'13 RMK, 150 miles, 2 shreded belts :/ ??

[snowracer21]

Hello folks;

I purchased a 2013 RMK PRO 800 163" out of Spokane,WA

I went out the first time near lookout pass,MT... got about 80 miles on the sled of trail riding, and a LITTLE off trail play time.. I was carving through the powder and hit a hard pack spot, which caused me to catch a little bit of air. When I landed, I felt the track (i thought) rachet... I opened the side panel and noticed I took about 10 cogs off the quick drive belt... I limped back to the truck and took it to the dealer (which they replaced under warranty)

They told me I NEED to take it easy on the sled for 100 miles.

Saturday, I took the sled up to Mt Spokane, and tried to put on 100 miles of pure trail riding, and staying under 50% throttle. about 40 miles in, I went up a slight incline, I was about half throttle and I felt the track lift off the ground, when I landed, I felt the same racheting... I opened up the side panel, and sure enough, the belt was stripped of a bunch of cogs.


WTF.

I'm about ready to hire a 10 year old to ride this thing for about 100 miles.. I've never once had ANY type of motorized product need this kind of break in procedure. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?

The sled is now going back to the dealer, for the 3rd time (1 qd belt, 1 drivetrain fix and now agian for a belt)

I'm about ready to trade it in on an assault, but that would suck because I'd lose the 163" :/

 

[metallicat]

HOLY CHRIST ON A PONY! DOES NOBODY READ THE FORUMS BEFORE THEY POST!?!

Dude, no offense, but just scan over the other topics and see what you find out... It sucks for sure that some of these are having more issues than the rest though.

 

[snowracer21]

If I didn't post, there would be another undocumented case...

HOLY CHRIST ON A PONY! DOES NOBODY READ THE FORUMS BEFORE THEY POST!?!

Dude, no offense, but just scan over the other topics and see what you find out... It sucks for sure that some of these are having more issues than the rest though.

 

[metallicat]

I'm really not saying you shouldn't post about what is happening. I'm just suggesting that MAYBE we can post these things under one of the other 25 threads with the EXACT same topic. Keeps it a heck of alot cleaner and easier to keep track of.

 

[snowracer21]

I'm really not saying you shouldn't post about what is happening. I'm just suggesting that MAYBE we can post these things under one of the other 25 threads with the EXACT same topic. Keeps it a heck of alot cleaner and easier to keep track of.

while I agree, this SubForum, is for people ONLY with drivetrain problems... If I were to post in the Gen PRO RMK forum, i'd expect backlash...

Has anyone here got rid of their '13 rmkpro 163" and went with a Assault 155"?

I really REALLY don't want to drop to a shorter track..but if this sled can't hold up to maybe 30% of my riding potential, I may need something stronger.

(I raced sno-x for ~10 years, so maybe I'm being too hard on it?)

 

[Ken Climb]

Get the dealer to check your shaft runout. It may have a wobble.
Do you have a clamp on the driveshaft?

 

[snowracer21]

Get the dealer to check your shaft runout. It may have a wobble.
Do you have a clamp on the driveshaft?

I just had the clamp installed a week ago...

I'm giving this sled one more chance...

 

[Pro-8250]

We babied ours for the first 84 miles. The belt does not look any different now than it did when we picked it up new. After 84 miles? We put it to the test for the next 500+miles, zero problems. I wish you good luck!

 

[AK IQ Pilot]

while I agree, this SubForum, is for people ONLY with drivetrain problems... If I were to post in the Gen PRO RMK forum, i'd expect backlash...

Has anyone here got rid of their '13 rmkpro 163" and went with a Assault 155"?

I really REALLY don't want to drop to a shorter track..but if this sled can't hold up to maybe 30% of my riding potential, I may need something stronger.

(I raced sno-x for ~10 years, so maybe I'm being too hard on it?)

Thanks for posting. This is the Drivetrain Problem subforum and it should be used exactly like you used it.

I have seen a '13 pro do the exact same thing as your did. Nice easy break in for 80 miles. Then when working through heavy snow it came to some traction and "ratchet". Pop the side panel and 50% of the teeth were laying in the tub.

FYI, this sled has a 2012 drive shaft and undetectable run out. The belt temp has been checked dozens of times and found to be warm at most. Top sprocket has been too hot to touch. Muffler isn't the issue because the belt is the same temp on both the drive side and the coast side.

 

[trackvs2wheels]

Is there any chance that 163" sleds are the ones having trouble and not the 155's? Just curious is all...I cannot for the life of me figure out why some of these are having issues and others are not!!

 

[AK IQ Pilot]

Is there any chance that 163" sleds are the ones having trouble and not the 155's? Just curious is all...I cannot for the life of me figure out why some of these are having issues and others are not!!

Nope. No chance at all.

 

[snowracer21]

Is there any chance that 163" sleds are the ones having trouble and not the 155's? Just curious is all...I cannot for the life of me figure out why some of these are having issues and others are not!!

I wish someone would figure it out.. I have 3 days off work this weekend and planned to do a lot of riding :/

 

[YADA]

They have allready remade another kind of "under-QUICK-DRIVE-BELT" plate. Try to look for it in this forum.

 

[bosssho]

The skid plate is NOT the issue...ie, I have that and aftermarket collars and about 300 or so miles and knock on wood, everything is holding up for me in the north east. I babied mine like no other sled I have ever owned for the first 100 miles and it only rode on and off my truck twice b/f getting the collars on both sides.

Now, I have a buddy at my dealer...and 3 other guys....all riding 155 PRO RMKS....and I am the only one that has NOT lost their QD belt yet. Everyone else has stripped off COGs and had to limp out of the woods.

The common denominator that I am hearing from them and/or reading on here is running the sled up hill under load and then getting airborn and then upon landing...bam....teath tear off....

I don't know HTF Chris Burrandt could run these things all over his playgrounds out west and NEVER have this happen so that these things go into production though....all he does all day is go airborn and do switch backs, etc, etc.....

In any case we have an 80% FAIL rate on the 5 sleds I am talking about and I am feeling mine is only a matter of time...which is NOT COOL for a new $12K sled....

 

[Big D rmk700]

I have 350 miles on my 163 and no problems so far. Took it easy for the first 75 or do miles and since then have rode it the same if not harder then any of my sleds in the past!!! Quite a few climbs that I have been airborne on and some long hard climbs at wide open and everything looks great yet !!!!

 

[T&A1000]

My first belt lasted 115 miles. The second lasted 200 miles. Maybe this one will last 300. The second belt happened unloading out of my trailer.

 

[RMK935VA]

I am riding a 13 Pro and I have had no QB problems nor have any of the guys that I ride with who have the 13s. Some of them have over 500 miles on their sleds and this is a hard riding group of young guys who could do destructive testing for anyone. If they cant break them, they aren't going to break. I would sure want the dealer to check alignment and other issues rather than just put another belt on if it happened to me more than once.

 

[fatcat65]

Hello folks;

I purchased a 2013 RMK PRO 800 163" out of Spokane,WA

I went out the first time near lookout pass,MT... got about 80 miles on the sled of trail riding, and a LITTLE off trail play time.. I was carving through the powder and hit a hard pack spot, which caused me to catch a little bit of air. When I landed, I felt the track (i thought) rachet... I opened the side panel and noticed I took about 10 cogs off the quick drive belt... I limped back to the truck and took it to the dealer (which they replaced under warranty)

They told me I NEED to take it easy on the sled for 100 miles.

Saturday, I took the sled up to Mt Spokane, and tried to put on 100 miles of pure trail riding, and staying under 50% throttle. about 40 miles in, I went up a slight incline, I was about half throttle and I felt the track lift off the ground, when I landed, I felt the same racheting... I opened up the side panel, and sure enough, the belt was stripped of a bunch of cogs.


WTF.

I'm about ready to hire a 10 year old to ride this thing for about 100 miles.. I've never once had ANY type of motorized product need this kind of break in procedure. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?

The sled is now going back to the dealer, for the 3rd time (1 qd belt, 1 drivetrain fix and now agian for a belt)

I'm about ready to trade it in on an assault, but that would suck because I'd lose the 163" :/

yes i have: high end nitro rc car engines have some crazy break in periods. some have you idling several tanks of gas through before the engine even sees any load. one can always tell the guys who are patient and do break in correctly, their engines run stronger, last longer and hold a better tune. they guys that dont do the correct break in are always b!tching how crappy their engines run...

 

[paulharris]

Is there any chance that 163" sleds are the ones having trouble and not the 155's? Just curious is all...I cannot for the life of me figure out why some of these are having issues and others are not!!

i know exactly why....i will repeat it again: sloppy polaris tolerances. there is no consistency in their parts- out of round pulleys, untrue driveshafts, etc. it is a recipie for disaster and there is no ryme or reason to it because some peoples parts are within an acceptable tolerance and some are not. Luck of the draw for your hard earned $12,000 polaris product.

guys keep wondering why there are so many problems but the answer is very clear. These sloppy tolerances are not compatible with a non tensioned belt drive....Period.

the only real fix is to install billett pulleys and a perfectly true driveshaft. (a standard hex driveshaft)

 

[AK IQ Pilot]

i know exactly why....i will repeat it again: sloppy polaris tolerances. there is no consistency in their parts- out of round pulleys, untrue driveshafts, etc. it is a recipie for disaster and there is no ryme or reason to it because some peoples parts are within an acceptable tolerance and some are not. Luck of the draw for your hard earned $12,000 polaris product.

guys keep wondering why there are so many problems but the answer is very clear. These sloppy tolerances are not compatible with a non tensioned belt drive....Period.

the only real fix is to install billett pulleys and a perfectly true driveshaft. (a standard hex driveshaft)

Hex drive shafts are only true if there is no load on them. Standard hex drive shafts without 4 drivers flex way more than a hollow drive shaft. Since 2004 you had to run the 205 self aligning bearing in an IQr or you would blow out the lower chain case bearing the first time you landed from a big jump.

I don't disagree with you that sloppy tolerances are a possible cause but a standard hex drive shaft isn't automatically the answer.