Side By Side Trailing Arm Replacement Orange County
What many of you might be thinking is…What is a Trailing Arm? What does it do for my Polaris RZR or a Can-am Maverick X3? The trailing arm bushings join the axle and pivot point on the body of the vehicle. They are part of a trailing arm suspension in your vehicle. The front trailing arm consists of a set of bushings attached to a bolt that runs through these bushings to hold the trailing arm to the chassis of the vehicle. The purpose of the trailing arm bushings is to cushion the movement of the suspension while holding the wheel on the correct axis.
The bushings absorb minor vibrations, shocks, and noise from the road to make for a smoother drive. The trailing arm bushings do not require much maintenance, normally. This doesn’t mean that they don’t wear out due to excessive use, driving on bumpy roads frequently or due to the elements the vehicle drives in frequently. There are a few common causes of worn out trailing arm bushings that include:
- If your bushings are made of rubber, high heat may cause them to crack and harden over time. And result in breaking.
- If bushings allow excessive roll on your vehicle, this can cause them to twist and ultimately tear. This can cause the vehicle’s steering to not be as responsive and cause you to potentially lose control of the vehicle.
- Additionally, a problem with trailing arm bushings is if transmission coolant or petroleum leak on the bushings. Both will cause the bushings to go bad and potentially fail.
It isn’t uncommon for the trailing arm bushings to wear out on a Polaris RZR or a Can-am Maverick X3 when you are navigating the roads we tend to drive daily. When they wear, the trailing arm bushings will display a few symptoms and warning signs that will indicate that they should be replaced by a professional mechanic.
Signs of a failing or bad Trailing Arm
1) Excessive wear on the tires
If you see that your tires are starting to wear down just a few months after you purchased them, there is a good chance that you need to replace your trailing arm on your UTV.
2) Clunking noises when you speed up or brake
The bushing’s job is to provide a cushion and hinge point. So, when you are accelerating or deaccelerating you might hear a clunk noise if your trailing arm is failing.
3) Steering wheel is loose when you are making turns
The steering and suspension system work in conjunction to allocate distribution of weight for the body and chassis of the vehicle as it turns. However, when the bushings of the trailing arm are worn out, the weight shift is impacted; sometimes delayed. This can cause the steering to feel loose when you turn to the left of right, especially during slow, wide-angle turns (like driving into a parking lot or when you make a 90 degree turn).
If you think that your trailing arm is failing or is already bad on your Polaris RZR or a Can-am Maverick X3, give us a call to schedule an appointment to get this replaced – fast! This is a large safety factor and we want to ensure that you are being safe while having fun on your UTV.
