VK540 Capable in Slush?

[LocoCoco]

VK owners/witnesses, how are these machines in slush? If you stay on the throttle at speed will they be able to keep moving across a messy lake? My short-track Vmax 600 & 700 could manage just fine (just don't stop), but my Safari 377 short-track and Cheyenne 503 long-track didn't have the power to turn the tracks in deep slush and would bog down and get stuck.

A buddy said he heard VK540s don't have the speed/power to keep their slush-filled tracks spinning. Is this true? I'm new to the VK world this season and haven't met deep slush yet. Now my old dad is looking for a VK as well but if he can't run deep slush it's a deal-breaker.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Maim]

depends how bad the slush is. if it is really bad, like last feb, even a vk will get stuck if you stop/get stopped in the slush. as my uncle, who ran vk 540 from 88-2015, told me " as long as it has 6" of good traction for the track, it will come out on its own". the nice part is, you can put a jack all and a peice of plywood under the seat for when it does get stuck so it can be pushed to the side onto better ground. uncle usually was the guy pulling the sleigh, so that caused more of his stucks than just the sled.

 

[LocoCoco]

Ah that's good to hear. So last February with the lakes at their worst (I'm in Sudbury too), without stopping or towing, the VK would make it across. With the Cheyenne (139" × 16.5") I was landlocked for a while because it literally could not travel in that slush. That machine was otherwise largely unstoppable, but needed higher revs and track speed.

 

[NorthofSixty]

A friend of mine has had several VK 540's. He swears by them for most conditions other than skipping across open water....lol

 

[jjmoneysauce]

I hit a bad patch of slush in mine. Like real bad. I just held it to the bar and walked out.

Have hit smaller patches and never gotten stuck.

This was before I had the 11" skins on it. Those skins really float it. I haven't hit bad slush since I put the skins on, but I have hit some. Never gotten stuck.

I would rate the VK as good in slush. The 1.5" track on the new version seems to be enough to do the trick.

I question the validity of your buddy's story, since I have hands on experience and seat time on the new V series. It can roost out of everything I've encountered if you keep it pinned.