Buddy broke his a few weekends ago on 12 T-cat he found a steel Polaris one fit well. Have no idea what it was from though.
Its there but more than likely wrong. Here is from 15 Yamaha Service Manual
And this is Cat manual
mnman309
Expert
Cannondale - did you have a chance to look and see if you have bent the steel shaft?
Shaft is still straight. No more issues with RR stuff in there.
My shaft broke last year at around 3k miles. This is my opinion only, but #1 snowmobiles are meant to be fixed. We ride them like idiots in the worst of conditions so something is going to give. #2 my own experience is when the sled is out of "balance" strange things (like that shaft) break. My definition of "balance" is when your suspension set up is correct for you the forces from the input of riding are distributed evenly, thus good ride and handling.
I experienced this with my SX, SRX, APEX GT, '86 Phazer, '96 XCR, my buddies XC ect... In all cases the mode of failure was what we all believed to be the "weak link". True it probably was and I rushed to the TY site to find the "fix" just as we all have. But if you mask that weak link through reinforcement you truly haven't fixed the problem.
My Viper is '14 and with it's stiff shock valving and heavy springs the ride was very stiff for my #150 weight. After two seasons of multiple valving set up's and spring combinations the shaft finally failed and ironically it failed when my set up was at an all time low. I was so PO'd that I was ready to jump ship on the VIPER and go back to the APEX.
I read an article in SnowGoer (I think, and I believe it was Jan edition), it covered upgrades to the '16 Procross chassis specifically addressing the over sprung harsh ride of the '15. There they listed the part numbers for the new rear springs (torsion and center).
I purchased the springs and I also the new Fox adjustable rear shock. Carver did the final revolve on the center shock and front shocks, went back to the stock front springs, set the sled at neutral for my weight, went back to stock skies and then I did the opposite of what every Cat guy with a Procross will tell you to do, I sucked up the limiter strap 3 holes and I increased the rear torsion by 1.5 to "lift" the sled.
I'm sure that most of you are wondering about ski pressure, which I also fought. I love SlyDog skies and I personally think that they get better with each riding season. But they weren't working for me on the Viper, steering pressure was to much (which I tried to correct with a heavier spring.)
Stock skies with Snowtracker skages is the answer (for me).
Final result, in comparison to '15 Renegade with R-Motion, and '16 AXIS both 800cc and 136".
Renegade: Sure the R-motion gives a super plush ride, almost too plush not giving the rider any feedback. The front end is outdated and can't come close to competing with the Viper front end. When pounded in the big bumps the R-motion works very well (after you stop and adjust it) but clearly out rides the front end. Overall we all felt like we would break the sled if we continued to pound it. The computer system is great, it has a mind of it's own. Some days it run's great and other days it decides to run on limp mode. Each morning was like christmas, we would rush out to see what color fluid we would find under the sled, red or green!
AXIS: Is a very fun sled to ride and responds well to rider input. Sit back and pull the skies up! (yeah right into a tree) It's constant vibration is great massage therapy on your hands and forearms until they go numb and the ploom of smoke is great for those riding behind it (especially with a hang over). Finding the sweet spot on the massive rear spring is critical to this sled (which we were never able to do). Although the AXIS is a good chassis we always felt like we were hanging on for dear life. ( Remember the rider input?) And again with never being able to find the correct setting on the rear spring, it was either jaw clenching too stiff or too soft and bottoming out regularly putting your spine at risk.
Viper: With rider weight ranging from 150# to 270# four different riders could ride this sled and all get the same result. Steering effort was one handed light and precise. The front end is the best in the industry in any condition and the rear end, although not quite as plush as the R-motion, over all was the best ride of the group in any condition, especially in the biggest of bumps (and without making any adjustments!). It instilled the most confidence, provides the best riding position, and doesn't feel like your going to break it when the trails get really bad. Best of all I don't need to make any changes for trail conditions or rider weight.
What does any of this have to do with the shaft breaking? Now that I've found the balance on my Viper, after about 1000 miles I've seen no additional wear and tear on any of the areas on the rear skid that I did once before, including that shaft. Before this last (swing at the fence) dramatic set up change, there were in fact witness marks on the shaft, then it bent and then it broke. I ride very hard and the last thing I want is component failure to end a great weekend of riding.
This is just my opinion based on my own experiences and for the record I probably will upgrade my shaft to the RR part numbers this summer after my inspection tear down. Same as with the upper jackshaft and bearing even though my own feeling is that this component fails due to running the chain too tight. enjoy the rest of the summer folks!
I experienced this with my SX, SRX, APEX GT, '86 Phazer, '96 XCR, my buddies XC ect... In all cases the mode of failure was what we all believed to be the "weak link". True it probably was and I rushed to the TY site to find the "fix" just as we all have. But if you mask that weak link through reinforcement you truly haven't fixed the problem.
My Viper is '14 and with it's stiff shock valving and heavy springs the ride was very stiff for my #150 weight. After two seasons of multiple valving set up's and spring combinations the shaft finally failed and ironically it failed when my set up was at an all time low. I was so PO'd that I was ready to jump ship on the VIPER and go back to the APEX.
I read an article in SnowGoer (I think, and I believe it was Jan edition), it covered upgrades to the '16 Procross chassis specifically addressing the over sprung harsh ride of the '15. There they listed the part numbers for the new rear springs (torsion and center).
I purchased the springs and I also the new Fox adjustable rear shock. Carver did the final revolve on the center shock and front shocks, went back to the stock front springs, set the sled at neutral for my weight, went back to stock skies and then I did the opposite of what every Cat guy with a Procross will tell you to do, I sucked up the limiter strap 3 holes and I increased the rear torsion by 1.5 to "lift" the sled.
I'm sure that most of you are wondering about ski pressure, which I also fought. I love SlyDog skies and I personally think that they get better with each riding season. But they weren't working for me on the Viper, steering pressure was to much (which I tried to correct with a heavier spring.)
Stock skies with Snowtracker skages is the answer (for me).
Final result, in comparison to '15 Renegade with R-Motion, and '16 AXIS both 800cc and 136".
Renegade: Sure the R-motion gives a super plush ride, almost too plush not giving the rider any feedback. The front end is outdated and can't come close to competing with the Viper front end. When pounded in the big bumps the R-motion works very well (after you stop and adjust it) but clearly out rides the front end. Overall we all felt like we would break the sled if we continued to pound it. The computer system is great, it has a mind of it's own. Some days it run's great and other days it decides to run on limp mode. Each morning was like christmas, we would rush out to see what color fluid we would find under the sled, red or green!
AXIS: Is a very fun sled to ride and responds well to rider input. Sit back and pull the skies up! (yeah right into a tree) It's constant vibration is great massage therapy on your hands and forearms until they go numb and the ploom of smoke is great for those riding behind it (especially with a hang over). Finding the sweet spot on the massive rear spring is critical to this sled (which we were never able to do). Although the AXIS is a good chassis we always felt like we were hanging on for dear life. ( Remember the rider input?) And again with never being able to find the correct setting on the rear spring, it was either jaw clenching too stiff or too soft and bottoming out regularly putting your spine at risk.
Viper: With rider weight ranging from 150# to 270# four different riders could ride this sled and all get the same result. Steering effort was one handed light and precise. The front end is the best in the industry in any condition and the rear end, although not quite as plush as the R-motion, over all was the best ride of the group in any condition, especially in the biggest of bumps (and without making any adjustments!). It instilled the most confidence, provides the best riding position, and doesn't feel like your going to break it when the trails get really bad. Best of all I don't need to make any changes for trail conditions or rider weight.
What does any of this have to do with the shaft breaking? Now that I've found the balance on my Viper, after about 1000 miles I've seen no additional wear and tear on any of the areas on the rear skid that I did once before, including that shaft. Before this last (swing at the fence) dramatic set up change, there were in fact witness marks on the shaft, then it bent and then it broke. I ride very hard and the last thing I want is component failure to end a great weekend of riding.
This is just my opinion based on my own experiences and for the record I probably will upgrade my shaft to the RR part numbers this summer after my inspection tear down. Same as with the upper jackshaft and bearing even though my own feeling is that this component fails due to running the chain too tight. enjoy the rest of the summer folks!
My opinion is that as you get the suspension to work well you will tend to go faster through stuff you never would have before. Eventually no matter how fast you go you are in control and comfortable doing it. Eventually something has to give. It's pretty obvious Cat knows that stock shaft is a weak point since the Race sleds all have the stronger shaft. As for the driveshafts there wasn't any actually breaking in the Vipers but some were wearing splines Jackshaft and Driveshaft. Probably just inconsistent hardness. Not sure why some are fine and others are just shot bad. I bought the new Jackshaft setup before inspecting my original since it's a pain inspecting. Both my drive and jackshaft/bearing looked perfect yet but you never know till you get in there and look.
Few more have broken this shaft this year. Shame. Buddy just looked at his 800 cat with QS3. Shaft is bent with 2000mi on it. I found this today also. Could be used to fix a tunnel which bolts ripped out or cracked if you don't want to fab one yourself.
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Sevey
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Cannondale, to clarify your above pic - is that a bracket to reinforce the outside of the tunnel? from Cat?
I cant believe anyone has not created an aftermarket part for this yet.
It can happen easier than you think. That shaft should be inspected daily. I bet if you catch its shape starting to deform, and get it fixed, it will not shear in half and start ripping through the tunnel
MS
I cant believe anyone has not created an aftermarket part for this yet.
It can happen easier than you think. That shaft should be inspected daily. I bet if you catch its shape starting to deform, and get it fixed, it will not shear in half and start ripping through the tunnel
MS
Yes it's for outside tunnel.
blueironranger
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2009 Phazer MTX
Just wondering, anyone had this issue with the xtx 141 skid or is this just a slide action issue? Just looking at stuff to "bulletproof" this summer.
Never heard of it happening to XTX.
Red Rocket
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My 2014 LTX SE is showing signs of bending as well, the bolts are clearly crooked now.
Red Rocket
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I tried to check and see if all sidewinders have the same shaft and it appears they are all the same (LE included). It also appears like all the 2017 arctic cats use the same shaft as well. No one seems to know if they are all updated to the thicker shafts or not. Does anyone have anymore info on the 2017's?
Same weak parts. Only 17's with stronger parts are the Cat 6000xc sleds.
ViperBill
Pro
My shaft didn't break but my front arm wound up in pieces
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