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Left on the trail....

I just got done removing the studs. do not want this happenning again ! I put in way too much time and money on maintenance to have something this dumb leave in the middle of nowhere !

Waiting for the welder to come and do his magic !
 

Good move, i'll probably do the same. At least I can see what the sled feels like without studs. New track will be a fall project.
 
Use Woody's with extended aluminum nuts/ star lock washer and red locite. When you tighten them you watch the inside of track and tighten until the head of the stud is flush ( not counter sunk )

Reason why you use Woody's is the shoulder design
on the stud is set up for proper pressure on the rubber track and locks stud and plate together.

Excell, Rotein, and Stud boy are not the same design and will not take as much abuse ! Flat out
more stud pull outs with these studs !

Use single round aluminum plates in a balance pattern and you will not pull studs though as long as you make sure you are not spinning on hard take offs most of the time !

If you start with say 96 or 120 and spin then add
until you dont and lay pattern out so you can add
and still keep track balanced !

Make sure any V type formation is pointing toward the back of the sled when the back of the sled is in the air !

Outside band can be studded and you should consider studding it every other and keep studs
across from each other not staggered !

Rip Saw track is not junk and anyone that has had
a problem with it has caused the problem by doing
one of the following :

1.) wrong studs, wrong plates, wrong nuts, no lock washer, no loctite, wrong torque, wrong placement,
not balance, wrong type of stud, spinning due to wrong amount, wrong shoulder design / lenght
worn studs , running machine on rock, gravel, cement or asphalt surface.

I have 3000 miles on Rip Saw and with 144 in a balance 4 -2 pattern is still looks brand new ! Sled is a 06 Apex GT.

Studs are 1.450 Mega-Bites as explained above and they dont hit anything
it dont spin on hard pack and the sled turns good around the corners !

This is also important as I ran the track for 500 miles and then adjusted it to factory specifications and have not touched it since ! 2500 miles and counting !

Sleds gets great MPG with no broken studs, No bent studs, and no pull outs. We all ride hard and were all hard on studs one time or another!

You follow these simple instructions and you will all be very happy with
studding and your chances of problems are slim to none and when your
on that long trip you wont have to worry about being towed cause that
flat out ruins a good trip !!!!

;)! ;)! ;)!
 
Randy J Beyer said:
...Reason why you use Woody's is the shoulder design
on the stud is set up for proper pressure on the rubber track and locks stud and plate together.

Excell, Rotein, and Stud boy are not the same design and will not take as much abuse ! Flat out
more stud pull outs with these studs !

How do you know that the Excell, Roetin, and Stud Boy studs will pull through easier?

Is there a survey or something somewhere on this?

I mentioned earlier in this thread my concerns with the Roetin Hornets that I recently installed. My concern is exactly what you stated - that they could pull through easier than the Gold Diggers that I've always run before.

Anyone reading this thread - could you please let us know which brand/model studs it was that tore through the track?

Has anyone ever had a Gold Digger pull through?

Has anyone had a Hornet pull through?

I'm not willing to run without studs, but I don't want to run studs that are going to pull through. In over 10,000 miles of use, I've never had a Gold Digger tear through a track.
 
Mine were Mack studs. I purchased them because I was breaking 25 woody's a season. Mack studs have a bend or break warranty which sounded great. Instead of bending or breaking they pull through. If I ever run studs again they will be Woody's.
 
Leased a building we own to a Polaris dealer.

Spent some time around his shop and almost every track that would come in that failed would be one of the three stated above !

Reason for many stud pull thur were traced to shoulder design resulting in too much stud flex.

I should have stated in the late 90's this is what
we saw !

They may have changed their design
and today they may be better i do not know for sure !

You answered your own concerns with over 10,000
miles on Woody's why would you go to another stud ? I think that statement also confirms why
they work as intended !!!!

Iam not bashing any of these stud companys and
always try to speak from experience !
 
Ive patched many holes in front heat exchangers (more than 20 times). just clean very well find a short sheet metal screw that fits tight. Bathe the hole in JB weld, then insert the screw. Then I usually put several coats over top for insurance.
 
SERPAGS said:
Well, it finally happenned, Yammi left me stranded on the trail. a stud ripped out of the track and pierced the rad, lost all prestone.

Has thing happenned to anyone? if so can I weld the hole on the rad or do I need to replace it?

that stinks, happen to a buddy's machine last year, had to tow him about 50 miles back home
 
I was running Woody's Goldiggers with their big nuts, star washers and blue locktight. The studs never pulled out, instead the soft rubber compound of the Ripsaw tore... on a double backer no less.

The ripped out double tore through both sides of the heat-x making it impossible to weld in place. I replaced it myself and it took me ~8hrs. Get an air-over-hydraulic riveter to perform this task as there are over 40 rivets to drill out and replace. Also, be sure to realign your clutch center-to-center distance as you have to remove the rear engine bolt that sandwiches the side tabs of the heat-x to the frame.

See pic...
 

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Put on an Iceripper and you won't ever have to worry about this again. Not to mention an increase in speed of around 5-6 MPH if you run 144 studs or more.
 
As a follow-up, I had my brother in-law (master welder) weld the rad. Looks like he did a great job and after refilling the sled, bleding it and letting her run 20 minutes , seems to have worked, have not taken her out on the trails, but from what I read here, it should be ok. Will repost once trail-tested.
 


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