AaronBND
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
I smacked a rock the other day on the outside of my left ski. Didn't seem like it was that hard, but I noticed it was riding really funny and toed-in a bit. Got to looking under it and noticed it tore the aluminum on the front left bulkhead at the back of the lower "A-arm" support. Any suggestions? Would you try and have it straightened and TIG welded or go through the hassle of trying to replace it. Looks like a lot of rivets involved! Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys.
Aaron
Aaron
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rxwhopper
TY 4 Stroke Guru
sorry to see that dude, i feel for . i would be sick
Red2003
TY 4 Stroke Guru
Man that sucks. Replacing that bulkhead is a BIG repair. Pretty much have to separate every part of the front of the sled, including engine to get it apart. If it were me, I'd pull the a-frame and take the sled to a reputable welding shop and have it repaired. It will be way cheaper and much less down time. An experienced welder should be able to make it strong as new and reinforce the area around the rear a-arm mount where its blown out. Glad you checked it out before riding it any more. That is a nasty break, and a-frame separation at 100 mph is never a good thing. Yikes.
We broke ours last year. My wife hit a rock that protruded up a bit right on the trail. She told me the sled handled funny when we stopped"I said ,nah...its just the snow!....".....later she told me again,I said,don't worry about it,I hit the same rock...(I travel slow with her,I couldn't imagine anything serious wrong).
She kept telling me,i kept saying don't worry about it,lol....anyways ..next night i took the RX myself on a ride...I though"what the heck is wrong with this thing!"... I went back to the shop and had a look....Whooly crap`!...We couln't have been doing more than 15-20 mph when she hit this pi$$ as little hump of a rock....It was a broken bulkhead...broke pretty good. I spent till 3 am tearing parts off...a-arms,airbox...hmmm...battery...hmmm....engine out...hmmm,finally took the chassis to a respectable welder and he fixed it better than new....but what a pain in the a$$. If you were paying a dealer,it would be a big bill.
..I had it running for the weekend,but I'll tell you what....it is a lot of work. The 05 RX is an awsome sled,but that paper thin,cast bulkhead is just that...recycled beer cans and stop signs,and cast paper thin(according to my welder guy)..and it is.
I wish they would add 4-5 lbs to the sled,..strengthen the bulkhead,...and I'll wear a lighter snow suit or something to make up the difference.
bottom line..don't hit rocks with RX -1's.
She kept telling me,i kept saying don't worry about it,lol....anyways ..next night i took the RX myself on a ride...I though"what the heck is wrong with this thing!"... I went back to the shop and had a look....Whooly crap`!...We couln't have been doing more than 15-20 mph when she hit this pi$$ as little hump of a rock....It was a broken bulkhead...broke pretty good. I spent till 3 am tearing parts off...a-arms,airbox...hmmm...battery...hmmm....engine out...hmmm,finally took the chassis to a respectable welder and he fixed it better than new....but what a pain in the a$$. If you were paying a dealer,it would be a big bill.
..I had it running for the weekend,but I'll tell you what....it is a lot of work. The 05 RX is an awsome sled,but that paper thin,cast bulkhead is just that...recycled beer cans and stop signs,and cast paper thin(according to my welder guy)..and it is.
I wish they would add 4-5 lbs to the sled,..strengthen the bulkhead,...and I'll wear a lighter snow suit or something to make up the difference.
bottom line..don't hit rocks with RX -1's.
Man bend,pry her in place and weld her up! Set toe and ROLL!
Skydog
Skydog
Man you guys think a skid plate would help alot or not realy?
they usually break(bulkhead) when you hit something with the ski,not from scraping the underside. If you don't get it right when it is straightened it will not handle correctly.
AaronBND
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Broken Bulkhead!
Thanks guys for the input. Can these sleds be tipped up on their sides? Also....I noticed the left ski is about 1 1/2 inches behind the right one. Are these suppose to be offset a little or is it that off from this crack? Thanks in advance. I think I will try to repair it. It looks like a MAJOR repair to replace that bulkhead! Not like I race professionally on it or anything.
Funny because it doesn't look like it bent anything else. You can't even really see a nick or anything where it hit the ski column.
Aaron
Thanks guys for the input. Can these sleds be tipped up on their sides? Also....I noticed the left ski is about 1 1/2 inches behind the right one. Are these suppose to be offset a little or is it that off from this crack? Thanks in advance. I think I will try to repair it. It looks like a MAJOR repair to replace that bulkhead! Not like I race professionally on it or anything.
Funny because it doesn't look like it bent anything else. You can't even really see a nick or anything where it hit the ski column.
Aaron
Red2003
TY 4 Stroke Guru
Take a measurement from the rear of the sled, like off the end of the tunnel on each side up to the spindle on each side. This measurement should be the same. There is NO offset on the front suspension. If you're lacking 1 1/2 inches, somethings gotta be moved. A body shop could probably get the machine on a straightener and pull the ski back around, then weld it up. Probably cost you several hundred bucks, but much cheaper then having a dealer replace the bulkhead, that's more like $1500. I would not run the machine unless and until you can get the a frame back in its original position. JMO.
hibshman25
Vendor
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2018 snoscoot
where are you from? i'm in pa, and my father has a welding shop. he could tig weld that up and you'd be back in business.
Are the bulk-heads really possible to weld, since they are cast-alu.? Hmmm... I would sertainly not trust a welded bulkhead, even if the welder is sertified up over his ears. Does anybody know the alu-mix they use in the bulkhead? Shouldn't take much magnesium to become way to brittle to hold up (around the welds). What filler-rod would you use? Pre-heat? Heating afterwards? Seems to be too many variables, IMO... :roll: I would just bite the bullet and buy a new half (or are the left and right side matched?), for my own pease of mind...
But what do I know...
But what do I know...
sxviperfan
Extreme
I BOUGHT AN 03 RX1 LAST SPRING WHICH HAD A
CRACK IN THE RH SIDE IN THE SAME PLACE AND BOUGHT ONE OFF FROM THIS SITE AND REPLACED IT LAST SUMMER. IT IS ALOT OF WORK TO REPLACE IT, BUT, I FEEL BETTER ABOUT DOING SO. GOOD LUCK.
CRACK IN THE RH SIDE IN THE SAME PLACE AND BOUGHT ONE OFF FROM THIS SITE AND REPLACED IT LAST SUMMER. IT IS ALOT OF WORK TO REPLACE IT, BUT, I FEEL BETTER ABOUT DOING SO. GOOD LUCK.
Ground Blizzard
Pro
I feel your pain, just hurts looking at the pic. 
AaronBND
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
I think I'll just replace it!
Hey guys, thanks again for all the advice. I think I am just going to replace it. "Getting to know your sled intimately 103". It's all good. That's what warm garages are for right? Anyways.....I will let you all know how it turns out. Anyone need to take a road trip to Oregon??? Thanks again!
Aaron
Hey guys, thanks again for all the advice. I think I am just going to replace it. "Getting to know your sled intimately 103". It's all good. That's what warm garages are for right? Anyways.....I will let you all know how it turns out. Anyone need to take a road trip to Oregon??? Thanks again!
Aaron
AaronBND-- After reading all of these posts on this, Im glad that I saw that you were going to replace it. That is something I don't think I would mess around with. Expecially at the speeds that we travel with these sleds. Good luck and I hope you have her up and running soon.
