The winter weather seems to be holding on a little tighter this year.  I am sure everybody is ready to see some warm weather return so we can hit the trails and ORV parks.

This is the time of year to go over your off road rig with a fine tooth comb and get it ready for the season.  I’d suggest you start with changing out oils and fluids.  Most serious off roaders spend quite a bit of time in creeks or crossing over some wide, shallow river beds that may allow water to leak past seals or poorly maintained axle vent tubes.  Water/moisture is the number one enemy of these lubricants and can be the root cause of complete differential gear failure or even transfer case failure.  I highly recommend that in all of these areas you use a quality, synthetic gear oil like Royal Purple, offered at 4 Wheel Parts.

The number two most neglected and overlooked component on most rigs is the braking system.  Pads, rotors, shoes, and drums are the easy ones.  Be sure you give your brake lines (both rubber and steel lines) a very good inspection and replace any line that may be slightly suspect.   Brake lines can get caught up in all sorts of debris while you’re out climbing over rocks/stumps and thrashing through thick underbrush.  Finding out you have a bad brake line after you come to an abrupt stop against a tree is not a fun time.

Check all your under hood electrical connections, especially grounding connections.  Grounds can corrode as quickly as positive connections.  Shaking and bouncing your rig around can loosen spark plug wires, injector connections, and any slip fit types of connections.

Double check any onboard fire extinguishers for proper operation.  Be sure to check the inside sidewalls of your tires as well.  There could be hidden damage that you may not be aware of until – boom! – you’re exchanging insurance information with a stranger on the side of the road.

Be proactive instead of reactive to the safety and maintenance of your off road vehicle.  You’ll be glad you did