Goo We Can't Live Without!

fieldandstream-admin — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:01:51 -0400

Here is a list of the gooey, greasy, lubey stuff we love and use all the time. From sprays to tubs to tubes, these are the things that no ATV garage should be without. What secret weapons do you have in your garage? Let us know what your favorite is!

WD-40

Sprayed liberally on the undercarriage of your machine before a ride, it prevents mud and debris from building up all over your frame rails and under your fenders. Once you’re done riding, give your machine a good cleaning and then spray it down again for yet another one of its good uses: to prevent rust (this works well if you’re riding in snow, too). After washing your quad, use WD-40 liberally to any levers and other metal-to-metal points to help prevent rust and premature wear. Just don’t spray the brake discs and rotors or the seat. We even use the stuff to lube cables by spraying it into the cable housing. It’s also good for lubing chains, because it’s non-sticky and won’t attract dirt.

Lime-A-Way

If you’ve got a raw steel exhaust pipe (or any other part), you know how hard it is to keep clean. Our trick is to use Lime-A-Way to remove rust residue without having to spend hours scrubbing. First apply it with a scouring pad and then follow up with a rag. Be sure to wash all residue away with water after teh rust is removed, and then coat the pipe with WD-40.

Loctite

Any time you are replacing components on your ATV, be sure to spread a little Loctite on the threads of the bolts. This will help keep them from vibrating loose over time. We use it for bolts we want to keep put, but Loctite has different strengths for different uses. Blue Loctite is medium strength and is great for nuts and bolts that you adjust regularly (and you can remove them with handtools after applying blue Loctite). The red Loctite is high strength and good for nuts, bolts, and studs that are prone to loosening (and you may need heat to remove these after applying red Loctite). Green Loctite is extreme strength and is good for nuts and bolts you don’t want to come loose ever again. But, if you do need to remove them, you may eed special tools and heat (so use this stuff carefully!).

Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease

This grease does it all! It keeps water out while lubricating and protecting bears and grease seals. It’s compatible with the other greases you may have used in the past, and it even improves the performance of the old grease. We use it all the time, and we always have a tub in our workshop.

Glass Cleaner

Use it to wet down large graphics and slide them into place. If you’ve ever tried top put a graphics kit on your quad, you know how quickly the graphics take hold. By using glass cleaner as a lubricant, spray the sticky side of the graphics and easily slide them into place before they take hold. When they’re in the right place, squeegee the excess glass cleaner from underneath the graphics with an old credit card.

Pam Cooking Spray

We use this stuff when we’re heading to the mud pits. We spray the underside of the fenders with it, which keeps the mud from sticking. When we’re done mudding, we wash away the mud easily thanks to Pam (plus it smells buttery and delicious).

Never Gut a Deer Again (With Bonus Instruction Videos)

fieldandstream-editor — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 05:00:00 -0400