I bought a ’05 Sportsman 800 with 2700 miles primarily for snow removal on a 400′ driveway about 6 months ago. I’ve used it several times, and I haven’t had an issue – until today.

Towards the end of the job, I noticed a rotary squealing noise coming from the front differential area that tracked with the speed (more frequent with higher speed). It also took more throttle to move it. I heard a couple small squealing noises towards the end of the job the last time I plowed, but I didn’t think much of it.

The noise is present in 2×4 mode, AWD mode, and in forward and reverse. Also, it was about 0 degrees out, if that makes a difference.

What can I check to diagnose this issue? Has anyone experienced a similar problem?