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Track adjustment

SnowBandit

Expert
Joined
Jan 31, 2004
Messages
496
Location
Maine
Website
www.slednewengland.com
Country
USA
Snowmobile
2009 Nytro xtx
How tight should I run my track. I know everyone says as loose but not ratcheting.... I don't have a scale to put 22lbs and then measure I was wondering it there is a measurement when the sled is int he air the track should sag down?

Thanks
 

Try 1" of free sag to start off with.

If it doesn't skip/ratchet, try looser, if it skips at 1", go with 3/4-7/8".

I have my Apex at 7/8" roughly & it seems a little tight, but not bad. It rolls pretty freely when coasting.

Another way I set my tension is by how easy I can spin the track with one hand, with rear elevated & engine idling. This is just me though.
 
i have also been wondering the same thing... i have 144 studs up the middle. have heard and read that some people like to have it so that the track just stays against the sliders when elevated. what do you guys think??
 
theCATman said:
Try 1" of free sag to start off with.

If it doesn't skip/ratchet, try looser, if it skips at 1", go with 3/4-7/8".

I have my Apex at 7/8" roughly & it seems a little tight, but not bad. It rolls pretty freely when coasting.

Another way I set my tension is by how easy I can spin the track with one hand, with rear elevated & engine idling. This is just me though.

Agreed. Once adjusted I have never had a ratcheting issue on my Apex, but the Nytro has to have a much tighter track as that one ratchets if the track is not tight and I have heard other Nytro riders experience the same thing.
 
track tension

Have tried a number of ways to measure the track sag. Here is one way that I have found to be pretty relieable. I measure the distance of the track to the rubber bumpers that are about mid track, the rubber bumper have a metal bracket attached to them that I measure then down to the track, which I found to be about 2-1/4" this is good and loose without the track ratcheting. I had done this measurement on my old SXR-700R and it worked out to be the same sag, so why mess with a scale to pull 22# when a tape measure at this point is good to go. By the way I had the Yamaha dealer check it out and they said the sag was to specs so the 2-1/4" will be my benchmark. Hope this helps answer your track adjustment question. :Rockon:
 
pics of the rubber bumper

here are some pics...see the metal bracket lip that is just under the rubber bumper this is where I measure the sag from down to the track when the sled is off the ground 2-1/4"
 

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They way everyone is explaining this I run my track alot more loose! Last night I put a new set of slides on and had the sled jacked up in the air. My track was about 1" to 1 1/4" sag from the bottom of the new slides to the inside of the track. Apparently this is really loose compared to what everyone else is running. I have never had any problems ratcheting and have the stock drivers on still with an Ice Ripper XT.
 
sledneck22 said:
They way everyone is explaining this I run my track alot more loose! Last night I put a new set of slides on and had the sled jacked up in the air. My track was about 1" to 1 1/4" sag from the bottom of the new slides to the inside of the track. Apparently this is really loose compared to what everyone else is running. I have never had any problems ratcheting and have the stock drivers on still with an Ice Ripper XT.
i'm with ya, mine is set with 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" sag from bottom of sliders to inside of track. Sliders don't seem to be wearing very much and never had it ratchet. No contact with studs and heat exchangers either. Sled is operated routinely above 100mph. I think 1 1/2" is probably the max limit but gives you idea just how loose they will run.
 
I lift the back of the sled up, then tighten the track up till I can touch my index finger between the rail and the track, its probably like 3/4 to an inch of sag. l have 1.375 studs and need to keep it tight, any looser and the studs eat into the aluminum exhaust gaurd. I am running the cobra track on 06 GT.
 


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