What oil can be used in a side by side engine?

[Chris142]

Does it have a wet clutch? I’ve been running 5w40 T6 (JASO MA/MA2 for wet clutches) in our Yamaha SxS’s. We have 4 in service currently, three Vikings and a Rhino. Two of them have over 4,000 miles on T6.

No. Belt drive

 

[Chris142]

I've never owned an ATV/UTV, so all that I am going on is second hand from my son, who is a mechanic at a Honda Power Sports dealership.

He tells me the thing that kills ATV/UTV drivetrains more than anything else is lack of maintenance. He says that for some reason, owners seem to think that they can drive these machines in the harshest of conditions, and neglect filter and fluid changes.

Considering this, I would suspect that frequency of oil changes on a side by side would be much more important than exact viscosity being called for. But Polaris machines tend to need more maintenance than most others, so perhaps using what they call for could be important.

People finance a $40k toy then can"t afford to service it! Our Maverick says to change its oil every 2000 miles. I do it way more often than that.

Our owners manual says to use 5w40 if you cant get the Can Am oil. The oil change kit from the dealer is stupid expensive so I use 5w40 or 10w40. Currantly running Amsoil because it was in the clearance section .

I dont beat on ours. Many people destroy a belt every trip. Ours lasted 2000 miles and i replaced it just because. It looked fine

 

[The motor guy]

People finance a $40k toy then can"t afford to service it! Our Maverick says to change its oil every 2000 miles. I do it way more often than that.

Our owners manual says to use 5w40 if you cant get the Can Am oil. The oil change kit from the dealer is stupid expensive so I use 5w40 or 10w40. Currantly running Amsoil because it was in the clearance section .

I dont beat on ours. Many people destroy a belt every trip. Ours lasted 2000 miles and i replaced it just because. It looked fine

People don't become wealthy by being reckless with their money.

 

[repairman54]

My snowmobile club has 4 SxS, 3 JD and one Kubota, all have tracks as we groom trails with them. All of them are diesels and pull 1000 lb grooming drags through tight, hilly woods trails. They get a workout all winter. Some fall usage pulling a crew / tool trailer. Highest mileage one has 3400 miles on it.
We only use full synth. fluids, engine mfg.. spec. oil weights for their operating temps.
We can get 3k miles out of a belt also.
Only drivetrain issues we have are Camso track idler wheel bearings wearing out and some track system links, zero machine driveline issues so far.

 

[Dieselanddogs]

I just buy the polaris kit at the dealer. It's actually cheaper than trying to buy the stuff on Amazon. The oil filter says 10 micron on it even lol. I'm sure every manufacturer has an oil change service kit. I haven't really looked into what oils you can use to replace it. Sometimes it's best to just use the manufacturers oil and worry about something else in life. Same with kubotas UDT-2 they don't really have a substitute for it for whatever reason. Not sure why you can't just get whatever the proper number ISO hydraulic fluid and run it, but people seem to have issues doing that.

How much is the "kit" at the dealer? Gallon of T-6 5w40, and two good filters at Wally world for about $50. So roughly $25 a change. All quality components within specs, and arguably better.

 

[Drewby83]

I recently put Redline 10w50 powersports in our Kawasaki Mule Pro FXT. Have a couple more changes worth. Used Supertech full synthetic 10w40 4T and Mobil 1 10w40 Racing 4T before that. Usually do 100 hour OCIs. Probably overkill on the Redline for a little over 800cc mule. The oil hardly looks used when I change it no matter which brand I use. Will probably go back to a less expensive full synthetic motorcycle oil once Redline is gone. Mule has JASO MA2 spec in the manual and recommends 100 hour changes. Think most side by side engines call for motorcycle oil.

 

[gasman556]

There was a deal recently for some 10w40 motorcycle motul oil. I asked in that thread if it was good for a sxs and no reply was there. I too have a Kawi pro fxt. I am a big fan of this thing despite how terribly it was treated by its prior owner (unknown to me prior to purchasing - classic).