Sooner or later every Polaris 570 or 800 owner has to get the primary clutch off. Belt is shredded, the spider needs service, a weight pin is egged out, or the machine is going in for a clutch kit. And sooner or later somebody on a forum tells you the trick: put a big impact on the center bolt, back it out, then whack the end of the crank with a brass hammer until the clutch pops.
Do that enough times and you will find out what a bent crankshaft feels like.
The Clutch Is Not Bolted On — It Is Wedged On
The primary clutch does not hang on the center bolt. It rides on a machined taper on the end of the crankshaft, and that taper is what actually transmits engine torque into the clutch. The bolt only pulls the clutch up onto the taper and holds it there. Once the two tapered surfaces have been torqued together and then heat-cycled a few hundred times, they are effectively welded by friction. The clamping force on those mating faces is enormous, which is exactly why a CVT primary can take everything a twin throws at it without ever spinning on the shaft.
That is also why it does not just slide off. Removing the bolt does nothing to separate the taper. All you have done is take away the thing that was holding the assembly together.
Why Hammering and Prying Cost You
The three bad habits we see come through the shop, in order of how expensive they are:
Hammering the crank end. The crankshaft is supported by bearings inside the case. Every hammer blow you land on the end of it goes straight through the crank and into those bearings and seals. Sometimes you get away with it. Sometimes you end up with a leaking crank seal, a notchy main bearing, or runout that you will never tune out of the clutch.
Prying behind the clutch. A pry bar behind the sheave puts all the load on one side of the taper and on the aluminum sheave itself. Cocking the clutch on a taper is a good way to gall the bore, and a galled bore never seats the same again.
Heat. Torching a clutch to break a taper loose puts heat right where you least want it — into the sheave faces the belt grips, and into a bushing you probably were not planning to replace today.
A Puller Does the One Job Correctly
A proper primary puller threads into the clutch on the correct thread pitch and pushes squarely against the end of the crankshaft. Turning the puller applies steady, straight, centered load down the axis of the taper — no side loading on the sheave, no shock into the crank bearings. The taper releases with a sharp crack and the clutch comes off in your hand. On most machines the whole operation is a two-minute job with a wrench.
The Polaris 800/570 Primary Clutch Puller is the correct tool for all years up to 2022 Polaris Ranger 570 and 800, and all years of the Polaris RZR 570 and 800. It is machined to the exact thread specification for those clutches, cut from high quality steel, and heat treated so the threads do not deform under the load it takes to pop a taper that has been on the machine for eight years. It is a one-piece design — no sleeve to lose, nothing to assemble in the dirt — and it ships individually packaged with instructions.
How to Use It Without Drama
Hold the primary with a clutch holding tool or a strap wrench so you are not putting the load into the engine. Remove the center bolt and washer. Thread the puller into the clutch by hand until it bottoms — if it will not start easily, stop and check that you have the right tool and clean threads. Then simply tighten the puller. Let the tool build load. If it is stubborn, a short sharp tap on the head of the puller bolt while it is under tension will usually break the taper without any of that force reaching the crank bearings.
When you reinstall, wipe both tapers clean and dry. Oil or anti-seize on a taper changes the clamping math and lets the clutch creep up the shaft, so keep it dry unless your service manual says otherwise, and torque the center bolt to spec.
The Math Is Simple
A puller costs less than fifty dollars. A crank seal, a set of mains, or a scored clutch bore costs a great deal more, plus the weekend you lose to it. If you plan to do your own clutch work on a 570 or 800 — and on these machines you will, because belts and springs are wear items — the puller is the first thing that should go in the toolbox, before the kit and before the belt.
Buy the right tool once. Use it for the life of the machine.