Tips For Maintaining Your UTV

For both recreational off-roading enthusiasts and dedicated professionals alike,  — also known as UTVs or side by sides — are extremely useful and versatile machines that make life easier and more fun. Whether you’re hauling heavy payloads on the construction site, towing farm equipment over fields or taking family and friends for a scenic trail ride, you’re bound to find many uses for your UTV. However, just like your car or bike, you’ll want to keep it in good condition so it runs well every time you need it.

At Family Powersports Lubbock, your one-stop shop for Polaris®, Kawasaki and Can-Am® UTVs, we know how important regular UTV maintenance is to keep your machine in top condition, ready to go wherever you need it to. So it’s time to roll up your sleeves and follow this list of tips for maintaining your UTV! If you find any maintenance issues you can’t address yourself, contact our service department to make an appointment so our professional mechanics can get your UTV all fixed up.

Check Your Battery

The battery on your UTV needs regular inspection to ward off corrosion and leaks. Over time, your battery will start to hold less of a charge, but you can still do a few things to help keep its power output reliable. While storing your UTV during the off season, use a solar charger to keep the battery charged up or place it on a tender so that it doesn’t drain completely. Allowing the battery to drain might make it never hold a charge again, so it’s important to keep its power topped up if you want to avoid expensive battery replacements!

Service Your Driveline & Tires

Your driveline gives power to the tires, in either a belt or a chain style. If it’s a chain, you should lubricate it regularly to prevent rust and keep it flexible. Check the tension to see that it is neither too tight or too loose. Repairing the driveline is a cumbersome task that’s best left to the pros, so get your UTV into a mechanic if you suspect issues with it.

Your tires hold up the weight of your UTV, so checking the pressure before every ride and looking for bald spots or uneven wear can prevent you riding on a bad tire that could cause a blowout. Make sure there are no embedded objects in your tires before you ride. Don’t ride on tires that aren’t inflated to the correct pressure.

Check Oils and Fluids

The fluids in your engine prevent its moving parts from grinding against each other or overheating and keep everything operating smoothly. Change the oil on a regular basis, either every 1500 miles or at the intervals recommended by your owner’s manual. Top up the oil between changes, but be careful not to overfill the tank because a UTV doesn’t need nearly as much oil as a passenger car does. Check the oil by using the dipstick as you would for your car: remove it, wipe it, insert it, remove it again. You should see reasonably clear oil that isn’t thick or gummy. If you find grit in the oil, that means the engine’s parts might be grinding together, which requires immediate professional maintenance.

Coolant keeps the radiator in good working condition and needs topping up frequently. If you find fluids pooling under your UTV, you might have a leak in your radiator or the cap isn’t sealed tightly.

Change Out Filters

There are several filters in your UTV that need changing on a regular basis. Beneath the fuel tank, you’ll find the fuel filter which doesn’t often need to be changed unless it’s clogged. Change the air filter as often as you change the tires, unless you ride in dusty conditions, in which case you might need to change it more often. The oil filter will prevent impurities from polluting the oil and it should be switched out whenever you get an oil change.

Don’t yet have a UTV to maintain? Visit our Lubbock dealership to see our wide selection of new and used UTVs for sale, including the latest models by Can-Am, Polaris and Kawasaki. Family Powersports Lubbock serves the cities of Lake Tanglewood, Plainview and Seminole, Texas.