clutching advice

[BIGTWIN900]

So on Saturday I noticed on some of my climbs I was only hitting 6800-7000 rpms. I was losing momentum so I had to side hill out of almost every climb unless I had a HUGE run at it. An experienced rider with me said that my rollers on my secondary are shot, and that I wasn't back shifting enough.My sled will pull close to 8,000 on hard pack but I just want consistent 7500 in the powder. I'm going to buy some new rollers today and am wondering if there is anything else I should be doing as maintenance for my clutch?*
any other clutching tips would be great.
My sled:
04 King Cat 162" Carb
2.5 CE extreme
m1000 skid
stock motor (vforce reeds, and a mbrp Can)
some suspension upgrades
my primary was rebuilt last year by the rider in my group.

 

[Tmann]

If your spring in the secondary is in the middle hole you may want to tighten it up on. This will keep you in the lower range longer and shift back quicker (more tension). Mine was doing similar to yours. Great RPM on the hard but if I was climbing and went from packed to soft it would loose 500-700 RPM and couldn't hold its own. My sled only has 800 miles and the clutching was all checked out by the dealer and a second sled mechanic who builds and has raced these before. All parts were good. We changed the helix to a straight 55 I think. and tightened up the spring one hole. Now it rips in the powder. I think the spring was the biggest difference. Also check your belt and both clutches for shiny sections. The belt may be slipping and the clutch faces may need a light sanding (by hand). Also check your motor mounts to make sure one did not break which could be allowing your motor to move under a heavy load causing the belts and clutching to be way off.

 

[rdr99]

Check primary, make sure the rollers and weights are not hanging up on something. When was the last time the springs were replaced?

 

[BIGTWIN900]

So I bought Rock Rollers from BDX and a red/white stripe spring from cutlers. I am hoping this will help me pull more consistent RPM's. So Should I put the spring in the tightest hole? any disadvantages to doing this? I am a newbie when it comes to clutching. I will try and sand any smooth spots on the secondary and try running a fresh belt to see if that makes a difference. Thanks for the Tips! keep them coming!

 

[rdr99]

I usually start in the middle hole.

 

[Tmann]

Start small. One hole at a time. If you have to much tension it will be like riding a mountain bike in the lowest gear at all times. The primary and secondary clutch need to work in sync. One becomes a larger diameter while the other gets smaller. Like shifting the front and back gears on a mtn bike. As for the cutler spring color, I am not sure what is recommended. I still have stock springs... Just changed the pitch of the helix in the secondary. Put one in that was not so steep of an angle which makes it easier for the rollers to pull through the slope.

 

[BIGTWIN900]

I currently have the red/white stripe in my sled in the middle hole. not sure if it has lost its spring or not. picked up a spare just because i'm right down the road from Cutlers. I can put my current spring on the tightest hole? and my clutches seem to align really well. If I want a lot of hole shot will I sacrifice clutching on long steep climbs in deep snow?
Thanks so much everyone!

 

[rdr99]

I also used the Sno-pro green, but it is a pretty stiff spring.

 

[Rixster]

I also used the Sno-pro green, but it is a pretty stiff spring.

The sno pro green and the cutler red/white are the same spring. The cat red white is much softer.

You need to get a good look at the primary clutch, Make sure your rollers are still good ! Kinda sounds like a bad primary roller to me.

 

[Tmann]

If the secondary is too tight/stiff then you will be running high rpm's and very low track speed. This may work good for towing but not so much for climbing. I'm no clutch expert but think I have the concept and basic working correct