Shimming skis - best material to use?

[mooseflyer]

What's the consensus regarding how thick the shims should be? I have a bit of time on my hands this week and I'd like to fabricate a few shims to test during my upcoming sled trip next month. What's your vote regarding how many should I make and what thickness? 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 be sufficient?

Also, if someone has their sled handy to take a measurement, how wide should I make them? (RS Venture TF with Yami mountain skis) Thanks.

 

[snobill]

Just put some on a friends sled they came from the triple points he bought I didn't measure them but I would guess they were a quarter inch thick and they were a little smaller than the rubber ski boot thing not sure what that's called. Ha

 

[Sasquatch]

What's the consensus regarding how thick the shims should be? I have a bit of time on my hands this week and I'd like to fabricate a few shims to test during my upcoming sled trip next month. What's your vote regarding how many should I make and what thickness? 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 be sufficient?

Also, if someone has their sled handy to take a measurement, how wide should I make them? (RS Venture TF with Yami mountain skis) Thanks.

You make them the thickness needed to lift the front of your carbide and put the weight on the rear. Most carbides are not truly flat they have a slight rocker to them. The shim needs to make the carbide ride on the center to rearward part of the carbide. When I did my Simmons they darted and the carbides where wearing in the front but not in the center or rear. I put an old belt width of the ski saddle, chunk lugs trimmed off probably 3/8th of an inch thick in and ran a screw into the rubber to hold it there. Worked perfect! Carbide wore properly after that and darting was all but gone except for all the damn Doo copys out on the trail. Ran the same setup on my curves.

Now with the snowtrackers on my 2011 no shim is needed and no darting ever. The Curves worked with the shim but it still darted a bit. With the leading edge you could pull out of ruts made by Polaris ski's but with my old age my arms even with the power steering got sore cranking it into a corner. With the snowtrackers there is way less effort. No if I could just get my shoulders to stop aching I might even go for a ride.

 

[4strokeluvr111]

My vote would be 1/8" and 1/4" thick. My shims are 1" wide and they seem to work well.

 

[mooseflyer]

Thanks all, I'll get to work.

 

[Mills]

I went to Fleet Farm and bought sdme bending for a round bailer and used it to make my shims. the stuff is tough as nails but easy enough to cut with a razor knife. Its cheap and durable. I put two SST screws through each shim to keep them in place.

 

[1nc 2000]

Do you shims just the whole length of rubber or just from spindle center to the rear?

 

[Mills]

I put one full shim under the rubber from front to back to tighten up the ski/spindle assembly and then a second layer from the spindle center back. The bailer belting is about 1/8" thick so it worked great.

 

[1nc 2000]

Thanks!

 

[Quince]

Hey guys what dose shimming ur skis do? Is this what my buddy Was telling me to do to stop the machine from darting? Or what exactly is the purpose?

 

[Mills]

if there's more pressure on the front of the carbides meaning in front of the spindle your sled will act more like it has toed-in and dart and be inconsistent. If you can shim the skis so there's more pressure on the back of the carbide behind or behind the spindle it will act more like a toe-out condition and be more stable. Also if you lift the front of your slide off the ground and your skis tip forward your sled is going to land that way if you happen to jump it and wherever your skis are pointed that's the direction it's going to go. However if you shim your skis so the back of the skis dip down then when your sled lands it is going to basically straighten itself out and keep going straight.

 

[Sasquatch]

Put the weight of the machine on the center to rearward part of the carbide in relation to the center line of the spindle. Without shimming the ski the weight is before the spindle center line and the sled darts when the weight is behind it is like a caster and wants to go straight unless you turn the ski's, improves darting and handling!

Think of it as sliding a ruler on the floor. Attach a piece of tape to a ruler on one end. Grab the tape and as you push from behind the ruler wants to turn out of the way of the force. Now put a piece of tape on the front of the ruler and pull it it will track along behind the force with no problems. That is in effect what you are doing.

Or add snowtrackers and darting goes away, no shims needed!

 

[Quince]

if there's more pressure on the front of the carbides meaning in front of the spindle your sled will act more like it has toed-in and dart and be inconsistent. If you can shim the skis so there's more pressure on the back of the carbide behind or behind the spindle it will act more like a toe-out condition and be more stable. Also if you lift the front of your slide off the ground and your skis tip forward your sled is going to land that way if you happen to jump it and wherever your skis are pointed that's the direction it's going to go. However if you shim your skis so the back of the skis dip down then when your sled lands it is going to basically straighten itself out and keep going straight.

Ah ok thanks[emoji106] I understand what your saying basically what my pal was getting at. I just fixed this on my older polaris this fall. Is there an actual "part" u can buy for this or is it just a home made thing like u guys are explaining?

 

[Mills]

Home made. I used the belting from a round bailer that I found at Fleet Farm. They sell it by the foot so one foot was enough to do the job = $3.49.

 

[twyztid]

I have used 1/4" thick conveyor belting and it worked well. Bergstrom recommends 3/8" shims on the Apex/Attak models unless you use their stiffer ski rubbers which come with a 1/8" thick shim.