Looking at using a 07 VK pro for grooming rather than a SWT.
Does anybody do it ?
Cooling problems when grooming ?
Anybody gooseneck mount MM804's ?
Any other suggestions/ideas welcome
Does anybody do it ?
Cooling problems when grooming ?
Anybody gooseneck mount MM804's ?
Any other suggestions/ideas welcome
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Out of curiosity, what are you currently using as the tow vehicle?
We have a MM804 hooked up to an 05 Polaris Wide Trak and it's useless. The sled doesn't overheat, but it doesn't have near the power that it needs to tow the MM804.
I have used an 06 VK Pro to tow a homemade groomer and it worked fairly well, certainly much better than the Polaris.
Now that Ski-doo has come out with the SWT V800, I think that would be the ultimate grooming sled, certainly better in the deep stuff than the VK Pro, but perhaps not as good in the flats.
We have a MM804 hooked up to an 05 Polaris Wide Trak and it's useless. The sled doesn't overheat, but it doesn't have near the power that it needs to tow the MM804.
I have used an 06 VK Pro to tow a homemade groomer and it worked fairly well, certainly much better than the Polaris.
Now that Ski-doo has come out with the SWT V800, I think that would be the ultimate grooming sled, certainly better in the deep stuff than the VK Pro, but perhaps not as good in the flats.
We have a couple Skandic SWT's(24x156), and WT(20x156), and an 88 LT(15x156), all with the 503 fan motor.
Run MM804's on the SWT's and WT. They have good traction and ok power, but is a game of momentum when heavy cutting or the drag fills. I haven't used a Polaris widetrack to compare, has low range ? All I can say is I don't see many used from grooming...may just be a skandic preference by people.
Our WT (20x156) has a new cone style track, what a traction difference ! The stock SWT tracks spin easy if you break traction.
I believe the 06 VK pro doesn't have a low range, which is where it's at. I used an 07 with low range, what a beast ! Incredible tractable power. Quiet and smoke free
Careful of other 4 stroke groomers, just ask an arctic cat groomer, they weren't designed to tow at low speed. $1000 upgrades needed to help with overheating.
Fans are great in that there cooling efficiency is tied to engine speed, not sled speed. The VK pro was designed as a work sled, nice radiator, electric fan, and regular cooling system too. I used one to recover a crashed sled on top of a drag, for miles, above freezing, heavy load on engine, no signs of overheating.
Obviously I'm sold on em. The rotax V800 is rated at 64hp, not much more than the 503 fan.
Run MM804's on the SWT's and WT. They have good traction and ok power, but is a game of momentum when heavy cutting or the drag fills. I haven't used a Polaris widetrack to compare, has low range ? All I can say is I don't see many used from grooming...may just be a skandic preference by people.
Our WT (20x156) has a new cone style track, what a traction difference ! The stock SWT tracks spin easy if you break traction.
I believe the 06 VK pro doesn't have a low range, which is where it's at. I used an 07 with low range, what a beast ! Incredible tractable power. Quiet and smoke free
Careful of other 4 stroke groomers, just ask an arctic cat groomer, they weren't designed to tow at low speed. $1000 upgrades needed to help with overheating.
Fans are great in that there cooling efficiency is tied to engine speed, not sled speed. The VK pro was designed as a work sled, nice radiator, electric fan, and regular cooling system too. I used one to recover a crashed sled on top of a drag, for miles, above freezing, heavy load on engine, no signs of overheating.
Obviously I'm sold on em. The rotax V800 is rated at 64hp, not much more than the 503 fan.
Honk
TY 4 Stroke Master
I have used the super wide track for three years now and works well. I put about 75lbs in the belly pan and scrwed the rear adjustments way up, also the straps were pulled all the way. only problem for me is, it is so wide it hurts my hips after 7-8 hours.I used the polaris before the ski=doo and it did not have the pulling power. Had to cut much less, it seems like it was a lighter machine. We had the ball hitch installed right behind the seat with a goose nech type. Took off the cage, and reinstalled the light up higher. Honk
That's a typical setup for skandics, some people swear by the Simmons Flexi Skis also. We've had rebar welded to the runners, helps a lot. But grooming with a skandic is still a gymnastic event in any case.
The SWT is awkwardly wide, and the seats are relatively low too. The VK pro seat is nice and tall, easy transition to stand and lean.
The SWT is awkwardly wide, and the seats are relatively low too. The VK pro seat is nice and tall, easy transition to stand and lean.
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
brsacjab said:
The Polaris is geared way too high, in low or high range. The Skandic series is the serious workhorse of the utility class and groomer operators know that.
brsacjab said:Our WT (20x156) has a new cone style track, what a traction difference ! The stock SWT tracks spin easy if you break traction.
I believe the 06 VK pro doesn't have a low range, which is where it's at. I used an 07 with low range, what a beast ! Incredible tractable power. Quiet and smoke free
I was towing a groomer straight and flat at speed, so low range wasn't really required in those conditions. With that said, Low range or not it's still a tank. But perhaps for straight line grooming, that's a good thing. I agree on the track issue, the RipSaw is another great "penetrator" track that works well in hard pack conditions, the Skandics and VK Pros come with a 1.25" Ripsaw as standard equipment.
brsacjab said:
The V800 Skandics and Expeditions also have rads and fans, they are located in the nose, so that is not an issue. The Bearcat series is the bastard child of the utility segment, no rad there.
brsacjab said:
Don't judge a work sled by HP numbers, that's irrelevant. The V800 has great torque at low RPM and really pulls hard down low. I have a 2000 Skandic WT 500F and ride with VK Pros, Skandic / Expedition V800, 600HO SDI's and Bearcats all the time (3500km last year) and that V800 is quite impressive - worlds stronger than my 503 and more fuel efficient loaded or empty than the Genesis 120.
If BRP addresses the V800 timing chain issue for '08, I will be buying a SWT V800 for our Club.
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
In an odd twist of fate, it looks like I will be the one grooming with a VK Pro this winter. I have to hand it to my local Yamaha dealership (Frenchie's Service Center), they always go above and beyond to help out the local snowmobile club.
I hope to have a big battery mounted in the rack along with the electrical system tied into it to keep the battery charged during lift/drop operation of the MM804.
I'll post pics once everything is ready to go. Any suggestions for a low-draw LED flashing amber beacon that I can mount to the sled on a light bar?
I hope to have a big battery mounted in the rack along with the electrical system tied into it to keep the battery charged during lift/drop operation of the MM804.
I'll post pics once everything is ready to go. Any suggestions for a low-draw LED flashing amber beacon that I can mount to the sled on a light bar?
got your PM, curious to see your pics
Fate is a fickle mistress. Our twist was that the we won't be grooming with a VK Pro this year...
Ended up with a used SWT.
Probably in a future year though, it was a nice ride, drove like a tank, in a good way.
How do you plan to attach the MM804 ? We were going to sandwich plate the rear deck with a center "tall" ball mount.
I've been looking into LED flashers, no bulbs to break, no motors to spin. Expensive yet, the small strobes seem to be the best bet still for durability and power draw. Try http://www.awdirect.com/ and get their catalog, they have a big selection of lighting and reasonable prices.
This one works well, http://www.awdirect.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=5723
hard mount.
The battery was pretty big, I'd be surprised is battery life was a problem. Seems the newer sleds, 4 strokes too, tend to have a bigger battery to turn over in cold and designed expecting more accessories to be installed.
I could get an hour and half outta a battery last winter when the charging circuit on a WT broke. Just had to a bit judicious with the switch.
Fate is a fickle mistress. Our twist was that the we won't be grooming with a VK Pro this year...
Ended up with a used SWT.Probably in a future year though, it was a nice ride, drove like a tank, in a good way.
How do you plan to attach the MM804 ? We were going to sandwich plate the rear deck with a center "tall" ball mount.
I've been looking into LED flashers, no bulbs to break, no motors to spin. Expensive yet, the small strobes seem to be the best bet still for durability and power draw. Try http://www.awdirect.com/ and get their catalog, they have a big selection of lighting and reasonable prices.
This one works well, http://www.awdirect.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=5723
hard mount.
The battery was pretty big, I'd be surprised is battery life was a problem. Seems the newer sleds, 4 strokes too, tend to have a bigger battery to turn over in cold and designed expecting more accessories to be installed.
I could get an hour and half outta a battery last winter when the charging circuit on a WT broke. Just had to a bit judicious with the switch.
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Could have a good point there, the damn rotating beacon lights that were hooked up to the Polaris WT we used last year were drawing a TON of juice and I think that's what as killing the battery more so than the drag.
Thanks for the link to the 3 Watt (wow!) strobes, that's awesome. I think that we'll buy one and try it on the VK Pro this Winter if the company will ship to Canada.
Thanks for the link to the 3 Watt (wow!) strobes, that's awesome. I think that we'll buy one and try it on the VK Pro this Winter if the company will ship to Canada.
