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A larger fuel tank was mounted on the rear of the sled for easy fueling. Going from a 3-gallon side tank to a 5-gallon rear tank made a lot of difference. To give it a sportier look, Polaris added a nice red plastic cover and a wraparound bumper.
Two track options were a 15-inch-wide center drive all-rubber track, or one with 37 “cleats” on it. There also was a new bogey wheel system that held the wheels in place so they wouldn’t flip over when racing. This system was not as fast as Arctic Cat’s slide rail suspension, so in 1969 Polaris starting trying slide rails out.
Suspension springs on the rear axle gave three inches of travel, which was surprisingly good for its time. A six-inch-high soft seat helped cushion the bumps, but riders sure flew through the air on some of those cross country races!
Photos of this TX-500 show a hood with a large grill opening to provide more air for cooling. I was told Polaris engineers used aluminum from the local Roseau hardware store for these hoods.
I think it looks great! This new type of grill helped cool the engines, which were prone to overheating. Polaris liked it enough to use it on their regular models in 1969.
Thanks to Dave Larson for sharing his beautiful Polaris TX-500 with us!
Minnesotan Les Pinz is a vintage sled expert with an extensive collection of historic and other antique sleds, and is a former snowmobile racer. He is a member of the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame and one of AmSnow’s
regular test riders.