Hi guys!
On the last ride my track started to ratchet alot. It has happened one time before but that was on really wet and heavy snow. Now it slips imediately when I pin it in deep snow.
I took the sled to the garage and found out that the track was loose (as expected), I kinda knew it was loose but I never thought it would ratchet since it has anti ratchet drivers.
I inspected the drivers and it seems like the right side wheel really took a beating. The teeths are really worn where the track has slipped and I actually think it needs to be replaced!
The strange thing is that the left wheels shows no signs of wear at all, how is this possible??
I tightened the track quite much so I really wonder it will ratchet or not this weekend.
I also noticed that my right side rail/slide in the suspension seemed to be a little bent, if you look very closely you can see that it is bent a little upwards in the area between the little wheel in front and the little wheel in the rear. However I am not sure if this could only be hyfax wear that fools me.. .
But I started thinking that maybe the track ratcheting was caused by the bent skid/rail, but I didnt hit anything on the last ride so I figure the skid/rail has been this way for a while.
Hmm
Another thing I noticed was that the pressure in the front shock in the skid had dropped from 150psi to 50psi.
Could this affect this? Would the skid ride "lower" and create less pressure on the track and make ratcheting more likely?
Guess I`ll just have to replace the drivers, what are the best drivers?
When I worked at the local Yamaha dealer we installed doo extroverts on some sleds, I also installed doo extroverts on dimebags (here on the forum) Nytro MCX 180 so maybe I should call the doo dealer and ask if he has them in stock.. . And order an allballs jack and driveshaft kit so I can replace everything while I`m at it.. .
Hmm.
On the last ride my track started to ratchet alot. It has happened one time before but that was on really wet and heavy snow. Now it slips imediately when I pin it in deep snow.
I took the sled to the garage and found out that the track was loose (as expected), I kinda knew it was loose but I never thought it would ratchet since it has anti ratchet drivers.
I inspected the drivers and it seems like the right side wheel really took a beating. The teeths are really worn where the track has slipped and I actually think it needs to be replaced!
The strange thing is that the left wheels shows no signs of wear at all, how is this possible??
I tightened the track quite much so I really wonder it will ratchet or not this weekend.
I also noticed that my right side rail/slide in the suspension seemed to be a little bent, if you look very closely you can see that it is bent a little upwards in the area between the little wheel in front and the little wheel in the rear. However I am not sure if this could only be hyfax wear that fools me.. .
But I started thinking that maybe the track ratcheting was caused by the bent skid/rail, but I didnt hit anything on the last ride so I figure the skid/rail has been this way for a while.
Hmm
Another thing I noticed was that the pressure in the front shock in the skid had dropped from 150psi to 50psi.
Could this affect this? Would the skid ride "lower" and create less pressure on the track and make ratcheting more likely?
Guess I`ll just have to replace the drivers, what are the best drivers?
When I worked at the local Yamaha dealer we installed doo extroverts on some sleds, I also installed doo extroverts on dimebags (here on the forum) Nytro MCX 180 so maybe I should call the doo dealer and ask if he has them in stock.. . And order an allballs jack and driveshaft kit so I can replace everything while I`m at it.. .
Hmm.
Most people are running Avid drivers. With the shock being low and the rail being bent is there anyway that the rail could be makeing contact with the driver when the suspension is compressed? It would explain why only one side it beat up.
Off Trail Mike
Gone Riding!
kimoajaj
I can see it. If your track is following a bent slide rail on one side, and a straight path on the other, there will be differential loading of your drivers, meaning one will have more load on it than the other and I'll bet a couple of millimeters is enough to make a difference!
The net result over time is one driver will wear more than the other, and take a beating. The bigger the bend, the bigger the wear. It might also partially explain the ratcheting since more load is on one driver.
I would eventually expect the driver wear to balance out and be less of an issue, but the wear will be visable.
The other contributing factor would be track misalignment which would have a similar effect if not addressed.
I am no expert, but I'll bet one or both of the problems contributed to what you see.
OTM
I can see it. If your track is following a bent slide rail on one side, and a straight path on the other, there will be differential loading of your drivers, meaning one will have more load on it than the other and I'll bet a couple of millimeters is enough to make a difference!
The net result over time is one driver will wear more than the other, and take a beating. The bigger the bend, the bigger the wear. It might also partially explain the ratcheting since more load is on one driver.
I would eventually expect the driver wear to balance out and be less of an issue, but the wear will be visable.
The other contributing factor would be track misalignment which would have a similar effect if not addressed.
I am no expert, but I'll bet one or both of the problems contributed to what you see.
OTM
LSXM3
Expert
Off Trail Mike said:
X2 i was thinking that there is not a lot of room in there and if your rail is bent it could be coming in contact with the driver. I would check that and go from there.
Yammerhead
Expert
Oddly enough, I've noticed the same thing on my stock, 09 MTX 153. The left extrovert is pristine and the right is beat to rat poop. It has never been apart from factory and nothing appears to be bent or out of alignment either. I'll have a closer look at it when I pull the skid for a track swap.
Off Trail Mike
Gone Riding!
I wonder if left/right track tension is the issue. I find with long tracks, the "VISIBLE" alignment usually looks good, even if you have very different tension left to right.
On my 153 track I tested two alignments. Right now I have 5-1/2 turns on left and 6-1/2 turn on the right, so a full turn in the difference. But the track appears to run right down the center. Last week, with both adjusters set at exactly 6 turns each, I had it run down the center but slightly closer to the nubs on one side (maybe 1/16 closer) and thought putting adjustment in would help. But after making the change it had virtually no effect on alignment, but now I am wondering if it affectsdriver wear..
My point is that with only 6 turns of the adjuster to go from full slack to proper tension, one turn is a big change, and even if there is no visible effects it might be hurting the drivers.
My plan is to reset the alignment back to 6 turns even on each side so tensioning is equal on both sides.
Anyone else notice adjusters seem to have limited effects on long tracks?
OTM
On my 153 track I tested two alignments. Right now I have 5-1/2 turns on left and 6-1/2 turn on the right, so a full turn in the difference. But the track appears to run right down the center. Last week, with both adjusters set at exactly 6 turns each, I had it run down the center but slightly closer to the nubs on one side (maybe 1/16 closer) and thought putting adjustment in would help. But after making the change it had virtually no effect on alignment, but now I am wondering if it affectsdriver wear..
My point is that with only 6 turns of the adjuster to go from full slack to proper tension, one turn is a big change, and even if there is no visible effects it might be hurting the drivers.
My plan is to reset the alignment back to 6 turns even on each side so tensioning is equal on both sides.
Anyone else notice adjusters seem to have limited effects on long tracks?
OTM
towerrigger
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
OTM i have noticed this on my 162. Right now my rails are spaced perfectly in the guides of the track. My left has 2 full turns more on the adjustor but on my top idler wheels the track is closer to the clutch side, almost touching tunnel. When I initially installed the avid drivers this year I found the track would move from side to side when checking the spacing on the rails and track guides. Anyone else have this or these issues??
Off Trail Mike
Gone Riding!
Towerrigger:
Did you have a look at your track position on your return idlers with the rear adjusters set even both sides? If you have 2 more turns left (clutch) side, you would think it should be closer on the right side of the tunnel???
With so much play between the inside and outside track guides, the track is free to move quite a bit, which can be misleading when doing alignment. With the sled up on a stand, I am now only worried about being aligned on my drivers and ensuring I am not HARD against the track guides on either side.
Hope it works.
OTM
Did you have a look at your track position on your return idlers with the rear adjusters set even both sides? If you have 2 more turns left (clutch) side, you would think it should be closer on the right side of the tunnel???
With so much play between the inside and outside track guides, the track is free to move quite a bit, which can be misleading when doing alignment. With the sled up on a stand, I am now only worried about being aligned on my drivers and ensuring I am not HARD against the track guides on either side.
Hope it works.
OTM
Nytro19
Veteran
towerrigger said:
I had the same adjustment issues. The track would appear to be aligned but right but after a few revolutions it would be off to one side. I kept backing off either side adjuster and finally with the sled running the track would start to move really slow at idle. The adjusters were not equal but the track tension, alignment and drivers all seem good now. No ratcheting with 8-10lbs boost.
