Crossing Sand

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Getting off and on the lake for me requires running up a sand bank of 30 feet or so. What sort of harm am I causing running across this?

Thanks in advance for advise.

[Guest]

Sand, dirt, gravel, etc.. will damage the slides. I don't think there is anything else to worry about when riding over sand.

Keep an eye on the slides (plastic runners that make contact with the track). If you see that it wore through, they need to be replaced. I had to install new slides on both of my sleds this season and it is not a fun job.

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CD:

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping that would be the worst thing I'm hurting...

[Guest]

supposedly gravel/sand wears down on your carbides the worst too.. but i dont think that little amount on it would do much damage if any to anything on your snowmobile.. your gonna have to replace the slides every season no matter what if you put many miles on it!!

[Guest]

Ohh ya, it takes some practice, but you can also take your slides off without taking out the suspension and loostening the track and all that jazz.. just line it up right and take out the little bolts, line it up and pull em off!! cut your slides to the same length as the ones you pulled off, and you should be in and outta the shop in about 15 mins! it is good to take out the suspension though at take a good look at all your bearings.. sand might take a toll on those i guess.. if they dont spin for awhile after you take your hand off em, they need to be replaced..

i think they are like 2 or 3$

[Guest]

I think you're full of it Gogblon! You show me how to change my slides without taking the suspension out....in 15 minutes!!

[stubby1]

I agree with gogblon Except for the fifteen minute thing. Ussually it'll take me about 45 minutes to an hour.Thats if all thing go good.

[Guest]

dead serious boys, havent done it myself personally, i always take out the suspension so i can check my bearings and grease things up.. but i have seen my uncle do it lighning fast.. no kidding

[Gissert]

I change my slides with the track on like Gogblon says. Keep in mind these are Polaris sleds, I can't vouch for other brands.

I tie a rope to the rear bumper, throw the rope over a rafter and lift the end of the sled off the ground.

Loosen up the track tension, and then take out the screw and bolt that holds the slide on. Then pry the slide loose starting at the front of the rail, and slide it out a track window. Once you get a bit of the slide protruding out the track window, grab it with a heavy pliers and pull it on out. When you put the new slides on, lube them with graphite or something slippery and they will go on a lot easier.

This method works on my 95 and 98 Polaris sleds anyway. One is a bit tougher to do this way, as the windows are smaller on the track.

[Guest]

Wow, would that have saved me 2 headaches this past winter. I have 2 Cats and I don't think this would work on my sleds because the slides are too wide to slip through a track window. I'll double check and see!

Regardless it was good to take the suspension out and inspect and lube. I found some minor repairs while it was out, but trying to put that sucker back together is a nightmare!

[Guest]

Ive seen it done on yamaha sleds too, older and brand new. i think theres a way around tearin the whole thing apart on all of em

[Guest]

never heard anything about the water. the times i saw it done, they just lifted up the back of the sled and got underneath it and rapped em out with a hammer and a screwdriver or somethin till it was out far enough to grab with somethin..
hot water makes sense though..

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Practice Catch & Release ---> The Future of Fishing Depends on YOU

[Guest]

I always change my slides through the track. Pour a bucket of HOT water over the slides and they break loose and come right out!!!

It's a huge time saver. I'd say 15 minutes a side would be more than enough.

PAPA BEAR

[lots of luck]

Cats work the same way...
Loosen track, remove nut at front of hy-fax, align window, grab with vice grips.

I like to take some of the leading edge off the new one ones with my hand grinder, makes installation much easier, lube, get started then, you may need to drive them home with hammer. 30 to 60 min.

P.s. you don't need a new set each season look at your manual for minimum wear width then change, you should be able to get a couple thousand miles out of a set, thats if you have proper track tension and you're not just grass dragging.

Think snow!!!

[Guest]

Ya, you dont need to do it every year, i do personally, because when i do ride, i put on alotta miles so they get used up..

ya- you need to cut the front and the back, i guess a hand grinder would work prime, if you dont cut off the front and back you hear a nifty ticking sound for the first few hundred miles!! like a 45 degree angle rather than the 90 that its factory cut at, just a little off the end!!

[Guest]

I think the hot water makes the plastic and the aluminum expand and contract, breaking the different materials apart.

Depending on where I ride and how much snow / ice there is, I usually get about 1000 miles out of a pair of hyfax.

My 2 cents.

[This message has been edited by PAPA BEAR (edited 05-27-2003).]

[SXViper]

On my 98 Yamaha, the slides were on so tight they would not move. I got the front loose and stuck it through one of the track windows. I then started up the sled and gave her gas. Shot the sucker right off. This seemed to work the best.

[Guest]

Hell ya. The hillbilly way. Just try $hit till it works!! lol. ive had to rig things this way many a time! ha ha. i've never seen them taken off through the front, its always been through the back, your way sounds interesting at the least though, if it didnt wreck anything!! I wouldn't mind to be there to see that! lol