air19
Pro
Good stuff Yeti.
I'm impressed that you were able to go out on a trail in mid season and start grooming. That says a lot for the pulling power of these VK Pros. My grooming situation is easier because I've been grooming all season long. I'm just packing the latest snowfall each time into my base. I've got about an 8 inch solid base right now which is big enough to hide a lot of rocks and stumps.
One of the toughest things in grooming is widening your trail. If your groomer is about the same width as the VK Pro then you have to venture out there into unpacked conditions with one ski on the sled and hope you don't tip out of control. I'm lucky because I have three grooming implements and one of them is 6 feet wide. With this 6 footer I can ride the sled on solid surface and have the groomer hang out a foot on each pass. After a couple times around I've got the trail a couple feet wider.
Sounds like you applied an old log skidder technique to get unstuck. When the going gets tough a skidder will drop it's load, drive the skidder up to high ground, and then cable the trees back in. The same technique works well with a groomer, as long as it isn't too front heavy.
I carry a Warn Snowinch to do the same thing, but a good rope sounds like it did the trick and it's probably quicker.
I'll enjoy seeing pictures of this groomer on the new thread you just started.
I'm impressed that you were able to go out on a trail in mid season and start grooming. That says a lot for the pulling power of these VK Pros. My grooming situation is easier because I've been grooming all season long. I'm just packing the latest snowfall each time into my base. I've got about an 8 inch solid base right now which is big enough to hide a lot of rocks and stumps.
One of the toughest things in grooming is widening your trail. If your groomer is about the same width as the VK Pro then you have to venture out there into unpacked conditions with one ski on the sled and hope you don't tip out of control. I'm lucky because I have three grooming implements and one of them is 6 feet wide. With this 6 footer I can ride the sled on solid surface and have the groomer hang out a foot on each pass. After a couple times around I've got the trail a couple feet wider.
Sounds like you applied an old log skidder technique to get unstuck. When the going gets tough a skidder will drop it's load, drive the skidder up to high ground, and then cable the trees back in. The same technique works well with a groomer, as long as it isn't too front heavy.
I carry a Warn Snowinch to do the same thing, but a good rope sounds like it did the trick and it's probably quicker.
I'll enjoy seeing pictures of this groomer on the new thread you just started.
greg sellentin
Veteran
Hi All,
New to the list here. I am the new owner of a 2007 (new) VK Pro, which will work alongside with my 2001 Skandic SWT. I liked the SWT but after taking a ride on the Yammy this weekend, I found myself inexplicably drawn to the nearest dealer with a blue tuning fork sign on it.
The SWT's gear box crapped the bed for the 2nd time, and although I'm going to have it rebuilt it is barely worth it.
having read this thread entirely, I asked the dealer about the cooling vent fix for low speed overheating, and he mentioned that with the vent open it may get snow on the belt. Don't know if that is a valid concern or not.
I will use the sled, as I used my SWT, to groom about 18 miles of dog sled trails here in Alaska. The trails are maintained - by me- but need to be kept up with new snowfalls, and the neighborhood speedsters ripping through from time to time. I spend about 3 hrs on a grooming night, about 3-4 times a week, and look forward to the more cozy VK platform.
Ok, here are a couple of questions, where do I find a pintle hitch to replace the little tab hitch that comes with the machine?
What have any owners done to carry tools on the sled? the cargo area, and the under-seat area aren't as big as on the SWT.
I haven't taken the delivery of the sled yet, and don't have the owner's manual. how long before I can pull a trail drag, can it even be done during break in?
Thanks, and hope to be chiming in often, hopefully with good news.
New to the list here. I am the new owner of a 2007 (new) VK Pro, which will work alongside with my 2001 Skandic SWT. I liked the SWT but after taking a ride on the Yammy this weekend, I found myself inexplicably drawn to the nearest dealer with a blue tuning fork sign on it.
The SWT's gear box crapped the bed for the 2nd time, and although I'm going to have it rebuilt it is barely worth it.
having read this thread entirely, I asked the dealer about the cooling vent fix for low speed overheating, and he mentioned that with the vent open it may get snow on the belt. Don't know if that is a valid concern or not.
I will use the sled, as I used my SWT, to groom about 18 miles of dog sled trails here in Alaska. The trails are maintained - by me- but need to be kept up with new snowfalls, and the neighborhood speedsters ripping through from time to time. I spend about 3 hrs on a grooming night, about 3-4 times a week, and look forward to the more cozy VK platform.
Ok, here are a couple of questions, where do I find a pintle hitch to replace the little tab hitch that comes with the machine?
What have any owners done to carry tools on the sled? the cargo area, and the under-seat area aren't as big as on the SWT.
I haven't taken the delivery of the sled yet, and don't have the owner's manual. how long before I can pull a trail drag, can it even be done during break in?
Thanks, and hope to be chiming in often, hopefully with good news.
air19
Pro
Hi Greg,
You will enjoy your VK Pro. Couple of comments.
1. Regarding getting snow on the belt when the vent cover is off - not sure about this, the belt is under the usual type of belt shield. Anyways this vent cover is held in place with three screws. You could put it on or take it out in 1 minute with a phillips screwdriver. I think Wayne even suggested using velcro so you could take it in and out depending on conditions.
2. Regarding a real pintle hitch. Yamaha makes one with the right screw holes to fit on their rear plate, or you could weld one together. I took my old pintle hitch from Ski-Doo and had the dealer weld it on a 2" square bar that was then screwed into the mounting plate. You need to get the pintle out about 2" for clearance.
I'll attach a picture of my rear hitch.
3. Regarding storage. The rear storage rack is smaller than a SWT. I had to take my old tool box and downsize it to fit the new space. My new tool box still holds a chainsaw, shovel, and a smaller tool box filled with hand tools.
I'll attach a picture of my rear box.
The under seat storage is smaller, but I found a handy use for the long area that is about 6 inches by 34 inches. I put my come-along in here with a couple of straps and tow ropes.
What's new is that I now also have a mid area where the passenger seat is for additional storage, or in my case for a custom gooseneck hitch mount. My dealer created a special plate so I could put weight on this area. Without this type of plate I would not recommend putting anything over 10 lbs on here because you are only about 1/4" above the exhaust housing. With the mid area set up I now have more storage area in total than I did on the SWT.
You will enjoy your VK Pro. Couple of comments.
1. Regarding getting snow on the belt when the vent cover is off - not sure about this, the belt is under the usual type of belt shield. Anyways this vent cover is held in place with three screws. You could put it on or take it out in 1 minute with a phillips screwdriver. I think Wayne even suggested using velcro so you could take it in and out depending on conditions.
2. Regarding a real pintle hitch. Yamaha makes one with the right screw holes to fit on their rear plate, or you could weld one together. I took my old pintle hitch from Ski-Doo and had the dealer weld it on a 2" square bar that was then screwed into the mounting plate. You need to get the pintle out about 2" for clearance.
I'll attach a picture of my rear hitch.
3. Regarding storage. The rear storage rack is smaller than a SWT. I had to take my old tool box and downsize it to fit the new space. My new tool box still holds a chainsaw, shovel, and a smaller tool box filled with hand tools.
I'll attach a picture of my rear box.
The under seat storage is smaller, but I found a handy use for the long area that is about 6 inches by 34 inches. I put my come-along in here with a couple of straps and tow ropes.
What's new is that I now also have a mid area where the passenger seat is for additional storage, or in my case for a custom gooseneck hitch mount. My dealer created a special plate so I could put weight on this area. Without this type of plate I would not recommend putting anything over 10 lbs on here because you are only about 1/4" above the exhaust housing. With the mid area set up I now have more storage area in total than I did on the SWT.
Attachments
air19
Pro
Greg,
Regarding the break-in period. I have kept very close watch on the RPMs. Over the first 150 miles, I've never revved it over 5000. Read the manual, consult with your dealer, maybe they will encourage you to be even more stringent.
I've also watched the overheating very closely. As soon as it has overheated, which has happened about 4 times with me, I've turned the engine off immediately and waited until it completely cooled down before moving on. If you start with the vent off, and maybe do something about the fan then overheating might never be a problem for you.
Regarding pulling a drag, well with this pulling monster in low gear I've been pulling my grooming drag or work trailer ever since I got it. I don't think I've had it out yet without anything behind it.
By the way - very cool avatar!
Regarding the break-in period. I have kept very close watch on the RPMs. Over the first 150 miles, I've never revved it over 5000. Read the manual, consult with your dealer, maybe they will encourage you to be even more stringent.
I've also watched the overheating very closely. As soon as it has overheated, which has happened about 4 times with me, I've turned the engine off immediately and waited until it completely cooled down before moving on. If you start with the vent off, and maybe do something about the fan then overheating might never be a problem for you.
Regarding pulling a drag, well with this pulling monster in low gear I've been pulling my grooming drag or work trailer ever since I got it. I don't think I've had it out yet without anything behind it.
By the way - very cool avatar!
greg sellentin
Veteran
thanks for the quick reply and photos. I'll have to build a box like that, and a pintle extension.
I'll keep you guys posted how it goes, and post some photos of my crude grooming equip.
BTW, I just moved to AK from the East Coast. I was VP of the New England Sled Dog Club for a few years, and spent a lot of time in Northern VT training and racing dogs, but my main area was in the northern Adirondacks. All good areas for snow, but now that I'm a sourdough, I'm not going back!
I'll keep you guys posted how it goes, and post some photos of my crude grooming equip.
BTW, I just moved to AK from the East Coast. I was VP of the New England Sled Dog Club for a few years, and spent a lot of time in Northern VT training and racing dogs, but my main area was in the northern Adirondacks. All good areas for snow, but now that I'm a sourdough, I'm not going back!
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
I've never fully understood the pintle hitch. It looks quite heavy duty, but the inherent front-to-back slop has always turned me off from it. We use the tongue-style hitch out where I am, but we beef the heck out of them to make sure that they are strong enough to take a pounding.
Many guys reinforce the underside-rear portion of their tunnel with a large piece of angle steel, then use a 3/8" plate or larger for the actual tongue itself. That is plenty heavy duty for our use, but I understand that there is clearly a use for the pintle hitch as well, judging by your photos.
Many guys reinforce the underside-rear portion of their tunnel with a large piece of angle steel, then use a 3/8" plate or larger for the actual tongue itself. That is plenty heavy duty for our use, but I understand that there is clearly a use for the pintle hitch as well, judging by your photos.
air19
Pro
You are right about the movement back and forth with a pintle hitch. All my groomers and trailers were set up this way so that made the decision for me.
Sometimes this back and forth movement can really add up over a day of grooming. Two of my three grooming implements have sheer pins to break away if I hit something really solid. But after alot of the little movement back and forth on the hitch the pins can also break.
For me the gooseneck setup will be my ultimate hitch and solve this slight movement problem and give me a couple other big advantages - better turning, and tighter turning radius. More coming on this soon.
Sometimes this back and forth movement can really add up over a day of grooming. Two of my three grooming implements have sheer pins to break away if I hit something really solid. But after alot of the little movement back and forth on the hitch the pins can also break.
For me the gooseneck setup will be my ultimate hitch and solve this slight movement problem and give me a couple other big advantages - better turning, and tighter turning radius. More coming on this soon.
YETI
Extreme
Thought about a pintal hitch but don't have any sleds with it and the one my father had had a spring on it that took up some of the back and forth banging. If I don't have to work saturday Depends on if it snows. I will try grooming again and take some pics.
air19
Pro
Overheating problems again
Tough conditions down here in Vermont today. In the last 24 hours we had one inch of snow, one inch of sleet or freezing rain, and finally just a little snow on top. Today temperatures were right around freezing.
These are the toughest grooming conditions for me right now and my overheating issues. I have the vent cover removed, but that wasn't enough today. I overheated three times and headed back in after that. The trail surface was essentially hardpack, and I was running with my 64 grooming knives all down 1 inch in the snow to churn it up and try to create a skiable surface.
The worst combination for my VK Pro - no real snow on the trail surface and maximum resistance with my grooming knives down. I overheated each time today when I had to give the engine an extra push to grunt through and pull the groomer through some section of the trail where it was really digging in. Each time it wasn't a long, prolonged use of the throttle, about 5 seconds and I knew each time that I had overdone it and it was about to overheat. Sure enough within a minute the light came on. Each time I shut the engine down immediately, took a break, and was back to normal again within about 15 minutes.
So next week I'm taking it back to the dealer and will have the fan wired on permanently, or better yet have a switch so that I can put it on when I think conditions merit.
Last time I talked to my dealer we were just trying to schedule a visit. He also mentioned that Yamaha has a bigger radiator for $500 that he could get and have installed also. I said no, I just paid a lot of money for this new '08 sled and if Yamaha has realized that it needs to put in a bigger radiator then they should foot the bill. Anyone else heard about this radiator upgrade?
Tough conditions down here in Vermont today. In the last 24 hours we had one inch of snow, one inch of sleet or freezing rain, and finally just a little snow on top. Today temperatures were right around freezing.
These are the toughest grooming conditions for me right now and my overheating issues. I have the vent cover removed, but that wasn't enough today. I overheated three times and headed back in after that. The trail surface was essentially hardpack, and I was running with my 64 grooming knives all down 1 inch in the snow to churn it up and try to create a skiable surface.
The worst combination for my VK Pro - no real snow on the trail surface and maximum resistance with my grooming knives down. I overheated each time today when I had to give the engine an extra push to grunt through and pull the groomer through some section of the trail where it was really digging in. Each time it wasn't a long, prolonged use of the throttle, about 5 seconds and I knew each time that I had overdone it and it was about to overheat. Sure enough within a minute the light came on. Each time I shut the engine down immediately, took a break, and was back to normal again within about 15 minutes.
So next week I'm taking it back to the dealer and will have the fan wired on permanently, or better yet have a switch so that I can put it on when I think conditions merit.
Last time I talked to my dealer we were just trying to schedule a visit. He also mentioned that Yamaha has a bigger radiator for $500 that he could get and have installed also. I said no, I just paid a lot of money for this new '08 sled and if Yamaha has realized that it needs to put in a bigger radiator then they should foot the bill. Anyone else heard about this radiator upgrade?
YETI
Extreme
air19 Two things that where mentioned here before Add water to the radiator fluid if it is still 100 % as it does not cool as well at 100% and I had a friend use the Engine ice additive to his 05 600 Vmax and it worked great for him. Look for it in Dennis kirk. These are things I would try they really should work on the hard warm days.
air19
Pro
Hey Yeti,
I'm running about a 60/40 mix. Time for some water wetter next which someone has said will lower the temperature another 10 - 20 degrees.
I'm running about a 60/40 mix. Time for some water wetter next which someone has said will lower the temperature another 10 - 20 degrees.
YETI
Extreme
Engine ice in Dennis Kirk says it will drop up to 50 degrees. This may sound stupid but are the jets set for your location and the temp. maybe there is a better jet set up for your location that will cover the temp range better. Just a thought
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Re: Overheating problems again
Never heard of an available rad upgrade, interesting. I would say that Yamaha would not be on the hook for that one. If your use is extreme in the cooling department, it is my opinion that it is the user's responsibility to tailor a sled to his/her needs.
There doesn't appear to be much room b/t the engine and the hood to install a larger rad on the VK Pro, is it some sort of a nose-mount rad?
I haven't been able to groom much yet and I am a little concerned about cooling too. My ice scratchers are doing a good job compensating for me though.
air19 said:
Never heard of an available rad upgrade, interesting. I would say that Yamaha would not be on the hook for that one. If your use is extreme in the cooling department, it is my opinion that it is the user's responsibility to tailor a sled to his/her needs.
There doesn't appear to be much room b/t the engine and the hood to install a larger rad on the VK Pro, is it some sort of a nose-mount rad?
I haven't been able to groom much yet and I am a little concerned about cooling too. My ice scratchers are doing a good job compensating for me though.
trlbrkr
Extreme
I installed these scratchers last week just in time for the iced trails. Unique system allowing you to back up with them down and easy to store when not needed. http://www.slidekicks.net/info.html
air19
Pro
Yeti - your location is slightly north of mine, but the conditions may be similar. Did you have your jets tuned any differently than what they came from the factory?
Jack-shaft - I'll pass on details about any type of radiator update that I can get out of my dealer.
Tribrkr - Thanks - those are the first scratchers I've seen that don't have to be lifted to go into reverse. I'm going to try out a pair.
Grooming is demanding on any sled. And this particular scenario of grooming on hardpack with my knives down creating maximum drag is even more demanding. But it is a very common grooming scenario that we need to do all the time in New England to make our trails skiable.
So it's time to try multiple things to get this cooling situation under control.
Jack-shaft - I'll pass on details about any type of radiator update that I can get out of my dealer.
Tribrkr - Thanks - those are the first scratchers I've seen that don't have to be lifted to go into reverse. I'm going to try out a pair.
Grooming is demanding on any sled. And this particular scenario of grooming on hardpack with my knives down creating maximum drag is even more demanding. But it is a very common grooming scenario that we need to do all the time in New England to make our trails skiable.
So it's time to try multiple things to get this cooling situation under control.
