Hey guys how is it going. I just got my new set of slydog skis with the 7.5 inch shaper bar on them today in the mail. first off how do you guys like them and think they will look on my sled. Second i talked to Brandon from SlyDog and he said that I should shave down the front of the shaper bar. have any of you guys had this issue. If so where exactly do i shave down and how much. there is a pic posted of the shaper bar he says that they will catch getting on trailers and stuff. third is on the little rubber piece of the ski does the thick side go forward or backward??

thanks guys here are the pics. sorry they are just a camera phone for right now.

this is the sled i will be putting them on!!!

The new skis!!!

and this is the point that he told me to shave down i believe

There is a long thread on this do a search. I bought the exact same set-up for my fuse and I put the big part to the rear even though they say put it to the front. My shapers did not catch on my trailer (Blizzard) I found that the front of the ski drops down if you mount the way they tell you.

thanks for the info

Also, the rail in the ski that the Shapers fit in is very narrow. The blobs of weld holding the studs to the bar will make the Shaper's not sit that well.

I ground these globs so the Shaper bars fit perfectly in the ski's. Only took a few minute's per bar with a bench mounted grinding wheel.

Heh - after bringing that memory back up - is this why I've had no issues with darting and such that a few others have ?

Anyone else do this ? If you don't, I can't see how the Shapers bars will be totally straight on the ski's.

yea i noticed when i tightened them down that the welds from the shaper bar bubbled out a bit. is this going to affect how the ski works????? I called Brandon at SlyDog and he said that it should not matter at all. ??? anyone else have an opinion

Of course I have an opnion and I stated it ! LOL.

Think about it - it's the running surface. It has to effect it. Think about your tires/suspension on car and bottom of a boat - anything in direct contact with the medium it rides on, will effect it.

It just takes a few minutes to grind of weld blob's so that the Shaper fits right in to the ski's.

I always vote to make things they way they where made to be.

To reiterate - it's not the 'blobs' we are worried about contacting the snow/ice , it's the fact they make the Shaper sit incorrectly on the ski that we are worried about. We want the ski bottom and Shaper to be installed as designed.

For future reference, and for other Slydog owners:

I ran Slydogs on a Yamaha Attak before I bought my Dragon, and I used Bergstrom triple points and ski savers with them. The combo was absolutely outstanding in all respects...with perfect fit. The ski savers helped the Slydog keels hold their shape and last much longer, as those of you with Slydogs know that they have an interesting pointed edge to their keels, which can easily be worn down over time, and very quickly in bad conditions. Much better to let the $10 ski savers take that abuse to protect the skis, and then throw them away/replace them each season.

Currently I'm running RMK gripper skis on my Switchback, again with Bergstrom triple points and ski savers. And again outstanding handling and wear in all conditions. I put about 1,800 miles on them last season, and I'll run them again next season as they still look hardly worn at all. Of couse this was a good snow year so all these wear items should be lasting longer than they did in past years...

As you can tell, I'm a big Bergstrom fan. No matter what skis you run, try 'em sometime! And if you're needing bars next season, he gives impressive "factory direct" discounts in the summer months, just call Scott Bergstrom and ask...he loves to talk snowmobiling and he works hard to earn your business. www.bergstromskegs.com

thanks guys

You can tapper the front of the shaper bar so it isn't such a flat edge sticking down from the ski out front. I did this on my first set but not my current set. I really didn't notice much difference. Grinding the access weld off from the stud should bring the bar up in the groove a little further. I am not sure how big of difference this makes other than maybe making the bar feel less aggressive. Kind of like going from a 3/8" host bar to a 1/2" host bar.

One thing I will be experimenting with this year is Bergstrom shims under the rubber grommet to get the contact point of the carbide balanced to the ground. I will be running 9" shapers with this set-up.

Please let me know if you have any questions or would like a quote on some Slydogs. I am a dealer.

Paul

i know that most guys run C&A wearbars on their Slydogs. i note that C&A has come out with "new" wearbars specs with the stud c/c dimensions different than the "old".

you have any insite on this???

timbo

I tried a pair of Slydogs last year on my Doo Renegade and could not get them to bite hard enough, I put 8" Bergstrom triple points, shimmed them, pulled the strap up one hole, etc! and I just couldn't get them to bite enough in the corners on hardpack trails. Iliked my Simmons better all around JMO.

C&A has had 2 different carbide bolt patterns for years. You just need to make sure you get the standard C&A Pro ones.