Rant: Talked to a trail guide in Jackson Hole and now I feel dumb about my chain maintenance

I was out in Jackson Hole last weekend swapping stories with this old guide who's been running snowmobiles for 20 years. He asked how often I lube my chain and I said every 500 miles like the manual says. He just laughed and told me he does it every trip and shows me his chain that had zero rust after 3 seasons. Now I'm thinking I've been running my sled with borderline neglect for 2 years. Anybody else ever get called out by someone who just knows better?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmam6714d ago

Wait, did you see that test where they compared chains lubed every 200 miles versus 500 miles? I read this thing from a Utah shop that ran a whole season of heavy riding and the 200-mile chains barely wore down. The 500-mile ones had some rust starting and needed adjustment way sooner. I think that old guide's approach makes sense if you're riding in wet snow or slush, because water gets in there fast and that's what eats chains. I started doing mine every 250 miles (basically after every big weekend) and my current chain has zero issues after two years. You probably weren't totally neglecting it but 500 miles is really just a minimum for perfect conditions, not real-world riding.

the_wyatt13d ago

Hang on though, that Utah shop test is a good reference but 200 mile intervals in wet snow might not be quite the same as what you're doing. Water and slush are the real chain killers for sure, but the guide's point was probably more about religious washing and drying after each ride, not just adding more lube. I clean my chain with a rag and spray every 250 miles too, but if I don't dry it off completely after a day in wet snow, the lube just traps moisture against the metal. The old guy probably had a system where he wiped down the chain and re-lubed fresh every trip, which is way different than just spraying more junk on top of a wet chain.