Just thought I would post an FYI for the brute force guys that are in need of replacing the bearings in their front A-arms. I should have taken pictures of the install, but I didn't.

I purchased the American Star kit:
http://www.amstarmanufacturing.com/BruteForceParts.html

And while I haven't put many miles on it yet, I will say the products seem to be of great quality and the install was very easy.

I won't however say the same for removing the old bearings. Mine were completely shot and rusted in the a-arm and it took a while to get them out. I ended up finding a socket for an air impact gun that was just slightly smaller than the inside of the a-arm tube to pound the old bearings out, and I still mushroomed the socket a bit. Once the old bearings are out and you have cleaned up the inside of the a-arm tube, the new bushings slide right in, and the poly collars will go in with minimal force.

Total it took me maybe 4 hours or so, but that included any learning curve and at the same time I also drilled for, and installed, grease zerks in all the a-arm tubes. Most of the time went to getting the old parts out and getting the a-arms off and back on.

All in all it wasn't a bad job, and even taking the entire front suspension apart is not bad. Again, I should have taken pics, but I didn't think of it and I didn't have my camera. Also while your suspension is apart, it's a good time to inspect your breaks, ball joints, and tierods/ends.

If anyone is thinking of doing this, or just has any questions, I would be more than happy to try and help if needed. Just message me and I will try and help.

Grease zerks are the best thing you can do for them. I always do that the first day I get a machine. Luckily, the Renegade already had them there for me.

I don't know why they don't come with them. Half of the needle bearings were either broken or missing all together and it's not like I abuse the machine, and I keep the mud washed out of places like that.

Hey CTD06, how have these held up, I am going to do mine this fall, and dont want to waste time or money. Apparently these amstar parts are very good.

Well to be honest, I don't have a lot of miles on them yet (I have been busy), but so far they seem to be holding up just fine. I definately reccommend grease zerks. These are not air tight with the poly bushings, so I would put grease zerks in to push any water out. When I say not air tight, I mean like, you can't see through it but you can feel just a slight, slight bit of space in there when you move the poly bushing around on the metal pin before installing. So just for peace of mind and longevity, I would grease these or any other product for that matter. Not a lot of miles but they are hard miles, wheelies, gncc type riding, water, etc... I wish I had more to go on for you, but so far so good for all the more i've done. I have a plow on all winter so I'm sure that effects the bushings as well. I'll have to let you know after winter how they hold up. If you have any more questions just ask.

I will, but thats good enough for me, I dont ride my Brute super hard , but when I do Its water climbs, rocks, wheelies, donuts, and the always popular snow rides, so I really liked the idea of the pastic over the needle bearings, and Im going all in on the fronts. Ill do the backs in the spring. Thanks man, I will definitley add the zerks, Did you put them right in the middle of the A a rm tube, or more towrds one end?

Well there are actually no needle bearings. The old bearings are but these are just a metal pin with a hole big enough for the a-arm bolt and then two plastic/poly bushings between the a-arm tube and metal pins. It's wierd. I thought I was getting actual bearings but they are not. Basically just a thick metal bushing inside a thin plastic/poly bushing. Then I put my grease zerks right in the middle of the tube and I filled all the space inside with grease.

Thats exactly what I was hoping for. I am not looking forward to removing the old ones at all.