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Arctic Cat 300 Front Locker ModOctober 4/04 Written by Greg While searching the Internet for info on mods for my quad, I found references to a "front locker mod" for Arctic Cat 300 4x4's on a few forums. This mod will work for 1998-2001 models, and possibly additional years if the 4wd selector is a T-handle on the right fender, with a flexible rod leading to an arm on the transfer case (if somebody knows the exact years, let me know and I'll edit this article). What's a "locker"? Basically, the rear of our quads is "locked", which means power is applied to both rear wheels. If one of the wheels is in the air, the other wheel still has power. Up front, we have a "limited slip" differential, which means that both wheels will receive power as long as they are both on the ground, but once one wheel is in the air, it is the only wheel receiving power while the wheel on the ground receives none. Not too useful! What we are trying to do here is "lock" the front wheels so that both will receive power all the time, just like the rear. However, a fully-locked (spooled) front diff has its disadvantages. Because both wheels are under equal power, the quad will want to pull straight, making it difficult to steer. This is bad when you're trying to jockey around in a tight area. On icy or sandy off-camber sidehills, the front end will slide sideways down the slope, rather than track straight with the non-powered wheel. Also, there will be a slight increase in tire wear on hard-packed surfaces. So, we want to be able to switch the locker off when we don't need it. So, when WOULD we need it? Any situation where you need just a bit more traction is where a locked front diff shines. Large rocks, slippery terrain, steep climbs, deep snow, deep mud, and uneven terrain that causes a tire to lose contact with the ground. This mod apparently provided the best of all worlds; when completed it would allow selectable normal 2wd, factory 4wd, and fully-locked 4wd. I sent an email to Mike Ferraro, the author of one of the posts, who emailed me the steps he used to do the mod. I also received a slightly different set of instructions from Catnip who had also done this mod. I read through both versions, and after looking at how everything was laid out on my own quad, I was able to see what they were talking about. The theory was actually quite simple, and I ended up taking some instructions from each of them. In stock form, the T-handle is either pushed in (4wd; locked rear and limited-slip front) or pulled out (2wd; locked rear only). If you follow the flexible rod from the T-handle to the lever on the transfer case, you'll see how the lever moves. When in 2wd, the lever is positioned in the upward position. When you push the T-handle in to engage 4wd, the lever is pushed into the downward position, which has the effect of sliding a sleeve over on the transfer case, thereby engaging 4wd. The transfer case is designed such that the sleeve can actually slide a bit further; sliding it further will fully-lock the front diff. However, the setup of the transfer-case lever and the flexible rod will not allow you to engage this third position. If we were to put the quad in 4wd, then remove the transfer-case lever from the splined shaft, then rotate the splined shaft down into the "fully locked" position, then reinstall the lever onto the splined shaft, we would then be in the "fully locked" position when the handle is in the old "factory 4wd" position, and in the "factory 4wd" position when the handle is in the old "2wd" position. But, we still want to be able to select 2wd. If you study the construction of the flexible rod where it attaches to the transfer-case lever, you will see that there is an outer sleeve surrounding the flexible rod. The mod entails shortening the outer sleeve by one inch, then repositioning the lever on the transfer-case pivot. This will allow us enough movement with the T-handle to engage all three positions on the transfer case. In 2wd, the T-handle will be located an inch further out. In factory 4wd, the T-handle will be in the old 2wd position. In full-lock, the T-handle will be in the old 4wd position. The best part is, this mod is free! Other than some labour on your part, of course. BEFORE YOU BEGIN, read through all of the steps below so that you'll understand what we're trying to do; it helps if you have your quad in front of you while you are reading. Instructions• Jack up the both ends of your quad, so that no tire is touching the ground. • Rotate a front tire; in 2wd and 4wd, rotating one tire will rotate the other tire in the opposite direction. • Place your quad in 4wd by pushing the T-handle in. This will put the inner flexible rod at it's furthest extension. • Near the transfer case, there is a crimped-on cover at the end of the outer sleeve; slide this back to expose the end of the outer sleeve. • Use a pipe-cutter to cut one inch from the end of the outer sleeve, taking care to not nick or otherwise damage the inner flexible rod. This will result in a one-inch section of the outer sleeve "floating" on the inner flexible rod. • Use a Dremel or similar tool to cut the floating section of outer sleeve free; again taking care to not nick or otherwise damage the inner flexible rod. • Disconnect the transfer-case lever from the flexible rod. • Unbolt the transfer-case lever from the splined shaft protruding from the transfer case. • Re-install the lever onto the splined shaft, approximately 20 degrees up from its old position. Use the lever to rotate the splined shaft down so that the lever is in the most-downward position it can be in without contacting the side of the transfer case. • Rotate one of the front tires. When the front diff is fully-locked, the other tire will spin in the SAME direction as the tire your are rotating. You may need to adjust the splined shaft a bit to find the optimum location; reposition the lever as necessary. • Re-attach the transfer-case lever to the flexible rod. • Slide the crimped cover back onto the end of the outer sleeve. • The lever needs to be positioned on the splined shaft such that when the T-handle is in all the way (furthest extension of the inner flexible rod), the transfer-case lever positions the splined shaft in the "fully-locked" position. • When the T-handle is in the middle position, the lever must position the splined shaft in the "factory 4wd" position. • Since we've removed an inch from the outer sleeve, we can now pull the T-handle further out, which will pull the lever further up and will allow us to position the splined shaft into the "2wd" position. • Once you have the transfer-case lever properly aligned on the splined shaft, tighten it back up. • Some additional adjustment can be made by adjusting the nuts where the outer sleeve is attached to the frame. • If the movement of the T-handle is stiff, you may need to slightly tweak the angle of the mounting tab where the outer sleeve is attached to the frame; this helps prevent the inner sleeve from binding. You are done! You may wish to mark the "middle" position on the T-handle with a permanent marker or paint pen, to assist you in finding the correct location when riding. You will definitely know when full-lock is engaged; your quad will want to go straight, and steering will require more effort. And the extra traction will be very noticeable on trail obstacles. The front locker mod, when combined with our 3-range transfer cases, allows us to crawl over obstacles with finesse, rather than with brute force and wheelspin which has the potential to break parts. Total modification time was approximately one hour. |
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