Hey Folks,

First post ever. I've got a 500efi trailtracker that i bought used. The previous owner bought a-arm skid plates (aluminum). With 2 people on the bike it often bottoms out and the skid plates wear on the inside of the rim.

Preload is set to the max, should i replace both shocks and springs? If i replace any suggestions on branding

The guards so not even come close to hitting the tires. Can you please post a picture so we can help you better.  The way to test the shocks is to press down on the machine then let go. If it bounces once once it comes up, than the shock needs to be replaced. It it pushes down too easy, your springs could be shot or you need heavier ones. Also is there a clunking noise if you go over a bump?

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Unless it was made for 2-up riding you may be exceeding the load limits of the springs...but they may also be getting weak as well. Can't tell you where to get aftermarket springs or even if they are replaceable. But there are a number of aftermarket shock makers that will probably have something that will work. The a-arm protectors should not get that close to the wheel. Check the installation.

Thanks for the quick reply boys.

-no clunk (besides hitting rocks because I'm sitting lower...)
-shocks themselves seem ok, no bounce and they dampen the bumps fine

I was talking with the dealer a few weeks ago and he didn't figure 2up should be an issue for that machine(Lon wheel base), he also commented he'd never seen an issue with 3000km...but springs seem to be the issue. I've attached a couple pictures of the wear. Its a good thing the guards were there or the a arms would have been damaged.

That's not going to work. you should be able to ride 2up and not squat that bad. You may have to jack it up the find where the ride height should be and measure the shock length. Then mesure the eyelets to see how wide they are. You should be able to compare shocks that way. If you can just replace the springs, I would go that route first. There should be guides out there on how to select the right ones.

Can you just grind a bit of the plates away to clear the rims?

The springs would have to be just shot to sag like that. I have seen machines with two very large people on  them and still not squat low enough to do that. I would go over the whole rear end and check to see if there wasn't something else making it worse. What is the year and model of the machine? ex. cf500-B They give them different names in other markets. We might be able to cross ref. some other shocks if I can get the OEM part number. I was thinking a set of x8 shocks would be a good choice if they would fit.

I'll have to get back to you on the spring lengths but it's a 2012 CF500-5C "trail tracker ex 500". Don't know if it makes a difference but its a canadian machine

I initially thought about just shortening up the guards, but i think I'd be in worse trouble with the arms potentially grinding instead of the.

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Never saw springs be a factor in guards rubbing. Its always been either incorrect guards, deeper or wider wheels or broken or modified steering stops. I would just trim the guards back. I had to do that on my Brute Force when I put 8" wide wheels up front. Easy enough to do.

If you weight the machine down, do the a arms go past center? IE They no longer have a downward angle. I am trying to figure out if it just needs some stiffer springs, cutting the guards down or something loose making the bearing carrier tip. If you think all you need is a set of springs, take a look at this chart and it should give you an idea what specs a supplier  is going to need

By the way, they used the same rear shocks that you have in the SWB and LWB x5 up to 2014. Might help your search

So i was looking the whole situation over tonight. I think guard placement is part of the issue. Left side is definetly wearing worse than the right, and it is bolted to the a-arm a little frothy down (1/8") but with the angle looks like its making a fairly big difference.

I checked the springs:
  loaded they measure 14 1/8"
  Unloaded they're 14 1/2"

It doesn't appear that the a arms go beyond horizontal, but they come pretty close. I gotta get some people/weight to really see what's going on.

On another note i was into the dealer today, and he pretty much told me that hey have never seen or heard of anything like this happening. Said it's impossible. He hoped on a new 500 and i noticed that it hardly moved. Mine i can shift my weight to move the body enough to clear the frame of the shed door if I'm a bit too close.

It seems like springs to me, even though the preload seems to handle the dead weight of the machine just fine. (Any thoughts on that comment in paticulairly).

The other thing I'm wondering has anyone tried the runber or steel spring stiffner that tou add to the coil? Might be a cheap way to it out before i go on the hunt for springs.

Ps, thanks for everyone's help on this it's much appreciated. Hope i can return the favor on of these days.

I would trim up the guards then weigh the machine down to see what's going on back there. If the a arms look straight, you will need heavier springs. You can get/make spacers for the springs. many guys use them for plowing to stiffen up the front. A quick google search will show you what I'm talking about. Just be mindful of coil spacing and the travel. Don't want to go overboad and bind them up.

Did this ever get resolved?

More or less. I did a bunch of thing while i had everything apart. I did trim up the plate and drilled new holes so tgey would line up better. Which helped but didn't solve the problem entirely. When i put the plates back on i marked the ware with a sharpe. Still wares.
I ordered new shocks from the dealer ... still waiting.. but in the meantime i put a spacer in the coil and they're were like brand new until i blew one on sunday. I'm 90% sure its a set of bad shocks. Hope tge new ones prove as good as the spacers.

Thanks for your help again. Not sure if there's a way to close this thread out