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Installation Instructions for the
Adjustable Sway Bars for Polaris
Parts Included:
 | Sway Bar Housing |
| Housing Flanges (2) |
| Torsion Bar |
| Bushings (2) |
| Levers (2) |
| Adjustable Links (2) |
| Hardware Kit |
Installation Instructions
1. Decide whether or not you want to salvage the old swaybar. It
is much easier to cut the old one to remove it from the bulkhead than
it is to try to remove it whole. Either way, it is necessary to drill
the three rivets out of the original plastic flanges on each side of
the machine. If you are going to save the old bar, remove one of the
bolts holding the rear of one of the trailing arms. This will enable
you to slide the end of the original sway bar out of the plastic
bushings in the top of the trailing arm. Have someone slide a piece of
tubing over the opposite end of the sway bar to put pressure on it
while removing it from the chassis, (the purpose of this is to guide
the old bar by the hole in the bulkhead so that the hole area is not
bent up from trying to remove the bar). Put the bolt back in the
trailing arm and secure it to the sled.
2. The kit is supplied with both rivets and machine screws and
locking nuts for fastening the flanges to the bulkhead using the same
holes that you just removed the rivets from. If you want the easiest
and quickest way to install the flanges, use the pop rivets. The
machine screws are the preferred way, but it is a more difficult
installation. If you're going to use the machine screws, remove the
skid plate if you have one. Using a drop cloth to protect the side of
the sled, roll the sled up on its side to be able to access the holes
in the bottom of the bulkhead. The easiest way to install the nuts on
the back side of the screws (after putting the screws through the
flanges and positioning them) is to put a piece of masking tape on the
end of your finger and place a locknut on it and stick your finger
into the flange hole from the outside and hold the nut onto the end of
the screw while turning the screw with a Phillips screwdriver. Start
all three of the nuts before tightening any of them. The nuts can be
tightened by using a 1/4" socket set with an extension. Be careftil
with the nuts, they're stainless and cannot be picked up with a
magnet. There are two extra screws and nuts included, just in case. Do
the other side, then set the sled back down on its skis.
3. Install the bushings into the end of the housing, (carefully,
they're plastic) then slide the housing into one end of the flanges
and center it in the bulkhead. Use a tape measure to make sure that it
is centered, then mark the housing with chalk or a pencil so that it
can be put back to the mark. If you have an Ultra or one of the other
sleds with the lowered engine, you have one more step before
installing the locking setscrews. On these sleds there is a molded
bump in the plastic to clear the clutch, it will be necessary for you
to reshape the plastic on the side of the tunnel to have enough room
for the sway bar lever to pivot without hitting on the clearance bump.
This requires a heat gun to warm up the plastic enough to make it
pliable. Take a large socket on the end of an extension and use it to
reshape the plastic once it is warmed up, give it enough clearance for
the lever to pivot, but stop shy of touching the clutch.
This will make a nicely shaped divot that will look like it came
with the sled.
Do not use a torch for this operation.
(You do not want the embarrassment of telling your friends that
you set your sled on fire while installing a new swaybar.)
4. Once the divot has been made, then install the set screws,
reposition the housing so it's centered and secure the set screws.
Slide the torsion bar into the housing and center it. Install one of
the levers on the torsion bar and tighten the fixing bolt. Let go of
the lever, you'll find that it hangs straight down, go to the other
side of the sled and install the other lever with it pointing straight
down also. Check to make sure that the levers are indexed the same,
then tighten the second one.
5. Assemble the links so that they are about 3 -3 1/4" long, from
center to center and do not tighten the jam nuts. Make the length of
both links the same. Use the thin rings supplied with the hardware kit
as a standoff for the rod ends that make up the links, this is to keep
the body of the rod end from binding against the lever or the bracket
on the trailing arm. The links should hang straight down with the
lever above, as indicated in the picture below. If the swaybar is
being fitted to a 4l" or wider front end it will be necessary to add
spacers (approx. 3/8") to offset the link outboard from the lever, and
another between the bottom of the link and the inside of the trailing
arm bracket. Regardless of the width, the links should be straight up
and down when they're installed properly. If you're installing the
swaybar on a set of arms that do not have brackets on the inside, it
will be necessary to fabricate either brackets or bushings and weld
them on. Again, the links should be vertical when installed properly.
6. After tightening the levers and the links, cycle the front end
through its full travel by kneeling on the front bumper, pressing it
down, then pulling it up. Watch to make sure that nothing hits or
interferes with proper operation of the front suspension. Sit on the
sled and have someone check the links for you, they should be able to
just move them (the links should not be under tension). Adjust
accordingly, the longer the links the flatter the sled will corner.
Then tighten the jam nuts and check everything for tightness. Try out
the sled to see if you're satisfied with the initial adjustments. Make
the adjustments equally and in small amounts till it handles the way
you want it to.
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