Hardcore Sledder banner

Tore up my sled a little this weekend

3K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  redxcr440 
#1 ·
I shreaded my track this weekend and f-ed up my tunnel kinda bad. I was riding the one-way trail near the Thunderbird in St Germain, WI and all of the sudden I started to hear a thump noise, so I stopped my sled and noticed my snowflap was shreaded and it was leaking a little coolant.
Well, I rode my sled the 2 miles home (figured the thumping was my snowflapping hitting the track lugs) and when I got home the right 3rd of my track and my snowflap was gone and the back of my sled's tunnel was pretty screwed up.
Oh well, I bought a tunnel for $200 and once Im ordering a track later this week, so its all good. My sled was getting due for a new track anyways.
We managed to find the right 3rd of the track that I lost, and it had a chunk of carbide tangled up in it Im guessing thats what caused the damage.
 
#9 ·
WOW, thats bad, sorry about that. But for future referance, you ussually cant hear your snowflap caught in your track. I can only imagien how much noise must of been comign from that incident? I would have thought Somethign a lot worse then your snowflap getting stuck!!!
 
#10 ·
Last year the track on my Indy Trail ripped apart and it is a LOUD THUMPING noise, I didnt dare go over 30 MPH on the way back to the truck. It was funny though I heard, and felt it, going about 50 MPH and looked back and chunks of the track were flying off and bouncing off of Crazier Cats sled. After that I just dismanteled the whole sled and junked most of it.

P.S. I was wondering what happened to my carbide. :beerchug:
 
#11 ·
Please give some more detail about the chunk of carbide, size, how the hell it could cause that damage, etc. Or, did the track that was in need of replacing just finally give up?[/b]
The runner stuck threw a few of the holes where the hyfax runs and pretty much shredded that part off.
 
#12 ·
WOW, thats bad, sorry about that. But for future referance, you ussually cant hear your snowflap caught in your track. I can only imagien how much noise must of been comign from that incident? I would have thought Somethign a lot worse then your snowflap getting stuck!!![/b]
I know I can hear everytime my flap gets sucked up on my pro x.
 
#14 ·
The runner stuck threw a few of the holes where the hyfax runs and pretty much shredded that part off.[/b]

Thats what I figured, just the wording "a chunk of carbide" didn't sound right. A firend tore up his atv a few years when he lodged a broken runner into the tire after going over a rocky section in the summer, but he stopped when he heard the noise, no major damage like that, just the tire and some deep scratches.

Sorry to hear but in he future, loud noises usually mean stop, expensive lesson.
 
#19 ·
I was doing about 50 mph over some huge stutter bumps when the track started thumping and I got it shut down as quick as I could, but the damage was already done. Believe me, over the past few days I thought again and again about what I could have or should have done differently, but whats done is done.
I look at it this way, at least I didnt get hurt and the sled is still (mostly) in one piece.. A least the track didnt get tangled up inside the tunnel, lock up and cause me to roll the sled or wrap it around a tree. :dunno: Things could have ended up A LOT worse.
Today I ordered a 1.25" 121" Ripsaw from TracksUSA. Hopefully it will get here sometime next week and I can get my sled put back together. Ive also got a tunnel and heat exchangers from an '03 EDGE X, a Pro-X snowflap and all I really need now is a taillight lens, taillight light bulbs and the crossover hose that connects the heat exchangers.
I considered doing a 136" conversion and for where I ride I dont think a 136" is a good idea. I ride a lot of tight and twisty trails and that is one instance where a 136" is undesirable. Id rathar have the greater agility of a 121".
If I did more riding in the U.P. or did more long-distance rides Id probably go for a 136", but my favorite kind of riding is riding hard corner to corner and pounding the big bumps.
 
#22 ·
Man I hate when that happens..
I was rippen down a sled trail here behind my house and all of a sudden my Zzzz goes wacky tobacy on me. I bailed cause I was doing about 70 and my sled was cramming into a slide and the last thing I wanted was a high side- you know- the kind that gets you pile driven into into terra firma..
So after I shake off crash I look at my sled is alllllllll freeking tangled up in an old rusty set of be springs@!!! It took me over an 1 1/2 hour to get all the metal off my sled..
A couple years ago some weinie came out and dumped chancks of broken concrete in diferent areas on our trail. Our club had just groomed and the crete was white. It looked like perfect rippen stuff unitl you hit the edge of that crete and got sent into the oak trees... Friggin idiots, I sure would like to catch them up here..
Anothertime some guy came threw on drop piles of old shigles across the road in several locations. Stuff was full of nails and everyone in the area got flat tire out of it.... I call the DNR about that one but when they came out they were more interested in my bikes,sleds and quads then in catching the perps. I had a license number and all but they told me that they had to see them do it or they could do nothing....
It acrazy world out there for sure;;;;;;;
Ripper
 
#24 ·
I did the conversion from a 121" to 136" and could not be happier with my sled. I had the same concerns that you mention about the longer wheelbase of the sled on tight trails but I soon realized that it is simply not the case. I truely believe the sled handles as good or better in all conditions and would never go back to a 121". I wonder when do you get to a point where the sled is to long for trail riding, I would like to ride a Switchback for awhile to see if the 144" has a positive or negative effect on handling.

The only regret that I have is that I've had durability issues with my Ripsaw I have never torn a track in my life and in the first 500 mi on it I had 15 torn lugs. A friend that I ride with on almost every ride and I both did track swaps at the same time both Ripsaws, he now has 4000 mi on his with out problems. The first half of the season was very icy, He has a Pro-x 700 and went with a predrilled track and 120 studs down the center I have a Pro-x 600 and decided to try going without studs guess what never again, I will never not stud a track. The reason I did'nt stud in the first place was I was concerned about the extra rotating mass of going with the longer track and then adding studs on top of that I guess I was wrong.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top