All about Belts
BELT COVERAGE – Drive belts take a lot of punishment and is an
inherent weak link for all manufacturers of belt-drive machines.
The condition of the belt when you rent a side by side has an unknown element regarding condition, wear or abuse damage done by the previous renter(s). Taking this into consideration we conclude that it is better business to ensure that each customer has the best experience possible related to belt issues. This is best accomplished by minimal cost sharing across all customers. This minimal cost sharing charge is included in the price of the rental. This convenience bundle includes fuel, wash, belt coverage, ice, water, helmets, goggles, maps, etc.
The belt coverage that is part of the convenience bundle is not meant to condone, tolerate, or encourage machine or belt abuse and any machine abuse recorded on our gps and machine health monitoring systems will result in full charges for a belt replacement. The belt replacement cost will be taken from the $1,800 damage deposit held at the time of arrival.
Belt replacement cost is $290 + tax ($220 belt and $70 labor). A trail belt replacement is an additional labor charge of $70 or $360 + tax.
Some indicators of a bad belt include a jerky and noisy clutch when taking off from a stopped position; this is caused by a three- or four-inch area of the belt being worn in an hourglass shape resulting in momentary belt slip causing the machine to jerk when accelerating. An hourglass wear pattern on the belt can also be caused by excessive idling and wearing only one area of the belt.
Another symptom of a bad belt is high engine rpm and low vehicle speed (belt slipping); this belt slipping can result in a “check engine light” illuminating and a speed derating of the machine. Sometimes the belt may get hot and upon driving a consistent speed, of around 20 mph for approximately ½ mile, the check engine light will go off and the machine will return to normal speed capacity.