121 to 144

[fldodge]

i`am going from 121 to 144 this summer with an extension kit from oft got the rail extensions on they look like a work of art , what do you guys think of putting an extra set of wheels on the extension itself it looks like a long section of rail there with no wheels ,i was thinking of useing a couple pioneer performance drop mounts to match the other wheel mounts i already have on i know its not necessary but would it hurt anything? what do you think.

 

[APEX 06]

Just put some wheels on the old axle point.

 

[Bradford]

I had a set of yamaha marginal snow wheels that I mounted as close as I could to where the extension starts to tilt up

A couple of things that I'll recommend. First off, because the extension changes the skid's geometry, you might find that your track will actually tighten as your suspension is compressed. At least that's what I found out the hard way... My track was actually going as tight as a banjo string before the skid would bottom out causing the skid to kick back, snapping both limiter straps on my first run. To figure out how loose I needed to adjust my track, I removed the springs (mine is a Proaction CK) and used a floor jack to completely bottom out the skid then adjusted the track until it was just getting tight. Turns out that I need to leave about 1.5" of sag. Obviously, extrovert drivers are a good idea.

The second thing that I'll recommend is replacing your drive shaft while you have everything apart if your sled has any amount of miles on it. I stretched my sled at about 8500 miles and broke the drive shaft at 10285 miles. Quite a few guys are breaking shafts around 8000 to 10000 miles

If I knew then what I know now, I would have saved myself the cost of two limiter straps, replacing all of my chain case bearings (due to filings), chain case cover gasket, replacing the reverse shifting fork, getting the drivers repressed on to the new drive shaft, 4 or 5 hours work and the embarrassment of getting towed first by a Doo (which over-heated) then by a 1 ton dualy with a Poo on the back... these things tow hard with a broken drive shaft!

Brad

 

[fldodge]

i was thinking about putting a set of the yamaha rear brackets that the long track apexs use on the rear of the tunnel and then i could mount a rear upper axle and wheel kit just the same as the ltx`s use the one thats mounted to the tunnel in the rear this should allow me to adjust my track to almost normal tension, then when the suspension is fully compressed it will actually provide some losseness in the track which will prevent any tension issues it hard to explain but if you look at the rear of an ltx the track returns up in the tunnel at a fairly steep angle comparred to the sleds with an extension kit installed it needs this sharp return angle to loosen up as the suspension gets near full compression. anyway that how my liitle mind is thinking any ideas?

 

[Bradford]

I like the idea of installing the upper wheels further back but that would only work if you have enough track adjustment to make up for the fact that moving the upper wheels back will tighten the track the same as moving the axle wheels back (unless you lower the upper wheels too). With mine, my axle is almost as far ahead as it can go so relocating the upper wheels would have required some other modification. I haven't bothered because I have had zero problems with the setup

Maybe someone else can ring in on what would be involved with relocating theses wheels?

Brad

 

[fldodge]

thats what i was wondering if i had enough track length to do that i will have to do the install then i will know one way or the other if the tracks not long enough i try it as is this winter thanks for the feedback

 

[Grimm]

If I were to do this mod, I'd replace the rear axle with a new one as suggested already. Then I would use the old axle as support for the 2 new idler wheels. I feel it is a better mount system than the regular idler wheel supports, which may cause the rails to bend...much stronger too.

 

[hereismylife]

I had a set of yamaha marginal snow wheels that I mounted as close as I could to where the extension starts to tilt up

A couple of things that I'll recommend. First off, because the extension changes the skid's geometry, you might find that your track will actually tighten as your suspension is compressed. At least that's what I found out the hard way... My track was actually going as tight as a banjo string before the skid would bottom out causing the skid to kick back, snapping both limiter straps on my first run. To figure out how loose I needed to adjust my track, I removed the springs (mine is a Proaction CK) and used a floor jack to completely bottom out the skid then adjusted the track until it was just getting tight. Turns out that I need to leave about 1.5" of sag. Obviously, extrovert drivers are a good idea.

The second thing that I'll recommend is replacing your drive shaft while you have everything apart if your sled has any amount of miles on it. I stretched my sled at about 8500 miles and broke the drive shaft at 10285 miles. Quite a few guys are breaking shafts around 8000 to 10000 miles

If I knew then what I know now, I would have saved myself the cost of two limiter straps, replacing all of my chain case bearings (due to filings), chain case cover gasket, replacing the reverse shifting fork, getting the drivers repressed on to the new drive shaft, 4 or 5 hours work and the embarrassment of getting towed first by a Doo (which over-heated) then by a 1 ton dualy with a Poo on the back... these things tow hard with a broken drive shaft!

Brad

What year Apex did you do this to?