# Spring Spacers



## mnruger (Feb 26, 2010)

I have a 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500HO with a Glacier 1 plow. THe front end on the ATV droops a little and I was thinking about picking up a set of spacers for the front springs. Does anyone have any experience with these or have any options that won't affect the ride during non-plowing times?

Thanks - Rob


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## 06Sierra (Nov 30, 2008)

The best ones I have seen, it has been a couple years since I saw them, were Polaris. Check with your dealer. I wouldn't think it would affect ride too much. They are easy enough to take off during the summer months anyways.


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

Perhaps a heavy-duty set of springs, instead of spacers? Maybe that would affect your ride too much in the summer?


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## the_experience (Feb 28, 2007)

Get heavier duty springs. The factory Polaris springs are pretty weak in my opinion anyway. Heavy duty springs will not increase your unloaded ride height, but but spacers will. The CV joints on most machines are already running at the extremes of their travel and doing lifts WILL case excessive wear and you WILL break them and tear boots. For the guys that get off running bogs it's the price they pay to play and they're used to it, but for the everyday guy it's too much. Bigger axles designed for lifts aren't cheap.

Now...if your stock springs are just weak and sagging (as the Polaris ones do) the spacers will be fine because they will restore factory ride height, but your machine will still sink plenty when you lift the plow. For the price difference between springs and spacers I just can't justify the spacers myself, but that's just me.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

i was thinking of making it a rigid front end for plowing purposes, take out the shock and put in a steel bar, 

it would be more tractor like just don't know how it would wear anything prematurely?


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## noooooo (Nov 17, 2009)

IPLOWSNO, I was thinking the same thing. What machine are you thinking of doing this to? I have not looked at mine yet to see what would be the easiest way to do it. I dont think there would be any negatives. I was thinking of removing the front springs and replacing them with a pipe. Dont beat me up over the idea because I have not studied my new bike. It would be the way I would have done this on my old bike which was a 2005 Polaris sportsman 800.


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

Those springs are there for good reason, in part, the rest of that machine is not made to absorb the kind of ride that a steel bar will transfer up and into the frame. What is the benefit to a solid front end over a heavy duty spring?


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## noooooo (Nov 17, 2009)

I don't ride during the winter. I would lock the front suspension during the winter when I only use the quad to push snow. I would put the springs back before trail riding in the spring. I looked at mine and I would replace the spring on the shock with a piece of pipe the same diameter and length as the spring.
I did put HD front springs on my 05 and over time they seemed to lose strength amd sag. The pipe would not.


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

noooooo;1014732 said:


> I don't ride during the winter. I would lock the front suspension during the winter when I only use the quad to push snow. I would put the springs back before trail riding in the spring. I looked at mine and I would replace the spring on the shock with a piece of pipe the same diameter and length as the spring.
> I did put HD front springs on my 05 and over time they seemed to lose strength amd sag. The pipe would not.


I maintain that your pipe will do nothing good for the remainder of your vehicle.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

it shouldn't be bad, only doing your driveway imo, your not going fast, and your not trail riding,

hers my thinking behind it as cloudy as it gets lol,

when ya pick up your plow the front drops down huge, idk about you guys but sometimes i just skim a little off the top to maintain my base,with shocks the bike goes up and down,but being rigid you take that out of the equation,

so basically your plow will stay where you put it and ya don't have toworry about the shocks collapsing


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

IPLOWSNO;1014786 said:


> it shouldn't be bad, only doing your driveway imo, your not going fast, and your not trail riding,
> 
> hers my thinking behind it as cloudy as it gets lol,
> 
> ...


I suppose with as little plowing as you do with it, you'll beat up the bike less. If you are having problems with your plow coming up off the surface, you either need more weight or more play in the lift mechanism. Those solid front ends will just exacerbate your problem if lift from the bike bouncing or lifting was a problem with normal springs.


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## stayscool (Feb 22, 2009)

Here is what i used on my 2004 Polaris 500 H.O. they are called the pregresser and are fully adjustable. www.t-m-2.com 
They take the sag out of a non adjustable shock. I personally like the ride of the stiffer suspension. Trails, woods, rocks, mud, they work for me. They were around $80 and included the spanner wrench. Polaris has some also for around the same price
http://www.purepolaris.com/Detail.aspx?ItemID=2876463


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## noooooo (Nov 17, 2009)

I liked them too. They were on my 05 Polaris I had. The heavy duty springs and the progressors worked good. The xp's have the adjustable suspension from the factory.


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## shtuk (Sep 7, 2008)

My local shop found me spring spacers from Kimpex. They're great, 10 bucks a pair and they make a big difference for plowing. I've left them in for one summer of trail riding and noticed that my machine handles better and doesnt bottom out so easily on road deactivation ditches.


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## 06Sierra (Nov 30, 2008)

I forgot about the Kimpex ones. From what I remember the Polaris ones looked like they would stay in better. I had some Kimpex and they never made it home from the first trail ride. They did work great with sag though. This type will not increase the hight at all. They go in between a couple of coils on the spring preventing them from compressing when you raise the plow. They won't affect the cvs or anything like that.


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