# Advice on Low vs. High Gear?



## Family First (Sep 7, 2009)

Had to replace the drive belt on my 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO.
Used it in March to pull the boat around the house; in high gear, and smoked it.
Would appreciate any advice on when to use low (towing, what speeds/conditions, etc.), vs. in high.
Is high gear mainly for open-road cruising?
How fast can I go on a trail in low; before needing to switch to high?
Does 2WD vs. AWD make a difference in speeds/gears?
Any advice is appreciated; this is my first quad and I am new at it.
Thanks.


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## Uncle Boopoo (Sep 15, 2008)

Use low range whenever you're towing almost anything at slower speeds, especially heavy loads. Look at low as a "work" gear and high as a "play" gear.

2wd vs 4wd will only matter whenever traction may be an issue. It's usually more fun to play in 2wd, unless you're in mud.


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## MOTOMAN91 (Oct 26, 2010)




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## pikeman1 (Jan 15, 2009)

Family First said:


> Had to replace the drive belt on my 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 HO.
> Used it in March to pull the boat around the house; in high gear, and smoked it.
> Would appreciate any advice on when to use low (towing, what speeds/conditions, etc.), vs. in high.
> Is high gear mainly for open-road cruising?
> ...


Use low gear anytime you plan on doing a lot of slow speeds or under a heavy load, such as towing or going through deep mud. Speed depends on your gearing in low I guess, but my outlander 500 max will do 40 in low. And it shouldn't matter if your in 2wd or 4. You should be able to get thousands of miles off a new belt if used properly.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

I know a guy who smoked his the same way. Seems to be a pretty common occurence.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

pikeman1 said:


> Use low gear anytime you plan on doing a lot of slow speeds or under a heavy load, such as towing or going through deep mud. Speed depends on your gearing in low I guess, but my outlander 500 max will do 40 in low. And it shouldn't matter if your in 2wd or 4. You should be able to get thousands of miles off a new belt if used properly.


Yep! Slow speed crawling even without a load should be done in Low. If you are in hilly or steep terrain, also use low. Climbing steep terrain is hell on CVT's, and even worse if you are fully loaded or towing and traction is limited. Any work, hauling, towng, plowing etc, always in low. As far as how fast you can go, let your machine tell you....if it is screeming at 35 mph, then back it off 10mph. 

For hunting use and use around the yard I used to always keep my atv in low gear. Never needed enough speed to need high. I pretty much do the same with my Teryx. 

Basically, low will keep you belt nice and tight during low speed use. High gear will not keep the belt as tight and tis is when the belt will slip under heavier use loads. 

Another tip tio preserve your belt, if you are stuck and you can't spin the tires such as in thick clay or mud or in roots etc, do not continue to rev the engine to try and spin the tires free. Something has to give and it is almost always the belt! So use the go button with caution under these conditions. 

CVT's today are super reliable and the belts are better than ever but this design does have it's limitations. They are usually not an issue with proper driving etc.


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## Family First (Sep 7, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the advice, I appreciate it.


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