09 tunnel exstension upgrade on 08 m10

Hey guy's wanting to do the upgrade and not so shure what or were the get the best deal and the best product. Any thoughts!!!

Stock Cat rear end is good and costs about $300.00 for everything you'd need for a stock look.

The Vanamberg bumper is also good and strong, I'm not sure on the cost of it. But it gets rid of the tail light and snow flap.

i was looking online and the the stock rear bumpers are actually cheaper from the arctic cat accessory catalog rather then the oem section and they come pre powdercoated if you wanted green or orange.

The light aluminum AC bumpers are very light and not very strong. I put one on my 08 M1000 when I cut the rear to match the 09 sled. The bumper lasted about 10 miles until I roosted up a wheelie and drug the bumper in the snow. After that I got the Steel AC Hitch bumper. It is heavy but it will not bend/break.
When I did the changes I also got rid of the small rear cooler and installed an 09 CF1000 cooler. Take a look at my photos and you can see what I did. I ordered the snow flap/ tail light, running board struts, cooler hoses and cooler than cut the rear to match the profile of the 09s. I had to make the rear part that the flap attaches to but that was easy. Have been happy withthe results so far....

Log.

bumper

thanks for the input!!

Did you change the tunnel edge roll too, or just grind the bracket to go inside of it?

clutch said:

Did you change the tunnel edge roll too, or just grind the bracket to go inside of it?

Click to expand...

The strut fit right inside the factory tunnel edge. This is the same edge on the 08 and 09 tunnel. The strut uses Steel rivets to attach to the edge and tunnel.

I was looking at my 07 tunnel and thought the same thing, just cut it down to match the 09 tunnels. How is it holding up? My only concern with cutting it down was retaining structural integrity. Thanks and it looks good.

Bolt

Log,

Been planning mine for this summer, and thinking about both the CF cooler and the steel bumper, so good to see someone do it. Do you know how much more the CF cooler weighs, or the steel bumper, for that matter? Were you able to tie the steel bumper into the rear suspension bracket? And did you mean you built your own tunnel end-cap to go under the tailight and flap, or did you use the AC '09 piece?

Thanks,
John

The end cap was made because the tunnel on the 08s have a big cut out on the side under the plastic bumper where the reflector is. The factory end cap only has a flange big enough for the rivets to attach to, so my end cap is mounted on the outside of the tunnel and extends forward to cover the big cutout. With the end cap on the outside of the tunnel and being made of 0.100 aluminum, this made for a 0.100 gap on each side between the tunnel and bumper. So I cut two strips of 0.100 aluminum to fill in and add some structure. You will see I have a few "D" rings on each side, they are from the local feed store and are used on horse saddles. They have a steel mounting tab with a 3/16" hole on them and I used 3/16" rivets. A better match has never been. The D rings are a nice hook point and don't get full of ice like the holes on the bottom of the bumper. I did grind down the thickness of the mounting tabs off of the strips so everything fits up nice and snug. The use of an air riveter is a plus when working the 3/16 steel rivets. The bumper does not tie into the suspension brackets, it is just shy of the back of the bracket. AC may offer a longer bumper, but this one I have is the only one the local dealer had at the time. It is about 3-4 Lbs, but the big hunk of plastic was not light. The cooler is a few ounces heavier, but it is mounted further forward so the moment arm should be about the same. CG inside the envelope but still over gross. The tail light and snow flap are lighter than the 08 stuff, so I may be a little heavier that before, but the LED light is sure COOL!
I did have a pintle hitch but it came off the last time I was pulling my groomer around my neck of the woods. It sheared off the four 1/4-28 SS bolts. I am glad I did not use case hardened bolts, I probably would have had some sore parts on me a a few missing on the sled when I fetched up that stump. I will use the same spec bolts again when I get around to bolting the hitch back on. Maybe next week, month, winter....

very nice...

Logpile said:

The light aluminum AC bumpers are very light and not very strong. I put one on my 08 M1000 when I cut the rear to match the 09 sled. The bumper lasted about 10 miles until I roosted up a wheelie and drug the bumper in the snow. After that I got the Steel AC Hitch bumper. It is heavy but it will not bend/break.
When I did the changes I also got rid of the small rear cooler and installed an 09 CF1000 cooler. Take a look at my photos and you can see what I did. I ordered the snow flap/ tail light, running board struts, cooler hoses and cooler than cut the rear to match the profile of the 09s. I had to make the rear part that the flap attaches to but that was easy. Have been happy withthe results so far....

Log.

Click to expand...

Hey there Log...

That's a very clean look... nice job... I've been wondering how to do a change like that... good info..!!..

Nike