kenfain

Welcome to the forum! I've never owned a Joyner, but they seem to be very popular.

Not to mention the skeeters

You'd need one with an air conditioner down there in conroe Travis.

I like the cab also.

Welcome Matias! Glad you could drop in.

I'm sorry, but you have me at a disadvantage. I'm not familiar with that brand, or model. But since it's an 08, maybe a new muffler. The old one is probably worn out. Surely it didn't come from the factory with an unpleasant sound. Otherwise, I've seen some models have additional after market muffler type devices added for stealth, assuming quiet is the desired result.

Welcome sir! We're glad to have you. Please excuse us, that we don't speak French. But we do share a common sport, so please share your experience with us!

Welcome to the forum Shawn!

At 120w of power consumption, it'd have to be used only while the engine is running. Just for comparison, my mule 3010 has 50w stock lights, and they don't perform well either. That thing would pull the battery down in just a couple minutes, possibly leaving you stranded. I'd suggest splitting up the task, if you want heavy duty lighting. So you've got to figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. Are you just lighting the trail in front? To the side also? To the rear? Are you lighting the cargo area also? A work area light? You'll need a heavy duty rocker switch panel, and several smaller lights, or bars. I'd run em through an additional fuse box. I'd also suggest upgrading the alternator, if it has one. And maybe adding a back up battery. This way you can turn on only what's needed. The job would be cleaner from a maintenance/trouble shooting aspect. And the effect would have a much better cool factor, IMHO. Upgrades like this can be expensive. The easy solution is to just get a couple of forward firing led lights. Our Toyota forklifts at work, have what you need. Check out the newer models of these locally, or on the web. They aren't powerful enough to replace the stock lights, but to supplement the total. I can also tell you that the color of light is important, to actually recognize what you're seeing. Led lighting CAN do it. But the technology has barely made it to the flashlight market. Extremely white light gives a washed out appearance to stuff. You want a more yellow light. It's a huge difference, but you have to see it firsthand to appreciate it.

If you're thinking of adding more power to the existing headlights, you're likely out of luck, without extensive modification. But I'm no expert. I'd recommend a light bar. They've got some really nice aftermarket stuff out there. They come in all sizes and shapes. Installation is usually plug n play.

Sounds like it's working like it should.

First, welcome to the forum! Never looked at mine, but when it's in 4wd it has a louder growl, that's very distinct. Maybe try jacking up the whole thing, and see if those wheels turn after putting it in gear. I will say this for certain though, you should definitely not drive on anything firm, while in 4wd. Those front ends are under a lot of stress when turning. They're supposed to be limited slip, but it's very limited. Use 4wd only on slippery surfaces. Of course this only applies to turning, and I regularly use 4wd on straight road, just to keep things lubed. Otherwise rubber seals can crack, and gear oil can get gummed up. Might help, might not, but it can't hurt. People who regularly leave the unit in 4wd have problems. I also don't shift to 2wd on the fly anymore. It's supposed to be okay, but I don't care for the way mine slams into gear. So I always stop, shift into 2wd, then reverse a couple of feet. When I take off there's no growl. So it's shifted gently into 2wd, without slamming. It shifts smoothly into 4wd though, so no problem there. There's a lot of people who have had carburetor problems from the high ethanol content in their fuel, so be aware of that. Buy a shop service manual, it'll come in real handy. Good luck with your new mule!

Sounds like you need an owners manual. If you plan on working on it yourself, then maybe a shop service manual. My mule is a diesel model, from a different year, so my information wouldn't help. But the oil drain can be found on the bottom of the oil pan. Mine is hidden by the skid plate. The dip stick, and the filler cap should be topside.

There's several ways to test, and most only tell part of the story. I use a special eye dropper, that has tiny floating plastic balls. This thing is supposed to measure specific gravity, or something. What it does is tell you about the condition of the battery acid. The instructions are on the side, and it's very simple to read. It's exactly like the ones that measure anti freeze, by counting how many balls are floating. Don't know for sure, but I doubt if they're interchangeable. But they only cost about two bucks at walmart, so it doesn't really matter. Also check voltage. AutoZone, and the like, will do this for free. But I use a cheap tester from harbor freight. It's one of those that use led lights, and costs about five bucks. Put a good charge on that battery, and test it. The easiest way is to turn on the lights for a minute or so, to break the surface charge, then test. Or just test it after it's set up a day, after charging. Buy a battery tender at walmart, then you'll have a battery maintenance charger. But it won't charge a very low battery. It's not really a charger, it's a maintainer.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

Other than just to take it easy, there's not much you can do. Everything is dependent on how well it was assembled. Don't get it too hot, don't over rev, don't run it too long. Just short easy trips, till you're sure everything is fixed, and running normal. Check for leaks, if everything looks good, then I wouldn't get above half throttle for awhile. Of course that's a lot of weight for a small motor to carry. So maybe three fourths throttle, but no more for at least fifty miles. Although full throttle won't usually hurt one of these, since it's probably got a rev limiter, it's never going to be good for it. No heavy loads in the bed, or pulling a trailer, for the first few trips. I'm assuming it has a speed limiter, and/or a governor on it. If that's the case, you should be good on the break in after a couple dozen trips around the farm. Except for high rpm revs, which are never good. The rest such as driving on the street, should be okay. I think street driving at slow, to medium speeds would actually speed up the break in. The compression isn't adjustable, so just be happy if it's in acceptable range. With new rings and such, I'd expect it to be up there, but certainly not at, maximum.

If there's no power to the main fuse I'd chase it back to the battery from there first.

Welcome to the forum! Buy a shop service manual from the manufacturer. This will have information that sooner or later WILL be needed! Unlike a car manual, these things are only thirty bucks or so. I don't recommend any online pdf type manual, unless that's all there is to be found. There's always critical information missing. Get the actual manual. You'll need it eventually, and they get harder to find, as the machine gets older. You'll be glad you did! Have you checked the fuses, as well as the relay? And when you replaced the harness, was the main ground wire making good solid contact. Unlike a car, where everything is pretty much protected, and wires usually don't just come loose on their own. On these vehicles, sometimes running over brush, and logs etc. Not to mention general abuse/fun. Wires can get compromised. The manufacturer typically leaves the undercarriage open to this kind of damage. So if my machine gets to acting up, in such a way that seems electrical. Many times I've just crawled underneath, and found a lump of ripped up brush, hung up on some exposed wiring, wherever it's got a frame attachment point. Pull that clump out, and you sometimes find damaged wiring. Or it can pull it loose, from something else. But it can give you a place to start, in the search for whatever the issue is. I put a skid plate under mine several years ago, and haven't had any of this type of problems since. Not saying that this is your problem, but in your situation, with your machine, the way you use it. After checking the fuses, and any relays, checking the undercarriage is also necessary.

To find out which wire goes to the battery, use a continuity test. With the battery disconnected, and the key in the off position. Using a multi meter, set to ohms, run a jumper from the positive battery terminal, of the disconnected battery. Hook the jumper wire to one end of the meter, then probe all the terminals on the switch with the other. When you get a reading, there shouldn't be much difference between this reading, and just touching the meter terminals together. There'll probably be some difference, but not much. Then turn the key on, and find the next wire, that'll be the one that's always hot when running. Then the start wire is last. That should just about cover most of the wires on the switch, so you can track down the problem. But from what I've read so far, it seems like a ground wire problem. But if you can't get continuity at the switch then it's obviously a problem on the positive circuit.

Have him look at that crack

He shouldn't have any trouble,he's got all the tools, and experience. I wouldn't go up there till I could take new guides, let him install at the same time.

Any kind of liquid, or anything that changes how those bolts slide against those threads will change how it torques. I've broken off bolts using a torque wrench while still within specs, when I lightly lubed lug nuts n stuff. Even anti sieze has caused problems for me in the past. My recommendation is make sure their completely dry, holes also, and just torque them down. You can't use less torque just because they're old bolts. And you sure don't want to take chances, with aluminum threads. So imho, that's the best way to be safe. Also, these bolts typically have a pattern that must be followed when torqued.

I'd just torque em down.

You'd probably need bigger tires though.

Sounds like a plan, but now you're adding the amount that Ted's charging. So as a learning experience, you've got to consider that. Will everything just work, when finished? Remember buying the whole thing new, it's a finished product. This is why I suggested that you eat the seventy bucks in the first place, and go new. What other problems are waiting to be found? Just to be clear, I really want you to get the experience, but there's always a price to pay. Typically, it's having to tear back into that motor. But that's all a part of learning this stuff. It's a skill, and knowledge that will serve you well in many other fields, as well as mechanics. So my recommendation is to keep going at this point. As a point of pride you'll be more satisfied with the end result by doing it yourself. You'll be so glad you stuck it out in the end. Even if it doesn't work out right away. So many times we just end up selling a failed project, but that knowledge can't be lost. So maybe the next project gets the satisfaction. Either way you're better off having finished this yourself. Wish I could say that the chicks really get into mechanics! But unfortunately that's not the case lol. Even wives don't appreciate it, they just expect it. So this project is investing in yourself, and it's a worthwhile investment. It's gonna be great!