Scratchers on 02' Polaris 500 XC XP

[Dbl]

Mounted some Duraflex scratchers on the rail in about the only place I could find. Moved the idler wheels to the inside of the rail. Not a ton of clearance in there but I bounced up and down on the suspension and it looks like it has no clearance issues. Anyone see any reason why this won't work?

[leech~~]

Dbl, I noticed you have not got any replies on this. I have never used them but thinking about it. Have you had a chance to try them yet and if so how did they work? Was wondering how the cable may work over the wire ones?

[Dbl]

Yeah, I've put about 500 miles on with this set up. First didn't hurt a thing to move the idler wheels inboard. No problem at all clearing the shock in there. Second why did I wait so long to use scratchers! I have the DuraFlex cable style as you can see in the photo and they work great! I installed a temp gauge so I could see what was actually going on with my temps and not rely on the overtemp light. I've also replaced the rails since that photo but I used the same mounting location.

First time out with the scratchers I ran in what I consider normal trail conditions, some lose snow on top of hard pack. The kind of conditions you would not even think about overtemping. I kept the scratchers up on the rails and my temps ran up to 165 to 170. As soon as I dropped the scratchers down within 30 seconds I was at 122. With scratchers down I run 122 to 127 depending on conditions. I ran some hard pack trails that would definitely result in an overheat in the past and I still ran 125 or so. The added benefit is the snow lubrication on the hyfax. Never smelled that burning plastic even at high speed on hard pack.

I like the idea of the cable scratchers, especially if you have reverse. Loading and unloading on a tilt trailer if you forget the scratchers are down, no big deal. I've seen a few mounted on the skis with the wire style which I thought might be a good solution as well.

[leech~~]

Thanks for the report. Do they fold up and stay hooked up to the rile pretty well when not in use? Also, do the have replacement tips for the ends?

[Dbl]

Yes they hook right up, I will take shot tomorrow so you can see how it looks, its sitting in my heated garage No way that I can see that they will jump off, the cable is VERY stiff and once you pull them up they stay put. Yes the tips are carbide and they are replaceable. In the 500 or so miles I've put on them I haven't really noticed much wear at all. Thats running some asphalt and concrete over bridges (Like 101 and 94 here in the metro). I've heard as much as 2,000 miles before changing ends but I am sure that is highly dependent on what type of conditions you are running in.

I think I paid $70 to $80 for the set and the replacement carbide tips are around $35.

[Dbl]

Scratcher in normal running position.

Scratcher hooked onto rail.

Wear on the carbide. I guess I'm really not seeing any after 500 miles.

[Meat-Run]

That's really cool thanks for sharing Dan.

MR