ATV Florida Forum

My buddy bought a 2005 trailboss 330 4-stroke we took it to croom and 2 days later the bike had a bent FRAME, my buddy ran into a stump at about 5 miles per hour{no lie} and the frame that holds the steering stem bent and twisted., We called Polaris and they said pretty much to go **** ourselves they dont cover colisions. I think my buddy got a defective frame. Polaris has a slogan which says "The way out" we were on the way in and the bike broke now we have to walk out what kind of crap is that? I have a HONDA , I'M GLad i have a honda if i had a polaris then i would have a junked out piece. i have rolled my 400ex down the mountain, front over end mutiple times in the same day. But the irinic thing is my honda was THE WAY OUT. And still has no problems, but yet my buddy hits a stump "which is imposible to not do in croom", and his bike brakes. ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO HELP THE SITUATION?

BOOMER33611@netscape.net

Your friend must have gotten a lemon. My sisterinlaw has an 05 anniversary edition 330 and it's great.My buddys wife has a 2003 330 and it has never broke down and routinely pulls back other quads. There great bikes for the money in my opinion besides Polaris would go out of buisness if they covered collisions.

My name is Matt i have a 400ex my buddy has the trail boss, i have hit trees and stumps at all different speeds, the only thing that broke was a tierod, and rim, but the frame did not bend that was my concern when we talked to polaris, the whole reason for parts is for the parts to break which is fine but not bend the frame. My 400ex has tumbled down a mountain about 10 flips, and all i did was rolled it over and started rinding aagin. My buddy hit the stump at about 5mph, he did not even complain about hurting himself he just noticed that the steering was bent. i hit stupms all the time it is just part of riding at croom, if all bikes broke when they hit a stump, then all the bikes would be out of commision.

Hey did your friend contact the big man  about this iuess.

My best bet is go to polaris web site get the main number and call them.
If your polaris dealer is giving you hard time and then contact the big man of the company about your  2005 trail boss 330.I bet the dealer won't like that.
So You need to complain about and don't let people push you anlong the side
behind the bus. :)

here's the web site

http://www.polarisindustries.com

here's their address and phone number to call
the big man. ;)

Mailing Address
Polaris Industries, Inc.
2100 Highway 55
Medina, MN 55340
(763) 417-8650

So give this to your friend I know
he will be happy i gave this info.I just
went look it up for your friend.

thanks,
amhighlander  ;D

Ps:I always love helping people out....  :Approve.gif

We already talked to polaris, they are no help at all

POLARIS........Poor Old Loser Aint Riding Sunday.

At least I won't buy a used polaris from a
atv dealer.Lol  :)

  YOU say it was 5 MPH.....but maybe it realy 15 MPH (Who knows?).
   ATVs do not have "5 MPH" bumpers or Airbags....
nobody has ever said that an ATV frame will not be damaged in a collision.
  So OK! Someone rolled a quad ten times down a mountain and road
out on it........ever hear of 'getting lucky'?
       #1...don't hit stumps.
       #2...don't roll down mountains.

   Ford Motor Company will not pay for my trucks airbag system or frame
if I get into a collision...even a 5 MPH one. (that is why I have insurance on my truck).
  Polaris will not pay for you to wreck your Quad.
    NOW.....you may want to see if others with the same model as you are having frame problems.......then you may be able to get a re-call.
   Fat chance though unless the frame CAUSED the collision.

(see #1 above)

     Chuck' roast

    :Clap.gif  dirtygrl80 has a 2000 Trail Boss 325 and it has bumped a tree. rolled in a pit and still going strong....no major damages at all .................

>>dirtygrl80 has a 2000 Trail Boss 325 and it has bumped a tree. rolled in a pit and still going strong....no major damages at all ....<<

That is all fine and dandy, but you can not expect a company to cover damage that was incurred on a vehicle that YOU HIT SOMETHING WITH.
   In order to do so, you have to prove the frame is faulty. If that hasn't been done....sorry, but you bought the stump.
  I am not saying the frame is good or bad......just that if it is damaged from hitting something, the fault is basically yours.
   If I hit a tree with my Ford and my bumper falls off (ok..I can see that......)
I can't see me going to FORD and complaining about the bumper.  Even though 25 others may say they hit trees and rolled down mountains and their bumper never fell off.   I would have to prove the bumper was at fault.
  AND, how would polaris know that the ATV hit a stump at 5 MPH or 25 MPH?
   Sorry, just don't see how bashing Polaris will solve this.  The owner may need an attourney to further it.
    Just my opinion.

   chuck 'roast

Stitch has a '05 TrailBoss. We know what she did to herself on it (hit a tree, I was watching, it was more than 5mph). Still rides just fine. By the way, the TrailBoss doesn't have a speedo.

You calling my wife a loser?

If an ATV company replaced parts on every atv ever crashed the would go bankrupt, get insurance if you dont know your bikes limitations.

 >>>POLARIS........Poor Old Loser Aint Riding Sunday.<<<


>>You calling my wife a loser?<<

(Is she riding Sunday?   LOL)



 Hey KURT! Glad to see you made it home safe.  I had a good time with you all.

    Chuck 'roast

I have a 93 Tril Boss that has rolled down a mountain and my son rode it 80 miles this weekend. I have to believe it was going faster than 5 mph.

I'll try to explain the situation a little more, we were riding at croom with a neighbor of our who has never ridin a 4 wheeler before. My name it Matt i have a 400ex, my buddy ryan has a trailboss 330, and a suzuki ozark 250, Ryan was riding the trail boss just so you know, ryan and i our experienced riders. The neighbors name is Gwin, We started riding out of croom campground and headed for the "hills" i "matt" was leading on the 400ex ryan was next then gwin. I made sure on how fast the group was going so he would get the feel of it. Ryan was following me and hit a stump, he then yelled at me and said stop. HE said " i think the steering is bent" we looked at the situation and sure enough the frame was bent. I personally think if you hit anything at a relativly low speed, the framw should not bend, the tierod should bend or maybe a a-arm ,but not the frame, that same day i got cut off on a trail and i Matt hit a tree on my 400ex going pretty fast, i had to check my legs becaused i though the bars might of cut me. The only thing that was wrong on my bike was a bent tierod, not the frame THATS THE ONLY THING I'M TRYING TO SAY, THE FRAME SHOULD NOT BEND IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT.  When we talk in this post we need to make sure to compare apples to apples, when you said the thing about The Ford motor company about hitting the tree makes no sense, because "LETS JUST SAY" if you hit a tree backing up and the frame bent, you would be mad,the bumper is just your fault, Before my buddy bought the trailboss he rode the ozark250 he has hit stumps on that at all speeds and nothing is wrong or bent on that bike

I just found this

 

 
   
FORUMS > POLARIS [ REFRESH]
 
Thread Title: crashed trailboss 330
Created On Sun May 29, 2005 4:17 PM
 

 
kayaker001
Trailblazer
beachwood

Posts: 39
Joined: May 2005

   

  Sun May 29, 2005 4:17 PM 
               
 

let a friend ride my wife's trailboss today and he crashed. hit a tree with right tire and it bent the frame really bad. when you ride it you have to keep the handle bars pointing to the left like you are makeing a left turn when you let go of handle bars the quad make a sharp right turn. the bad part is it's only 2 weeks old and my wife didn't know i let somebody else ride it when she went to the store so she's not to happy. does any body know who i can get a new frame thru and around how much they cost? my friend is going to pay for it so that's the only good thing thanks.
 
 
kayaker001
Trailblazer
beachwood

Posts: 39
Joined: May 2005

   

  Mon May 30, 2005 1:45 AM 
               
 

no it's the frame. the bracket where the tie-rod connects into the frame was pushed into the frame and the frame twisted. i was shocked the tie-rod didn't bend instead. he didn't get hurt just a scrape on his stomach where the handle bars hit him. he said the wheel was turned all the way to the right and the tree hit the rim just next to the strut. and i do not have insurance on it yet,but the insurance company in new jersey doesn't cover anything but basic liability so it wouldn't of made a diff. 
 
 

That had to be one heck of a tall stump considering the ground clearance of the trailboss.  My wifes' 2002 Trailboss 330 has a much higher ground clearance than my Kawasaki 400 4x4.

At 5mph, how did he not miss it? Must have been going a little faster. So what are the estimates to repair it? If you buy a car and drive off the lot at 5 mph and hit a stump, the dealer won't cover it either.

Hitting a stump with your trailboss and hitting a stump with your 400ex are not comparing apples to apples. It depends on where both of them hit the stump at. Was it the tire, the A arm, the frame, or what. If it was not hit in the same area, its not apples for apples.

both bikes hit at the front left tire "dead on"

How is it ever time a bike breaks and the roder wants to blame the bike maker the rider was doing 5MPH, but when its time to brag to the friends about the wild ride it was more like 30MPH

1/2 inch more or 1/2 inch less nothing prob. would have happened.
he just prob got it at the right speed at the very exact point where the frame is weak. i mean(its possible) maybe a little more to the right(or left) and nothing would've happened.
 
it sucks but you gotta move on. if they dont cover it, bite the bullet and move on.

sorry to hear of your mishap.

I'm surprised these bikes survived the mountain rolls.   :dunno.gif  Florida mountains are among the most treacherous! 

Your right about the hills, i'll give you that. If i took you to croom, i would take you to many areas that would prove you dont have the "BALLS" to go up or down!

Hey Boomer,

I am curiuos as to how the front right tire actually hit the stump. ........you say that it hit "dead on".  If that is so, given the statiscally low probability that the right front tire was hit at precisley the right angle so that the force of the impact traveled throught thea-arms and into the frame.  Then I think that there might be a quality control issue regarding Polaris.  It seems that there are those on this board with no problems and those on this boards with problems regarding Polaris ATV's.  Now..... its no secret that I'm a huge Honda fan, however, that does not preclude the fact that I would try contacting Polaris's Quality Control (QA) department and explain what occured.  Your absolutly right when you believe that the tie-rods should have given in first.....they should have, the're designed for it. 

Hope this post makes some sense it 3:24 in the morning.
Good luck.

Have an experienced welder striaighten the frame and weld a reinforcement type brace for future stumps. As soon as you admit the rider hit a stump you lose your argument with Polaris. They make no guarantees that you can hit anything without damaging your bike. The bottom line is the RIDER hit the stump. You can't prove or disprove you were only going 5 mph and they certainly will not call in CSI to investigate the accident. I've owned three Polaris ATVs and have friends with them and they swear by them. To say their junk is incorrect. Your frame may have a defect or it may simply be operater error. If you still feel strongly about it being junk let me know and out of sympathy I will give you $500.00 for the piece of crap. LOL.  Seriously though you may have to eat it and just repair it as best you can or buy a new frame. Go to ATV connection and go to the polaris section and see if there are any similar complaints and how they rectified the situation. Good luck.

I have looked my 330 Trailboss over and over from all angles and I cannot see how this possibly could have happened as described. You are telling us that not even the single A-arm was damaged? The frame that holds the steering stem does not even touch the bottow main frame.

Boomer,

It doesn't take going to Croom's to find those kind of hills, you can find them throughout the state.  I do prefer Tellico outside of Murphy, NC when it comes to "BALLS" as it adds  a pucker factor too.  As far as the trail boss goes, I seriously doubt any dealer or manufacturer will stand behind the damage as you have posted.   

In a previous post i put right tire it was actually the left, sorry about that. Anyway when my buddy kit the stump the handle bar turned left, if you take you handlebars and turn them all the way to the left they stop because of a stop on the steering stem. If you would keep that angle and push it further that is where the frame bent. if that doesnt make sense tell me and i'll try again.

I think people are confussed because frame just dont break especialy on a Polaris. Everyone knows Polaris atv are damn heavy most of that extra weight is from the frame. I just dont see how a machine welded in a factory could do such a poor job welding a frame that it would colapse at 5MPH

The frame did not bend at a weld, if you look at a 330 where the steering stem is held, there is a piece a metal on both sides that hold the stem, they go from the top to the bottom. Those pieces of metal have "HOLES" cut into them, for what reason i dont know. The reason my buddy bought this bike was because his dad lives in North Carolina and everyone said to buy one. That is the main reason he bought it. I think he got a defective frame. No frame should bend that easily. "I SWEAR to what i have said in the previous posts" That is the only reason why i dony understand how such a major component of the bike got bent and not a tierod.

is this it?

(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9665/tboss1vj.th.gif) (http://img32.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tboss1vj.gif)

OK, now I have a better understanding. The "frame" did not bend. Change your wording and more will understand you as Polaris has a good frame.

The "bracket" that holds the steering column twisted when the handle bars were turned further than they were designed to. That is why the tie rod and A-frame were not damaged. There was no "impact" damage. The Polaris held lilke it should have.  Now is there a problem with the steering bracket? Should it be stronger? Possibly. I sounds more like you just incountered a freak accident and found a design weakness that does not usually occur.

Polairs is not JUNK. You are still trying to blame Polaris for a major driver error. Come on, he hit a stump at 5 mph? If he wasn't paying attention or isn't a good enough driver to miss that, he should be thankful this happened. It probably kept him from getting seriously injured later when he would have been going faster.

Yea, Must of been a Black diamond or something

I have gone out again to examine my Trailboss after your further explaination. Again, I say that this was not the main frame that was damaged.


Look at "Whiteriders" diagram that he posted. [click on it to enlarge the diagram] The bracket that the steering column goes through attaches to the main frame at the bottom. The tie rod did not bend because the tie rod did not touch the bracket.

I turned my Trailboss handle bars as far as it would go. Now look at Whiteriders diagram. See the part above numbers 5 & 6 in the diagram that is at the bottom of the steering column? This is what the tie rods connect to. This is the part that hits the bracket and caused it to bend. Also, I think you should take the Polaris to a bike shop. If the bracket is bent where I think it is, it can be straightened and a strip of metal attached to the straightened area to reinforce it.

I may be wrong without seeing it, but if you take it to a mechanic that knows what he is doing, this is not a major repair. as you describe it with just the bent bracket, no parts need to be ordered to repair this, unless something else is found when the mechanic pulls the wheel off.

My Polaris is the most durable ,relyable bike I have. He must have hit a petrafied tree or he was going faster then he says. They are of all things durable. Did you actually see him hit the tree? Cut the piece out and weld and gusset another piece, it will be as good as new. You might even be able to heat and straighten it, not sure without seeing it. Good luck anyway. You might think about letting your friends ride your stuff.

I dont no why peolple bye the polaris's there all a peice brand new or not

polarises blow!!

just call the dealer and tell em exactly wut didnt happen lol :D