DJ Hennessy
New member
Hi,
I've just bought my first sled, 2006 Yamaha Apex RTX, and looking to get rid of the darting issue as much as possible. Been reading plenty of old posts about pro's and con's of these, curious if anyone has any new comments that could help me sway my decision? Snowtracker cons I've heard they can toss you pretty quick, so i'm leaning to the semi-aggressive for that reason or... The tuner skiis, the con there is the sloppy play and loose fit on the sleds??? What's a better way to go here?
Thanks in advance!
I've just bought my first sled, 2006 Yamaha Apex RTX, and looking to get rid of the darting issue as much as possible. Been reading plenty of old posts about pro's and con's of these, curious if anyone has any new comments that could help me sway my decision? Snowtracker cons I've heard they can toss you pretty quick, so i'm leaning to the semi-aggressive for that reason or... The tuner skiis, the con there is the sloppy play and loose fit on the sleds??? What's a better way to go here?
Thanks in advance!
have you tried the stock skis with the shim mod? it does make a big difference.
"Darting and a cure"
First off I need to give credit where credit is due, this idea comes from Scott Bergstrom at Bergstrom Skegs, and VmaxJohn from Totallyamaha.com Forums, Please follow the the photos and directions to accomplish this task.
This install will lift the front edge of the carbide off the snow/ice (or turning surface) to help "cut" a turning groove for the skis to follow instead of pushing a turning groove "hunting" for a place to turn. Also this will help eliminate darting in most (not all) conditions.
Take the skis off the sled by removing the
spindle bolt through the ski mount. Remove the ski
bumper (large rubber spacer under skis) and take it to
the work bench.
With a piece of material (preferably hard material, hyfax, or part of aold belt
etc...) approx. 1"x2" and 1/8-1/4" thick (Bergstrom adds this in for free when you purchase their carbides but dont forget to ask. Or just buy the spacers precut from them, great people to work with).
Attach this to the bottom of the ski bumper with Permatex and a brass or stainless screw. A Alum or steel screws will corrode and fail off down the road (or trail which ever the case may be).
Reinstall the ski and bumper and check to make sure the front edge of the carbide is up off the cement (used for viewing purposes) The front edge should be up about 1/8"-1/4" any more or less and you'll need a different spacer thickness to achieve proper balance.
Too much height up front can lead to different steering problems so experiment with different
thickness spacers and front carbide heights to achieve the ride you are seeking. Enjoy your more behaved front end.
Ski
"Darting and a cure"
First off I need to give credit where credit is due, this idea comes from Scott Bergstrom at Bergstrom Skegs, and VmaxJohn from Totallyamaha.com Forums, Please follow the the photos and directions to accomplish this task.
This install will lift the front edge of the carbide off the snow/ice (or turning surface) to help "cut" a turning groove for the skis to follow instead of pushing a turning groove "hunting" for a place to turn. Also this will help eliminate darting in most (not all) conditions.
Take the skis off the sled by removing the
spindle bolt through the ski mount. Remove the ski
bumper (large rubber spacer under skis) and take it to
the work bench.
With a piece of material (preferably hard material, hyfax, or part of aold belt
etc...) approx. 1"x2" and 1/8-1/4" thick (Bergstrom adds this in for free when you purchase their carbides but dont forget to ask. Or just buy the spacers precut from them, great people to work with).
Attach this to the bottom of the ski bumper with Permatex and a brass or stainless screw. A Alum or steel screws will corrode and fail off down the road (or trail which ever the case may be).
Reinstall the ski and bumper and check to make sure the front edge of the carbide is up off the cement (used for viewing purposes) The front edge should be up about 1/8"-1/4" any more or less and you'll need a different spacer thickness to achieve proper balance.
Too much height up front can lead to different steering problems so experiment with different
thickness spacers and front carbide heights to achieve the ride you are seeking. Enjoy your more behaved front end.
Ski
DJ Hennessy
New member
Wow, cool idea! i'll check out bergstom carbides and the shims and will truly consider this. i might grab a new pair of rubbers and try it out with the old ones as an experiment this weekend! worst case i put on the new rubbers and back to square one.
before you bother to buy new rubbers and do the shim trick this way. Just cut some heater hose an 1/8 wider than your rubber. Lift the ski in the front and slide it in the back. I always have extras with me for different conditions and if others riding are complaining. As far as bergstroms, they are extremely expensive carbides by comparison. They last well longer than others. That being stated, if you are not going to own the sled for long, or put many miles on it, or if your going to get better skis later. just shim what you got and save your money.
As far as tuners being sloppy, not sure what that is about. I've used a couple sets, and installed a few, havent seen anything sloppy. These are my preferred trail ski for the money. Sell your skis to someone for a 100bucks and buy new tuners for 250.
I have not had snow trackers but have heard nothing but good things about them. The complaint you mention above with them is one I have heard from people who installed them and leave the back shimmed down. This stile of anti-darting needs pressure on the front of the ski instead of the back. Dartless plates are a smaller version and work on the same principle. I have used these on a couple sets of skis with great results. If you look these up, you can make some yourself or there was someone on ebay selling them. Slp sells a version of these as well that fit their ski.
Good luck with the sled. Also, you should check out how loose your front end is and order a set of bushing from ulmer racing. This could be much of your problem as well. when the front end is loose, all the slack allows the spindle to change caster angle while riding, thus changing carbide pressure on the go.
As far as tuners being sloppy, not sure what that is about. I've used a couple sets, and installed a few, havent seen anything sloppy. These are my preferred trail ski for the money. Sell your skis to someone for a 100bucks and buy new tuners for 250.
I have not had snow trackers but have heard nothing but good things about them. The complaint you mention above with them is one I have heard from people who installed them and leave the back shimmed down. This stile of anti-darting needs pressure on the front of the ski instead of the back. Dartless plates are a smaller version and work on the same principle. I have used these on a couple sets of skis with great results. If you look these up, you can make some yourself or there was someone on ebay selling them. Slp sells a version of these as well that fit their ski.
Good luck with the sled. Also, you should check out how loose your front end is and order a set of bushing from ulmer racing. This could be much of your problem as well. when the front end is loose, all the slack allows the spindle to change caster angle while riding, thus changing carbide pressure on the go.
DJ Hennessy
New member
So, I checked the play on the skiis and the right ski had quite a bit of play when moving away and towards the motor. Left ski is tight... I'm replacing all the bushings now and bought some woody's dual carbides. Thinking this should do the trick!? Also, while i'm that deep into her doing an oil change... Any suggestions on anything else to look at while its apart?
Thanks!
Thanks!