A UTV with proper alignment is going to ride at a completely different level than one that’s been knocked out of alignment through years of use. A good alignment starts with adjusting the camber and caster on your UTV, but this can be incredibly confusing if you don’t know what that is or what you’re doing.
Camber and caster adjustment on a UTV refers to adjusting the vertical angle on your wheels (camber) and the tilt of your steering axis (caster). Both of these aspects of your rig will have significant impacts on how you steer and what terrain your ride performs well on. We’re here to help you figure out how to adjust both the camber and the caster on a UTV so you can get out and have the ride you want.
If you look at your UTV head on, you may notice a bit of a tilt in your wheels. This angle is what is referred to as the camber of your UTV. A wheel that is further away from the body on the ground is a negative camber, while one that has the top portion of the wheel further from the body is a positive camber. Wheels that are straight up and down are zero camber.
Zero camber is where most riders start off. It gives the best level of traction for most beginner riders so they can get a feel for how the UTV responds to them on the trail. Negative camber provides a higher level of traction when you take sharp corners, which can be great for racing. A positive camber is just something to know about so you can stay away from it entirely. You don’t want a positive camber.
In order to adjust camber, you need a set of adjustable A-arms or radius arms, as the stock A-arms installed on your rig won’t be adjustable and you’ll be stuck with the camber you have. In order to make the adjustment, simply lift the rig up off the ground and remove and lower the A-arms.
Next you need to loosen the jam nuts on the pivot blocks in order to thread them in or out. Threading them in will give a more positive camber, while threading them in will get them a more negative camber.
Caster refers to the angle of your steering axis. This is the line that you draw from the ball joints on your hub to the ground. The more horizontal this line is, the harder it is to turn. The more vertical the caster, the easier it is to turn, but the harder it is to get control of your ride.
Adjusting caster on your UTV is similar to adjusting the camber. All you need to do is work on threading the pivot blocks in and out. Threading the front pivot block in, or the back out, will give you a more vertical caster, making it easier to steer.
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