January 7, 2010
Dear Ralph:
When installing studs in the track, does it really make a difference which way the “V” pattern is placed? I know tracks have a particular way to be installed, but with studs we are just trying to get as many scratch lines as we can, right?
Tommy H.
Ohio
I always used to think it had to be a certain way, but in checking with the stud experts at Woody’s Traction they tell us the V can be in either direction on the track.
The V shape in Woody’s studding patterns is all about scratch lines. The more scratch lines, the more studs you have working for you as the track contacts the surface. The studs will be contacting in fresh hard pack or ice, not in the channel of the stud immediately in front. Generally, 96 studs in a V will give you 12 scratch lines, 144 studs in a V will give you 18 scratch lines and 192 studs in a V will give you 22 scratch lines.
And, it doesn’t matter where you begin applying the pattern on the track. The important step is when you move the template to the next track section to continue marking the pattern. You must move the template and place it on the track in the exact way you placed it on the section before. Continue moving the template like this until the entire track is marked.
Check out www.WoodysTraction.com for downloadable PDFs and application guides for your particular model.
January 7, 2010
Dear Ralph:
I was wondering what your thoughts are on adding the “4th wheel kit” and “extra idler” wheel kit? I snow checked a 2010 Ski-Doo Renegade X and would like to know if it is necessary to have them installed? Do they really make that much of a difference? Will they reduce rolling resistance by that much?
I previously installed both on my 2005 Yamaha RS VectorER. I believe the extra idler’s did help in hyfax wear by bridging the gap between the rear wheel’s and the front set of idler’s. Mechanically it makes sense. So why does the manufacturer not install them?
Paul DeKay
Ontario,Canada
Cost, cost, cost. You build 20,000 sleds with an extra $5 in there and guess what? That’s $100,000. Do that with ten parts here and there and you get the idea, I hope. It is usually that simple.
We are talking about two different things here, rear axle wheels and extra idler wheels. In my experience every sled needs at least three wheels on the rear axle, the fourth one is a matter of usage. If it is studded, then yes, the fourth wheel is really nice to have in there to prevent track derailing due to the added side forces applied by the addition of traction products. So, if your Renegade has three wheels and you will not be installing studs, it is more a matter of insurance but I wouldn’t worry about it. Any sled with only two wheels on the rear axle (like the TNT) needs the third added, in my opinion. Any sled with studs needs the fourth. That’s my opinion.
As for the extra idler wheels (not on the rear axle) then we have a different situation. Again it is a cost thing for the OEM, but also a weight thing. Yes, they hurt rolling resistance, to the tune of about 2 mph typically, and yes they help greatly with reducing hyfax wear. These should be installed on any sled that will see high miles or where hyfax wear is an issue. It really depends on the snow conditions, mountain guys will take them all off and never have a problem until the spring where the snow gets hard, then they fry the hyfax. In good snow you really don’t need them, but when the snow gets hard they are really going to save your hyfax.
November 10, 2009
Dear Ralph:
I’ve got a 2002 Yamaha SX Viper and I threw the chain on it last winter. It wasn’t pretty, and I was shocked that it happened. Do you think the chain or gears were bad, or was it simply a matter of ignorance (I had tensioned the chain back when it had about 1,000 miles on it, but not since then).
Danny Wussem
Duluth, MN
That’s a bummer when you throw a chain. Usually it takes out the chaincase as well, and you will be getting a tow back to the trailer. I’ve only had it happen a couple of times over the years. One of them was on a Polaris Ultra, about 60-70 miles from the nearest anything, and yes, we had to tow it all the way back. That was on the first day of a week long ride, so I had to rent an Indy 500 to complete the ride that week.
Generally, drive chain failure and gear damage is due to improper chain tension and lack of maintenance. There will be cases with modified sleds where the power being applied exceeds the load capacity of the chain for a given width and design, but in your case it is pretty much a matter of a lack of maintenance. Add to this the loads applied if your track is spinning and then catches something and SNAP, something has to give. Especially on a sled that is studded.
Studies show that over one half of drive chain failures occur after 1,000 miles, so this tells us it is a matter of maintenance and not weak or defective chains. As indicated in most every service and owner’s manual I’ve ever examined, the chaincase oil should be changed at least once per season, ideally at the end of the season. Don’t just drain the oil through the drain plug and pour in the new, you should remove the silencer and chaincase cover to visually and physically inspect the chain and gears. Look for damaged link plates and/or excessive wear on the gear teeth. Each chain also has a wear limit as for stretching, this should also be measured if the chain has high miles on it.
But you and I know it was more a matter of chain tension than anything else. Sure, the chain might stretch more with no lube changes, but flat out ignoring the chain tension and letting it slap around in there is going to catch up with you. Most service and owner’s manuals are going to detail this procedure for you, but the rule of thumb is to finger tighten the tensioner and secure the lock nut. Some riders will even back the adjuster off just ever so slightly after reaching finger-tight so as to not place undue stress on the bearings, which occurs if the chain is too tight. You want a small amount of slack in there, not too tight, but not loose by any means.
Always inspect the cover gasket when putting it all back together, and clean the sealing surfaces of the gasket and the matching surface on the chaincase. Make sure the gasket isn’t pinched or folded, or you will be fighting a leak. Add the specified amount of chaincase oil and do it again next season, or after the next 2,000 miles. I like to check the chain adjuster tension after 1,000 miles of hard riding.
November 10, 2009
Dear Ralph:
I own a 2009 Ski-Doo MXZ Renegade. I’ve had what seems to be a continuous problem with the antifreeze level and leaking since my first ride. The leaking was due to the hose clamps on the heat exchanger and bottle. This was taken care of by the dealer, but I found that they only replaced some of this style of clamps that was leaking. When confronted, they said that they changed clamps as per Ski-Doo. The dealer also informed me to only fill the antifreeze bottle level to the seam (when machine is cold) because if you fill to the cold line it will dump out of the over flow when the sled gets warm. The only problem is if you fill to the seam and run the machine and let cool down the bottle shows no coolant. When you burp the cap the coolant level rises to the seam. The dealer asked the factory and they said this was normal. Any suggestions before my sled goes out of warranty?
Ken Kradle
Eagan, MN
You should be fine, here’s why. Ski-Doo did produce a service bulletin for their dealers last spring explaining how to pressure test the cooling system and about the clamps that might need to be replaced.
Why not replace all of this style of clamp? On the 2009 models Ski-Doo changed suppliers of some of the coolant hoses and they varied on the outside diameter. Because of this variation, the “Oetiker” clamps used on the assembly line (because they are fool/idiot proof) did not always seal correctly. To remedy this, more familiar gear-style hose clamps were used by the dealer to compensate for and seal the slightly smaller hoses.
So, some of these newer hoses that are smaller on the O.D. may leak. The other hoses that were not changed to the new supplier have had no leakage issues. Your dealer was correct in that not all of the Oetiker clamps need to be replaced. On those that were changed, gear-style clamps were used for the dealer fix.
For 2010, the sleds have hoses with very specific specifications for both the inside diameter and outside diameter. Problem solved.
As for how far to fill the coolant bottle; if you fill it too much it will purge itself to it’s own level. It is an expansion/ overflow bottle. If you choose to fill it to the seam or the cold line is really your prerogative. The seam will be fine, and when there is
pressure in the system you might not see the coolant. Remember, as the system
cools down the pressure drops and the coolant comes back up. This is an indication there is a small amount of air in the cooling system. It won’t hurt anything. As long as the coolant isn’t leaking anymore, drive the sled, have fun and stop worrying. I am confident your problems are resolved.
September 1, 2009
Dear Ralph:
Now that crude oil prices are down below $40 per barrel, I’m trying to figure out why we’re still paying such high prices for injection oil. I complained to my dealer, and he told me it wouldn’t be going down anytime soon, but just the opposite; he had received word that the oil prices would instead be going up! I think we’re getting hosed. What do you think?
Darnel Henry
Washington
Doesn’t make much sense now does it. I have heard the same thing, that oil-based products will be going up, not down. The reason? Unlike crude oil prices, which have fallen significantly, the prices of the commodity chemicals used to make our oil-based products continue to rise. You know as well as I do that they’re not going to take a loss, so if this is true then we will all likely be paying higher prices not only for injection oil but any type of processed lubricants.
January 2, 2009
Dear Ralph:
Tell us again what kind of stuff you have found to be the better method of cleaning bright colored belly pans of soil marks and the exhaust residue. I know you’ve tried like twenty different things over the years, what do you grab now when you need to clean up a yellow Ski-Doo?
Phillip T.
Oregon
Funny, I still use a couple different products, depending on the exact sled and type of crap I’m trying to get rid of. The single best cleaner for belly pans is the “Belly Pan Cleaner & Degreaser” from Sled Brite, or Bio-Kleen Products of Kalamazoo, Michigan (www.sledbrite.com or 800-240-5536). It easily dissolves the clutch dust and crap in the clutch area, emulsifies grease and oils, and safely removes the carbon deposits (oil residue) from the bright colored belly pans. Safely is key here, as any time you work with a solvent some of it is absorbed into your skin, so while good old butane lighter fluid cleans great, it is nasty stuff to be absorbing into your skin and inhaling. The products from Sled Brite are designed for what we use them for, so they’re way safer to use. We’ve tried several of the various cleaners (like their “Aluma Kleen” aluminum cleaner) from Sled Brite, and really like them, so we can recommend them with confidence. They’re priced fairly as well, and they seem to be great to work with.
January 2, 2009
Dear Ralph:
How do you propose keeping gear from getting wet? I’m referring to the stuff we pack into the trunk of a sled, or into a gear bag on the back of the sled. It seems like we always have our stuff getting soaked by the end of the day. You seem to know it all, so please share some of your wisdom with us!
Jarred H.
Minnesota
We have noticed a huge difference in how some sleds get gear wet, and how some seem to do a better job at keeping it all dry. Some of this depends on the snow skirts and how the snow is channeled around the back of the sled, and some of it has to do with the sealing (if there is any) of the storage compartment. I know some riders have resorted to creating their own seals to better seal the storage trunk, using things like rubber weather striping or foam strips to help reduce the water ingestion.
Since we pretty much ride a different sled most every day of the winter, we tend to resort to good old Ziplock bags, and prefer the thicker freezer ones to prevent punctures. Especially for our spare gloves, we put them in the bag and squeeze out all of the air so they are flatter and take up less space. Quarts and gallons are a staple in our tow rig and ride locations.
For larger amounts of gear, we simply grab a plastic garbage sack, usually a kitchen or bathroom size, and put out stuff in there to keep it dry. Crude, but effective. Pay attention to the mill thickness of the bags when you buy them, thicker ones cost more but can last for ride after ride, where the thin ones will puncture just by looking at them (that’s a joke). It’s not like anyone is making custom-fit Gore-Tex gear bags that fit nicely into each sled’s storage compartment (and why not?). Nylon bags get saturated after time, and unless the zipper is a good sealing version the moisture goes right through the zippers as well. One of the best ones is the big black trunk that fits on top of the tunnel on the Ski-Doo XP models, we found it to be water resistant and a team favorite because it was so huge and easy to get stuff into and out of. They call it a “MX Z Tunnel Bag Semi-Rigid” at your Ski-Doo dealer, ask for part number #280 000 298 (don’t even bother with the “soft” bag #280 000 339). Every XP should have either this bag or a gas tank (not for you, for your buddy that runs out of gas before you do)!
January 2, 2009
Dear Ralph:
We’re going to put you on the spot here. Since you guys ride all of the new sleds every year, and have a fleet of current stuff that you get thousands and thousands of miles on, you get to see and try more stuff in one season that most of us get to try in several years. Your magazine is clearly being written by people who spend the entire winter on a sled. Of course, that’s why we like your magazine, because you tell us what your guys think about everything. To the point – what do you believe is the best overall track for a trail sled? What do you use, and why? Thanks Ralph, and keep up the good work!
Mike L.
Pinehurst, MN
Best trail track. Hmmm. We would have to qualify that some, like studded or not studded, and packed snow, loose snow, or simply one track fro the widest range of conditions. Forced to choose, I would say the Camoplast RipSaw is deserving of the reputation it has because of how well it works across a wide set of conditions. Now we can add to that the single-ply version, as this should now be available after the one-year exclusive that Ski-Doo had on the technology.
If the snow conditions on the trail are more loose snow or fresh snow, then the new Camoplast Cobra track is really a better option. Straight line performance is great, and it hooks up better in the fresh snow, so for the U.P. (or any of the Great Lake snow belts) that would be the better track on more days with all of the lake effect snow on the trails.
But later in the season when the trails get hard and fast, the lower lug Camoplast Hacksaw (1” lug height) is really the faster track and better suited for hard snow and hyfax lubrication. I also prefer the lower lugs for studding, as shorter studs weigh less and don’t pull on the track so hard (think of the stud length and leverage applied). I won’t even consider anything under 1” lug height unless we’re talking lice racing or a low powered sled. Any of the current machines should have at least a 1” track, like all of those Yamahas with the hard tracks from the late 90′s, get rid of them and install a new Hacksaw or RipSaw and hang on!
All of these tracks have been in the short track mindset. If we go to a 136” or 144” sled that is used both on trail and off trail, then the Cobra would be the better option for the variety of conditions. If that sled is used as a trail cruiser, then I’d say the RipSaw would be the better all around choice. Nobody complains about the RipSaw in terms of top speed, it is usually not tall enough for the fresh snow. We’ve used the RipSaw 1.5”, and that works good in fresh snow and deeper off trail use, but is really a handful on hard packed trails. You have to have the right sled, right rider and right conditions to make that the best choice.
If we’re talking trails out west, then a 1.5” lug height or a 1.75” is a better option than any of the taller lugs that are designed to perform off trail. We really like the Camoplast 1.5” Cross County track, as this has found its way into quite a few 144” sleds that are built for the areas that are not quite all-out mountain areas, but have enough deep snow on a frequent basis that we want a track that can survive trail use, but really works good if you get a foot of fresh. That track would be my choice for the ultimate crossover sled, but that’s me. You asked!
January 2, 2009
Dear Ralph:
Help settle an argument – how much does the windshield effect top speed of a sled? Thanks!
John D.
Indiana
Actually by quite a bit, many miles per hour in fact. It is all about wind resistance and frontal area being presented to the air and the friction it creates. There is going to be a break point for each sled, as you have to take the rider into account as well. Generally, the lower the windshield the faster the sled will be, and the lower to the ground the sled is the faster it will be as well. Sleds that sit tall have a lot of surface area facing forward, adding the belly pan to the hood and windshield. But, with a super low windshield, the rider is going to catch more air, so how far they can duck or crouch is going to play into it as well. On some sleds, a slightly taller windshield might help as it will catch less air than the rider will behind a super short windshield, but again, the lower the faster. Often you will find old sleds that sit lower to the ground are faster than new ones that sit taller, with similar horsepower. That’s one reason why the old ZR 800s and ZR 900 are so stinking fast, to this day, especially ones with out the Diamond Drive. And that’s why the Mach Z 1000 sat lower to the ground, it was meant to be a speed machine, not a bump sled, but some guys couldn’t figure that one out and wanted a (heavy) 1000 with a bump suspension (silly, huh?)
Another thing to consider is the air being caught under the hood. Forward facing ducts catch a lot of air, and if that air can’t get out the back of the hood or engine compartment, it is acting like a wind sail, or like holding a bucket up in the wind. The air has to move freely through the engine compartment, or it is slowing you down as well.
January 2, 2009
Dear Ralph:
I have a 2003 Arctic Cat Firecat 700 EFI Sno Pro that has a switch for Regular or Ethanol fuel. My question is if I have a tank of Regular gas and burn up half of it and then add gas with Ethanol in it (so I have half and half) do I need to flip the switch to Ethanol? Can I hurt the motor without ever switching?
Terry Williams
Superior, WI
Well, depends on who you ask. I’m sure your Arctic Cat dealer would tell you to flip the switch (or use the jumper plug) when you have a full tank of Ethanol. I don’t think it matters much if you had the half and half scenario you suggest. That being said, we have run every single one of our Cats at the Regular setting here in Minnesota for as many years as I can remember and have never had an issue with it. Never. Sure, we busted stuff, but never has it been a lean burn down attributed to not having the jumper or switch set properly.
It also depends on your exact set-up, to a degree. If the sled is bone stock, the switch gives you some extra fuel to add a margin of safety. Nobody wants a sled to quit running when you’re ten miles from a road, or fifty miles from your trailer, or further. We know that ethanol is the fuel leans the mixture, so anytime you are running hard and the sled might need a little more fuel to keep the piston crown cool, using the jumper is a good idea. Wet, heavy snow? You might want to sue the jumper. Long, hard pulls? Same deal. Questionable fuel, like at that resort on the lake in the middle of nowhere in late December, likely selling left over boat gas from September? Use the switch. Some engine mods added that might make it run leaner and stronger? You should get the idea. The switch and jumper are a safety feature, and helps keep the engine protected if you should hold the throttle at the same midrange position for three miles and melt a piston during the warranty period when using ethanol fuel. All that being said, we have NEVER used the ethanol switch or jumper, as we’re always trying to find the limits. So, if you burn your sled up, don’t come looking for us!
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