[BunkerMan]

Hi, I have a 2008 Prowler XT 650 with only about 120 hours on it. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'm still pretty new at this. I've mostly used it as a dump truck on my property.

I went on a long ride with some friends on the weekend (~70 miles/ 11 hours) on mixed trails. We went through our fair share of dusty trails, mud holes, and rocky trails. Everything was fine and I got through everything the ATVs did. The problem was whenever I decided to go through some of the deeper mud/water holes.

After seeing some of the troubles the other guys were having on their ATVs, I put the Prowler in 4x4 and locked the front diff. I got through OK, but there was an awful squealing noise coming from the front end when I was on the throttle. It reminded me of a bad fan belt on a car. When I unlocked the diff, it went away. This happened in three different mud holes, until I just decided not to use the locker anymore. I even tried the drain plug on the transmission cover in case the belt was slipping and making the noise, but nothing came out.

Any thoughts on this? I bought the Prowler second hand last year and don't have an owner's manual. I was only locking it if the water/mud was deep enough to go over the floor.

Should I even be locking the diff in this situation, or is it only meant for low speeds? Should I only lock it while in low gear?

 

[mlh1962]

I've locked mine in high and low without any squealing but I always stop before using the diff lock to make sure it's engaged. When you engage the lock it should be harder to steer and the lock indicator showing on the cluster. A while back I had a problem with the right front axle popping loose not allowing it to lock. I had to put in a new c-clip to hold the axle in place but even then it didn't squeal and I've gone through some deep stuff.