ATV AND ROAD SALT

I use my ATV for ice fishing whenever possible. Trailering it behind my truck, on a open trailer, it gets sprayed with road salt whenever the roads are wet. I will then wait for the next time that the roads are dry to take it over to the self-serv car wash to spray it down. I am worried that parts or electrical connections will corrode. My question is, am I being too overly concerned ?? Will the salt eventually become a problem or not??

i have a really nice looking polaris xc700 - except for the front of the radius arms, which got road salt on them ONCE a couple years ago. ate right through the paint and rusted up like crazy.

I saw this earlier this year and have been trying my darndist to find one .......any ideas ??????

My 05 Prarie is in the shop right now being worked on due to corrosion from salt on the choke lever and cable connection as it fused to the point where the lever snapped off with minimal pressure put on it . I used a cover for five years and then gradually stopped using it . Now i'm paying the price . This combined with an oil change . fluid change . tune up . and a dirty carb will set me back eight hundred .

Salt is extremely tough on all machines. Keep her clean.

I had the same road salt problem. My machibe was a mess when I got to the lake and back to the garage. I ended up puttimg up 3 4x4 pieces of 3/8 imch plywood around the front and sides. It has worked great. I used 2x4s on the corners and bolted the plywood to the base of the trailer and the rail. It is pretty solid. It is also a great windbreak when I haul it out onto the ice behind the wheeler. Probably cost less than a cover plus I don't have to screw around with taking it off and putting it back on. Mrt.

gotcha, nice set up.

walters,no,never did hit the ice while moving. ATV/auger pict(below)is when the auger is in the vertical drilling position,always going somewhat slow drilling holes. pict above is in the horizontal travel position. works slicker than ice!

hey fishook have you ever bounced your auger off the ground/ice? Curious.

If you must trailer it that way I would wash as soon as the weather/temps permit. Even then there are hard to get to areas that may be affected. I wouldn't trailer that way just to ride 200 yrds to a fishing site, I'd be walking. I don't like road salt on my ATV & snowmobile. I broke down & got a Triton TC-11 enclosed trailer when I have to tow.

I would leave it on the trailer and wash both of them.

I also bought a heavy weight travel cover at Cabela's to keep the salt off, a pain to put on/off,but it works. bought new 2008 Yamaha Grizzly,...still looks good. well worth the hassle,& $$,cheaper in the long run.

I think your concern is valid- the first year I hauled my new Polaris back and forth a number of times when the roads were wet with snow and salt, I noticed some rust starting at mutiple points on the frame. Maybe it's just a crap job of powder coating, but it happens. I bought a heavy weight travel cover at Cabela's to try to keep the salt off. Not cheap, and a pain to put on, but it seems to work.