AKATV 851 Posted February 2, 2021 Hi Everyone Got a lead to pick up an 05 Rancher 350ES on the cheap Just noticed the separate service manual for the 04-06 Rancher 350 In my mind, I had thought they were pretty much all the same on down the line Anyone know any major differences right offhand? I am going to go thru the service manual now checking things out I just wanted to see if anyone had any input on differences and what will & wont swap over from the 00-03 models Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,751 Posted February 2, 2021 Mainly plastics, gas tank, racks, bumper. pretty sure most of the hard parts will interchange. @retro‘s creamsicle build on the old board is THE standard for a 350 Rancher. I have an 05 for my middle kid. I did quite a few easy mods on it using OEM parts from other machines and made a neat little simple machine out of it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AKATV 851 Posted February 2, 2021 Thanks Jeep! I just did a quick page by page of the service manual and basically saw the utility/tool box on the side panel and a few plastic differences I thought I saw something in there about a new style front differential, but I am mostly concerned with engine parts etc since I have some of the 00-03 parts tucked away (crank/trans etc) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tim-ANC 202 Posted February 2, 2021 What type of brakes on the 05? We just replaced all the drums on my friends 03 with disc's. Nice improvement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FishinDawg 79 Posted February 2, 2021 I bought an 03 new the same year and had it for many, trouble-free years. I actually considered getting another rancher in the 04-05 year range when I was shopping around. As Jeep mentioned, they're different in regard to cosmetics and such, but for the most part are the exact same mechanically. Those 329cc engines are tough as nails! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,751 Posted February 2, 2021 @AKATV hard parts swap in no problem. I have a 2000 motor in my daughter's 05 at the moment. The original 05 motor is rebuild in the shop and ran fine, but I had a noise upon deceleration (I suspect something in the clutches), so I rebuilt the 00 motor I had in the shop and just swapped them out. 07-13 420 disc brakes will swap right on at the ball joints, but they've gotten $$$ in the last couple of years. The 400AT selectable front diff and driveshaft will swap right in. You'll have to wire up the switch, and be careful not to throw it in 4wd while your front and rear wheels are moving at different speeds. Retro and Melatv also helped me rig up a "start in gear" feature like my newer machines have, so it can start in gear, but only with the right brake lever held back. The 2000 engines had a crappy thin transmission drum support on the back that tended to break off. I replaced that with the newer style (cheap on ebay) when I rebuilt the 2000 motor. Otherwise, mechanically they're the same. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AKATV 851 Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Tim-ANC said: What type of brakes on the 05? We just replaced all the drums on my friends 03 with disc's. Nice improvement. All original machine just needs engine gone through so original drum brakes for now Thanks everyone for all the information, good to know its still basically the same except for the cosmetics on the plastics and racks etc.. I did a few Rancher 350 motors a few years back and remember I had to replace a broken shift drum like Jeep mentioned They make an improved shift drum with a larger diameter end spindle and you just knock the bearing out of the crankcase and the new one fits right in. I was kind of hoping they put a 2wd/4wd on the newer ones, but no big deal I think I have an old 424 in the shed....somewhere....under some stuff Edited February 2, 2021 by AKATV 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepwm69 7,751 Posted February 2, 2021 36 minutes ago, AKATV said: All original machine just needs engine gone through so original drum brakes for now Thanks everyone for all the information, good to know its still basically the same except for the cosmetics on the plastics and racks etc.. I did a few Rancher 350 motors a few years back and remember I had to replace a broken shift drum like Jeep mentioned They make an improved shift drum with a larger diameter end spindle and you just knock the bearing out of the crankcase and the new one fits right in. I was kind of hoping they put a 2wd/4wd on the newer ones, but no big deal I think I have an old 424 in the shed....somewhere....under some stuff The 400AT Rancher front diffs used to be cheap. Haven't priced them lately. I sold my factory 350 front diff for about $50 more than I paid for the selectable 400AT front diff....... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
