We see basically two types of ranchers and farmers at our dealership. Here’s a brief description of each one.
The type 1 owner:
The first time the machine comes back to the dealership is a year and half down the road, usually because of a breakdown or running issue. Typically this farmer has a whole separate crop growing in the skid plate of the machine. The problem is that dirt and mud is packed around the brakes, drive lines and hubs of the machine. This will cause contamination of the driveline U joints, accelerated wear on the brakes, penetration of dirt, water and other foreign material in a supposedly sealed bearing.
This consumer will typically get 250 to 300 hours of use out of his machine before it starts to really cost money in frequent repairs. After 500 hours the machine is ready for decommission but the owner will keep pouring money into it year after year until there are so many big ticket items such as engine, tranny and differential that he can’t afford to replace them.
I have some of these guys who will drop almost $2,000 a year in repairs because of a lack of maintenance. This guy might save $500 in servicing costs the first two years but that cost will triple or quadruple after 300 hours.
The type 2 owner:
This owner actually pays attention to the delivery walk around. He asks about maintenance and actually brings it in for service at the proper times. A lot of the machines have a programmable service indicator so our dealership typically sets the indicator at 15 to 20 hours before it actually needs serviced. That way the consumer has time to fit service in his schedule as well as fit it into the shop’s schedule.
This owner will clean his machine periodically and generally take care of it. He tries to use low range when driving slow, hauling and towing. He typically gets 500 hours of use before really little things happen, i.e., brakes, U joints, wheel bearings and such.
Generally speaking, this consumer will spend $250 for every 100 hours or so of use, and after the 500 hours maybe a little more than that … but not bad.
Here are real-life examples of these two guys.
The first guy buys a 2009 Ranger 500. This is the first UTV he has owned but he has had ATVs and farm equipment before. The first time we see the vehicle come back, it looks like it has barely survived WWII. The front bumper is bent in, the feeders busted up and three inches of mud are in the skid plate with a fresh grow of the latest alfalfa. There are holes in the floorboards and the machine only has 150 hours on it. The wheel bearings are so bad that the brake disc has chewed through the brake pads and is into the caliper and when you test drive it, it looks like a version of Herbie The Love Bug (of Disney fame) when the car gets drunk and the wheels wobble in and out. The vehicle has bad CV boots and since there is so much mud and grass hanging from the axle, the owner doesn’t notice that the boots are ripped and the CV joints are full of mud and now are clicking from wear. We spend probably $1,200 in repairs to get it running again.
The oil is way low and looks like it came out of a diesel truck. The owner runs the machine another year or so and since he hasn’t serviced the machine in another 175 hours, the engine seizes, the transmission is in trouble, the oil is glitter and the CV boots are all ripped again with clicking joints plus a bunch of other issues.
The owner is upset and blames the machine. He sells it as is. His loss is $5,000-$6,000 in 300 hours.
He buys a Yamaha Rhino 700 and the same thing is happening so far. This past fall he brings it in with a complaint of a bad wheel bearing. He runs this machine for four weeks after he knows he had a bad wheel bearing. He destroys a CV joint, rear brake pads, rear caliper, hub and knuckle. The air filter is so full of hay we don’t know how it even runs. The oil is dark and barely on the dipstick and again the machine is totally beat.
The second guy buys a 2011 Ranger 800. He comes in at all of his service intervals with the 30-hour mark the first service interval. He then comes in every 100 hours, give and take, from then on so on the 600-hour service interval all we have to replace are the tires.
Then at 775 hours he brings it in for a service and a complaint of a weird noise in the back end. His rear wheel bearing is starting to get rough so we change it out and the customer is out $150 beyond the service for small repairs. This machine has almost 8,000 miles on it.
If an owner will take a little bit of time and clean his machine periodically and notice running changes, noises, different shifting, etc., and then get into the repair facility quickly, it can save him a bunch of money. He will also have a great trade-in that is worth something when it is time to upgrade.
There are areas of the vehicle that need regular maintenance at different time intervals. We suggest our customers check over their machine every 25 to 30 hours if it is worked hard or every 50 hours for general use. Areas to check include:
1. Oil and coolant
2. Air filter
3. Spray the machine off and check for any torn CV boots
4. Radiator cleanliness. Is it plugged with hay or full of dirt and seed? Take a hose and spray it out every once in a while.
Then, we suggest the following at 80- to 100-hour intervals. It may need to be stepped up if the machine has a lot of hours on it. For example, a machine with 500-plus hours/5000 miles we suggest the owner change oils at 60 to 70 hours of use just because the tolerances are not as tight and you start getting a little oil consumption.
Other areas to inspect and change if needed include:
1. Engine oil and filter replacement
2. Front and rear differential oil replacement
3. All driveline and suspension grease zerks need to be greased
4. Air filters
5. Tire pressure
6. Fuel and fuel pressure
7. Visual inspection of intake boots
8. Loose ball joints or tie rods
9. Brake pads
10. Wheel bearing tightness
11. Steering gearbox sealing boots
12. Battery fluid
13. Coolant level and strength
Additionally, we would check out the clutches every 3,000 miles/300 hours if the owner drives his machine within the manufacturer guidelines, i.e., when to use low range/high range, how much weight is carried, etc. If it is used when towing in high range and pulling heavy loads we think he may have to move up his clutch inspection to when it blows a belt or in reality, every 2,000 miles/200 hours.
Not every maintenance item needs to be done at a dealership. For example, oil changes should be easy enough for the owner to complete. We suggest owners purchase a service manual if he is planning on doing any kind of his own service. One reason would be so all drain and fill plugs get torqued properly, for example. The service manual is detailed enough to show you the process.
But if the customer is going service it himself and has any warranty issues, he better have receipts of oil and filters purchased with the date and hours on them to help back up their claims that the machine is properly serviced. A dealership needs this info so it can send in copies of the service reports with the date, mileage and hours on it.
There are some service items that are best done at the dealership, though. When it comes to clutches, electrical, engine and fuel systems, the special tool cost outweighs the money you could save. These jobs are best done by a dealer that has the proper manuals and who is familiar with the machine.
We have people bring us Kawasaki vehicles for this type of work and without manuals and familiarity we suggest they get it into a dealer. There are some times when something weird is going on and you need the factory to help out.
One more thing we like to point out, one that seems to catch some consumers off guard is buying an extended warranty. The warranty is designed to cover manufacturer defects and there are some defects out there for sure. However, the warranty will not cover wear items and failures due to poor maintenance. Manufacturers are very aware of their machines and what causes certain types of failures, so if you run your engine out of oil and damage the crankshaft rod bearings and then replace the oil and filter before you bring it to the shop, the manufacturer has seen this and all you have done is waste oil, a new filter and time.
Finally, the biggest mistake we see is from owners over-inflating their tires. Typically every UTV has a sticker that has the tire pressure recommendation. Generally, the tire pressure should be between 10 psi and 16 psi, of course, depending on the machine. We find a lot of people inflate to 36 psi and more. That makes the machine drive horrible and accelerates tire wear.
Also, if you’re going to change your own oil and filter, be sure to use the correct oil filter and oil. Paying another $5 for an oil filter and maybe $10 in oil isn’t going to break the bank but figure how many oil and filter kits you can buy for an engine rebuild just because you decided to take a shortcut or buy an inferior product. Or worse yet, not change the oil at all. Make sure you get the oil filter tight enough as well as the drain plugs.
Sometimes, the service manual from a manufacturer can be pretty vague. We think services sometimes need to be tailored to the individual and the use. We have some customers who take care of their machines, notice noises and/or driving issues and will put 5,000 miles/500 hours in 1.5 to 2 years and never have a problem. Then there are other customers who bring their machine in with 150 hours/1500 miles and it is ready to be totally rebuilt.
If the owner will take care of his machine the machine will take care of him, it will last longer and when it comes to upgrading it will cost less.
