thinksnow
Expert
I will try and keep this as short as possible.
The sled is a 2006 Apex MTN with the stock rear suspension and a MMI 8" rear wheel kit. The chaincase is rolled. There is a Boondocker turbo on it but that isn't the problem. It had a 162" by 2.5" camo extreme track.
Last year I speared the track. For some reason my rail tip caps disappeared. I was travelling down the trail at about 50 MPH in soft loose snow. There was a couple wind drifts across the trail. I hit a couple and it speared the track. It locked up instantly and slid to a stop. We towed it out and hauled it home. As always I put things off and didn't work on it until a couple weeks ago.
I purchased a used track with the same part number as the one that was speared-9944M. I pulled the suspension out and installed the new/used track. Now the track hangs way down with adjusters maxed out. I thought maybe the used track was stretched out so I ordered a new track. In comes the 162" by 3" Camo Extreme. I installed it today and WTH. It hangs just as bad. I checked the tunnel and all seems good. Nothing has moved on the chaincase, driveshaft or drivers. The distance between the suspension mount bolts is 31.5" the same as another stock sled that my dad has. I have looked at this thing for hours comparing the two sleds. I am at a loss here.
PLEASE help and give me any ideas as to what could be causing this problem. I never had a problem adjusting the track before I took it out. Is there anything in the suspension that can flip or cam over and cause this problem?????
HELP!!!!!!!!
The sled is a 2006 Apex MTN with the stock rear suspension and a MMI 8" rear wheel kit. The chaincase is rolled. There is a Boondocker turbo on it but that isn't the problem. It had a 162" by 2.5" camo extreme track.
Last year I speared the track. For some reason my rail tip caps disappeared. I was travelling down the trail at about 50 MPH in soft loose snow. There was a couple wind drifts across the trail. I hit a couple and it speared the track. It locked up instantly and slid to a stop. We towed it out and hauled it home. As always I put things off and didn't work on it until a couple weeks ago.
I purchased a used track with the same part number as the one that was speared-9944M. I pulled the suspension out and installed the new/used track. Now the track hangs way down with adjusters maxed out. I thought maybe the used track was stretched out so I ordered a new track. In comes the 162" by 3" Camo Extreme. I installed it today and WTH. It hangs just as bad. I checked the tunnel and all seems good. Nothing has moved on the chaincase, driveshaft or drivers. The distance between the suspension mount bolts is 31.5" the same as another stock sled that my dad has. I have looked at this thing for hours comparing the two sleds. I am at a loss here.
PLEASE help and give me any ideas as to what could be causing this problem. I never had a problem adjusting the track before I took it out. Is there anything in the suspension that can flip or cam over and cause this problem?????
HELP!!!!!!!!
Take A Hike
Extreme
i'm sure you would have noticed it but on my attak 136" the little rubber strap that hold the front of the rails up when its off the ground broke and i didn't realize it for a while but when i jacked it off the ground to have a look at things cause it was ratcheting the track hung down 4 inches, and i tightened it down till it was about 3 inches, and then i notice that the rubber strap was broken, so i pushed up on the front of the rails so they were where the strap would keep them and the track was right tight, so it could be that your just missing the strap and not seeing that its broken?
Attachments
thinksnow
Expert
Both limiter straps broke when it speared the track. I have since installed new ones. I will try tightening them up but don't think that is the problem.
ANY ideas will help me get this figured out.
Thanks for the help.
ANY ideas will help me get this figured out.
Thanks for the help.
Take A Hike
Extreme
You have went through and looked and touched everything to make sure nothing is cracked or broken?, I don't really know what to say, other then, maybe there is somthing wrong in your chain cAse? Chain to loose might do it, the drive shaft could be moving side to side a little bit and catching on something.
karlburns
Expert
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2013
- Messages
- 322
- Location
- Anchorage,AK
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2011 apex xtx
2010 vector ltx gt
Tighten the limiter straps and see how much sag there is in track. If it's still way lose something obviously shifted when you speared it. Does anything up front look like it was shoved back? Drivers skid mounts anything?
thinksnow
Expert
You guys might be on to something when I think about it.
Both limiter straps broke when the track was speared. I make my own straps. I used the two pieces of broken strap for measurement to make the new ones. I wonder if they weren't totally stretched out before they finally snapped???
Everything else looks correct but I did notice the other night that the straps seemed loose. I never even thought that something like those could even cause this problem.
I will check this out this weekend. Man, I hope this is the problem.
Both limiter straps broke when the track was speared. I make my own straps. I used the two pieces of broken strap for measurement to make the new ones. I wonder if they weren't totally stretched out before they finally snapped???
Everything else looks correct but I did notice the other night that the straps seemed loose. I never even thought that something like those could even cause this problem.
I will check this out this weekend. Man, I hope this is the problem.
Take A Hike
Extreme
you said you made your own straps? good on ya! this industry needs more people making their own parts so Yamaha can't charge 570 dollars for something that costs 40 to make (my pivot arm broke but i'm fixing it and reinforcing it my self.) anyway, just in case your strap is to long I thought i would take the opportunity to stop and take some pictures and measurements for you since i have the skid out already!. okay so i will brake down into steps what you should do to check to make sure your strap is the right length. when you go to look at it this weekend:
step 1. jack the back end off the ground so the track is not touching the ground.
step 2. get a measuring tape.
**side note** the length that i'm going to tell you is what my snowmobile was running at, and it was working perfectly until the pivot arm broke.
step 3. once you see that the limiter strap is tight take your measuring tape and measure between the places where the limiter strap is looped around. it should measure 9 and a half inches
in picture 1 you will see that the stock strap has adjustment holes
in picture 2 you see where to measure to get the 9 and a half inches - center to center, the reason there is only a little bit of pip is cause that is what it loops around but it broke off on mine but that strap is going to be the same so it is accurate
I hope this will help you in some way!
hopefully you can go 
again!
step 1. jack the back end off the ground so the track is not touching the ground.
step 2. get a measuring tape.
**side note** the length that i'm going to tell you is what my snowmobile was running at, and it was working perfectly until the pivot arm broke.
step 3. once you see that the limiter strap is tight take your measuring tape and measure between the places where the limiter strap is looped around. it should measure 9 and a half inches
in picture 1 you will see that the stock strap has adjustment holes
in picture 2 you see where to measure to get the 9 and a half inches - center to center, the reason there is only a little bit of pip is cause that is what it loops around but it broke off on mine but that strap is going to be the same so it is accurate
I hope this will help you in some way!
hopefully you can go again!Attachments
thinksnow
Expert
Take a Hike,
Thanks a bunch for the extra work. People like you is what makes this sport great. People helping others just because they can and enjoy it. Wish this type of behavior would spread to the rest of the world.
I think mine will be a different length as it is a mountain sled. I actually have two individual straps in the front. What will help me as is that I have a totally stock sled sitting here to compare. My dads sled hasn't been touched. Mine on the other hand has been torn to pieces many times. I tend to break things just for a reason to upgrade.LOL
Again, thanks for the help. I will post if this was the problem (REALLY hoping it is-LOL).
Thanks a bunch for the extra work. People like you is what makes this sport great. People helping others just because they can and enjoy it. Wish this type of behavior would spread to the rest of the world.
I think mine will be a different length as it is a mountain sled. I actually have two individual straps in the front. What will help me as is that I have a totally stock sled sitting here to compare. My dads sled hasn't been touched. Mine on the other hand has been torn to pieces many times. I tend to break things just for a reason to upgrade.LOL
Again, thanks for the help. I will post if this was the problem (REALLY hoping it is-LOL).
Take A Hike
Extreme
Thank your very much for the kind words! Like my little signature thing says, my snowmobile is broken too, so I know how it feels to be looking at the window wishing I could be out riding. You say your dad has the same snowmobile? Shouldn't be to hard to measure his, here's hoping that's the trouble, keep us posted! 
karlburns
Expert
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2013
- Messages
- 322
- Location
- Anchorage,AK
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2011 apex xtx
2010 vector ltx gt
thinksnow said:
I have a mountain max that I used my old limiter strap off a monoskid cut in half for each side. The monoskid limiter strap was the same length as those ones but required going all the way up to get it tight enough to keep the skis even close to on the ground.
Take A Hike
Extreme
thinksnow said:
what do you mean by speared track exactly, i couldn't find what it means on google
karlburns
Expert
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2013
- Messages
- 322
- Location
- Anchorage,AK
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2011 apex xtx
2010 vector ltx gt
He probably considered himself a magician and did the old reappearing stump trick. First step find a jump near a questionable bumps in the snow. Second step launch snowmobile off jump towards bump and tada the stump magically reappears in your skid.
At least that's how I do that trick.
At least that's how I do that trick.
thinksnow
Expert
Speared=stabbed. The track window slips over the front of the rail and all hell breaks loose.
On mine I magically got both sides to do it at once and it ripped the track in half. The loose end then flopped around the back wheels and nailed the back bumper and dented the tunnel.
When said and done 3/4 of the track was waded up in the front of the tunnel. I had to use a sawsall to cut the track pieces apart to get it to release.
I now have a anti-stab kit installed in hopes that it never happens again.
On mine I magically got both sides to do it at once and it ripped the track in half. The loose end then flopped around the back wheels and nailed the back bumper and dented the tunnel.
When said and done 3/4 of the track was waded up in the front of the tunnel. I had to use a sawsall to cut the track pieces apart to get it to release.
I now have a anti-stab kit installed in hopes that it never happens again.
Take A Hike
Extreme
Karl, LOL you put a smile on my face!.
Thinksnow, wow that seems like quite the brake, I think that could have happened to me as I was running with out a limiter strap for 100miles. I sure hope we can get this problem taken care of so this magical occurrence never happenes again!
Thinksnow, wow that seems like quite the brake, I think that could have happened to me as I was running with out a limiter strap for 100miles. I sure hope we can get this problem taken care of so this magical occurrence never happenes again!
Take A Hike
Extreme
Thinksnow, have you gotten around to doing anything with it? Keep us posted!. Got a big dump of snow here over the last 2 nights, I really wish I had my attak going!
