this is a straight forward repair for any mechanic shop. I was able to do all the work myself except for the machine shop work. I also installed new brake disc pads upon reassembly. The Polaris brake pads are better than the Kazuma pads. However you have to ream out the square holes for easier installation. If you encounter a problem just post a question. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by JL242 on August 23, 2009, 11:49 am, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
64.12.116.77

Thanks for the info Jeff. I had just done Aarons clutch & belt mod, looks like I'll be doing the axle & bearings soon. My question is did you weld that axle back together, or order a new one?? Thanks, John

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Posted by jeffdeq on August 23, 2009, 8:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
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A friend of mine working in a machine shop put the axle back together. It is all in my posts. I bought a new shaft for a backup but my friend swears the repaired one will never break again. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by MAX on August 24, 2009, 8:54 am, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
24.212.75.225

How many miles or hours you got on that machine... I don't want to be in the same situation MAX Sorry, if some time you don't understand what I'm talking about, I'M FRENCH... by the way, some time I don't understand what you say, it's probably because I'M FRENCH !!!

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Posted by JL242 on August 24, 2009, 6:58 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
64.12.116.77

I don't know how many hours I have. I bought it new in April of 2008. I hunted 3 to 5 times in the spring of 08 for turkeys, 6 to 8 times in the fall of 08-09 for deer, and 3 to 5 times in the spring of 09 for turkey. 2 workdays in 09 and the 09 deer season isn't even here yet, and I may be walking....... So far I have had a clutch fall off, which beat the starter to death, then the belt frayed and burnt up the starter. The fan wires fell out and shorted out the 10 amp relay. Thank God for tools and electrical testers. I don't know if I can handle another year of these breakdowns. I need a dependable UTV cause I go DEEP in the woods. I think a for sale sign is in order when I get this last breakage fixed. Time for a Polaris Ranger.......

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Posted by MAX on August 26, 2009, 10:19 am, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
24.212.75.225

Thanks for the hint, I will rework them this winter... MAX Sorry, if some time you don't understand what I'm talking about, I'M FRENCH... by the way, some time I don't understand what you say, it's probably because I'M FRENCH !!!

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Posted by JL242 on August 26, 2009, 1:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
64.12.116.77

Max that last post of mine was a little long and basically full of dissapointment. I do really appreciate everyone's help and trouble shooting & technical advice on here. I couldn't have done it without yall. Jeff, anything I can say to local machine shops to try and get them to weld this axel back, most of em don't wanna touch it.....

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Posted by jeffdeq on August 26, 2009, 5:43 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
VIP Member | Message modified by user jeffdeq August 26, 2009, 10:05 pm

Not really. I am lucky, he is a childhood friend that became a very good machinist. He does a lot of difficult machining work in a paper mill. He took the shaft and drilled a hole in both broken ends and pressed in a short stub of round stock steel. Another individual fillet welded the stub with a build up weld in a rotating support. My friend then checked the rotating runout which was less than .001". He then turned back a fillet machine surface in the fractured area. What is left is a reinforced area that should not break again. If I had to pay for this it would cost more than just buying another shaft. Aaron sold me one for a spare for about $70. When it came in it had a radial runout of .011". This is the result of poor machining work at the factory. As you can see the shaft cannot tolerate a lot of wobble when the bearings wear out. This is what caused the shaft to snap. If you decide to buy a new shaft, take it to a machinist. Have him look at how the factory welds the stub onto the long shaft. The machinist will know what to do to reinforce the potential fracture area. The two rear shafts are the same design but different lengths. I had my friend weld up and turn down a fillet on the right shaft which did not break but had already started to fracture. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by JL242 on August 26, 2009, 8:34 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
205.188.116.77

wow, that's a lot of info. Thanks for the post Jeff.

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Posted by jeffdeq on August 26, 2009, 10:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
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Everything I described is found and pictured in the links in this post. http://members7.boardhost.com/KazumaMammoth/msg/1250908890.html Take the time to read and you should be able to fix this with minimum issues. I have had no problems with my mammoth since completing all these repairs last February. Good Luck!!! Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by JL242 on September 8, 2009, 7:46 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
64.12.117.19

How do I get the hub off of the axle tube??

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Posted by jeffdeq on September 8, 2009, 8:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
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Here is my email jeffdeq@hotmail.com Send me a phone number and I will call you. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by jeffdeq on September 8, 2009, 8:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
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The private messaging is not working. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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Posted by JL242 on September 9, 2009, 8:23 am, in reply to "Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
207.156.7.250

Is there a possibility that my axle broke without the bearings going bad?? When I had the rear end jacked up the wheel wasn't wobbly @ all. The hub on the axle tube spins freely and is tight. How hard is it to get the hubs off the axle tube?? Do you use a hammer??

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Posted by jeffdeq on September 9, 2009, 9:23 am, in reply to "Re: Won't go in gear unless diff lock is on...."
VIP Member | Message modified by user jeffdeq September 9, 2009, 9:45 am

It is possible but I think unlikely that the shaft broke and your bearings are still good. Even with bad bearings my hubs came right out. The pictures I posted shows where the hub is off and the end of the broken stub of the axle is still in the axle tube. The bearings were very difficult to push out. I think your bearings may have seized on your hubs from overheating. However I can't tell because I am not there. Aaron might have some opinions about this. Email or call him. If you email me your phone number I will call you. I just can't diagnose very well with short emails and limited details. When I had to hammer something to drive it off with hammer blows I use a high density rubber hammer that has lead shot inside the head. It works better than a brass hammer. You have to get the hub holding the disk rotor off in order to take the bearing retainer clip out. The stub end of the broken shaft is held in the axle tube by the hub. Jeff Camo Mammoth

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