So I got stuck last weekend in a small bog, and I think I smoked my drive belt. It has a bad shudder when I first give it gas now, and it seems the most common cause. I got the housing open where the belt/clutch is, and I've heard that most guys thread a bolt into it to spread it open, allowing you to remove the belt.  What kind of bolt should I be looking for? I didn't get any tool kit with my 16 zforce 500.

Also, I've been reading that most everything that fits the 800 will fit the 500 (engine mode excluded), is that true? Do any other machines have interchangeable parts with the zforce500? Do Rzrs have parts that fit on our machines?

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

So I got stuck last weekend in a small bog, and I think I smoked my drive belt. It has a bad shudder when I first give it gas now, and it seems the most common cause. I got the housing open where the belt/clutch is, and I've heard that most guys thread a bolt into it to spread it open, allowing you to remove the belt.  What kind of bolt should I be looking for? I didn't get any tool kit with my 16 zforce 500.

Also, I've been reading that most everything that fits the 800 will fit the 500 (engine mode excluded), is that true? Do any other machines have interchangeable parts with the zforce500? Do Rzrs have parts that fit on our machines?

On the 800s we use one of the cover's short bolts to open the secondary. As for engine stuff between the 800s and the 500s, I don't really think so but body parts and chassis parts yes, much is the same. RzRs don't have much that actually fit.

This is the problem I am running into, unless I am misunderstanding what you mean by cover bolts.  The 8 bolts that I removed to take the plastic cover off the belt housing all look like this.  I can only thread it in like 3 turns before its bottomed out on the built in ring.  Am I doing something wrong?

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Nope..yours with the plastic covers are different. Ours with the aluminum covers is just an 6mm (I think) straight bolt with an 8mm head....about 1.25-1.5" long. You can get them from most any hardware store. In this vid at 2.40 is a shot of them. We use any of the short ones but you can use any that are fully threaded and are long enough to get out of way of removing the retainer nut.

https://youtu.be/ON3CQySz9CQ

a God among men, on this forum, that's what you are sir! Thanks a bunch, you're awesome

[2015 Z Force 800 53/Trail EPS]

Just glad to help.

Went to napa and got the new belt, it arrived at my local store today. To get the clutch spread, I purchased a m6 bolt, 2" long, threaded the whole way up.  Getting the belt off still took some elbow grease, but the new one went on with only a little grunting. Remembered I had a set of ratcheting wrenches, which made putting the cover back on way easier.  Fired it back up and just did some slow driving around on the lawn, lots of starts and stops. Seems like it's fixed! Thanks for the info!