155 to 144 questions

[goridedoo]

Just wondering about the skid mounting points on a 155 vs a 144, will a 144 skid bolt up to a 155 or will the drop brackets need to be moved and front arm holes redrilled?

Can I fit a 2.5 inch track in standard rmk with the front cooler?

I have the longer (I believe) shocks on the standard, I would like to possibly go to a 36" or 37" front end, so I would need my shocks shortened to the 13+ pro length. I have raptors right now, what would that cost a shock to shorten? Or is it better to buy the right length shocks rather than shortening?

Clutching and gearing.
Where do I start? Seems like a lot of guys are happy with the Kurts gear down belt drive. I currently have a chaincase, If I gear down to a 2.41 or 2.42 like Kurts (a 19/46 would get me there I believe) will I see the same benefits as the belt drive gives you? Cooler belt temps etc. If I did that it would probably just make sense to run their clutch kit as well? I know about zero about clutching, gearing, track lengths, and how they all affect eachother.

Also I was having issues on my last trip with burning up belts, it was very deep and relatively heavy snow. When I would get stuck bad the track would lock and the clutches would spin, is that something that could be fixed by adjusting deflection? Deflection looked about like I have always run it on my pros, probably about 1/16" of deflection, or slightly more. Or could there be other issues there, maybe I should have my clutches balanced this summer?

If I do end up going to a 144 or 146 I do plan on having the tunnel cut down and rewelded like Darcy did.

Any help on any of the questions would be great.

Thanks

 

[xcmark]

My feeling is that you would be money ahead by selling what you have and getting what your looking at building. I have a Assault 144 and have installed a 144 ez-ryde carve XC skid , Yes it was a drastic improvement but still chasing the itch to improve on trail and deeper snow . I may look into good shocks for the front and a 1 3/4 track with aftermarket drivers and more gear.

 

[goridedoo]

After looking at what it would cost to turn a 144 Assault Switchback into an RMK I dont think it would be worth it. The switchback chassis is wider than the RMK at the footwells, which also means the boards are significantly wider. I would be looking at different footwells (rear overstructure), which I believe would require a full change of the steering system, new lower plastic panel pieces, new running boards, different drivers, or driveshaft (I believe the switchback has 2.52 drivers), a narrower front end for sure, different skis, the list goes on. With the rmk I am thinking cutting the tunnel and replacing the track and skid would be all I would NEED to do to have 144 RMK.. Unless I have to move the drop bracket, which I am unsure of yet. I would be changing the track and skid anyway on the Switchback if I went that route. I also believe that my 155 parts will be worth more and much easier to sell than parts off a switchback assault.

 

[fuledya]

After looking at what it would cost to turn a 144 Assault Switchback into an RMK I dont think it would be worth it. The switchback chassis is wider than the RMK at the footwells, which also means the boards are significantly wider. I would be looking at different footwells (rear overstructure), which I believe would require a full change of the steering system, new lower plastic panel pieces, new running boards, different drivers, or driveshaft (I believe the switchback has 2.52 drivers), a narrower front end for sure, different skis, the list goes on. With the rmk I am thinking cutting the tunnel and replacing the track and skid would be all I would NEED to do to have 144 RMK.. Unless I have to move the drop bracket, which I am unsure of yet. I would be changing the track and skid anyway on the Switchback if I went that route. I also believe that my 155 parts will be worth more and much easier to sell than parts off a switchback assault.

I did the RMK conversion after breaking my rear over structure. It took me the summer to find the best deal on parts, I sold most of my stock stuff off the SBA, so this work was pretty cheap. The sled is awesome off trail, plus I got the beefed up tunnel and extra cooler. I love this sled! Check my vid:
http://youtu.be/w3hbFJYy08s

2012 SBA
Pro RMK spindles
zbroz 39" front end
RK TEK replacement pistons
Pro RMK front and rear overstructure
Pro RMK forward steering post
Pro RMK lower narrow sidepanels
Burandt boards, narrow set-up
custom wrap I made myself
146x2.4" track with 2.86 drivers
Dan Adams windshield bag
gauge lifter
Gripper Skis
Pro RMK shorty seat
i'm sure I forgot something.........

 

[roni87]

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358859&highlight=146+assault

Here's my swap.

 

[Reg2view]

Sell the 144 while you can get a bigger dollar, and likely get a great price on a pro-ride 155. This will be the year, next year the 144 is bound to be in an Axys, and the value in a pro-ride chassis will be headed south by Jan/Feb. Clean 144's are likely to be in high demand in the upper midwest, where they are the perfect yooper sled. Take advantage of the split between model releases in two difference years, it will never work out better for your situation.

 

[goridedoo]

Im not sure what exactly you just said ^^^ but if you are saying its a good year to convert from a 155 to a 146 rather than buying a switchback I would say you are exactly right. Right now my rmk is probably worth about $6500 or less, and to get a similar year switchback assault with similar mileage would cost around $8500. That being said prices of used sleds vary greatly in different regions of the states and this may not be the case in other areas.

 

[LPIdaho]

Just wondering about the skid mounting points on a 155 vs a 144, will a 144 skid bolt up to a 155 or will the drop brackets need to be moved and front arm holes redrilled?
I would leave the skid as is and just change out he rails to 146. I'm sure Ice Age would be a great resource on the details here.

Can I fit a 2.5 inch track in standard rmk with the front cooler?
It will fit but, as others are finding, the clearance with a 2.5" is too tight and is hindering performance. Trimming the outside lugs .1-.2" seems to help significantly.

I have the longer (I believe) shocks on the standard, I would like to possibly go to a 36" or 37" front end, so I would need my shocks shortened to the 13+ pro length. I have raptors right now, what would that cost a shock to shorten? Or is it better to buy the right length shocks rather than shortening?
Call up Raptor, it is a simple change for them to make your shocks the right length.

Clutching and gearing.
Where do I start? Seems like a lot of guys are happy with the Kurts gear down belt drive. I currently have a chaincase, If I gear down to a 2.41 or 2.42 like Kurts (a 19/46 would get me there I believe) will I see the same benefits as the belt drive gives you? Cooler belt temps etc. If I did that it would probably just make sense to run their clutch kit as well? I know about zero about clutching, gearing, track lengths, and how they all affect eachother.
Where I would spend my money first is to have your clutches balanced and machined to a straight 13.5 degrees by Indy Specialties. This is what Polaris is going to on all 2016 sleds and significantly reduces belt heat. This also produces a noticeable performance gain. You can then use the 2016 clutching as a starting point. You maybe happy enough with this to skip the gear down.

Also I was having issues on my last trip with burning up belts, it was very deep and relatively heavy snow. When I would get stuck bad the track would lock and the clutches would spin, is that something that could be fixed by adjusting deflection? Deflection looked about like I have always run it on my pros, probably about 1/16" of deflection, or slightly more. Or could there be other issues there, maybe I should have my clutches balanced this summer?
Belt probably wasn't tight enough, or your clutching was not in sync

If I do end up going to a 144 or 146 I do plan on having the tunnel cut down and rewelded like Darcy did.

Any help on any of the questions would be great.

Thanks

See magenta answers above