2scoops

Just search the forum for front suspension designs. There are several members who changed theirs. You can look in my gallery to see what I did. I now have a true 12.5 inches of travel. Had to lower the front diff & build shock hoops to achieve this. The stock suspension is really about 8-9 inches of travel & is mainly limited by the Chinese shocks.

I am pretty sure Banjo Minnows is a 2009. Look at the RZR XP 900. That is 3 link independant. Mine has held up to alot of abuse, but the right rear is misaligned, so I am going to maybe re-do the design. I would like to have more lateral support and a more efficient & reactive suspension. Besides I really like building suspensions. My front suspension changes have performed flawlessly. Our current design is more of a sandcar design. They don't see as much lateral force as I put on my Trooper.

Bummer. Banjo Minnow had the same thing happen to his in Moab. I often wonder if I am on borrowed time. I am going to be looking into designing a 3 link suspension this winter. Banjo just had his welded up by a local welder & was back on the trail.

Took it for a test drive in the mountains today. Any concerns of it being squirley at speed were erased. It is actually more stable due to the bump absorption properties of the steering unit. I think my first drive felt herky jerky because I didn't have it centered correctly. I went up some pretty hairy stuff today and just kept 1 hand on the steering wheel & 1 on the shifter. I think the best quality of the unit is the bump dampening. It just makes it feel like a high end machine instead of a chinese kart. Can't wait to take it to Moab. Since I had play in my steering shaft where they slide together I just drilled a hole where they slide together & installed a grade 8 bolt--slop is gone.

I am looking @ putting them in this winter if depending on plumbers feedback.

Plumber, How is this going? Got'em in yet?

Those are cool looking, but now that I am running 30" tires I am not going back. I wish more ATV/UTV manufactures would start offering sizes larger than 27". I drive mine 99.9% of the time in the dirt, so I like the aggressive tread patterns like the ones you posted, but the pavement will retire them quickly. I am considering these next go around though: http://www.utvguide.net/utv_of_the_month_may2011.htm Mainly because mine are wearing fast & they don't balance worth a damn.

Thanks to Rick for everything he did with the powersteering find. Got mine installed & wired. It was turning to the left so I centered while not hooked up to the steering shaft & put it back together. I went for a drive and it decided it wanted to start turning left again, so that was annoying--further ajustment needed there. Its amazing how effortless the steering is. I was on pavement in 4x4 but never got above 30 MPH. I alway new the 2:1 steering ratio on the Trooper was quick, but the powersteering accentuates it tenfold. It was a little un-nerving how quickly it turned. It will just be something I will have to get used to now. If I don't like it while driving at high speeds I may install a power switch. But, if Banjow Minnow can handle his hydraulic set up at high speeds without Lenny's steering upgrade, then I should be fine. Plus, the added shock absorption that these units have built in should also build my confidence. That said, I can't wait to get out on the Trails and be able to turn with one hand while keeping my other hand on the gear shift. I mounted mine completely recessed in the dash. I chopped the stock sheering shaft down to where it just protruded out of the pivot bearing and re-welded. Even with that the steering wheel now sits 1" further back than it was. I also lowered the angle of the steering wheel about 10-15 degrees. It now feels more race-car-ish and less bus-driver-ish. I welded their coupler onto our steering shaft on the output side. I just clamped their coupler onto the steering wheel shaft. I am not really happy with that because they are a different spline count, but the only other alternative I feel would be 100% is to weld it, or buy a whole new steering wheel shaft with their spline count. I will be keeping an eye on it to see if there is any slippage. Besides, on the input side it would take the arm strength of the driver to overpower those splines. The extra power of the powersteering would only be a factor on the output side. I still have some grinding, cutting, & paint left then I will post picks.

It has been twice now I have been out on trails where RZR's had issues. One had a bad battery connection which we figured out in about 10 minutes and the other had a bad throttle positioning sensor which we babied home and got it to the dealer. And that is the nice part...he could take it to the dealer. I am 6'4" tall and feel cramped in a RZR. I can really stretch out in the Trooper. Also, I knew I could comfortably fit a 3 place rear seat in the back with out it hanging out the sides. That being said, if they were the same price I would get a RZR 4, 900 XP, & consider the Artic Cat Wildcat 1000; BUT, they aren't even close to what I have into my Trooper. That is why I have a problem with the $11,999 MSRP on the new Trooper. There are just too many questions. If you aren't very tall and don't need a rear seat then I would look at a used RZR S for about the same price. I would consider a new Trooper at $10k if I was nearby some solid dealer support. When I was researching Troopers I found posts from Rocmoc on almost every UTV forum under the sun. He was usually defending the brand when people would refer to them as a cheap Chinese brand. So, I know it pains him to say anything negative about Joyner, but it sounds like he is fed up and understandably so. If I purchased the first Trooper that was built on a Friday I would fed up as well .

List of upgrades: http://www.utvboard.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=544

Welcome potential Trooper owner. I would first like to know what draws you to the Trooper? What drew me to it was price, size, power, & its all tubular frame. I bought mine used for $5k so looking at the $11k price tag on the new ones gives me bitter beer face. I have about $9k into it now & I wouldn't even consider trading it for a 2011. However, not having driven the new ones if they have truely made upgrades in the suspension & differentials I would at least consider one. The suspension is where I sunk most of my money in new shocks. If I were you I would drive one first (offroad preferably). The original differentials can be problematic after a few hundred miles if they aren't set up correctly at the factory. Problem is the only way to tell is to pull it apart. A few members on this forum have supposedly had "upgraded" differentials only to find out that was false. Also, a huge factor for me in paying the $11k price tag would be having a reputable dealer nearby who would cover warranty work. For instance, if I lived near No Limits Power Sports I would strongly consider one. Another thing I wish they would have addressed was the underbelly. The screws hang down. It just looks cheap & they get caught on everything & bend. If I was to pay $11k I would expect a little more refinement. Until some members with 2011's start giving us some feedback we have nothing to go on.

Nice work Rick. Thanks for the update. I can't wait to get mine in. I will start this weekend.

Are you allowing a few seconds before cranking to allow the pump to power up & pressirize? It took me awhile to figure out thats the way mine likes it. I turn the key on, wait for the fan to come on then off (that is my indication the ecu has done its systems check) then crank. Before, if I just cranked it would take awhile when cold, and if it was hot it wouldn't even start.

Sorry to hear that. This is why I am putting it off for a while. I'd hate to lose use of my Trooper through the summer. Hopefully the upgrade in torque will erase the bad memory. I just hope you remember what your Trooper used to feel like.

Honestly the only upgrades I notice are the manual 4x4 lever and what appears to be a beefed up rear trailing arm shock mounting plate. Shocks, sub par brakes, gauges, etc, etc, all appear to be the same; and now it doesn't come with a winch. I'd rather buy a used trooper for $5-7k. I understand alot of the electronics have supposedly been upgraded, but in order to find that out you have to lay down almost $12k. Besides, I haven't experienced any electrical issues with my 2008...gotta go knock on some wood now I hope these are great machines, but anyone who knows anything about the history of Troopers would be assuming a huge leap of faith to pay retail price.

Thanks for the good news

I have the same problem. Have you checked with Silverbulletmotorsports? The 2009 tail lights are far & away better looking than the 2008's. I have been putting it off because I may cut the rear bumper off & do custom tail lights from something else.

uhh, your glove likes to go fast?

jeff, what about kickback? when you hit a rock does it lessen the wheel jerk?

Finally got a chance to contemplate my install last night. I agree with Rocmoc as far as the install. It may take a little more fabrication, but it is easy fabrication. It will look factory if I do it this way and I can seal the unit off in the dash when I build my storage unit under the dash. Also, although the Super ATV U-Joint may be able to fit over our 34 spline shafts I would never use them because they are a 36 spline. Maintaining a good, tight fit on the splines is imperative if you don't want to strip them out. I actually am playing with the idea disassembling the U-Joints and making a Hybrid. One side would have the powersteering motor splines and one side would have our 34 spilne. I did do some measurements though and it looks like the U-Joint caps are slightly different sizes. So, before I do that I think I will shop around for one which might bolt right in. I noticed I had a ton of play where the shafts slide into each other. This is the first time I have ever noticed this, so I think it has developed since I put 30 inch tires on. I am getting rid of the sliding male/female shaft design altogether--UNLESS I can find a quality aftermarket one I trust to not loosen. Once I do this I will have about 1/2" of play in the steering wheel--more than acceptable to me.

Can't wait!

anything for us yet? thanks, paul

It has an all tube chassis. They claim they are the first production UTV to have this...hmm I say second. I noticed, unlike the RZR, the steering box is mounted in front of the differential like ours. I wonder if this might provide us a better option. It looks really short & compact so bumpsteer could be a problem.

Cut box open, looked at unit, closed box. So far this week, I have had to shuttle kids to first day of school, soccer practice, cub scouts, & jiu jitsu. Oh, and my wife expects me to attend our anniversary dinner and do something for her birtday (all this week also). She has my priorities all screwed up. Then, I have military duty this weekend. This will give you guys time to hash everything out and give me a good place to start--thanks ahead of time

I wonder if one of these would work: http://www.gear-one.com/Htmls/rhino1.html They are pricey, but they would meet all the criteria: precise, smooth, & strong After putting some thought to it, we would need an end load of course. A center load would not give us the correct geometry.