BELT FAILURE!

[SledderSteve]

Sorry guys I need to interject here...

3) Is there any tricks to getting the belt changed on Yamahas? I tried turning the secondary inner sheave clockwise when I changed it but it sure took a good 15-20 mins to get it on.

If you have your partner hold the brake or set the parking brake it will be easier to move that inner sheave. Hold the sheave open when you install the new belt and it will go on "relatively" easy.

We now return to the old vs. new belt discussion already in progress.

 

[bjowett]

I'm out...

 

[LazyBastard]

What am I reading wrong? A rider has the potential to be done either way..

Let's rearrange your series of events worst case....so you have your old belt on, ride 10 miles and it pops, install your new spare and figure, well it is new so why turn back, but 50 miles later (now 60 miles out) it pops. One could be screwed either way.

Thats an idiot-type error. When you're running on a spare, the ONLY thing you do is get back to safety. Anything else and its the idiot's fault for getting stranded. Point is, go 10 miles out, it blows. Put in the new spare, go back 10 miles and you're safe.

One could also argue the new belt might be just as probable to blow as an old. How many times have you seen a belt blow, the guys throws on the new spare... now with frozen hands and P/O'd he jumps on the sled fires it up and is gone full throttle down the trail... real good for a new belt.

Lets not get into the discussion of whether an old belt is more or less likely to blow than a new belt. I'm not trying to tell anyone that saving the new belt will be substantially more safe than saving the old belt. This is a hypothetical discussion based on comments made by AXR. Fact is that statistically, the further you drive on a belt, the more likely you are to blow it. i.e., 95% of belts blow within 1 standard deviations of the average belt life, 99% within 2 standard deviations. I don't have the numbers to tell you exactly what that means, but that should give you the idea, ie, 1% of belts blow outside 2 sd's of the average belt life, some of which last longer than the average belt life, and some of which last LESS than the average belt life. So lets say that 0.9% of belts blow on the short end of 2 sd's from the average belt life, which I will guess (given that I am completely lacking belt lifespan testing records since they are not released by the manufacturer) to be at least a couple hundred miles. That means that if you have a NEW spare, you are nearly guaranteed to make it to safety.

 

[Preacher]

I once blew a belt on my 04 Warrior (since traded in for an 07 Attak) The belt got so badly entangled in the sheaves I could not budge it. It was so jammed in there I could not get it out to replace it with my brand new spare. Big hassle, I only replace belts with new ones now and my spares are only new also

 

[LazyBastard]

Thats another important consideration.... Probably a good idea to carry a KNIFE along with a spare belt in case of such occurrence.

 

[Mikey]

Anyone who goes out into any type of wilderness without a knife and at least 1 way (if not 2)ways of starting a fire deserves to get stranded.

 

[dmsrx700]

Use the new belt.

To change it just stand next to the sled, hold the brake lever, pull the belt up and towards the front of the sled and it will split the sheaves then just pull it over the sheave at the top and wiggle it off.

To put it back on, just spread the sheaves a bit, put the belt in as low as it will go and work it around. Grab the belt and move it back and forth a bit and the sheaves will close back up. Takes a couple minutes.

The new Phazers won't work like that though. You do have to spread the sheaves by hand. Still not too hard though. Just grab the back sheave and rotate it back and in. Not too hard.

 

[AXR]

Use the new belt.

like i said use the new one it will be less likely to blow as opposed to an older one that may be dry rotted (he did say the belt came with the used sled). i for one know i would rather only pull out 1 pile of fluff and mangled rubber than increase my chance using the old one and having to do it all over again. of corse best case is to have a new belt on the sled and a new one as a spare but he doesnt have that he has a new one and an old one... also depending on the speed you are going when the belt blows it can increase your chances of crashing and in my eyes new materials 'should' be more reliable than old ones. why chance it when you have something new right in front of you? hell if your belt blows and all you have left is the old one to put on then dont be stupid and go 60mph and think its ok take it slow and get urself home and then go buy urself a new one. a spare belt is not intended to be a replace me and lets keep riding belt its designed to help get you back safe. anyone who blows a belt and then changes to their spare and continues their trip is a fool in my eyes.

 

[aVenture]

I read you Preacher....blown one up at my peak; 101mph...
..only entangled rope, no more rubber, just vanished. I am not sure only a knife would have done it. Yes, Mikey i deserved to get into troubles...
Now, added to the gearing a knife, mini long nose locking plier, LED light, patch cable, tape, fuses.

I still to this day, find strap dust in remote holes.