Mark in Colorado

Not a typo: my driveway is 318 ft. long and all I do is plow and haul wood. No real joy rides (well, I LOVE plowing snow…). Just over 1000 miles and an oil change every 250 miles. This rig is my lifeline.

1000 miles, and still going strong.

What mine does pretty much all summer…

Hey Wallace - check my thread history. I made a post and recommendation there. Good luck! - Mark

Thanks, RossO - local wrap shop insisted that I leave the panels ON too, for that very reason. Going dark red! Will post a few pics when it’s back. - Mark

Anyone else with a Hunting Edition (Mossy Oak camo) Defender getting fading? May take off the front clip and bed side panels and have them wrapped. - Mark

I picked them up at what was once our local dealership…. Gone! I now drive 60 miles to Denver…. But, dealerships tend to carry EBC pads. Really does stop the squeal. - Mark

I like that headache rack, ToddG.

Hey there – I just read this and had a similar problem about a month ago with my snow blade relay system. I know that sounds odd, but the point is that when I crawled under the dash I managed to tighten the main bus nuts on the main power strip - Due to all my tinkering they had worked loose. I simply tighten them, and all of the gremlins went away. There are 3 - And you have to remove a small plastic cover to access them. This is where you would tie in accessory lighting, etc. and things that you want to add to the vehicle. One post is a common, One is a constant power, and one is a key-on power. Good luck. I hate this stuff, but it seems like it was my own fault and I was lucky to find it. – Mark

DefenderDB - I went with the 72” Can Am Super Duty plow w/hydraulic angling. Works great. -Mark

DefenderDB, I bought my new machine in 2019 and had a lot of the same concerns that you did because of a burn with a Polaris 800. All in all, the Defender has worked out very well for me, and this group knows that I work my machine very hard plowing snow etc. Since October 2019 my machine has never been back to the dealership. I do all my own maintenance and upgrades and find it to be fairly easy and straightforward. Knock on wood, but I have not had any catastrophic failures other than snow blade related bends and wear. I chase down rattles and broken switches from time to time. Right now I have a slight pull to the right when I’m in four-wheel-drive but hope to attribute it to an air pressure issue. Stuff like that. I keep the oil changed religiously in the engine has never not started– even in 7° below zero weather. Good luck to you and enjoy the machine. -Mark

Coachgun - got them on Amazon.com -Mark

Texas22 - yes, hi and lo beam lamps were same slots, same bulbs (just angled differently - nothing for you to be concerned with). The GTMOTO box came with 4 LEDs in size H11 and you just install them randomly in the 4 headlights. Twist then about 90 deg. and the old bulbs slide right out. -Mark

Bad Daddy - they fit perfectly. No rattling around at all.

1.) GTMOTO LED light bulbs to replace those dim stock headlights. Size H11. Amazon.com. Nice machine!

DougDoug, I installed a new 5-pin / two position switch next to the wiper switch. Only mistake is that it’s lit white, not yellow/orange like the rest of the cab..!

Why on earth didn’t I do this sooner? -Mark

Guys - I’ve done a ton of electrical work on my 2019 XT Cab. There’s one more fuse other than the ones under the passenger seat and under the hood: it’s under the dash. It’s on a ‘dongle’ and you pry the top off to access the 40A fuse inside. It’s directly rebated to the winch relay. It’s not, however, related to the headlights and taillights. Do check this: if your getting a relay “clunk” but no winch movement (ie, no voltage at the winch contacts), it’s probably your power buss blocks under the dash. If you don’t have a heater, you’re in luck: crawl under with a 10mm ratchet and crank all three main buss nuts down TIGHT. This fixed my winch problem. If you do have a heater, it’s time to wrestle the alligator and get it moved off to the side for access to the buss blocks. They’re nylock, but mine were loose after installing a volt meter (my bad). Your could be loose too. Do look for that fuse though. I’ll try to get a picture of it. -Mark

Roaddawg - thanks for letting us know. Firstly, the military discount REALLY does add up over time. Great to know! What stereo did you get? I keep searching, only coming up with that over-priced Jensen unit that Can-Am tries to sell. If you’ve ever owned an RV, you’ll know right away that Jensen is “OK” at best. Can you send pics of what you installed? Thanks, - Mark (USCG, 1993-99)

I bought a spare (+ the requisite tools for belt change) and keep them handy, but don’t think I’ll need them for some years to come. I’m in low range a lot (snow plowing) and that’ll make a belt last and last. - Mark

If you’re ever on Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo, Mexico, you’ll be happy to know that the “official vehicles” (because they don’t allow regular cars) are the gas powered Bad Boy Buggy and non other than the Can-Am Defender Max! They’re everywhere, and in all states of disrepair - broken axles and tie rods, broken A-arms, smashed frames, rusty… the roads on the island are quite rough and put these machines to the test as they are used for taxis, and family cars all day long, every day. By comparison, mine is a garage queen. The thing we all immediately noticed about these Can-Am‘s Is that they are so much quieter than ours. How is that? They run HD8 mostly, but there are a smattering of HD10 and HD5 machines. Seems like when they break badly enough, they’re left on the side of the road to get pilfered for spares. It’s the most Can-Am Defenders I’ve ever seen in one place. -Mark

Steelslinger, I know what you mean about burning switch slots… I already had a plow joystick in the spot you refer to. - Mark

Found this on Amazon for $18. Looks good, works well, and you can watch voltage levels go up and down as you start the rig and then use things like lights, snow plow, heater…. Easy wire-in: slide the heater out (3 screws and 4 nuts) then wired it directly up to the termination block under the dash to posts 1 and 3 (the “key on” power set up). - Mark

Pretty awesome! - Mark

Sylvania branded, 5-pot LED’s from a local parts store. They fold down. Wired to the power block in the top. - Mark