vk plowing?

[kingofthehill]

when u guys say the vk plows u mean the skis wont stay on top off the snow in 2-3 ft of powder or slush?

 

[eric3793]

I think most folks mean that the VK and any other machine plows when you attempt to turn and the machine does not respond well. I wrote that my VK plowed after putting on 11" ski skins with new double carbides. It was the snow condition which was loose, fresh snow. My friends who were riding Yamaha sport sleds with Simmons skis and they were also plowing. Light sleds were having less issues. The next day the snow tightened up and the VK handled very well. In general, the VK is not a precise handling machine and it can't be expected to turn like a sport sled. At 800 lbs. (probably 1000 lbs with gas, gear and suspension ice) and a top heavy center of gravity, the VK can be tippy too. However, I love the machine and I don't know of another sled that can do all that the VK can do. I need a work sled to break trail five miles into camp while hauling a sled full of gear. I haul 1/3 cord of fire wood up hill without a problem and tow a drag to smooth the trails. We put over 1000 lbs of water in drums and haul them up from the lake for camp water. Then I go trail riding at speeds exceeding 70mph for 200 miles or more each day. My goal was to get a utility sled that could keep up with my friends on traditional groomed trails. The VK does this well and gets 16 to 18mpg. 140 miles on fast groomed trails is possible between fill ups.

Regarding powder performance, the stock skis do not get on top of really fluffy powder. With 11" ski skins added, it does. It will still dive when decelerating and I think most sleds will. The VK handles slush better than other sleds due to the raw power. I don't know how it handles water crossings. A short stream should not be an issue but I know my Polaris WT LX could not sustain long water crossings. It slowly ran out of speed and went down but fortunately I had ice about 18" down so I drove out of it. The VK has a better track lug and twice the power so I am curious to see what it can do on water...but I need the right situation. Maybe this spring.

 

[kingofthehill]

yes i would not expect the vk to handle like a sports sled as my venture TF doesnt either but it does most things quite well. what ive noticed about all yamahas (had an 01 venture700 2stroke and now the 4stroke and my friends 98 venture) is that when going straight in the deep stuff the snow tends to end up between me and the windshield. my arctic cats never did that.