ATC 250SX Fork Tube Seized

[newby200x]

Has anyone had experience and success w/ seized fork tubes on this machine? I haven't dug into why exactly they aren't moving just yet, but I'm hoping several people may have also experienced this and have some advice or tips. My first assumption would be just general dirt and grime has worked it's way in internally and seized the parts, but I suppose there could be also be the possibility of a slightly bent tube putting everything in a bind. Is there a trick to pulling these apart if nothing budges with whacks of a rubber mallet?

[Footy]

Was this machine in use? Or was this one sitting in the weather?

[newby200x]

The answer was pretty evident after I spent a little time looking over the machine yesterday. Someone installed a tire too wide to run in between the forks and just let it run. The tire rubbed all the way through the aluminum lower forks.

So it appears I am on the hunt for a set of used forks.....

[sjsst41]

Wow - that’s a first for me to hear about a failure mode like that. You could probably get away with just a set of lowers, or does it look like other damage beyond the aluminum tubes being worn thru?

[350for350]

It happens. I bought a SX that had the fork lowers almost rubbed through from a tire that was too wide.