Ripsaw on a PZ500

twomorestrokes

twomorestrokes

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Joined
Oct 25, 2005
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61
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66
Location
Charlotte, MI.
Will it fit without contact issues? My wife has a '99 with a .75" lug track and I have a chance at a 1.25" take off for cheap. Sounds like it would be a nice upgrade...
 
X2. I have an 01 Phazer Deluxe and it has a 1.25" Ripsaw on it. I even added 48 1.325" studs down the center but did add tunnel protectors.
 
Thank you. My friend extended his sled to a 136 so he has an extra Ripsaw and that's exactly what that Phazer needs. Unless he removed the studs for his new track, it's already studded down the center. Finally, an upgrade she'll go for. The sled has been absolutely unmodified for 11 years. Fun little sled, but pretty fishy in the back due to the crappy track.

I thought these sleds already had built in tunnel protectors?
 
You're right. It is my 2005 that came with protectors from the factory. The Phazer was studded right after we bought it so I added the protectors back in '99. The back end of that sled is really fishy on loose packed trails so this should be a big plus.
 
You would be amazed what a 121 ripsaw with 8-tooth drivers and stock gearing does for the Phazer 500. It gets better gas mileage to boot, go figure that one out. Only lost top end on the fastest of conditions. It gets to top speed way easier than before, and is much better off trail.
 
Do I have to change to 8 tooth drivers on a fan cooled sled without a front heat exchanger to worry about?

I'll bet it WOULD increase fuel mileage. That old track is worthless on anything but hard pack and it's spinning on acceleration all of the time.

I was hoping the take off track was still studded but he removed the studs and reused them on his project. It has 96 holes which I'm not worried about. 96 studs would probably be too much for this little sled? That's what it has now, but with that .75" track.

I really appreciate your opinions of those who have done this. I am worried that the 1.25" track may be too much for the little 57 HP engine.

Thanks. Mike
 
I am not sure, but you might be able to stud the 1.25 lug track and be ok. The tunnel clearance at the drive axle should be increased due to not having a heat exchanger. You should install tunnel protectors if not allready done. Easy install, just remove seat and bolt in. Ding, can he just regear instead of changing drivers. Drop top gear 1 tooth or maybe 2??? Al
 
The 1.25 will fit with the 9 tooth drivers. It will be a bit doggy without changing gearing. Studs can fit, but it is really close and you need protectors, and even then they will occasionally hit the tunnel. There is not a lot of room up front even without the exchanger.

However, the stock PZ500 drivers are not really a good match for a ripsaw and lower gears. With lower gears, the track will ratchet easily unless it is very tight, which it will need to be if you run studs. This is a very inefficient setup for a sled that is light on power to begin with.

Just get a drive axle (with 4 - 8 tooth drivers already in place) out of a Venture 500 or MMax of the same era and you will have a great setup. I found this to be the cheapest and easiest approach to get a much improved PZ500.
 
Ding said:
The 1.25 will fit with the 9 tooth drivers. It will be a bit doggy without changing gearing. Studs can fit, but it is really close and you need protectors, and even then they will occasionally hit the tunnel. There is not a lot of room up front even without the exchanger.

However, the stock PZ500 drivers are not really a good match for a ripsaw and lower gears. With lower gears, the track will ratchet easily unless it is very tight, which it will need to be if you run studs. This is a very inefficient setup for a sled that is light on power to begin with.

Just get a drive axle (with 4 - 8 tooth drivers already in place) out of a Venture 500 or MMax of the same era and you will have a great setup. I found this to be the cheapest and easiest approach to get a much improved PZ500.
Click to expand...

So it sounds like an axle with 8 tooth drivers from a '97 MMax 700 would be a bolt in? Basic axle has same part number, but are the drivers compatible with the Ripsaw? Thank you very much for the info!

Mike
 
Thanks for the help! I just bought a 4-8tooth driver axle from a 2001 MMax on eBay for 29.00. Should be good to go for the summer project.

Mike
 
It lives!

Can't wait to try it out. Hopefully the studs and tunnel won't clash too much. Looks a little tight in there...
 

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Hey twomorestrokes, now if you want the best mod for your phazer, get a set of the Kett Bros Surefoot II's for your running boards. This made a huge difference in riding our Phazer.
 
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Good to know. Hopefully the smaller drivers will keep me from having to gear this sled down. We'll see. The mmax drivers are almost a full inch smaller diameter than the stock wheels.
 
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I'm curious to know how the smaller drivers (8t vs 9t) will compare to less teeth on the drive gear. I don't want to do both at once before it's ridden on the snow and find out I went too far with gear reduction. :letitsnow
 
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