UTV Maintenance Tips
Your utility task vehicle or UTV is your work and play transport for all types of terrain. Whether you choose to use it five days a week to help you complete all the tasks on your ranch, farm or construction site, or you ride it out on off-roading adventures and over nature trails with the family, you have a vehicle that is versatile and sturdy enough to deal with whatever needs doing. The side by side seating arrangement ensures that you can take your coworkers, friends or family anywhere they need to go in comfort and safety, too.
But your side by side can only serve you as long as it’s being taken care of, which requires some work on your part. After all, you certainly don’t want the thing to break down entirely while you’re in the middle of nowhere on an off-roading adventure or with a heavy trailer full of material behind you!
Not sure what it is you should be doing to tend to your UTV? Lawton Motorsports is your Oklahoma side by side dealer, so we’ve provided our best UTV maintenance tips to help you get your vehicle in fighting condition. Use these tips and read your owner’s manual for the best advice regarding your particular model.
Protect The Battery
Your UTV’s battery is not a very complex component, but it’s necessary to its continued functioning. Without a fully charged battery, your engine doesn’t get a spark and the lights won’t work and the ignition probably won’t even turn over in the worst cases. Each month, check the battery posts. The wire connections should be tight and there should be no white, crusty corrosion clogging up the posts. If you see crust, it’s time to get a new battery.
When storing your UTV for the season, the best way to keep your battery in good shape is to remove it and put it on a trickle charger or tender so it doesn’t lose its charge. If it’s allowed to drain completely, then your battery may never hold a charge again, so don’t make this costly mistake!
Check Tires
Like any vehicle, your side by side is supported by its four wheels. The rugged tires are designed to handle all types of terrain, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore them completely! Tread and pressure are both important things to check on a regular basis. The tread depth is essential to getting good traction on whatever surface you’re on, whether that’s mud or sand. So make sure that your tires aren’t too worn-down before you ride on them.
You should also take a tire pressure gauge from your glovebox and check each tire’s pressure, airing it up to the manufacturer’s recommended psi levels. Look for any embedded objects like nails or any cracks in the sidewall. If you see anything amiss with your tires, cancel your next ride and bring your UTV into our shop so our mechanics can have a look.
Change Oil & Filters
Your engine has some filters in it to prevent harmful particles from clogging up its inner workings. Make sure these filters are reasonably clean. Your fuel filter is under the tank and probably won’t need changing very often unless you ride in very dusty conditions.
Change your oil on a regular basis as recommended by your owner’s manual and change the oil filter at the same time. You can check the oil as you do on your car or truck: remove the dipstick, wipe it down with a rag, insert it and remove it again to check the color and consistency. Clear, runny oil is good and only needs to be topped off before you ride. Sludgy, opaque oil is bad and needs changing immediately. If you see any metal shavings in the oil, regardless of its consistency, get thee hence to a mechanic, since this means that parts of your engine are grinding together and wearing down when they shouldn’t be.
If you take the time to keep your UTV properly maintained, it’ll serve you well for years to come! And if you ever need any professional loving care, contact the Lawton Motorsports service department so our mechanics can fix up your ride. Still don’t have a UTV? Stop by our dealership located in Lawton, OK, today to see our full selection of new and used utility vehicles for sale. Lawton Motorsports welcomes all our Sooner State customers, including those of you in Edmond, OK.