Oversized idler wheels? Any problems with using them?

[Grimm]

Stunter, the pic of the wheel you posted is a Kimpex wheel, not a Polaris wheel. They make them in all sizes. I believe that there might be a stamping on them, either wheel size or product code number. You can then cross reference them with the # in the Kimpex catalogue at Kimpex.com.

By the look of your pic, the inner race of the bearing is still attached to the wheel support. To me, it looks like the bearing is pretty wide, which is the 6205 bearing. I can't tell if the support was machined to accept the wider bearing from the pic though. Maybe the previous owner went too large with the wheel.

The wheels I installed are just slightly larger than stock and the reason I did this was that I experienced high slider wear...3 sets in 1700km does not agree with me. I had a similar problem with my 05 Vector and after installing larger wheels, I only changed my sliders ONCE a year...big improvement.

 

[mobydick]

do u have the part number for the oversized wheels

 

[Grimm]

Here is the part number that I installed for the oversized Kimpex wheels that I used. It's on page 330 of the online catalogue found at Kimpex.com

04-052-20 where 20 is the colour code for black...other colours are coded differently. These wheels include the wider 6205 bearing which require machining of the wheel supports if you are to run them in between the rails. The diameter of the wheel is 5 1/4", which is only 1/8" larger than the stock wheel.

Fyi, on page 329, at the bottom is a direct replacement wheel that comes with the narrow 6005 bearing, which requires no machining of the wheel supports.

 

[stunter1]

Grimm, you are right. I just checked the bearings and they are the larger 6205 bearing. I looked at the broken bracket and compared it to a brand new bracket I had lying around. No machining done on the old broken bracket.

Should I machine all the brackets or is it only necessary for the inners?

My sled came with 6 oversized idlers wheels and bearings. The four outers are still good but need bearings, and the inners were replaced with stock yamaha ones.

 

[Grimm]

I don't think you need to machine the mounts for the outside, but fill the space up with a washers or two.

If you're replacing the inners with stock wheels/bearings, then don't machine the mount.

 

[stunter1]

gotcha, thanks man.

 

[Crewchief47]

Just to be clear, if you run the wider bearing wheels on the inner mounts, you need to machine off 1mm to re-center the wheel between the drive lugs on the track. No machining is required on the outside as there are no interference issues.

I'm sure this was mentioned somewhere else in this thread but I figure it needed repeating.

 

[Len Todd]

I machined the outer mounts. If you leave them long, the wheels tend to curl the track edge down. Another way of saying this is: the wheels are so far out toward the edge of the track that they stretch the track excessively.

 

[Rayman5271]

I really need to stop this hyfax wear. If I purchased 6 04-116-96s w/ 6005 bearing and put them in the place of my front and mid idlers would that fix the wear problems? Or would a 6 wheel kit from ticked toys solve this issue or are they the same size as the oem replacement wheels? Snow is here soon, just trying to get all these mods done as soon as possible, thank you all for your help an experience.

 

[Another Phase]

If you want to rid yourself of the slider wear issue I would do the following:

- Purchase 6 larger idlers with 6205 bearings. Wheels will be 135mm instead of the old 130mm style.
- Have .0060 machined off each of the 6 mounts so that the wider 6205 bearing ends up fitting flush with the end of the mount. This will centre the wheel so it doesn't hit the cogs on the track (inside wheels) and reduces the leverage the outside wheels would have on the rails.
- Order a set of SLP anti wear pads for the closed windows on your stock track. These are as simple as studs to install and allow your sliders to ride on the rounded head of the anti wear pad instead of the sticky rubber of the closed window.

I have run this setup on my last two sleds for thousands of miles with zero issues and virtually no slider wear. I retrofitted my '08 Apex LTX GT before I put 1 mile on it. I have 2400 miles on it now and the sliders look like they are brand new. I understand that I have modified the factory setup and there could be a risk of cracking a slide rail, but I am willing to take that chance. I can't imagine that the additional 2.5 mm below the rail would cause a fracture unless it was a freak hit that would probably break the rail with the stock wheels on it anyway.

 

[Rayman5271]

Why go to the 135mm instead of the 130mm style? Im just curious because with hunting season here and snow looming I don't have alot of free time. Sundays before races and nights after work.

 

[Grimm]

Going to a larger wheel will ease the initial wear on the sliders, a problem with Yamahas. IMO, a design problem.

 

[Rayman5271]

Can I find the 135mm idlers with stock bearings? (6005) So I wont have to do any machining? Just pull and bolt on?

 

[Grimm]

Nope, however I noticed that the Kimpex wheels usually are normally a fraction larger than stockers...you might get away with them.

 

[Rayman5271]

So take my mounts to a machining shop and have them shave .0060 off each of the 6 mounts? Anything other than that? is there a specific place on the mount to shave it off?