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Work horse machine, which one?

ArcticRider

ArcticRider

Pro
Joined
Nov 19, 2018
Messages
162
Location
Above the Arctic Circle, Alaska
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2016 Yamaha Viper STX-DX 146
2021 Vk 540
I live in the Arctic and i currently own a 16’ viper, which barely starts at 0 degrees. Is there a yamaha that will start at cold temps say -30f. I will b using this machine to haul a ton of wood and 50 gallon drums of fuel. Also, need it for hunting moose and caribou. Im hesitant to buy another yamaha but i love my viper when it starts. Thoughts? Im looking at the viking 540 or the pro? But im open to any and all suggestions.
 
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go with the vk540.

the pro is the same engine as the viper but with yamaha tuning in the ecu. needs a block heater after -30 c area unless you put a sled start system on it to keep the coolant above a certain temp. yellowknife said he could get his nitro going without plugging it in around -32 c.

the vk 540 will start at -40 c no problem as long as you pull it over by hand until it is freed up. e start will start it but you have to watch for flooding the engine. ran mine at that temp a few times and my uncles II and III a whole bunch. uncles II is still floating around and i know that thing had over 30000km on it without a engine rebuild on cheaper sled oil when my aunt sold it.
 
maim said:
go with the vk540.

the pro is the same engine as the viper but with yamaha tuning in the ecu. needs a block heater after -30 c area unless you put a sled start system on it to keep the coolant above a certain temp. yellowknife said he could get his nitro going without plugging it in around -32 c.

the vk 540 will start at -40 c no problem as long as you pull it over by hand until it is freed up. e start will start it but you have to watch for flooding the engine. ran mine at that temp a few times and my uncles II and III a whole bunch. uncles II is still floating around and i know that thing had over 30000km on it without a engine rebuild on cheaper sled oil when my aunt sold it.
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Would you say its pretty powerful for towing?
 
The VK has a two speed gear box, so you can select low range for towing your heavy loads.
 
ArcticRider said:
Would you say its pretty powerful for towing?
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vk 540 are plenty strong. usually tow the 8' sleigh full of wood in high range. only time i use low range is when i am pulling 30-40' logs out of the bush onto the lake back to camp. prior to his death my uncle would load the same sleigh up with all his trapping and fishing gear and break all the trails into lakes with the sleigh on with very few issues. guys still use them to pull trail groomers in low range, almost did the pre season on a clubs vk last season.

vk pro, add the coolant heater. better to have and not need than need and not have.
 
As hard as it is for me to say this if cold starts in the bush are a must then I'd say go with a VK540. It will start and will do the job otherwise. That said the VK Pro is an absolute beast for pulling but that doesn't do you any good if you can't get it going. Because of your location I would consider the relative merit of your dealer/dealer network. I know some of the Alaska guys have had good experiences with Yukon Yamaha(Whitehorse) when they couldn't get what they needed out of Anchorage. I also think that this forum is great and all the guys here are helpful and responsive.
 
YukonMP said:
As hard as it is for me to say this if cold starts in the bush are a must then I'd say go with a VK540. It will start and will do the job otherwise. That said the VK Pro is an absolute beast for pulling but that doesn't do you any good if you can't get it going. Because of your location I would consider the relative merit of your dealer/dealer network. I know some of the Alaska guys have had good experiences with Yukon Yamaha(Whitehorse) when they couldn't get what they needed out of Anchorage. I also think that this forum is great and all the guys here are helpful and responsive.
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After calling 6 places i finally found a vk540 in fairbanks. I did find one vk pro, which does seem awesome but i hesitate because of the cold starting issues with my viper.
 
like i said above, the viepr ecu and the vk ecu are totally different. the vk ecu is like the nitro and vector ecu for starting.
 
maim said:
like i said above, the viepr ecu and the vk ecu are totally different. the vk ecu is like the nitro and vector ecu for starting.
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Ok i see. If i only had a heated garage this wouldn't be an issue, but hey we cant have it all.
Does your vk pro start well in the cold then?
 
ArcticRider said:
Ok i see. If i only had a heated garage this wouldn't be an issue, but hey we cant have it all.
Does your vk pro start well in the cold then?
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lol dude, my vk is the og vk. 1988 vk540 is what i run atm. does all i need and the only time it is in the garage is usually when i pre season it.
 
At minus 30 the vk 540 will need some persuading with both the e start and pull cord at the same time, seen numerous times where that was the only way it would turn over, where as my 06 pro would start no problem , but it depends on the sled and condition of the battery, but when comes to the towing capacity the 540 doesn't even come close ! with that said the new vk is no slouch, it idles better, improved fuel economy and better in deep snow . haven't had much experience with the vk pro 2 , but have lots with the carb version and never had any issues starting in cold weather (the coldest being minus 30) but they were well tuned ie: sync and cleaned carbs and everything adjusted to spec! good luck with the decision! cheers!
 
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