kenfain

Storms, and high winds are expected tonight. Looks like your project will see its first test. I hope you tamped those posts in good and solid. We'd hate to hear the wind got some catastrophic lift underneath it. I probably would've used post anchors, set in concrete. But that would've been more about keeping the headroom, that's sacrificed by setting the posts in the ground.

Well, you're gonna need to put in those braces first.

What are your plans for finishing the roof?

Check the crankcase ventilation to make sure it's not obstructed. Check compression in all cylinders. Inspect the spark plugs, their condition can often tell you what's going on. It really sounds a lot like blow by. Where the rings have excessive clearance, allowing oil into the combustion chamber.

Does the engine smoke when it's running, or during start up?

Test the switch.

You'll probably want to find the heat sending unit on the engine block. I'd test that first. Seems like the most likely cause, and should be the easiest to test.

Mine has an odometer with the speedometer. But the hour meter is a stand alone guage

It's just an hour meter, working like it's supposed to. So just relax, and enjoy the new Mule. Don't use the 4wd on hard surfaces, or riding around. Only while you're actually in the mud, or a short straight stretch of road, or hardpack surface. Where you can engage the 4wd, while going straight for a bit to keep it all lubricated. But those expensive tiny gears, and other components, won't take the stress of leaving it in 4wd on hardbpack surfaces.

I used the seizmic custom overhead rack. It's at the top of the page, in the link that Travis provided. The style is a perfect fit for my use, as it keeps the rifles extremely secure, and up, out of the way. The other manufacturers use an inferior forked design, that can shift around. Instead the seizmic actually clamps to the roll bar. I could literally stand on mine once it was installed. It's rock solid, and can be mounted in several configurations, depending on space available, and preferences. But in the interest of full disclosure. There isn't lightning quick access. You'd probably want the constantly in the way floor mounted rack for that. There's a thread here somewhere that I started about my installation of that rack. There's a few close up pictures. If you're interested in this type of rack, I highly recommend this particular one.

Mine has the factory top, no windshield, or doors. Since it's in Texas there's rarely a need for a windshield. It does have a sliding back glass, but it stays shut, and was only installed to block the noise of the diesel air intake vent. Which is quite loud.

I found those side rails at a local Powersports /Kawasaki dealership. They were a factory offered item, so were a bit expensive at around a hundred fifty bucks. But they're heavy duty steel. These days, I'd probably just make some out of hardware store square steel tubing, and a few oak planks. But I have seen other manufacturers that make them. Try Essex manufacturing Ft. Worth Texas. They make lots of stuff for outfitting a mule. They make mule accessories for the military, as well as fire departments. If you're ever near Ft. Worth, Texas it's worth the time to stop by. There's lots of stuff that they make for the kits, that aren't advertised. But they'll still sell most of it. Mine has helicopter lift rings front and back. The military uses them to drop a mule by helicopter into remote areas, I use them for tie downs, and pulling out of the mud. Need a tri-pod heavy machine gun gimbal for the bed? They make those too. Even though a mule is a poor platform for heavy firepower. But seriously, they also have bed extensions, where they chop another bed in half, and add that to yours to make it longer. I also picked up a few other things, like a poly skid plate, to cover the open to the ground area under the seat. Enclosing it made it more useful for storage, and protects the second radiator that's under the seat.

Congratulations on your new buggy! I think that if you were looking for something to work out of, and drive around the acreage doing chores. The mule is an excellent choice. With responsible driving, and good maintenance, you'll get many good years out of it. If it's 4wd, don't drive around in 4wd. That's ONLY for when there's soft ground. Those expensive tiny little parts in the front drive just won't take the abuse, over time. There's plenty of accessories out there, depending on where you look, and what you want for it. Some accessories turn out to be extremely helpful, while others that I thought would really make a difference, turned out to be a disappointment. The best add ons are those you make yourself. Here's a picture of mine. Those side boards are without a doubt, the best accessory I've added.

Welcome to the forum! You need to provide more information about how old, or new, the miles, or hours on it? Is it fuel injection, or carburetor?

Welcome to the forum Aaron! The exhaust could easily be moved, although it would probably cost a couple hundred bucks if you had it done. Much cheaper if you have access to a pipe bender, and a welding torch. What about just using bed mounted seats instead? They're easily removed, so you can still use the bed for hauling.

A look at your local craigslist, or Facebook marketplace might find you a s×s salvage yard in your area. One that might possibly match that engine. It's probably a longshot. But well worth the effort if you get lucky. Or that engine could easily be rebuilt. However, once you factor in the labor costs, neither option is cheap. And they both have drawbacks. Personally, I'd probably give luck a brief chance, by searching for a salvage place nearby. Next, I'd try to find out if the mounts might accept a more generic motor replacement. If I had no success there, then I'd get to work on a rebuild. Because that's a sure thing. It's absolutely guaranteed, that the original motor, once it's rebuilt, will drop right back in, and the bolts are all the right length, the wires all just fit. You get the idea. Good luck, and let us know which way you go on this.

Welcome to the forum! There's a couple of obvious things you could check, like the brakes, or an axle bearing. But something that new, should still have a warranty.

Depending on the location of the solenoid, there's no real need to mount the button on the dash. You could easily mount it somewhere around the seat, within easy reach, with shorter wires. Momentarily handling that modest amount of amps shouldn't be any reason to up the guage significantly. I would think that 18g. would work fine.

Sounds like a good, solid plan. My guess is that if this solves the no start condition, there's no real need for a new harness. So I'd stay mindful of creating something that'll stand up over time.

It's certainly possible if you have enough straight section of bar to remove. You planning on doing it yourself?

You should be able to use just about anything. I have an older 3010 mule, and I used big channel locks on mine. A couple of C-clamps would probably work too. So if you have a real strut compressor, you'll be okay. These springs aren't as dangerous as car springs.

There's lots of videos online that show how to disassemble, and replace most types of automotive electrical plugs.

Maybe you'll get lucky with the new ignition switch.

Sometimes it's displayed as a number on the clock. It might not blink, but just display the number. I don't know how many sensors there are on yours. But with what's going on with yours, there should certainly be a code. Have you looked at switching the upstream, and downstream exhaust sensors?

If you can establish that it's working properly, while the mule still doesn't start. You can move on to the next test. But a bad solenoid does sometimes cause these exact symptoms. And the solenoid did get hot. I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to do that. Considering how the solenoid works internally handling a good amount of current to the starter. There's only a couple ways that it could make heat. High current draw, or some kind of short internally. I'm certain that it's not current draw, since the starter wasn't turning at that point. So it seems some kind of short is all that's left. Though I have no idea how it could be the same across several solenoids. When you install the switch, you should inspect, or even replace that trigger wire. Maybe there's crud inside the terminal. Or something like a nick in the wire. Maybe an intermittent short.