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snowmobile question


GotOne

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My 15yr old son is looking at buying used machine. He is looking at a sno pro, pro x or an mxzx that have been converted to trail sled. All are 440's, 01 or 02 for pro x, snow pro and 03 or 04 for mxzx. Some have been re-built. What are are the pros and cons of buying either one of these. Thanks for your thoughts.

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All of them are going to be very picky about jetting. A Holtzman Tempa-Flow Will pretty much fix that. The suspension will be very stiff on all of them, unless the shocks have been revalved., so they won't be very comfortable if he is planning on trail riding. They require alot more maintenance than a trail sled. Small parts such as bushings are going to need to be replaced more often. Great sleds if he is an agressive rider and he (or you) like to do a little wrenching.. They are meant to be ridden standing up. Just my 2 cents.

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If I am wrong correct me on this. I believe your sleds listed are aircooled and it can get a little warm here in minnesota to ride an air cooled sled if he is lookin to get a light sled just get a little 500xc (polaris) they have great holeshot and thier made here in minnesota which is great for parts and service if needed.

just my 02 cents

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No they are not fan cooled sleds. I would steer him twards a 660 MXZX or Sno Pro. They will be just as fast and much more reliable. The 440s arnt really designed for alot of miles they are olny ment to last a couple races. If you get the same HP out of 440cc as 600cc which do you think is working harder to make that HP?

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I bought a 02' 440 sno pro crosscountry. (raced one season)

I use it for ditch riding. It is water cooled but not all of them are. Mine has a oil pump as well. Not all do and then you must add an oil pump or mix your fuel w/oil. They are set up to run a 50/50 mix of 110 and 92 octane mixture. I would'nt recommend it for a new rider. It is meant to be ridin aggressively. After rejetting and a neddle adjustment I can run straight 92 octane. The clutching is not set up for the trail unless you keep the rpm's up. I think the clutch engages at 4500 rpm. Great sled if you like a good work out and some big air. But not so good for puttin around. Also more maintenance, for example the exhaust valves need to be cleaned every 500 miles vs every 2000-3000 for a non-race sled.

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After having a bro in law and a friend buy snowcross sleds to use on the trails, I'd say NO WAY. Nothing but problems. I wouldn't recommended it to anyone that isn't thinking about racing.

Clutching problems, Jetting problems, Suspension, etc

They never seemed to be "stable" Something always needed to be tweeked or fixed.

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I gotta say I was in the same postion as your son. I was 15 years old when my folks bought me a MXZX that had been raced. And if I were you I'd stay away from it. The main reason is they take mixed gas which is a pain. Next reason is their high maintenance you have to adjust the crab alot, among other things. Oh and once your son gets a little older hes going to want something bigger, sure its fast for 440 but its still just a 440. I'd say get a 600. On a plus side they can really take a beating and are good for an aggessive rider that likes to stand up and ride, hit jumps, mogals. But if I had to do it all over again I'd get a MXZ 600 or bigger.

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Well, he has been bugging me for months about getting a sled. I told him I didn't want him buying it and he insisted on it. He called me at work and was bugging the [PoorWordUsage] out of me, so I said "buy the dang thing"-I'm sick of listening to it. It is a 2002, ProX, completely converted to a trail sled. It still burns mixed gas, which is a pain in the arse. Hopefully, it won't be too much upkeep. More importantly, hopefully he won't kill himself on it! I sold my sled several years ago and don't want another one. I only allowed him to buy a sled if he agreed that an adult was with him when he is riding it.

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Originally Posted By: Dozer
The 440s arnt really designed for alot of miles they are olny ment to last a couple races.

Wow you could not be more wrong. I have a 04 440 mxzx in the garage with 8000 miles on it. They last just as long as any other sled IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

So I dont know what I am doing? A 440 with 8000 miles on it is pretty out of the normal. A a 600 isnt at all and is actually expected to last that long. Thats my opinion take it for what you will.

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So I dont know what I am doing?

nope....

Race chasis are not only meant for a few races, they are built with more braces, better shocks, lighter parts etc. Cant really even compare them to a consumer chasis. I raced/wrenched on my snow cross sleds and NEVER HAD TO DISPOSE OF ONE AFTER A COUPLE RACES. There are lots of 440 race sleds out there with 1000's of miles on them.

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Race chasis are not only meant for a few races, they are built with more braces, better shocks, lighter parts etc. Cant really even compare them to a consumer chasis. I raced/wrenched on my snow cross sleds and NEVER HAD TO DISPOSE OF ONE AFTER A COUPLE RACES. There are lots of 440 race sleds out there with 1000's of miles on them.

I'm not calling anyone out either, or getting into a whizzing contest. Just curious if you have ever rebuilt the engine ? More than once ?

8000 miles is alot for any snowmobile.

Also, I know with Artic Cat sno-pro's there are often recall's, sometime serious ones, that a racer may ignore knowing they will not be keeping the sled for long.

Also (again) with Arctic Cat, a second, third, fourth, ect. buyer can go to the original place of purchase with the serial number and check to see if recall's where updated.

(Probley true with all makes)

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While I don't doubt the 440's race sleds can get a ton of miles racked up on them, I don't see the avg Joe buying one and just jumping on it and expecting them to get that many miles. But I could be more than wrong here....I have never owned a 440 so just my non-440 race sled opinion.

It just seems to me that in order to be able to get high miles on one of those setups would require a little knowledge (as previously mentioned). Can you plan on just jumping on the sled as is running mixed gas for the entire life of the engine with the high compression heads without doing anything other than standard maintenance? Does the 440 race engine require more jetting checks over a non-race setup, dependent on outside temps? To many I know changing jetting is not standard, nor is changing heads.

A standard 600 you would not have to worry as much about these things.....and I would expect they might be more reliable for the avg joe. But, again.....I could be wrong.

I feel I could reasonable expect this of a standard 600 though.

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I never said 440's don't need maintenance to last. The original post by Dozer said they are only meant to last a couple races, which 100% WRONG. Once a 440 is set-up properly it is very easy to keep it going. Depending on the year the heads may have to be changed which takes less than hour to do. Jetting is critical on the 440's but installing the tempa-flow will end all of the jetting issues plus the sled is always at right temp once the tempa-flow is dailed in. Next you have to change the clutching to make up for the power lost by running lower octane gas. There are baseline clutching charts for converted sleds all over the net. You can either add a oil pump or run mixed gas. I have ran mixed gas in my with no issues getting gas at the pump on the trail. Power mad makes nice oil caddys and you simply add 3oz oil to every gallon of gas put in. I have never had a issue with the gas not getting mixed well enough. Some riders also will want the shocks revalved so they are not so stiff. The 440 in my garage that has 8000 miles, I put new pistons/rings in last fall just for normal maintenance like I do every other sled regardless of the motor size.( the pistons had 6000 miles on them at the time and they looked brand new, I have pics of the rebuild if anybody wants to see them) To me it is very simple maintenance. If your not willing to spend some time setting up a sled then a 440 is not you. But DOZER saying 440's dont last is wrong.

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That's what I was thinking....probably not for the every day joe that just wants to hop on the sled and go without messing with it. No doubt you can get higher miles if you know what you are doing. I didn't read the first post that said that.

Me, I have not problems messing with things. Although I hope to never have to replace a nun again!!! I still love that Rev 440 to 800 conversion!! It would be sweet to have that setup with an 136" SC-5 out of a gade!

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