FYI ....this help's with hyfax wear

[**sj**]

lots of reasons the slides dont last like they used to...first ...the lack of side and rear heat exchangers and the dripping water they produced as lube...and second the lug height has increased moving the slide further from the snow base...then theres the sleds with every third window closed i.e rubber against plastic (not good) which also keeps the snow from getting into the windows..., fully clipped and fully punched is best...so is a lower lug height...but we need what we need...so here's a helper:




there's two ways to skin the cat with what Im about to describe...it's a tempering method which makes the plastic harder and more durable and therefore extends the life...

the idea is heating and cooling cycles...obviously the more you can do within reason the better the results...

first method involves prior to installation, using a propane torch or better yet an electric heat gun...the idea is to keep the heat moving and to obtain a shiny surface uniformly across the wearable surface of the slide...then to immediately bury into a snow bank or into a large freezer and freeze for a good 20 minutes.. repeat at least once more...

or if on the machine to ride for a short distance (to be determined based on the conditions and how much lube youre getting....the idea is to intetionally get them hot) then again bury the skid into a snowbank for a similar duration...repeating a few times..

when this plastic gets "tempered" it becomes more thermally stable and will outlast the same slide in the same conditions that hast been treated..

of course doing this along with other methods i.e. larger wheel diameter and or more wheels just furthers their prospective benefit...

try it...what ya got to loose....

 

[yamahahaapex]

hyfax shot thread after 500miles has a couple of people debunking this theory of heating and cooling

 

[**sj**]

they may be debunking but I supplied facts that heat treating is commercially done to affect the molecular chain of plastics (harden / wear resisitance) on a regular basis...

 

[SledFreak]

Put a set of white DOO slides on.... I heard they last forever.... There is a reason all of the other OEM's use a 135mm wheel and all use a ripsaw track, but only Yamaha has a problem. For some reason they think the 130mm does work.... past experience has proven them wrong.... Save for the Excell wheel kit will be the answer.... Maybe Excell can do a trade program on brand new sleds?

 

[ecopter]

I have to chuckle on this hyfax wear issue. Out of one side of "their" mouths they just got done describing their top GPS speed, then out of the other they complain about their hyfax wear. Hello McFly?

 

[sickboyz_yamaha]

I have to chuckle on this hyfax wear issue. Out of one side of "their" mouths they just got done describing their top GPS speed, then out of the other they complain about their hyfax wear. Hello McFly?

 

[APEX 06]

first method involves prior to installation, using a propane torch or better yet an electric heat gun...the idea is to keep the heat moving and to obtain a shiny surface uniformly across the wearable surface of the slide...then to immediately bury into a snow bank or into a large freezer and freeze for a good 20 minutes.. repeat at least once more...



try it...what ya got to loose....

That's the way I do it but I us a spray bottle of ice water. But it works great.

 

[cat hunter]

I use a heating tip on a welding torch and a snow bank to harden my slides!!!

 

[**sj**]

see there we go...the basic idea with a new twist...bet that does the job quickly

 

[KevinS]

Sorry SJ. I don't buy it. I don't think heating and cooling hyfax does a thing.

 

[Sled Dog]

I am Johnny Sceptical as well.

 

[SledFreak]

Sorry SJ. I don't buy it. I don't think heating and cooling hyfax does a thing.

it does work to a point, but the only thing to stop it totally is to add more and bigger wheels....

 

[Crewchief47]

I can't be sure of this but maybe the heating cycles burn the oils and what not out of the sliders, resulting in a harder surface. I'm always amazed at how hard and brittle old slides feel compared to brand new ones......Just a thought....

 

[Sno Cat]

The hyfax are made from HDPE, a semi crystalline thermoplastic. The molecules cannot be realigned by thermal cycling. When a thermoplastic is heated, it flows which is why it's called a thermoplastic. HDPE cannot be tempered like metals. This is what I have observed after spending 20+ years in the plastics biz.

 

[Irv]

The hyfax are made from HDPE, a semi crystalline thermoplastic. The molecules cannot be realigned by thermal cycling. When a thermoplastic is heated, it flows which is why it's called a thermoplastic. HDPE cannot be tempered like metals. This is what I have observed after spending 20+ years in the plastics biz.

Can you tell us if there is any truth to running white slides compared to colored slides?

I had heard the theory before that the white ones will out last colored ones but never bought it until I actually read it in a Snowmobile magazine!

I have been using white ones since but with varying snow conditions and the like, it is too hard to tell if they last longer or not?