|
I talked with Bob Eastman, from Polaris, at the “Derby” in Eagle River, WI. I explained the ¼” shim function. He asked if I would mind if they incorporated the shim concept into their sleds. I said “Of course you can”, because I spend a lot of time making them to give away FREE!
I was disappointed when all they did was turn their rubber stops around. They added a ½” to the rear instead of the ¼” solution I was using with success. This extra ¼” moved the pressure behind the turning carbide so even though the sleds did not dart they still pushed in the corners
| |
|
1988 - 2000 Steel ski Wear Pattern
Darted and pushed through corners |
| |
|
2001 Wear Pattern - After following
Polaris instructions
Did
not dart, but still pushed through corners |
|
The skis have to be
in balance to get full function of the turning carbide!!! |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
The dark rubber stop
was first used in 2003.
Front height - 1.460"
Back height - 1.505"
Difference - .045" |
|
Rubber Stop 1997 - 2002
Front height - 1.580"
Back height - 1.095"
Difference - .485" |
Polaris 2003 Rubber Stop ( saddleless ski )
I was getting mixed darting reports on the 2003 saddleless skis. I did not keep track as to whether more were darting or not but I knew there had to be a physical difference for snowmobilers to get different results with the same modles.
To check it out I bought a 2003 rubber stop. The end heights looked almost the same, so I asked to see the manual to see which end was the front. Reading the instructions you would actually put it in just the opposite of the drawing. At several snowmobile shows I noticed about 2/3rds of the rubber stops were installed according to the drawing. This indicates most mechanics depended on the drawing over the written instructions.The drawing set-up produced darting. The taller end ( by .045”) to the front did not dart because of how the spindles meshed with the rubber stops pushing the back of the skis down.
2006 – Used dual runners from IQ ski
A sure sign of out of balance skis and darting is the heavy wear on the fronts. This is another temporary fix, for darting, just like their Accu-Trak rods. The sled did not dart but the center of the keel wore much quicker than expected, because lots of debris is trapped and funneled between the rods eating away the plastic.
|
|
