1996 polaris 500 skis grab ruts

[ratmn218]

problem is while trail riding, skis grab ruts and almost throws me off the machine.any adjustments i could make to help take some pressure off the skis?

[Macgyver55]

"Darting" is caused by a few things. Some of them you have control of, one you don't. The first being trail condition. Aside from that, too much ski pressure, determined by either the front shocks and/or the front shock on the rear suspension will cause it. Worn or loose suspension parts can magnify the problem too so make sure nothing is worn or loose before making any adjustments. Also "toe in" on the skis can also contribute to the problem. If both of these are correctly adjusted and it still does it, thats about all you can do short of buying a set of newer skis. I have the double runner style on mine and have very little darting but some amount of darting will occur at some time with most any sled under the right, (or should I say wrong conditions)

[ratmn218]

have been told of limiter strap, but dont know witch way to go to get less pressure on skis? im at longest setting right now.

[Macgyver55]

The limiter strap really isn't doing much while cruising down the trail. Its function is to limit how much the front part of the rear suspension is allowed to drop in deep snow, large bumps etc. The ski pressure is determined by the things I mentioned in the other post.

[ratmn218]

front shocks are set to softest setting, but looks like outside tie rod ends might have some play. could that be it? they cant be to costly to replace. i wouldnt think??????????it has plastic skis with easy steer carbides.have to try something!toe in or toe out?how much?

[Macgyver55]

Loose tie rods can surely cause darting. If the tie rod ends have play, it allows the toe adjustment to constantly keep changing while you are riding. Thats a bad thing! Additionally you certainly don't want one of them to let loose on a hard turn when they have the most pressure on them. Tie rods are cheap and simple to install. When changing them count the amount of turns it takes to remove them and put the new ones in the same amount. That will give you a pretty close starting point. A general toe adjustment on a sled is 1/8th inch toe-OUT. Yours may differ slightly from that but that is a good staring point. You could check a service manual or call a dealer for exact spec. Also see if your particular model requires the adjustment to be made with weight on the skis or hanging free. I've seen both ways used on different models. Once you have that adjustment made give it a try on the trail. If it is better great! If you still have some darting, bump the front shock on the rear susp up a notch and it should take some of the pressure off the skis and help some. Good luck!

I'm off to the trails now....gonna go chase my handlebars a few hundred miles.

[OldManSniper]

I bought a used '97 Polaris Indy Trail. Had same problem moving left/right in front.Played with shocks,front strap. Nothing helped until (after talking to a shop) put a set of after market dual carbide wear rods on. Friend of mine said many new machines have 2 carbides per ski which helps with the steering. This corrected almost all of my problem. I only have a problem on a real used, rutted trail. Run about $95 per pair. My wife can even handle machine easily.

[gizmoguy]

I second the dual runner fix. A set of dually's are worth the extra expence. It's all I'll ever buy from now on. And the ski toe. It should have a slight toe out when sitting at ride height. Use a bunge, between the ski tips, with a slight ammount of force when checking and adjusting the toe. It should be 1/8 to 1/4 wider 10" ahead of the of the spindels than 10" behind the spindels. Try to measure at the runner rather than the edge of the ski's.

[ratmn218]

who makes the dual carbide wear rods, is the price 95 per ski or 95 for set.

[OldManSniper]

It's $95 for a set of two. For each ski, the skag has 4 mounting bolts. There is one carbide on the main skag, then a flat piece of metal was welded onto one side and a second carbide is there. The carbides are only about 1 1/2" apart, and the outside carbide is longer. I think one was 8" long, the other 6". Can't remember the mfg, I'll try to find my box and post on 3/08. Kid ran the sled this week-end in soft(warm) trails and again handled great.

[fishnhooks]

ratmn218,

My 440 special was doing the same thing. It created a very insecure feeling while riding it. I played around with the ski pressure and all that too. Let me ask you this. How much play do you have on the handle bars before the ski's start turning with the handle bars? There should be very very little play. The more play the worse it can dart around. If you have alot of play, this could be your reason. If this is the case for you, let me know and I will try explain how I fixed it.

"hooks"

[ratmn218]

hooks, just measured slop in steering, i came up with about a half of an inch,outside tie rod ends look loose so i think i might start there.

[fishnhooks]

ratmn218,

I had to use washers as spacers on the steering arms under the hood, be sure to look for the slop there as well. (I would almost suspect that most of the slop is from under the hood.) I was told there was a kit you could buy to fix this but I guess not very many people knew about it. Under the hood was kind of hard to get to in order to fix, but it sure made a world of difference when it was done. If you want a better explaination let me know and I will try to do better (it has been a few years since it did it to mine). Good luck,

"hooks"

[OldManSniper]

The dual carbide skags are called "Tru Trak" runners made by Roetin Industries. [email protected] I bought them at a parts/service shop, I assume they are available about anywhere. Sorry it took so long. As others say, look over machine for other possible factors. I did that, didn't find anything, installed a set of these and been great since. Hope ya solve your problem.