When it's time to change the tires, I'll be going with 28" radials on stock 12" rims, and I'll swap the junk springs for heavy duty springs. I have no need for fancy rims.

The options I have in my cart:

Radials:

Amazon.com: Tensor Regulator A/T All-Terrain ATV Radial Tire 28x10x12 : Automotive

Buy Tensor Regulator A/T All-Terrain ATV Radial Tire 28x10x12: Trail - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Mud:

Amazon.com: SunF A033 Power.I 28x9-12 ATV UTV Tire All-Terrain Off-Road, 6 Ply Tubeless : Automotive

Buy SunF A033 Power.I 28x9-12 ATV UTV Tire All-Terrain Off-Road, 6 Ply Tubeless: Mud - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: SunF A033 Power.I 28x11-12 ATV UTV Tire All-Terrain Off-Road, 6 Ply Tubeless : Automotive

Buy SunF A033 Power.I 28x11-12 ATV UTV Tire All-Terrain Off-Road, 6 Ply Tubeless: Mud - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

Hey Rob, I can only offer some hindsight after my build and some trails. If I were to do it over again, I would have kept my 12" wheels (just like you are doing) but I would definitely put 28s on; the only difference is I would put 28x10-12 on the fronts and 28x11-12 on the rear; and if you wanted more "stance" you could put wheel spacers on the rear. Would have initially saved me the cost of new wheels. The added 1" height going from 12" to 14" was not worth it. The cheap OEM tires were a liability (for going into remote trails over sharp rocky terrain so went with 10 ply).

Unless I were stuck to a property close in, I would not touch anything less than 8-ply radials for my location where off road vehicles are fully street legal (and) the terrain is unforgiving for low ply rated tires. But that is just here we are. It is kind of like a "spare" discussion also. Here, to head into the hinterlands without a Spare wheel/tire and capability to change it is insanity; I will be making a post on the Spare Wheel/Tire Carrier set up that is being fabricated/installed now.

It is supposed to snow here tonight and will be on and off through March; unless you have a cabbed Mule with heat and are ready for anything, may as well store your off road vehicle for 3+ months here. My vehicle is now almost ready for to go into winter woods/mountains here. Where I lived in N. AL previously, I never even thought about a spare wheel/tire (or a cab, or OEM heat, or street legal, or 10ply tires, ...); I was just WET all the time in that Mule caused it seemed to rain on me every day I was out. I haven't seen rain here in so many months I've lost count but ... DUST can be so thick here along with big weather changes in an instant. Different location, different conditions, different purposes and the game changes a lot.

Anyway, I think you are on the right track. IMO cannot go wrong with the 28x9/11-12 pairing or the 28x10/11-12 + rear spacer option. Now is the time to decide for certain.
After a good conversation with the HiLifter staff today and an email their tech sent me, then a visit to an off-road shop to go over the drawing and how the offsets change with wheels etc, I ordered the 1.5" HiLifter wheel spacers today (for just the rear); am going to see how that works out for a while. I will snap some photos and post them after install. This will result in the 0.25" negative offset (which is almost neutral). When two of the tires are ready for replacement, will upsize the rear to 28x11-14 8ply or higher rating and these will go on the rears. Will stay with 28x10-14 on the front (no spacers on front for now). If could find some 28x12-14 high rated A/T tires, I would definitely consider them for the next set on the rear.

 

Interested to hear what the consensus is for spacers. I went with 5/2 15" wheels with 235/75/15 tires and debated the reduction in rear width in doing so. Spacers would help me gain back what I gave up to use these, but have been apprehensive.

 

What wheel and tire are you running?
Had to look tire size up. My source says this tire is 28.9" diameter and 9.3" wide.

 

Following.
Just curious if anyone has reverses the rear (or front) a-arms.
Why did Kaw take the rear tires toward and the front tires backward?
You can even see the driveshafts are raked.
It almost looks to me that I could swap side with the suspension and gain a lot of room for maybe 30" or even bigger tires.

 

Following.
Just curious if anyone has reverses the rear (or front) a-arms.
Why did Kaw take the rear tires toward and the front tires backward?
You can even see the driveshafts are raked.
It almost looks to me that I could swap side with the suspension and gain a lot of room for maybe 30" or even bigger tires.

I have seen one with the rears reversed so it can be done. It rakes the CV shafts even more. On the mentioned Mule the arms were put back to the stock configuration because the axles kept breaking.

I know SATV make front forward arms but I'm not sure if anyone make rear rearward arms.

 

Not sure I understand why it would take the rears more. They are currently raked forward so swapping sides should technically take them rearward in the same amount they are raked forward?
Don't suppose you have pics?

 

Pics were deleted long ago. I don't remember what the angle looked like but I do know they went through four axles before deciding to switch the arms back. They owned two identical Mules, one stock and one with the arms reversed. Only the reversed arm mule broke axles.

Side note, I would spend the money on purpose built raked arms. Reversing them changes the brake line routing and just looks wrong.

 

Currently stock 2024 with 26" tires.
Would like extra ground clearance without lifting kit.
Don't want to stress the cv joints with lift kit.
Just seems to me they could have designed to accept larger tires up front.
I think people are going to 28" with no issues other than maybe rubbing in a full turn.

 

I have not yet heard of anyone experiencing rubbing with 28x10-12 (5+2 front wheels) or 28x10-14 (5+2 front wheels). Let's start at this point.

What I have experienced on my 2022 FXT REP, which has the Stage 1 Elka shocks producing an extra 1"-2" height maintaining spec geometry and hundreds of people saying "no issues and improving performance", is no rubbing, excellent turning radius, noticeable difference in performance over rough terrain (rocky, rutted, narly roads/trails). My understanding is also that the 28x10-14 will perform perfectly from a clearance view without the shock upgrade. So now, do you like your wheels? Recommend when ready (now or later) go 28x9-12 front 12/7 (5+2 wheel) and 28x11-12 rear 12/8 (6+2 wheel). Why? Because you can, will have lots of options, it maintains the geometry front and rear, saves a bunch of money, maintains the traction of 11"W in rear, looks good, and you give up zero height compared to 28x10-14. Is what I would have done today if I knew what I know now. Let's call it common sense based on the above learning.

Would I change out the shocks? Depends on your use case. For me, BIG difference in rocky, rutted and if I am going to go 35mph over that mess; if you had the stock shock set up vs the Elka shocks set up for your configuration, running over bad trails/fire roads, you would not be doing that 35 mph without different shocks. The stock Mule FXT is a RANCH platform; only ranchers buy them where we live. The 820 3-cyl engine is as reliable as they come; now you have a 2-cyl plant (or 4-cyl?) which I know nothing of. Back to operating.

If you are going remote with your Mule, then higher rated tires are a safety issue along with a full spare. If you are not doing long range remote ops or SAR or rugged terrain (all of which my Mule is for), you can run the 26" 4-ply until you are ready to replace the tires. By then, you may know a lot more about what you will do with the platform and where you may take it upgrade wise, if much at all and your pocket book will like you.

Since there are so many options and configurations, I will offer some insight from my two years with this platform and owning one in a completely different climate for different purposes. I left my prior one virtually stock with the exception of SATV flip up windshield and mirrors and used it for pulling, towing, hauling, work work on a lake property and occasionally exploring in typical AL woods. Didn't like some of the things about that like being wet, cold in winter or driving rain sideways when working with it but I was close to home (not 10-15 miles from civilization in unforgiving terrain either) ... it stayed light and nimble and was good for that. Fast forward 2-3 years, and am taking my 2022 into the opposite where professional HAM level comms, aviation like cockpit comms with HAM level Handhelds for hunters coming with me or hikers with me are a must, 10-ply tires needed (although these start to get heavy and pricy quickly with 30" and high ply so keep that in mind), protection from sleet going sideways, heat needed, glass front and back (wait til your plexi windshield gets all scratched up or and you NEED A WASHER & WIPERS).

Guess what I am trying to say is perhaps don't go too crazy on changing the OEM stuff, and do a lot of planning, depending on what you intend to do. Keep your platform as RELIABLE as possible as you imagine doing more hard core with it. I can tell you 100%, doing the FIREWALL (Hester inspired), doing the 9-port accessory fuse block (Hester inspired) were up front the smartest things I did which opened up so many more options as I planned.

I hope this helps you cause if I had this advice when I started (and) had people who could help, my life would have been way easier for the past 18 months. Hopefully you will have a lot of fun with the new machine.

 

Wow! Awesome write up. You are on spot. I am doing my research now for later when the tires are shot.
I currently and a plexi flip windshield and a soft top so rain is not an issue. I have have to stuff a lot of holes in the dash trying to keep air out and added my own door seals.
I have maybe 90_95 % of the air out with currently no heat but I think it will be ok with the right insulated clothes.
We have snow on the ground today so I will get to test heat/ no heat option this weekend.
I did add dash plugs for heated vest that I bought for the Harley. I will likely still add heat but maybe next fall.

Question: It looks as though I already have wiring for the OEM heater. OEM is a few hundred higher than the Inferno brand, but it may be worth it for I stallation simplicity. Have not looked into that much yet.

My rear shocks are the self leveling version so I plan to keep that. If anything might build my own brackets to raise rear an inch or so.
I adjusted the front shocks and raised the front about an inch but the rear did not adjust so I put the front back for now. Don't like the squat.

For the most part my riding style does not warrant extreme high lift or anything like that. I've been going about anywhere I want to go. Just have to slow down on the rough stuff and maybe navigate a little more than the other guys. I bought the mule for utility and pleasure and am very pleased so far.

Thanks for all your insight. I will likely get bored one day and try swapping the rear suspension and see how it works. Will likely need to relocate and/or adjust the rear top shock bracket when I do to keep it parallel.

One big thing I don't like about the soft top is now my bed stays in 4 seat mode and I can't dump. Not a big deal as I have a compact JD 1025 TLB with front bucket so I don't see the big need to dump the bed anyway.

The image below is the plugs that I think for the OEM heater. Any insight or know someone with a shop manual?

 

OK, you have a different machine than mine. Before I did (anything) and I mean on DAY 1, I purchased the SERVICE MANUAL for my model and I study it.

IMO pics of actual installs or diagrams are really helpful and credible.

If these are the OEM plugs near the P-Side under the cowling and if Kawasaki kept same harness configuration, do (not) touch those other than keep crap out of the connectors. They look a lot like my OEM diagnostic ports.

Assuming (read that ASSUMING) your model harness is similar to a 2022 PRO FXT, then you will have bullet connectors in the center of the dash plenum that the OEM Heater install guide stated are to be used for the OEM Heater power or alternatively to obtain power from an accessory fuse block. I used the OEM bullet connectors which are tucked back center behind the dash. The OEM Heater kit came with the harness to do either and the instructions were clear. Installing an OEM Heater like Kawasaki's kit is a step or two up from a "normal upgrade". You will need to get into this technically and there were special tools and equipment involved to finish the coolant fill side of the install. Install of this kit is a 4 of 5 where a 5 might include fabrication of components. Also assuming the install kit is similar as mine, you must suspend the cowl and get all the mess out of the way before you start.

See my firewall install post - pics tell the story (mostly).

Install accessory fuse block (if I were to do again, I would have configured a larger automotive 12-port minimum fuse block, run larger main cable to the battery compartment. The Hester Accessory Fuse Block 9-port version is for light to light-medium upgrade. I made it work (i.e. stayed under the design capacity of 100A) and did not go too big on the front light bar, used OEM available female pairs from the two 10A ACC circuits where appropriate, so I am only relaying to you after having DONE this, you cannot plan too much. Incremental upgrades if not planned for the end state, cost more, take more time or and will limit you in the future. Just a roof system that seems great today, can be a nightmare later integrating with that glass tilt out windshield with wiper and washer kit that now WILL NOT WORK.

Same goes for suspension, wheels, tires. Same goes for Accessory Fuse Block, devices, power distribution, electrical planning, special tools and connectors, capacity. Same goes for rear bed racks, carrying gas, spare tire carrier. You decide a cab is needed, there is a sequence needed to follow to get stuff done before elements of a cab go on - planning! You will find that "increasing ground clearance" creates a tall narrow less stable so that drives widening the stance which may involve the decision to lift (which there are many options) but most go professional lift kits with new arms, then that drives 30"+ tires, and so on. Then you start trailering to take your prize platform to unexplored worlds and you find a host of other issues.

There are (not) many things I would "do differently" but there are some.

 

Lol, I hear you my friend. That is exactly what I am doing to look ahead.
I'm wondering now if I should have just bought the higher prices with cab HVAC etc.

 

Looked at a lot of SXS before a second Mule. Talked to experienced service techs. Consensus is the FXT (need more space than a 3-seater has). Need reliability over (all) other priorities. Need to customize for all weather, remote ops, cab, need room for a big guy, take a lot of gear, no need for greater than 45 mph (and 95% will be 25-35mph) over unimproved roads/trails.

My view is you plan it, source it, install it, you (know) it and it is as you want it.

 

Completed the Wheel Spacer installation. PICs attached.
1. This Mule has a Curtis cab which is about 1-1/4" thickness beyond the Kawasaki body.
2. Has 28x10-14 Wheels with Terrabite 10 ply tires. Did not install spacers on front, only rears.
3. The front wheels/tires are flush with the Curtis cab body. Kawasaki installed 9" wide tires on the front. The 10" wide Terrabite tires are flush with the Curtis cab body without spacers.
4. Used 1.5" HiLifter wheel spacers for rear wheels.
5. Used blue loctite on Kawasaki hub bolts and torqued the lug nuts attaching the wheel spacers to the hub plate at 82.5 ft-lbs wet (same as the Tusk wheel OEM spec). There was no torque spec included in the HiLifter package.
6. Torqued the Tusk wheel spline lug nuts to 82.5 ft-lbs dry (Tusk wheel OEM spec).
7. Before and after pics are attached. The front and rear wheels/tires are flush (or slightly beyond the body). Getting the tires to look proper (and) get another 3" width for stability were the goals.
8. End results of adding these spacers are 4" total wider stance over the 11" stock tires (on 6+2 wheels) and 3" total wider stance over the 28x10-14s without spacers.

1-Mule is jacked
2-Wheel&Tire Removed
3-Blue Loctite Applied to Studs for Hub Lug Bolts Ready for Spacer
4-Spacer is Installed
5-Spacer-Front (no spacer)
6-Before Spacer
7-After Spacer