Track Studding

[WANN4STROKE]

Why should I?

Thxs.

David

 

[yamahas]

A quick rundown:

Pro - added traction for accelerating and braking/safety.
Con- the possibility of a stud damaging something in the tunnel. Also added weight that the engine must spin.

 

[stewartb]

Why should I?

Thxs.

David

I've wished I had screws or picks a few times over the years. Usually on glare
ice with a trailer that tries to pass me and pulls the rear end around. That's a rare occurance because it's smarter to defer pulling freight until conditions improve. If I wanted to spend money on my track? I'd replacemit with a
1 1/2" track and enjoy improved traction in our more typical conditions. That would be better more often than studs would be.

 

[eric3793]

Why should I?

Thxs.

David

Track studs are a must in my opinion. I put 144 1-1/2" Woody's studs down the middle of the track on my VK back in 2008. I pull alot of wood mostly in sleds but sometimes tree length across the lake. Without studs I would not be able to do this. I also pull large ice shacks and often on glare ice.

I ran two sections of Yamaha tunnel guard just to protect the muffler and front tunnel section. It took some messing around because Yamaha does not make tunnel protectors for this particular model. The protection strips of plastic are standard length so I put about 12" of aluminum square stock at the very back of the tunnel. It's been 4 seasons and 5000 miles without any issues.

I've seen too many wrecked sleds and injuries because of icy conditions. The new studs and washers almost eliminate the possiblity track damage especially in a heavy work sled. Most of the track damage I see is on high HP race sleds with long picks spinning the track in all conditions. Crossng metal bridges can occasionally catch a stud but if there is only 1/4" of stud exposed, I think this is long shot.

Again, just my opinion. The wife and I have run studs for 30 years and have not damaged a track yet.

 

[dilligaf]

Definitely a personal choice. I've never 'needed' them for ice fishing, but my load is small. If your pulling a heavy load, I can definitely see having studs.

 

[stewartb]

Less a personal choice than an environmental choice. If you ride on trails that ice up, studs may make sense. Not so much for any wide track riding typical Alaskans do, at least not in the 20+ years that I've been doing it. I'll pull 2000-2500# sleds several times this year just like every other year. Studs will not be missed, even though I'll target early spring mornings when the snow is frozen hard. When I look behind me I can see imprints from my track lugs even in hard conditions, except perhaps for small patches of frozen overflow. In 99.9% of my actual riding experience taller track lugs would be more beneficial than picks. That goes for clawing up the Shell Lake trail as well as for pulling 6 drums of fuel to the cabin. Out in the woods cutting wood? Picks do nothing.

Stewart

 

[eric3793]

I only wish here in Maine that ice was not common, but unfortunately it is. I agree that in nice packed snow and in the deep stuff, studs are a complete waste. It seems like once we get a nice snow-pack built up, here comes Mother Nature with a warm rain followed by really cold temps. We also run plowed logging roads that can turn glare ice with a bit of rain. It's more of a safety thing for me. I'll bet that 90% of all the sleds in Maine are studded. However, maybe 10% of the few utility sleds are studded so I understand your point. The VK is a decent trail machine and most of the 5000 miles on mine are on groomed trails...that get icy at some point in the season.