2009 TF can I widen the ski stance an inch ?

[furg69]

Is there an adjustment by moving around the bushings or spacers in the skis of a TF ? It's really tippy look to gain in any area I can. Will try tightening the front straps also

 

[crossbowme]

I don't know if you can adjust it, but I have started looking for ski skins. The machine is fine on the trail but off trail in the snow it is very tippy. Don't go off trail often with it but when I do it acts like a surfboard and is as hard to handle.

 

[mooseflyer]

First: I'm no expert on anything snowmobile, suspension included. But I can read and research, and have done so.

I have an '06 Venture 'basic' that was very tippy (as you describe) when I bought it used in 2010. I've finally gotten it dialed in to where I like it. Namely: Ski shocks to soft, front skid spring to full soft, suspension block (soft/med/hard) to soft, and transfer to full. I don't have the opportunity to ride enough to really tweak things too much each year, but I'm happy with what I have now, which are the settings recommended on the forum numerous times for this model. I pulled the limiter strap to full up, then released it one hole and didn't notice much difference. FWIW, The wife and I combined on the 2-up are 300 lbs. I installed Studboy 6" carbides and Yami mountain skis which helped immensely with darting (if you're having that problem too). Much of the above may not matter to you though as you have a different chassis, however.....

Now that I have my '06 riding nicely, I went and bought a new 2013 TF this year and have to start all over! I like to ride off trail about 30% of the time, but I'm almost as unhappy with the handling of my '13 (even with the power steering) as I was with my '06 when I got it. Thankfully having been through this once before I won't panic. I assume the same adjustments I made to my '06 will benefit the TF, I just haven't had time to do them yet. i.e ski springs full soft (hang the nose of the sled from the ceiling joists and dial for zero spring play with skis in the air). Same with front skid shock, with track in the air. On my '06, the front skid shock to soft made the most difference in reducing the tippy feeling. I'll play with skis and carbides on my '13 after I've made the above adjustments.

So after my long winded diatribe which didn't actually answer your question: I don't know what skis came on your TF, but my '13 TF has mountain skis with spacers on each side which can be moved to either side to adjust the ski stance.

Hey BombaPolaYama, care to chime in? I've been meaning to post asking if you've found the sweet spot on your suspension set up, considering you're one of the only other TF owners I've seen on the forum....

 

[furg69]

Thanks for the info. I will be trying to dial it in soon. I took a look at my skis and it seems to have large spacers in the skis like the mountain sleds do. So I will be trying that also.

 

[BombaPolaYama]

No, I haven't found the sweet spot on the TF - but then again I haven't tried this year. I actually find it worse handling this year but noticed after the last ride that I had the suspension block left on "S" for summer storage. My thought on this adjustment is that stiffening it up for two-up riding should shift some weight forward? So I'm going back to "M"

There is something causing darting on the TF and I'm going to try my 8" Slydog PH's when I get a mounting kit. I believe that will be an improvenment ove rthe Yamaha mountain ski which I find push a lot. I did the recommended shock adjustments last season with some success. As for widening the ski stance, my feeling is that it will cause extra/uneven stress on the skis and spindles = can't be good for wear/tear?

The other drawback on the TF which we can't fix is that they are not so rider fwd (i.e. lower seat, etc) as I'd like compared with the VL. Making it much more difficult and tiring to ride aggressively.

 

[BombaPolaYama]

I made some adjustments including the suspension block to "M" and loosened up the front skid shock to where i can take the pressure off the spring by hand when having the sled lifted. I'm thinking though that I have my ski shock springs too loose. While this soft spring adjustment lets the weight shift forward it allows more rolling in the corners so it seems kind of counterproductive to prevent tippiness. I'm going to tighten a couple of turns and try it then.
Can't wait to try my 8" Slydogs!

 

[mooseflyer]

Good thoughts BPY, and I'm sure your findings would be beneficial to TF owners so please post (even if there are relatively few of us, lol). I'm done riding for the season, but over the summer I'm going full soft on EVERYTHING, and will then tighten up from there when I get a chance to ride next winter. That approach seemed to work on my '06 Venture anyway. I was so busy this year I didn't get much chance to experiment on the '13. I, too, have darting issues on my TF and a relatively harsh ride. I wasn't able to hang the sled this year for suspension adjustments, but I was able to soften the skis and front skid somewhat (while laying in the snow), as well as move the rear block to soft. It needs more, so I'll hang it over the summer.

Last month, my buddy was riding my '06 while I was on my '13. We had some time to kill waiting for a restaurant to open for lunch, so I jumped on my '06 (which I hadn't ridden since I installed Yami mountain skis and Studboy Deuce 6" bars) for a quick ride. Wow, I was happy with the ride and handling (and no darting)! I'm really hoping I can achieve the same with my TF. I'm pretty confident I can, it will just take time. I still feel the biggest improvements to my '06 were the front skid shock to soft and the new skis/carbides (I swapped skis and carbides at the same time, so I'm not sure which mod was more beneficial). Next year, I plan to try the Deuce bars as well as a set of Simmons Gen 2's I have laying around on the TF. I hated the Gen 2's on my '06, but perhaps on the TF with power steering they will be a winner. We'll see.

Re: moving the spacers on the skis - logic would agree with what BPY said regarding wear on the spindles. However, I've read a few posts on various forums from guys who have made the swap with no ill effects. Long term though, I agree that it seems like it would cause extra wear and tear.

 

[BombaPolaYama]

Got my Slydogs on the TF now and it helps a lot - the darting and tracking is pretty well gone and if you get in a rut it is much easier to steer out. It also steers somewhat better but not so much of an improvement as expected going from the 7" wide Yammie ski to the 8" PH. My previous experience was switching from the Yam 5" to a 7" PH - so that was night and day improvement. With the set-up now it is a little heavy on the steering if riding alone but much better two-up. I think I have a nose cone bag so I'll use that and transfer a bit of weight to the front with stuff I doin't use much. The ski shocks are set one turn tighter than where you can easily rotate the spring by hand and it seems like the best spot. The skis are shimmed 1/4" and I have 9" triple points with ski savers. I think I could have made do with 6" carbides. I believe the 6" Studboy Shaper bars were a better turning carbide on the trails and the 9" TP's are better on ice.

Next, I'd like to look into adjusting the transfer rod settings.

 

[MikeWalters]

I moved the bushings so the stance is wider and flipped the rubber blocks on my (insanely tippy) Phazer and it helped noticeably. As far as durability? Time will tell but I'd be happy to keep it as is and replace any worn parts in the future, the process only takes about 15 minutes to try, so do it and go for a ride. On the PZ flipping the rubber blocks around seemed to help with darting also.

2 seasons like this and no issues. I am a backcountry/ditch rider, so dont accumulate a lot of miles per say.