2012 M 800 Steering Post Failure

[BallsDeep_5280]

Buddy of mine rented a 2012 M 800 and over 1 day of decent riding, and 1 day of light riding to get to skiing spots, the steering post broke and the sled had to be towed out. I have no idea what exact part failed within the steering mechanism, but if there weren't any cables connected to the bars, the bars would have spun 360 degrees freely.

The rental place is saying that this is his fault because he must have hit a rock or a stump. But there is absolutely no damage to any of the A-arms, spindles, suspension, or front end whatsoever. I know I didn't hit any rocks on my sled, and this was my buddy's first ever real ride, so he was following my tracks as best he could. There was a pretty decent sized gash on the left suspension when he picked it up. Could this problem have started with an earlier hit on the suspension and just not fully materialized until he rode it?

Anyone out there had any problems with the new cat's steering? And if there is no damage to anything other than the steering, is it possible that he could have hit a rock? The damn steering just kept getting progressively worse throughout the 2 days. We couldn't even get out on day 3 because it was unrideable.

Probably gonna be a "he said / she said" deal with the rental place.

 

[Dam Dave]

as a new rider possibly he wrenched on the bars when sled wasn't moving..... I have seen some do that and twist the the post but didnt break it.........hard to win with rented equipment

 

[rmscustom]

I bet the bell crank in the front broke... Pretty common and a weak link on the PC.

 

[backcountryislife]

who did you rent it from? Was it around here?

It seems realyl unlikely that you would have broken it like you mention from a hit... and you'd see the evidence of a hit. Sounds like something that wasn't maintained & a bolt fell out or something.

 

[BallsDeep_5280]

He rented it from Extreme Rentals in Lakewood, CO. I think they are a stand up business, but I may change my outlook on them if they try and stick my buddy with a $236 repair bill and $180 rental charge for a day that the sled couldn't even have been ridden. I'm also annoyed because we were gonna ride with one of Burandt's off duty guides we met in the lot, but the sled crapped out 15 minutes into the ride and we were left towing the wounded cat back to the truck.

The sled had over 4600 miles on it. Seemed to be in good condition from a visual inspection, but I suspect the steering was a ticking time bomb, and my buddy picked it up just as time was expiring.

It's difficult for me to believe that a shop renting out a fleet of sleds would really believe that this damage could come from hitting a rock without destroying or even scratching an A-Arm or the suspension.

 

[backcountryislife]

It's difficult for me to believe that a shop renting out a fleet of sleds would really believe that this damage could come from hitting a rock without destroying or even scratching an A-Arm or the suspension.

This is what I was thinking. They tend to let their sleds get pretty beat & I'd say they don't do the greatest job of maintenance, as I've seen a number of their sleds go down on rental days. I've towed out 3 of their sleds myself over the years.

That said I've never seen them stick someone with a bill for something that's clearly not their fault, and this strikes me as that kind of thing.

 

[CatRpillar]

Remember that the 2012's had a recall on the steering shaft main support. But that in itself wouldn't cause the bars to rotate freely - would just make the main shaft swing free on the bottom which would still severely impact the steering.

In any case, it would be great to be able to be there when they repair it as one could take a look at the broken parts (if broken - maybe the upper link came out or something simple...which would be next to nothing to repair and wouldn't be your fault) and see if they shows signs of previous damage or cracking which may be partially rusted and the final break would look clean and shiny. If there are signs of aged cracks then one can pretty well surmise that is was already on its way to breaking before you guys got it.

 

[SledBC]

I bet the bell crank in the front broke... Pretty common and a weak link on the PC.

yup mine broke, it is so weak it's ridiculous.

 

[High Country]

He rented it from Extreme Rentals in Lakewood, CO. I think they are a stand up business, but I may change my outlook on them if they try and stick my buddy with a $236 repair bill and $180 rental charge for a day that the sled couldn't even have been ridden. I'm also annoyed because we were gonna ride with one of Burandt's off duty guides we met in the lot, but the sled crapped out 15 minutes into the ride and we were left towing the wounded cat back to the truck.

The sled had over 4600 miles on it. Seemed to be in good condition from a visual inspection, but I suspect the steering was a ticking time bomb, and my buddy picked it up just as time was expiring.

It's difficult for me to believe that a shop renting out a fleet of sleds would really believe that this damage could come from hitting a rock without destroying or even scratching an A-Arm or the suspension.

really?? ....thats crazy... say if the part was back ordered from cat for 2 weeks...would your repair bill reflect that down time too.it would be nice knowing that going into the rental agreement.

*note to self... never rent

 

[backcountryislife]

really?? ....thats crazy... say if the part was back ordered from cat for 2 weeks...would your repair bill reflect that down time too.it would be nice knowing that going into the rental agreement.

*note to self... never rent

What he's talking about is the day they the renter had it rented, but couldn't ride it because the post was broken (the 3rd day of the rental) extreme doesn't charge for "not being able to rent" after the fact.

 

[BallsDeep_5280]

Thanks for all the feedback. My buddy went and talked to the shop yesterday and was "armed" with the information above. The shop owners pointed out two freshly broken parts, so I guess some of this cat's parts were just nearing the end of their life and we got stuck with a bill of $275. Maybe it was just bad timing on our part.

Broken Parts:

Plate (?) not sure what this is
Tie Rod (?) can't believe we didn't see this

The majority of the repair cost is the labor. Since I didn't go to the shop to see the damage, I really have no idea which parts failed. I only know that we didn't abuse the sled at all and it was ridden by a beginner rider so the sled wasn't asked to do much.

When I started riding, I rented 2 sleds from this place and I was perfectly satisfied. No problems, no repairs needed, and I had a lot of fun. Renting sleds is just a sketchy thing to do, but it's about the only way I know to start riding (unless you have some generous friends with extra sleds).

 

[diggerdown]

You stated that there was damage to the front suspention when you picked it up. Later you said there was no damage???? When you rent a sled always give it complete checking over for damage and worn belt. If they are not marked on the rental check off list you will get billed for them. Like everyone has siad, renting is risky. I have seen several different shops "double dip" on damages.