Time for the bi-annual check up.
Tearing down the BRUTE to clean and inspect all the chassis components, I do this at least twice a year.
I recommend you do the same ... yes most ATV's and UTV's are a pain to get all the body work off, and I guaranty that you will cuss the demonic engineer that designed it to begin with.
That being said, Stripping the "skin" will give you the opportunity to inspect the largest portion of the chassis joints, suspension components, drive components and cooling system, AND give you the chance to really, REALLY get it cleaned up.
I have found sand and mud in spots I didn't know it could get and have , on other machine, discovered minor weld and frame cracks that were easy repairs and prevented potentially large disasters.My advice , tear that sucker down and "give 'er a good lookover". As a tech tip, if you ATV or UTV has as many sorted fasteners as mine does.... use zip-lock bags to categorize where the fasteners go ( write on them with a sharpie). Seems kinda silly but it works great to keep all the hardware going back to the right spots.
Once it is stripped, wipe it all down and look close at all the joints and weld spots. Clean all the external body parts separately, and lay a good polish on them, (We use SC-1 Clear Coat Polish). It will make the next teardown and cleanup go even faster.
When you are done and the ATV or UTV is reassembled you will be amazed at how much better it looks, and you can ride without thinking did I check that, or did I do this... Wait whats that noise.
Heck, It may be so clean when you are done, you may fall in love with your machine all over again.
