One of the first things you should do when you pick up a UTV is get familiar with how to change the CVT belt. 

Belts are a necessary evil when it comes to side by sides. It’s the best middle ground we can get for something easy to replace without breaking the bank. Personally, I’d rather replace a belt than a transmission if I run out of talent.

When we picked up the 2020 Polaris Ranger 1000, one of the first things we did is get familiar with the belt replacement process.

We broke out our Assault Industries On The Go Tool Kit, the Clutch Spreader Tool, the shop manual and got familiar with our Polaris Ranger.

Polaris has made it super easy to inspect and replace the belt. 

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  1. Remove the 8 fasteners that hold the clutch cover.
  2. To remove the clutch cover, pull the cover starting at the bottom, lift over the suspension, and then out of the vehicle.
  3. If you’re just inspecting and need to remove it out of the car, make sure to mark the belt so you can reinstall it the same way.
  4. Insert clutch spreader tool in the threaded hole on driven clutch and turn clockwise to spread clutch.
  5. Once you’ve got the clutch spreader tool far enough in, you should be able to easily remove the belt.

To install the belt, follow the directions above in reverse order. The only thing you want to do differently, once you’ve got the belt installed, and the clutch spreader tool removed, spin the big clutch 5-7 times to seat the belt properly. 

The process is fairly quick and simple, you can replace the belt within minutes when you’re out on the trail, as long as you have a spare belt and the tools required to fix it. 

For our spare belt we went with the Gates G-Force Redline 47R4266 and the Assault Industries On-The-Go Tool Kit.

Story by Sebastian Krywult
Photos by Sebastian Krywult & Courtesy of Polaris