First ride attempt - snow drifts on my road caused buckled trailiing arm

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tripplec

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Belleville, ON. CA
Hi, Well it isn't starting out good for me. I just had my engine rebuilt after severely scoring a piston and head last year. I was going to take it up down a private farm type access road which has bushes and small trees along it. Snow drifts build up if there is lots of loose snow and good winds. I was riding the drifts and not far from my driveway and just like riding on water I started going to the bushes. We I had to stop but just before the right ski hit a small bolder buried in the snow. Bugger, (did not no it at the time) but after hours trying to get it out with an ATV, Come-Along, and shoveling. I finally got it turned around to head home. The trailing arm was well buckled. Oh My my my. I drove my ATV back and walked back with a big sludge hammer . It straighten very easily. I don't appear to be very hard metal. My ski with the dual carbines was partially over the rock but did glide over it on the angle of approach. So now even with it looking good I should replace this arm. Many on eBay but in the USA asking about $100 as well. Are all the Yamaha arms pretty much the same as the ProAction marked ones?
 

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Most arms will bolt in place but have slightly different camber angles that may or may not change handling of the sled, most guys I have talked to that used some thing different couldn't tell the difference. If you look the very front of trailing arm on the bracket for the radious rod there is a letter stamped into it. Any other arm with same stamped letter is exactly the same except for maybe the color. I would avoid the cheapy aftermarket ones as they are much weaker then OEM.
 
This certainly is OEM and has the ProAction stickers on it. I was looking at what Royal Distributing had and notice that the Venture are is a different part number than other Yamaha's.

This arm is certainly not very strong and bends very easily straightening as well. Its not solid but a tube it appears. The paint was coming off the bend and looks like aluminum metal.
 

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if YOU GET an arm from Royal, reinforce it on the bottom by welding some extra metal onto it. Compare the your old oem arm to the new aftermarket one, and you will see
what I mean
 
Trailing arms are designed much like the crumple zone in newer vehicles. Designs to bend and soften an impact. If they were too stout impact would pass threw them into chassis. Once the bend they re-bend quite easily. Most of the cheap after market one don't stand up to aggressive riding and fold up like a wet noodle upon impact. Find some used OEM with the same letter stamped in them and your good to go.
 
I replaced one of my arms with one from Royal. I ride pretty hard, and noticed that arm was starting to bend, without even hitting anything, so I checked it out with the original one, and discovered there was no reinforcement on the bottom of the arm. I straightened the arm, and welded a reinforcement plate on the bottom, and that was about 4 years ago. The RD arm has been fine, and I pound on my sled
 
devinzz1 said:
Straightn her out and weld some angle along the back. Good as new.
Click to expand...

Its pretty thin tube as it appears to weld to. I was thinking of bolting a piece of angle iron along the lower corner. I check some listing and don't see one of this around. As for the letter expect its in a location which cannot be seen with it still mounted.

Part of the problem with this sled is also by DESIGN.

- metal skis were horrible to keep on a trail. Jumping tracks left right all over. That was resolved with a quality plastic ski with dual carbide runners
- reverse is all but useless in this other than on a road, parking lot or equivalent. On a trail unless very very well packed it will dig itself into a hole, sometimes you get moving in reverse then it digs itself down. This makes getting unstuck 10 time more difficult since the weight is now 12" deeper in a tight rut. Try lifting the back end out then all suited up.
- the long track should make a big difference in traction. But the ribs are way too shallow. I believe they're 1/2" and probably needs 1-1/4" to really go through softer snow because it will bury itself if you try to crawl through soft snow and speed is the enemy when the trees as just waiting to take you on so you cannot go faster. Even as I did this happened and I wasn't that fast at all.

My order Formula with its shorter track goes through much better and it’s the same height of ribs.

The track is not worn at all but it seems daft to throughout a perfectly good track but I am going to look into it. I believe these are 144" on the Venture.

What are stellar on this sled are the handle bar warmers. You could wrap bacon on them and cook on the trail if you wanted a rubbery smell to them I am sure. I ride on the lowest setting and my mitts if wet will steam. The gas gauge and mileage is great. The Overall classic design has good front bumper with nice front cowl/windshield wind deflection. It can be pull started fairly easily while comparing to the Formula (see sig) it takes every pound of strength to pull that sucker over when it’s cold and there is no electric start on it. On the flat and well groomed trails the Venture is a great ride with all the touring comforts. If you're in trouble then it a big time affair to resolve. I wish the rear tunnel were up higher so that the tunnel edge would not settle on the snow limiting the depth of it clawing through deeper trails which ultimately gets me stuck along with no help from the track or reverse. At the end of the day it is what it is.
 
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tripplec said:
Its pretty thin tube as it appears to weld to. I was thinking of bolting a piece of angle iron along the lower corner. I check some listing and don't see one of this around. As for the letter expect its in a location which cannot be seen with it still mounted.

Part of the problem with this sled is also by DESIGN.

- metal skis were horrible to keep on a trail. Jumping tracks left right all over. That was resolved with a quality plastic ski with dual carbide runners
- reverse is all but useless in this other than on a road, parking lot or equivalent. On a trail unless very very well packed it will dig itself into a hole, sometimes you get moving in reverse then it digs itself down. This makes getting unstuck 10 time more difficult since the weight is now 12" deeper in a tight rut. Try lifting the back end out then all suited up.
- the long track should make a big difference in traction. But the ribs are way too shallow. I believe they're 1/2" and probably needs 1-1/4" to really go through softer snow because it will bury itself if you try to crawl through soft snow and speed is the enemy when the trees as just waiting to take you on so you cannot go faster. Even as I did this happened and I wasn't that fast at all.

My order Formula with its shorter track goes through much better and it’s the same height of ribs.

The track is not worn at all but it seems daft to throughout a perfectly good track but I am going to look into it. I believe these are 144" on the Venture.

What are stellar on this sled are the handle bar warmers. You could wrap bacon on them and cook on the trail if you wanted a rubbery smell to them I am sure. I ride on the lowest setting and my mitts if wet will steam. The gas gauge and mileage is great. The Overall classic design has good front bumper with nice front cowl/windshield wind deflection. It can be pull started fairly easily while comparing to the Formula (see sig) it takes every pound of strength to pull that sucker over when it’s cold and there is no electric start on it. On the flat and well groomed trails the Venture is a great ride with all the touring comforts. If you're in trouble then it a big time affair to resolve. I wish the rear tunnel were up higher so that the tunnel edge would not settle on the snow limiting the depth of it clawing through deeper trails which ultimately gets me stuck along with no help from the track or reverse. At the end of the day it is what it is.
Click to expand...

Ive seen it done on dozens of sleds including my own.
 
Devinzz1

What? Angle iron, flat bar welded??

I'd have to take it to a local welding shop to get it done. Not a huge deal. I think I'll take it off soon. I had some thinner 1" short angle iron but as usually you can't find it when you need it. Maybe since I moved I through them away since I had be storing stuff for decades and never used it. LOL Now I could use it and they're gone.
 
Those arms are designed to bend. If you cheap out, weld angle iron to the bars, and stiffen them, if and when you hit something, you will do a whole lot more damage to the sled, than having to replace an arm.
 
x2 on that, be careful bracing them, or next time you hit somthing the trailing arm mount will come off the sled
 
I have been talking over this with my son who rides with me on the other sled. I barely made it back on a short drive an hour or so ago. Big drifts on the trail and many places to got down into a ditch at the side of you don't stay on the top areas. some other people got sucked in my the tracks but got out. If it was me there would be not way I would get out.

I will have to replace the track and he says the Ripsaw 2 is probably the best solution for our driving and terrain to keep going and if stuck have the push to at least claw itself out. We figure a 1- 1/4" inch should be perfect for this Venture. Anyone running one on theirs ??
 
^^^X3 I was just saying. If in a bind or if you wana ride while waiting for parts then go ahead. But really if you go with a short length of 1/8 or 1/16" it will still bend in same spot or another spot on the arm. .. Trust me. Ive "tested" this ; )
 
tripplec said:
As for the letter expect its in a location which cannot be seen with it still mounted." "I believe these are 144" on the Venture."
Click to expand...


The letter is right in the front, just inside the spindle tube plain as day. 100% visible with out taking any thing apart. You better do some measuring before you order up a 144" track.
 
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