Shocks on a Ranger 800 Crew.

[BufordBoone]

This may sound like a stupid question but how do you know when your shocks are bad?

My 2013 800 Ranger Crew frequently sounds like it bottoms out when one of the front tires crosses a depression. Sounds like the tire hits but I can't see any evidence of that.

I tried rocking the front up and down but can't make it bottom out. The little rubber cushion on the shocks has deteriorated and pretty much is gone.

I really appreciate this machine and would like to get more years out of it as I use it a lot.

Thanks, in advance.

 

[ArlyA]

I'm no pro but I believe your springs, not the shocks, might be weak if you are bottoming out to much. This was what I found when I did a search of your machine.

 

[zzvyb6]

Have someone drive your vehicle on a few different types of roads and at low and high speeds while watching the tire movements one side at a time. Bad shocks can be revealed by excess wheel movement and even continuous vertical motion or shimmy (vertical + toe changes), although a wheel imbalance causes unusual vibration, too. Tire cupping is another indicator of bad shocks if you know your ball joints are good.

The classic aftermarket shock trick (besides 1 size fits all), is to put a LOT of low speed damping in the shocks to let you 'know' that you made a change, but the extra loads almost always leads to worn or broken suspension and frame parts.

Nascar teams I worked for tested 3 identical shock builds (3 per corner) in order to verify that even under the best of build conditions (dirt, contamination, tube flaws, valve spring variation, oil variances. etc.) the dampers installed were what the tire, track and temperature called for. Production aftermarket shocks have quite a bit of variability, to say the least. If yours are easily removed, pull them off and do some pushups with them. Suspension friction may be all the damping that you have. Of course, oil leaks covered in dirt are a pretty good sign and low ride height because gas charged shocks are leaked out isn't helping in your case.

 

[LittleBill21]

The little rubber cushion on the shocks has deteriorated and pretty much is gone.

this is prolly your problem, if this is the part that has the bolt going through it that attaches it to the machine, this is what is causing your noise and potentially a good amount of damage can occur, you can provide a pic

also if there are wet oil like marks this another sign, you can also remove the shock and spring and try to move the shock in your hands, it should be very very hard to do if good

 

[Maxify55]

Polaris Ranger Forum
It's where I go for hands on opinions on my equipment.
radiator, lighting,brakes, PM related
Good people over there

http://www.prcforum.com

 

[BufordBoone]

Thanks, all, for the help.

 

[BufordBoone]

Seeing as the machine is 7 years old AND seeing as I use it...A LOT, and seeing as much of that use is in muddy conditions, I took it to the Dealer for evaluation.

Most of what needs replacing is bushings. Gonna be a bit pricey cause there are some other things that need doing but should get it back in good shape.

So much for my "Self Diagnosis" of Shocks.

Thanks, again, for the help.