Skid weight reduction

Backwoods M Max

Backwoods M Max

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Mar 31, 2011
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New England
Ok so after all the looking around I'm thinking about going to try and lighten the skid. Where I ride is all powder back country, no groomed trails or anything. If it's icy, I don't go. What's the consensus of removing all the bogey rollers from the skid? I'm going to install a set of scratchers (not much weight back on compared to 6 bogeys and hardware) just incase I were to come across some hard pack. Just to start from scratch I'm going to install new hyfax for next year and go with hiperfax sliders.

Is there any other way to lighten the skid other than removing hardware? can lightening holes be made in non critical areas?
 
Easiest and most cost effective way to accomplish this is to toss the stock skid in the trash and bolt a real mountain skid from one of the other manufacturers in there. You'll lose the weight and get something that actually gets up out of the snow. I had good luck with Polaris ones, some guys like cats, others doo.
 
Lite weight proaction

My 162" proaction hybrid weighs 59 lbs decked out. Raced a buddy uphill multiple times on his m1000. Ate him for dinner everytime! Homemade transfer kit works awesome too. I beg to differ with everyone who says the proactions are junk, with a little tweakin they can ride great and handle awesome especially where it counts climbin hills or in an uphill drag race. Needless to say this guy sold his cat turd after we got back from that trip. He is still trying to outdo a little 700. I say bring it on!!! My other beef with non proaction skids is the 20 lbs of snow and ice they hold when the rear shock is pointed down. Just take a look at everyone elses sleds when you are on a ride. Mine is almost always snow free! And in everybodys defense it is probably cheaper to throw another skid in as these rails are $180 a piece from artic cat and I have over 40 hrs in this skid. When I tore the original skid apart in short track form (121") it was 80 Lbs!
 

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mtndreamer said:
My 162" proaction hybrid weighs 59 lbs decked out. Raced a buddy uphill multiple times on his m1000. Ate him for dinner everytime! Homemade transfer kit works awesome too. I beg to differ with everyone who says the proactions are junk, with a little tweakin they can ride great and handle awesome especially where it counts climbin hills or in an uphill drag race. Needless to say this guy sold his cat turd after we got back from that trip. He is still trying to outdo a little 700. I say bring it on!!! My other beef with non proaction skids is the 20 lbs of snow and ice they hold when the rear shock is pointed down. Just take a look at everyone elses sleds when you are on a ride. Mine is almost always snow free! And in everybodys defense it is probably cheaper to throw another skid in as these rails are $180 a piece from artic cat and I have over 40 hrs in this skid. When I tore the original skid apart in short track form (121") it was 80 Lbs!
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Any plans to grass drag it?
 
I Agree With Mountain Dreamer. I Have Over 15,000 Miles On A Proaction Stretched From 141-159 With Rail Extentions And Setback. Transfer Enhancement Kit From Mpi, Removed All Wheels, Added Scratchers And Put A New Set Of Shocks In (revalved Viper Takeoffs). I Have Replaced The Bushings A Few Times, But No Major Problems Broken Arms Etc. And I Jump, Pound Mogels, Drop Cornices, Basically Beat The Snot Out Of It, And It Has And Does Perform Excellent. The New Takeoff Skids Dont Work Any Better, If It Is Set Up Properly. I ALSO RIDE A 2010 NYTRO TURBO SE WITH THE FLOATS AND THE VIPER RIDES JUST AS GOOD.
 
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I spent the weekend getting the sled summarized and stripped the skid of everything and put the scratchers on. With the sled in the air, the track free hangs down a little bit more than an inch, but the tension on the front curved part of the rail seems really tight. The limit straps are just about all the way off, maybe 3 rows of threads stickig out past the nut. I'm going to crank about 3/4" onto the rods and see how it sits and let's the track loosen up a bit more on the fwd part of the runners. I'm sure the straps have stretched and were never taken up. Tracking was a little off the guides were rubbing on the left rail, I took a 1/4 turn on/off each side to center it up, but left tension the same.
 
Backwoods M Max said:
I spent the weekend getting the sled summarized and stripped the skid of everything and put the scratchers on. With the sled in the air, the track free hangs down a little bit more than an inch, but the tension on the front curved part of the rail seems really tight. The limit straps are just about all the way off, maybe 3 rows of threads stickig out past the nut. I'm going to crank about 3/4" onto the rods and see how it sits and let's the track loosen up a bit more on the fwd part of the runners. I'm sure the straps have stretched and were never taken up. Tracking was a little off the guides were rubbing on the left rail, I took a 1/4 turn on/off each side to center it up, but left tension the same.
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This was one of my main reason for modding with the cat rails. The attack angle is so much shallower even more than the 2000 and up MMAXs, less attack angle means better flotation to me and less friction. My hyfaxes wear in the middle when I forget to put my scratchers down on the trail gettin back to the truck. My sons MTN MAX wears on the curve and around every wheel. He has no scrathchers and is on a 2000.
 
Upon close inspection I found that the hyfax is worn just aft of the bogeys. I agree that the angle of attack for the stock skid is quite steep, and there does seem to be excessive pressure on the track at the curved part of the rail. Not knowing how much the limit straps have stretched and not having any take up on them, taking out 3/4" on the rods should take a little pressure off without removing too much travel in the fwd part of the skid.
 
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