Venture GT 2009 suspension doesnt come back up

[volitan]

Hi,

I got both shocks rebuilt and tension springs are at the max preload. When i push the suspension down until it bottoms, it barely springs back.

what Are my options to fix this? I just got it and we will be riding 2 up all the time. See video link

 

[Phazer2Viper]

make sure your front end is on it's skis and no blocks under it. If the geometry is off this will happen. So set it up as if its ready to ride then try it.

 

[Mooseman]

Mine acts like that just for the top part of the suspension travel, however if I put some real weight on it to really compress it, it does come back. I think this is normal.

 

[volitan]

Thanks alot guys, Really appreciate the info. It's my first sled and im used to dirt bike suspensions. I will wait for the snow and see how it feels.

Do you guys adjust the control rod at the back shorter or longer? I have it at the minimum ( 1rst line) right now. I will always be having a passenger

 

[earthling]

It will act like that until you get the front of the skid back on the floor. The front of the sled is being held up by the jack, and the sled is only touching at the very front (jack) and very rear (track under idlers), when when you compress the sled it is hitting the transfer blocks in a way that is locking out the suspension.

We tend to think of the sled suspension as being like a car, push down on the fender and the spring/strut/shock compresses and rebounds. This is due to the relatively simple geometry of a cars suspension. A cars suspension is designed with the simple circular tire in mind. The tire transfers impact through the tangent of the tire (where it meets the road) transferring the force vertically into the shock. That isn't how a snowmobile suspension works because of the track. The rear suspension of a snowmobile must articulate around a bump in a very different way, it does so through a pivot which translates the non-uniform shape of the track into a uniform application of forces. It does so through the radius of the front arm.

The front arm defines a radius that the suspension must move through to engage both the front and rear shocks. The natural motion of the skid is up and slightly backwards through that radius. It isn't much, but it matters. To really see the suspension work you have to move the suspension as a unit, the easiest way to do that is put the skid flat on the floor. What you are doing pushing down on the back is closer to emulating weight transfer like when you launch the sled and the sled is most likely hitting the weight transfer lockouts and stopping the transfer into the suspension.

 

[volitan]

It will act like that until you get the front of the skid back on the floor. The front of the sled is being held up by the jack, and the sled is only touching at the very front (jack) and very rear (track under idlers), when when you compress the sled it is hitting the transfer blocks in a way that is locking out the suspension.

We tend to think of the sled suspension as being like a car, push down on the fender and the spring/strut/shock compresses and rebounds. This is due to the relatively simple geometry of a cars suspension. A cars suspension is designed with the simple circular tire in mind. The tire transfers impact through the tangent of the tire (where it meets the road) transferring the force vertically into the shock. That isn't how a snowmobile suspension works because of the track. The rear suspension of a snowmobile must articulate around a bump in a very different way, it does so through a pivot which translates the non-uniform shape of the track into a uniform application of forces. It does so through the radius of the front arm.

The front arm defines a radius that the suspension must move through to engage both the front and rear shocks. The natural motion of the skid is up and slightly backwards through that radius. It isn't much, but it matters. To really see the suspension work you have to move the suspension as a unit, the easiest way to do that is put the skid flat on the floor. What you are doing pushing down on the back is closer to emulating weight transfer like when you launch the sled and the sled is most likely hitting the weight transfer lockouts and stopping the transfer into the suspension.

Thats a great explanation thank you for that. I never thought about it like that and seeing that video in motion does give you a better perpective on how it works!

 

[maim]

i have also seen a summer rated thick grease bind up a suspension as well.

 

[volitan]

I bet in the cold it would. I completely cleaned and regreased everything with amsoil grease to eliminate that possibility