Track slack?

Backwoods M Max

Backwoods M Max

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Messages
1,052
Location
New England
How loose can you get away with running a stock track before it will start to ratchet? MM700 with 141" yoki track, stock drivers. I never adjusted mine after I stripped the idler wheels off the skid last spring and it free hangs around 3/4 to 1". It didn't ratchet when I got the sled out for the winter but that was also just messing around in the yard not being hard on it. I have graphite hyfax strips for it before I go riding and was hoping for a good starting point when I tension the track back up. General concensus seems to be that the specified tension is too tight. I pick the back of my machine up with a tractor to adjust it so I have gravity on my side. I have a pull scale, can you be scientific about it and say run it at 15lbs for 1" deflection vs 22lbs for 1"?

Thanks guys, pray for snow!
 
i like to run as loose as i can get away with. i start with a loose track that is perfectly aligned, probably around an 1-1 1/2" of slack with no weight or pull.

from there i simply do holeshots and listen for the ratchet. no ratchet, back out the adjusters in 1 full turn increments. if it ratchets, tighten 1 full turn and test again. may take a few tries but effort well spent in my opinion.

depending on snow conditions, results will vary. you will ratchet on hard pack/good traction where you wont on fluffy loose snow. set it to where your comfortable but be prepared to readjust as snow conditions change.

this works well for me on mountain sleds.
 
^^^^

This is exactly how I adjust mine too.

I find that a good test is to shoot a bank of powder, seems to be the most load that gets put on it.
 
Does the amount of slack change when you install 8 tooth drivers?
 
you will need to readjust your tension with the 8t drivers, but the same theory applies. you would have to do that anyways after installing new drivers. the smaller diameter result in more track slack.
 
Maybe when I get around to putting on the new hyfax strips I'll try and do it a little scientifically. I have a pull scale so adjusting will be easy. Maybe I'll start at say 17lbs for a 1" deflection. That is 5lbs less than the book and if it doesn't ratchet then I can back off more but at a given amount. I would love to come up with a value that I can write down so it's a repeatable setting should I need to take the skid out or something.
 
thats a good theory or rule of thumb. your track being used you should get more accurate measures. on new tracks, i have experienced some stretching as they break in. seems like new tracks require another adjustment or two after a few hundred miles or more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top