c/atv-snowmobile-chat

Thought the guys in my riding group were crazy about track studs until I hit glare ice on my 2018 Renegade near Lake Placid last weekend

I always ran stock tracks, figured it was fine. Last Saturday I came around a corner on a frozen-over stretch and went sliding sideways toward a snowbank. Barely missed it. Stopped at the gas station after and two of the guys had their stud kits with them. Talked me into putting a set on right there in the parking lot. Night and day difference on the way back. Has anyone else had a close call that made you change your setup? What stud pattern do you run for mixed trail conditions?

2 comments

oliver_fisher•1d ago

Old timer told me to ditch my belt tension gauge on my 2019 Ski-Doo

I used to always check belt tension with a gauge before every ride. Last winter a guy named Al at the gas station in Ely, Minnesota said I was overthinking it. He showed me his method: set the belt deflection by feel with a thumb push on the middle of the belt. I tried it on my 2019 Ski-Doo and after 400 miles I had way less clutch heat and the belt looked perfect. Now I only use the gauge for a baseline and do the thumb test before every trip. Anyone else run into old tricks that work better than the book says?

2 comments

elizabeth_ramirez•3d ago

Just compared two trail riding approaches this weekend and one was way better

I tried running my Arctic Cat on a groomed trail vs a muddy backwoods path near Lake George on Saturday (about 8 miles each). The groomed trail was smooth sailing but the mud path chewed up my belt after 3 miles. Has anyone else found that sticking to maintained trails keeps your machine running cooler?

2 comments

anna567•3d ago

Shoutout to the guy who flagged me down on the Bitterroot trail last weekend

I was out near Hamilton, Montana on a muddy section of trail and my wheeler started bogging down bad. This older fella on a Polaris Sportsman waved me over and showed me my clutch belt was glazed over. Had a spare in his pack too. Would have been stuck out there for hours if he didn't stop. Anyone else run into random trail help like that?

2 comments

michaeljones•6d ago

Finally got my old Arctic Cat to start after 3 months of tinkering...

I got this 2004 Arctic Cat 400 that I picked up from a guy outside of Muskegon last fall. It ran okay for a bit then just died on me one afternoon. I swear I went through the carb like 4 times, cleaned every jet, replaced the fuel lines, even put a new battery in it. Nothing worked until I actually checked the pickup coil resistance last weekend... it was way out of spec. I got a used one off eBay for like 35 bucks and swapped it in Thursday night. Fired up on the second pull and idled smooth for the first time in months. Felt like a real win after all that frustration. Has anyone else had electrical gremlins that drove them crazy on these older machines?

2 comments

robert_rodriguez66•7d ago

Three seasons of fighting with my sled till a mechanic pointed out my carb was set wrong

I've been messing with my 2015 Skidoo for like 3 winters, blaming bad fuel and crappy spark plugs for why it bogged down every time I hit deep powder. Last month at a trailside stop in Grayling, an old guy just walks over, listens to it idle for ten seconds, and says 'your pilot screw is three turns out too far, buddy'. Has anyone else had one simple fix make them feel like an idiot for months?

2 comments

wendygrant•9d ago

Blew $400 on a heated visor insert that fogged up worse than my old $20 fog-destroyer cloth.

Bought the thing off a buddy's recommendation up in Traverse City last winter, but after 3 rides I ripped it out and went back to wiping my shield with dish soap like a hillbilly - anyone else find those electric visors to be a total waste or did I just get a dud?

2 comments

wendygrant•11d ago

The old way vs new way of packing snowmobile gear for long trips

I used to just throw everything in a big duffel bag, tools, clothes, spare parts all mixed together. Then last winter on a 3 day trip to the UP, I spent 45 minutes digging for a spark plug in a snowbank at 10pm. Now I use those clear plastic bins from Target, one for tools, one for clothes, one for emergency stuff. Took me way too long to realize how much time I was wasting. Anyone else switched to a system like this, or do you still just toss it all in a sled bag?

2 comments

carr.brian•12d ago

That Polaris belt snapped mid-trail and left me stranded for 3 hours

Was riding up near Brainerd last Saturday and about 15 miles in, the drive belt just shredded. No warning, just a loud pop and then nothing. Had to call a buddy with a truck to come haul me out cause I didn't bring a spare. Anyone else had the newer model belts fail way faster than they should?

2 comments

the_julia•14d ago

Unpopular opinion: my sled's belt blew 10 miles out on the trail near Skagway last week and I'm kinda glad it happened

Had to limp back on an older spare belt I keep stashed in the tunnel bag, and honestly it forced me to check my clutch alignment which was way off. Anyone else find that a breakdown saves them from a bigger repair later?

2 comments

jennyh55•16d ago

Just got back from Hatfield-McCoy trails and I think the hype is overblown

Went to the Hatfield-McCoy trail system in West Virginia last weekend with my buddy and his group. Everyone raves about how it's the best riding in the east, but I spent half the time stuck behind slow rental groups on single track. The main connector trails were so washed out from the rain that my sled bottomed out 3 times in one mile. Am I missing something or did anyone else find it way too crowded for what it's supposed to be?

2 comments

oliver_anderson•17d ago

Spent 4 hours chasing a no-start on my 2016 Polaris Sportsman

Turns out it was just a corroded ground wire behind the battery box - not the starter solenoid I replaced first. Anyone else waste a whole Saturday on something that simple?

2 comments

dylan_thompson•19d ago

Old timer at the trailhead told me I was running my sled wrong

I was at the Moose Lake staging area last Saturday airing down my tires and this guy in his 70s walks over and says I'm killing my belt by not letting the clutch warm up before hammering it. He showed me this little ritual of idling for 2 minutes then easing into the throttle for the first mile. Has anyone else had some random stranger drop knowledge that actually changed how you ride?

2 comments

ivanjones•21d ago

Blew a belt on my Polaris last Saturday and the whole ride fell apart...

After 4 seasons of never changing that drive belt, I swapped it for a new Gates belt and my sled pulls way harder up the hills now, has anyone else noticed how much difference a fresh belt makes on the trail?

2 comments

viola_butler•22d ago

Warning: Deep mud hole on the Baker Lake trail caught me off guard

I was riding my ATV out near Baker Lake last Saturday. Came around a corner and hit a hidden mud hole that was way deeper than it looked. My front tires sank up to the axles before I could stop. Had to winch myself out using a tree about 20 feet back, took a solid 45 minutes. Anyone else run into sneaky deep holes on that trail system?

2 comments

patp79•23d ago

3 inches of ice dam water in my shop stall last month

My Polaris 550 fan cooled decided to eat its own belt right as I was pulling out of the drive. That was bad enough but I left it in the shop stall for three days while I ordered parts. Turns out my roof gutters backed up and melted ice ran right under the door. Ended up with water up past the tires and a soggy shop floor. Spent a whole Saturday with a shop vac and fans plus replaced the belt. Anyone else get their sled soaked while it was just sitting there?

2 comments

dylan_thompson•23d ago

Putting a 2 inch exhaust tip on my 2005 Grizzly did almost nothing

I thought slapping on a bigger exhaust tip would make my quad sound meaner and maybe free up some power. Bought one off Amazon for like 35 bucks and bolted it on in 10 minutes. Thing is, it actually made the engine bog down on the low end when I hit the trails near Pine Valley last weekend. My buddy with the same machine just laughed and told me I needed to rejet the carb if I mess with airflow. So now I'm sitting here with a loud but gutless ATV and I learned that cheap bolt on parts ain't worth the hassle. Has anyone else had to undo a mod because it just made things worse?

2 comments

thea704•1mo ago

Discovered that tilting my snowmobile skis slightly forward stops darting on packed trails

I've been fighting with my sled wandering all over hardpack trails for two years now. Tried different carbides, messed with ski pressure, even swapped to a different set of skis. Nothing worked great until a guy at the local shop in Brainerd told me to try shimming the rear of the ski mount just a hair. I cut a 2mm plastic shim and stuck it between the rubber bumper and the ski. That tiny tilt forward made the skis bite into the trail instead of riding on top. No more white knuckle steering at 40 mph. Has anyone else played with ski angle on a Polaris or do you just throw money at carbides?

2 comments

kim_martin•1mo ago

Fixed my ski carbides 3 times in one season and I'm done with it

Bent another set of Ski-Doo carbides on a rock last weekend up near Traverse City. That's the third pair this winter and I'm sick of replacing them after every half decent ride. I even dropped $120 on the supposedly tougher Snow Stud brand this time and they still folded like paper. Anybody found a carbide that actually holds up to trail debris or am I just asking too much?

3 comments

the_drew•1mo ago

That one trick with the idle screw saved my trip last weekend

Was out on the trails near Big Bear and my sled kept dying every time I let off the throttle. Tried cleaning the carb, checking the fuel line, nothing worked. Then this old guy rolls up on a beat up Polaris and tells me to just turn the idle screw a half turn. Fixed it in 30 seconds and I got another 4 hours of riding in. Anyone else ever had a simple carb adjustment save their whole day?

2 comments

diana155•1mo ago

Talked to a trapper about winter track maintenance

I was out riding last weekend near Grand Rapids and stopped to chat with this old guy running a trap line on a beat-up 2001 Polaris. He told me he never replaces his track until he sees cords showing because he says extra weight slows you down in deep snow. Made me wonder if I've been swapping tracks too early on my sled.

2 comments

viola_butler•1mo ago

Hot take: I used to think stud finders were useless. Now I won't touch a wall without one.

Back when I started riding trails and building my own ramps, I'd just eyeball it and hope I hit a stud. That worked fine for about 2 years until I hung a heavy cargo rack and it ripped clean out of the drywall. I switched to a decent stud finder after that, a basic $25 one from Home Depot. Now I check every time I mount anything, from a winch bracket to a new shelf in the garage. Has anyone else had a project fail because they skipped the basics?

2 comments

abbychen•1mo ago

Saw something wild on the trails near Eagle River last weekend

I was riding up near Eagle River last Saturday and noticed this group of guys on vintage sleds from the 80s. They were running old Arctic Cats and Skidoos that looked like they just came off the showroom floor. One of them told me he's been restoring these things for 15 years and only takes them out twice a season. It got me thinking about how much work goes into keeping old machines alive versus just buying something newer. Has anyone else come across a big group of vintage sleds on the trails like that?

2 comments

burns.richard•1mo ago

Rant: That guy at the gas station who laughed at my worn out track

He pointed at my ripped lugs near Lake George last fall and said I was gonna get stranded before noon, and sure enough I snapped a drive belt 3 miles into the trail because the track slippage cooked it.

3 comments

the_betty•1mo ago

Watch out for that mud pit on Trail 6 near Eagle River

I was out riding last Saturday on Trail 6 just north of Eagle River and almost got stuck in a huge mud hole that wasn't there a month ago. It's right after the big oak tree where the trail bends left, maybe 30 feet wide and deep enough to swallow a tire. Three guys on SxSs were already pulled over trying to winch one out when I rolled up. Nobody posted about it on the local FB group yet, so I figured I'd give a heads up here. Have you guys seen any other new sinkholes pop up on that side of the trail system?

3 comments