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Slides on an Apex GT

6K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  rockdoc 
#1 ·
Hi All,

I dropped my suspension to fix a broken wire for my electronic suspension adjust. While I had the skid off, I replaced the slides with a new graphic composite set. I took the sled out for a quick rip (about 6 mi) and noticed that one side was wore almost completely out and the other side was missing. Not sure if I was running too hard for the conditions (1/2" snow over ice on a river) and over heated the slides or not. Track alignment seem to be OK ( I measured the tensioners and they were even). The clips on the track are still in tact, but are slightly marked up.

Anyone have any ideas. What is the best brand of slides? How much is the marginnal condition kit worth and is it worth the money? Can I just back the track tensioners off and pull the remaining slide off?

I still can't believe I roasted the slides so quickly (although I did briefly take it up to 122 mph on the speedo :withstupid: ).

This is my 1st Yamaha so I really don't know much about them. Has anyone had this happen before. This was never an issue on my previous sleds. There were lots of sleds out on the river and I assume that no one was burining their slides off. However, my temperature light did come on once while I has limping the machine home.

Please help
 
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#3 ·
It's the ripsaw track,the 3rd window is closed and track is not fully clipped. We looked at the wheel kit but gonna cost about 100 dollars a set. We are gonna put on the SLP anti-wear pads first, these bolt onto the 3 rd window,so the rubber doesn't cause friction on the slides,when they get dry. We changed the slides on two of our three Yamahas this year,we have the 136 inch track. The wire problem for your shock control is common when ice weighs it down.If you decide to stud your sled,the tunnel protectors have to be lowered or added to. My Polaris edge and Classic sleds don't have as much slide wear as my Yamaha. Even SRX's have a wear problem until you add the wheel kit. I do like the range of milage between fill ups compared to my other sleds. We also check the snow before we ride,late at nite and early am the snow can be to dry to lube the slides and cool the heat exchangers. plowking
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the advice. I'll try backing the tension off little and rebuff the clips with a dremmel to ensure there are no burs to bit into the hyfax. At $60 a pop I really don't want to do this again.

2" seems pretty loose, but I'll give it try.

What about the big wheel kit...what does that do?
 
#5 ·
I won't run the graphite slides for 2 reasons. They wear extremely fast and they are more money. You need to run your track loose, not to Yammi spec. I run 1" of sag and no racheting. I run studs with No protectors and it's ok as long as you don't bottom out. Fix has a marginal snow kit that the guys on TY run and claim very little wear. I put on the Poo wheels at $5.00 each, but had to machine my mounts to fit. That cost me a dinner. LOL No problems ever since. I also have the slp wear pads on.
I also went to colored slides as I can watch for wear if any. When I redid my suspension in fall, I put on a new set, as it was easy at the time, 800 miles and No wear. Good luck!
 
#6 ·
have 08 APEX LTX was having major slider wear installed a FIX middle/front wheel kits . you can roll the track over with one hand no drag at all cant belive the diffrence.went out last night for a try totally diffrent sled .just guilds along the trail with no problem.will get better gas milage 1-2 MPG I bet . these kits are a must try. if enyone is thinking getting a set go with UPS or FEDX mail takes way to long 2 weeks from USA to CAN. pay the extra I will next time.hope this helps will keep tabs on gas MPG getting 15.5 to 17.5 hope for 18. to 19. if it workes out will post at a later date. very easy to install total time 1 hour MAX.
 
#9 ·
Has anyone tried drilling 1/3" holes part way into the hyfax to hold ice? I read about it on Totally Yamaha. Apparently the holes hold ice for additional lubrication.

How much preload on the rear shock should run? I weigh 185 Ibs. I read that too much preload will wear your slides.

How much for the wheel kit?

Questions Questions Questions

I have so much to learn.
 
#12 ·
I won't run the graphite slides for 2 reasons. They wear extremely fast and they are more money. You need to run your track loose, not to Yammi spec. I run 1" of sag and no racheting. I run studs with No protectors and it's ok as long as you don't bottom out. Fix has a marginal snow kit that the guys on TY run and claim very little wear. I put on the Poo wheels at $5.00 each, but had to machine my mounts to fit. That cost me a dinner. LOL No problems ever since. I also have the slp wear pads on.
I also went to colored slides as I can watch for wear if any. When I redid my suspension in fall, I put on a new set, as it was easy at the time, 800 miles and No wear. Good luck![/b]
do they really wear out that fast because i put the graphite on my vector and from time to time i smell slides, i want to get 2000 out of these slides.. :summer_sucks:
 
#13 ·
I have an 08 apex LTX 40th I have about 4600km so far this season, only riding in near perfect conditions, and my slides are real thin right in the middle and still 3/4 thickness everywhere else middle boggies kit I'm sure would fix that problem, thanks. Anybody found and easier way to change the slides other that dropping the suspension, because the track widows are too small to pull the slides though??
 
#15 ·
I have an 08 apex LTX 40th I have about 4600km so far this season, only riding in near perfect conditions, and my slides are real thin right in the middle and still 3/4 thickness everywhere else middle boggies kit I'm sure would fix that problem, thanks. Anybody found and easier way to change the slides other that dropping the suspension, because the track widows are too small to pull the slides though??[/b]
all you do is pick 1 area that you cut with a razor knife and use this from now on, standard every body does it ,even yamaha dealers.. :thumbsup:
 
#16 ·
If you align the window you do not need to cut it open. I spay them with wd-40 and work thenm thru the windows. And yes to the graphite wearing faster. I had 2 sets on arctic cats same thing, premature wear. When I went to the standard slides? no more wear, same with my yammi. Before I did my wheels to poo's I wore out a set of graphites in 300 miles. The trails were marginal, but the vector that was with me didn't have that wear as I did. I also ran the track loose with the graphites and same thing. May be you will have better luck?
also I either hook the slides on the sides and tap them out so I can get a visegrip on them and pull or just use a torch, heat them and peel them from the slide rails, I think the later is faster.
 
#17 ·
It's the ripsaw track,the 3rd window is closed and track is not fully clipped. We looked at the wheel kit but gonna cost about 100 dollars a set. We are gonna put on the SLP anti-wear pads first, these bolt onto the 3 rd window,so the rubber doesn't cause friction on the slides,when they get dry. We changed the slides on two of our three Yamahas this year,we have the 136 inch track. The wire problem for your shock control is common when ice weighs it down.If you decide to stud your sled,the tunnel protectors have to be lowered or added to. We also check the snow before we ride,late at nite and early am the snow can be to dry to lube the slides and cool the heat exchangers. plowking[/b]
For the money, the SLP anti-wear pads are the best bang for the buck. I think they are about $40 and will take you about 90min to put on. After adding them to my Warrior hyfax life has increased significantly. You can actually tell by how easy it is to move the track after they are on that you have removed a major source of friction.

Another possibility is to add ice acratchers. They make ones that go on the skis or on the skid depending on the vendor. My only objection to them is you need to remember them before using reverse as they can get hung up sometimes.

Definitely look at your track tension and alignment. I have had Yammis for many years and their spec for track tension has remained unchanged - and it is too tight. When they went to the closed track, it made a bad situation worse. But you have to remember they tend to gear towards deep snow because that has traditionally been where they test - rather than the conditions in the East and Mid-west where most riding is on packed trails.
 
#22 ·
My Attak did the same wear pattern in the middle too and most of that came from the POS delaminated inside idlers in front of the back axle. After the second set of those bogies in 800 miles I finally got a set of Slydog bogies (solid urethane) and have not had one problem yet. They are a touch bigger and they don't wear down like the stock ones so the life of my hyfaxes after about 200-300 miles is like new. Except for the one I spit out the back yesterday after the screw broke in half. Didn't know it until today.
I would still suggest using stock hyfaxes though. I have yet to hear of anything actually working better for your money.
 
#24 ·
Hi All,

I dropped my suspension to fix a broken wire for my electronic suspension adjust. While I had the skid off, I replaced the slides with a new graphic composite set. I took the sled out for a quick rip (about 6 mi) and noticed that one side was wore almost completely out and the other side was missing. Not sure if I was running too hard for the conditions (1/2" snow over ice on a river) and over heated the slides or not. Track alignment seem to be OK ( I measured the tensioners and they were even). The clips on the track are still in tact, but are slightly marked up.

Anyone have any ideas. What is the best brand of slides? How much is the marginnal condition kit worth and is it worth the money? Can I just back the track tensioners off and pull the remaining slide off?

I still can't believe I roasted the slides so quickly (although I did briefly take it up to 122 mph on the speedo :withstupid: ).

This is my 1st Yamaha so I really don't know much about them. Has anyone had this happen before. This was never an issue on my previous sleds. There were lots of sleds out on the river and I assume that no one was burining their slides off. However, my temperature light did come on once while I has limping the machine home.

Please help[/b]
Did you forget to replace those obnoxious phillips heads screws at the front of the slide rails? Cuz theres no way a pair of slides wears out and or falls off in 6 miles unless you screwed something up. I don't know much about the mfg process, and whether you just got a bad or defective set, but that seems unlikely. I have 3000 miles on my graphite slides, and they're still mint.
 
#25 ·
It actually sheared the bolt right off. Lucky there was no damage. I think there might have been too much track tension. The slides basically melted off. This is the first machine that I have owned that has melted the hyfax. One of the guys I ride with thought that I might have been "blowing" the loose snow out of the way before the track when I was travelling at high speed. There was about 1" of snow over ice. No one else had this failure though. Someone in this tread mentoned that the rpsaw track is a "closed window" design. I can see how this design can cause problems in marginal conditions.

I polished all the clips lightly with a dremal and backed the tension to 1 7/8" delfection at 20 Ibs. The only thing I'm worried about now is the studs hitting the exhuast now that the track is so loose. I was surprised the track did not ratchet when I took it for a test run.

Can you get the tunnel protectors in without dropping the suspension?
 
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