Cub Cadet 550 / 750 Challenger 2017 Clutch Kit Install - EPI Performance

[@nicholaslasko7474]

Just wanna let you know, my mechanic Ed Case just installed your aftermarket clutch kit on my 2018 Cub Cadet 550, and it’s made a HUGE difference.. very happy with the performance now!

[@dgmenace73]

What were you having issues with (the reason for installing the kit)? Mine takes off too slow and engine is at high rpm....takes forever to get to top speed but I just want mine to have better take off with less RPMs

[@nicholaslasko7474]

@@dgmenace73 had the same issues your dealing with.. this clutch kit took care of that.. hasn’t had an issue since August when we installed

[@dgmenace73]

@@nicholaslasko7474 thank you....by chance do you know the factory rollers weight that came in it? 18g I have been told but wanted to hear from at least one more source. Thanks

[@bullrambler]

Thanks for sharing your video regarding the clutch kit install. You need to explain a bit more on what this upgrade provides...? Does it pull more, or handle steeper grades on the trails...? Does it gain any top end speed...? Is it for larger and taller tires...?, etc

[@EPIperformance]

We have several different kits set for the 550 and 750. There is a stock tire size kit and a kit for larger 27-28" tires for each machine. All the kits will give you better low end and midrange power, faster backshift and throttle response and grip the belt tighter then stock. Top end speed usually stays the same but you get up to it faster. If you have over size tires (27-28") the top end speed should be real close to what you have with the larger tires but the kits do all of the above and basically make up for the power loss of the larger tires.

[@user-op6of7cv5e]

Thank you for video 😊!

[@bradleymcclintock7771]

Nice video. Well done, thanks, old boy.

[@bradlethbridge5418]

So just to confirm. The shaft with the one way bearing should spin counter clockwise not clockwise correct ? I’m trying to track down what caused my nut to loosen up and destroy the bearing on the cage. Any help would be great.

[@dgmenace73]

Hi. I just purchased a 2016 Challenger 750. I bought it knowing it had a cvt or wet clutch issue. I just took cover off to check out. I have worked on cvt drives before but wanted to ask you a question to see if I could save a lot of trouble. The first thing I noticed is the drive pulley is wide open (as in gapped open at least 1/2" wider than the belt is. The belt looks looks good. I was told a new wet clutch was installed 20 miles prior to it being parked. He said a "so called small engine mechanic" did the work. He said it worked fine when he first got it, he was pulling a heavy trailer and it "dinged" a couple times then started slipping. He had someone tow him to his trailer, put it on trailer, then its been in storage til I bought it. Has 265 miles on it, 43 hours. Just wanted to ask if this sounds like something you are familiar with? I think either the rollers were not cleaned well or something? It has the plate on the front of drive pulley with the Phillips screws.....like where you slid in the plate that you marked with X's, it has a cover on it with 8-10 screws. That's the only difference I see but have did anything but take outer cover off then started watching videos. Yours was the first video I saw. It looks like there may be some gunk in the drive pulley assembly as well. Thanks in advance for any info.

[@deventhompson2950]

same issue here

[@richardarthur5994]

Cost vrs. Benefits ? Where could someone have one installed in the Pacific Northwest ? Any other power mods you might recommend for the 2017 Challanger 750 EPS ?

[@perrysmith6872]

Im considering buying a 750 cc cub cadiet, but I not looking forward to replacing a belt or heaver clutch pack ... What is the cost for this replacement ??? Patriot Perry ...

[@EPIperformance]

EPI carries two differernt belts for the 750. Our best belt the Severe Duty Belt runs $140 and a cheaper one called the Super Duty belt for 90. Not sure what the OEM belts are for yours. The clutch kit we are installing in the video is $80.

[@brucelawrence9690]

Is there anyway to modify the cub cadet challenger 400 as far as governor or changing the belt or a clutch springs

[@EPIperformance]

Hi Bruce, unfortunately we haven't had a chance to test with the 400 at all. So we don't have any data or testing to help you out.

[@mattstacy1652]

Thank u

[@dgmenace73]

One other question I wanted to ask....I have watched a bunch of these videos. Do you recommend grease behind pressure plate and if so, how much grease? I have seen some that just lightly coated the roller weights with grease....seen others to where they put a hefty amount of grease. You seem to know what you are doing and evidently did this many times so I trust your opinion.

[@EPIperformance]

On this model there shouldnt be any grease in the clutch. On other brands like Yamahas they use grease. If needed you can use a very small dab of grease on the rollers to help keep them in place while installing but you have to use the correct grease like a Yamaha Ultrmatic grease or it will break down and fling out of the clutch and wreck you clutches and belt due to slipping.

[@suegraham1831]

Just bought a 2017 750 Challenger. Got it home and NOW hearing like "chatter" under the seat. "Occasionally" not all the time. Figure it's in the primary or secondary clutch after reading complaints. I figure it's best to just rebuild before they actually GO altogether or more damage occurs. Got a website? I feel I can handle it with your video and better parts. You also carry bearings and gaskets and other parts?

[@EPIperformance]

Hello, our website is www.epiperformance.com On the Cub Cadet brand we are pretty much limited to the clutch kit and tools. Hope that helps. Let us know if you have ant other questions.

[@dgmenace73]

Hi again....what weight rollers comes stock on the Cub Cadet Challenger 750cc (I think the 500-750 use the same setup and weight rollers)....I have been told 18gram? Does that sound correct? Thanks

[@EPIperformance]

Yes they both use 18 gram roller weights stock (plastic housing and metal roller combined)

[@dgmenace73]

@@EPIperformance thanks for confirming. I need to put a little heavier in mine. It just takes too long to get up to speed and I have actually seen over 50mph. I definitely don't ride that fast...more like 15 to 25mph. I would rather it take off easier at less of an rpm. Mine has less than 300 miles, I can't remember the hours . I'll probably remove and clean the sheaves, rub scotch bright on them.....I plan on dampening the sound the best I can too.

[@hamjordanp]

CAN YOU DO A BEFORE AND AFTER VIDEO OF THE TAKE OFF

[@EPIperformance]

Hi Jordan, We don't have the machine here anymore and we didn't take a video of the takeoff while we had it. sorry.

[@mc2272478]

Awesome video. Since I purchased mine I've replaced the belt several times. This time I cannot get the bolt to thread in through the holes in the secondary. Keeps eating the teeth off the bolts before it opens up. Tried to pull the nuts off of both clutches and cannot get them loosened with a 300 foot pound impact wrench. Shouldn't that be enough? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for posting this video.👍

[@EPIperformance]

The nuts are on there pretty tight. if you someone had them apart before and used loctite you might need to carefully heat the nut just a little. OR a bigger impact to back them off.

[@mc2272478]

@@EPIperformance thank you so much for your response. Went and bought a bigger impact. I now have both clutches removed. Today I am going to retap the secondary so I can change belts in the future. I see in your video when you pulled the secondary it was completely clean and dry on the back of the spring. Mine had some oil on it. Is this normal or should it be completely dry? Since I purchased this 750 Challenger (2 years) I have replace the belt several times. Approximately one belt per month. This last belt broke and lasted about three days. Rollers in the primary show extensive signs of wear. Could this be the cause of my belt issues and do they come with the rebuild kit you guys sell on the website? Any links or advice would be awesome. Thank you so much again in advance.

[@mc2272478]

photos.app.goo.gl/qzuTmAwaTTpusjgv8 Her are a couple of pics. First time the belt split like that. Usually they are obliterated.

[@EPIperformance]

@@mc2272478 Clutches should be clean and dry. It looks like you are getting some type of moisture in there being the spring is all rusty. I would clean the clutches really good. Replace the rollers so they are round again and work properly. Your belt issues might be from getting water into the clutch system, either riding in to deep of water, hitting puddles hard and fast forcing water in into the clutch vents or maybe leaking clutch cover.

[@odysseyzl]

EPI, I put a stock tire clutch kit in my 2017 challenger 750, just replaced tires and they are 27", noticable lag now when trying to take off, almost like rubber band car, kinda loads up and lobs forward, is it time for me to replace the clutch kit? If so, how much of the 27-28" tire kit is different? Do I have to do the wet clutch again? Or is it just added weights for the primary? Thanks!

[@EPIperformance]

You would use the same wet clutch springs and you would just need to change to a stiffer secondary spring. You would want to use our YDS7 Gold secondary spring. The spring will keep the clutches in lower gear longer and help make up for the power loss from the big heavier tires. If you have a lit of miles on your belt you might want to replace that also.

[@dgmenace73]

Nice video! I have a 2016 Cub Cadet Challenger 750cc Crew UTV that I purchased used with less than 300miles. Owner said he tried working on clutch but couldn't figure it out. I took apart and the fixed sheave that was in it, had the type of spline insert that does not go in the whole with of the sheave. I used a primary clutch off a HiSun 600cc I have that has electrical issues. From what I read the clutches were same for 500 to 750? The fixed sheave I put on it was made better. It had the splines going the whole with of sheave. I cleaned everything like you said in video. It seemed to be fixed but it seems to take too long to get up to speed. High RPMs at low speed. Aprx 3500 to 3800 rpm at 12mph? Top speed it takes a good distance to get there but it will run as fast as 53mph with just me in it. Do you think I did anything wrong to cause it to take a while to get up to speed ? I'd rather have it engage faster at lower rpm and have less top end. I also do not know what type of oil the previous owner put in it when he was messing with clutch. I think he said belt broke but after getting new belt it wouldn't pull but the issue I found was the pressed in splines were not there so it couldn't pull. I just don't know if I should change the weights of drive clutch, check wet clutch, try changing oil to wet clutch oil in case he put regular oil in it? Can you give me any suggestions? I would GREATLY appreciate any info. Thanks in advance!

[@EPIperformance]

Yes the clutches were the same between the 500 and 750's that we tested. We haven't tried to run any other clutches on the Cub Cadets. A heavier roller weight will bring down your operating rpms but as you go heavier the trade off is that it wont respond as fast on and off the gas. Most things in clutching have a trade off. But it sounds like for what your looking for you could try going a little heavier roller weights. For engine oil you need to use an oil that is approved for wet clutches. If you use the wrong oil the wet clutch can slip more and burn up the clutch shoes. When this happens it is normally a higher engagement and operating rpms because the clutch is slipping and not grabbing so the performance goes way down as the rpms go up.

[@dgmenace73]

@@EPIperformance thanks for the reply. Since I don't know what oil was put in it and it just passed 40hrs, I'm gonna change the oil with wet clutch safe oil......I will go with what you advised and go up just a little with the weights. I should measure how many feet it is before it hits 25mph but I'm guessing from a stand still till it hits 25mph is 600ft.....it just seems like its not grabbing fast enough or taking too long to level out, if that makes sense. I know the Cub Cadet Challenger 750 crew is a very heavy utv and again, I don't care if I lose top end speed, I just want to cruise around my small acreage land without it revving so many RPMs and be able to pull my 4x7 trailer with a couple hundred pounds on it, nothing extremely heavy. I didn't look to see if weights were different but they both were stock (the 08 HiSun and the 16 Challenger clutches). I'm glad I asked because a local guy told me to put lighter weights in it but heavier weights should "sling" out faster which would make it grab faster, get to 15-20mph quicker so I can let out of throttle sooner, correct? I hope that's all it is. I hate to disassemble it again but since I've already did it twice, it should get easier and faster each time huh? Lol. I also noticed it spit a little the other day with pedal to floor but it sat for over a year before I got it. May change plug for the heck of it . Thanks and if you have anything to add, please let me know. I'll be starting on the HiSun 600 soon.....I bought it missing controls but lucked up and found the 16 wire control assembly. It has sat for 4yrs so no telling what I will run in to

[@EPIperformance]

@@dgmenace73 sounds like a good plan. I hope all goes well

[@mdiehl020610]

Do you know if this will work on the 550 hisun side-by-side I do believe the cub cadet in Hisun are running the same motor

[@EPIperformance]

i think you are correct they use the same motor but we have not tested any of the actual Hisun models. So we cant tell you for sure.

[@TheMondros]

Would like to see more on this, at least a good take off video.

[@timothyfriend9855]

How close is this setup to the 2013 Volunteer 750 (gasser). I havent been able to find any upgrade kits for my unit.

[@EPIperformance]

So far we have only tested the 2017 - 2019 models. We haven't had a chance to do any r&d on the older models. So unfortunately we don't know how similar they are.

[@ronscoggins1582]

were can I find a complete replacement motor for the cub cadet challenger 750 crew without going through cub cadet? any help will be appreciated

[@EPIperformance]

I believe they are made by Hisun, so you might find something from them but not sure if there are any differences.

[@dgmenace73]

How many miles or hours do you recommend checking the wet clutch shoes?....I just purchased a 2016 Challenger 750cc Crew....it only has 43hours and under 300 miles.

[@EPIperformance]

Its hard to put a mile or hour time on them because it changes so much on how you drive the machine. The biggest thing for the wet clutches is to make sure you are using the correct oil for a wet clutch machine. Most people dont mess with them until they start noticing its slipping and then take them apart and change them.

[@dgmenace73]

@@EPIperformance thank you for replying. I found out in time that some primary cvt sheaves use greaseless but most don't (like my 2016 Cub Cadet Challenger 750cc) doesn't use greaseless. I bought this UTV knowing it had a clutch issue. I found someone had installed the primary fixed sheave with one of those cheap sheaves that has a small splined pressed insert and it just wasn't on it at all...lol. Evidently it stripped out or fell out when they disassembled it and they didn't realize it, installed it with NO splines! Lol. The other thing was they did not put the washer behind nut of primary on, just nut. I installed a fixed sheave with splines all the way through it....put the washer that was laying under seat back behind nut. So far, maybe 7-8 miles it seems to be doing ok....didn't realize these UTVs were so loud when riding but read that is normal for majority. I have heard a clank when shifting to reverse, twice now shifting into reverse it clanked? I don't know if this is because everything needs to seat and wear in better or if there is another issue. Top speed is 46mph and I can gun it in 2wd High and it takes off strong or spinning. Do you think the clanking noise when shifting to reverse is something to worry about or just give it more time? Thanks again.

[@EPIperformance]

@@dgmenace73 When changing from forward to reverse or vise versa you can get some clunking due to all the driveline slop. Transmission, ujoints, shafts, differential and so on. So you might want to look inspect those but otherwise i would just ride it.

[@dgmenace73]

@@EPIperformance it was definitely in the CVT area...with the floor panels and all, I could just tell it was in the CVT area. I think both times I just barely moved forward then switched to reverse which, unless I am wrong the primary was closed just enough to grip belt because I was going so slow....switching to reverse the primary may have closed fast as well as the wet clutch and whatever changes the differential to reverse (I noticed with cover off) that the engine, primary, secondary ALL spin the same way even in reverse which threw me off at first. This was when I 1st checked it out and noticed primary not gripping belt....so, I figured the reverse is in the main diff? Anyway, as long as its pulling and will top out at 45mph...I'm gonna do just like u said, ride it! Lol

[@donstill6914]

EPI, is correct, it the useage that affects component wear, always use an ATV oil for wet clutches, JASO/MA designation, there is a shoe measurement for wear, check drum for grooving, replace if so, and while your in their, replace the one-way bearing, as they still had a high failure rate in that year, and if it fails, it will wipe out the wet clutch

[@chrisbutcher1992]

Do you have to take primary off just to change the belt?

[@EPIperformance]

No, you dont have to take the clutch off just to change the belt. But you don have to be real careful that if you leave the clutch on and are changing the belt that you dont move the primary around to much and knock the rollers out of place.

[@chrisbutcher1992]

@@EPIperformance thank you for the quick response, gonna try amd tackle this job. The cub barely moves and I think the customer slipped the belt, but now I'm thinking its prolly more than the belt

[@theirishaxe9405]

hey epi I need a clutch kit for my 2013 odes dominator 800. Since no one makes parts for my utv would your canam 800 clut kit fit since it's the same motor? Thanks

[@EPIperformance]

Hi John, 2013 was the year they started going to the new style clutch on the odes. The early build of the 2013 still used the Can Am style clutch. If yours has the Can Am style then your can use the clutch and belt for a 800 Outlander and it works awesome. We don't have any tuning parts for the newer style clutch. Hope the helps.

[@theirishaxe9405]

EPIperformance Hey thanks you guys

[@EPIperformance]

No problem any time

[@Hillbillysniper]

Does this help lower reverse? or whats the benefit?

[@EPIperformance]

It will give you better low end and midrange power, faster backshift and throttle response and will grip the belt better then the stock set up. This will help in forward and reverse.

[@Hillbillysniper]

@@EPIperformance Do you happen to know if their is a place to get a lower reverse gear? That's the only thing I do not like about the Cub Cadet Challenger 550, Its to high of a gear.

[@EPIperformance]

@@Hillbillysniper I don't know of any place.

[@donstill6914]

@@Hillbillysniper I am a cub dealer, and you are correct, reverse too high of a ratio, the clutch will help some, one fix you just need to mash the throttle, which will create more driven inertia, we did some testing, driving over wood blocks, and found the flashing method worked, we could climb over taller blocks, but many people do not like doing that, in later challenger years, they changed the reverse ratio, much improved, the change is the middle gear set, it appears all bearings are the same, as the earlier machines, but research it well first, i just ran the part numbers, to reach the conclusion, but have not proved it will work