2013: FIRST YEAR OF THE QUICKDRIVE-BELTDRIVE ... HOW DO I MAKE IT MORE RELIABLE??

[sledhed]

So I want to strive for around 2.4:1 gear ratio this year, wonder if it would be essentially the same thing to install 7t 2.86 avid drivers with stock gearing vs. stock drivers and the Kurts Polaris belt drive kit? Thoughts?

That would give you 2.37:1 realized ratio... and give you some more lug clearance... Run it and see how you like it..Fairly cheap mod to gear down IMO.

the 14's did not see the problem level that the 13's had with the QD's... SO.... I think that the majority of the durability issues have been corrected in the stock QD.

That being said... i believe that the aftermarket QD mods/replacements are more robust than stock.
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So recently picked up a low-mile stock 2013 600 Pro 155 with QD for my wife. Definitely want to gear it down, we ride 5000+ feet elevation. If I drop to 7 tooth 2.86 pitch drivers it sounds like that would do the trick, but do I then need to put anti-stab on it or reconfigure the rear suspension? New to the PRO chassis... also, what update(s) need to happen to the '13 QD to make it reliable? Haven't kept up since I have a Dragon 860.

 

[whoisthatguy]

Change it out to a chain drive.

 

[mountainhorse]

A little extreme don't you think??

Lots learned by many.... Lets see who chimes in.




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[prorideupper800]

I have 013 Pro-800 155 with Camo Exteme 2.5 with 3000 miles no problems with quick drive always warm up on jack stand lift before riding that day, just changed to 014 belt, inspected original very closely no cracks or any signs of breaking down. Unless riding above 8000 I see no need to gear down I've never seen this sled lack for power even at Cooke City and I'm 200lbs + with gear. I would highly recommend cable scratchers though they make a world of difference in cooling and track life. 4400mi on camo Extreme second sled its been on.

 

[OuraySledder]

The only thing you need to do on a stock sled to make the QD reliable is stick to the 100 mile break in. Gearing down for 5000 feet is completely unnecessary. The sled came from the factory set up for that kind of elevation (actually 6000 ft I think) so just ride it. Change the QD belt every 2000 miles as reccomended and it should be just fine.

 

[benny7cfan]

I had a 2013 Pro RMK 600 and had no issues what so ever. I sold it to my buddy who will ride it this year on the original QD belt. We both go about 185lbs. To answer your question I would ensure the drive shaft has the recall collar or a similar collar. Carry a spare quickdrive belt (2014 as it was upgraded) with install toolds and ride it. No need to be overly concerned IMO.

 

[damx]

Every season. Change the quick drive belt, keep the old one as a spare. If you have problems check shaft and bearings. And install a fire&ice idler wheel to stop bowing of the belt. Think c3 makes on also but double the price.

 

[Excalibur]

I have a 13 PRO 800 and a 13 PRO 600. Both around the 1000 mile mark. Stock belt never changed. Broke in, warmed up and inspected every ride. I do allow it to cool if running hard and long. No problems.

 

[ReTodd]

The most important thing to do is to check torque on Jackshaft bolts regularly. They are known to loosen a bit and you will oval out the bearing and it puts bad stresses on the belt.

Also, heat cycle it a bunch of times with 5 min of good riding and open her up to breathe for 5 mins.

Then pin it!

 

[MTN Powderhound]

I put paint marks on the bolts and gears on my QD. Then I just have to look at it before I load up to see if the bolts have backed off.

 

[LoudHandle]

In My Experience there are two main things to keep an eye on;

The PTO side drive shaft bearing (should be a press fit on the aluminum stub shaft, and a lot of them were not that year, that leads to the stub shaft wearing undersize in as little as 400 miles).

The Jackshaft Bearing on the QD side needs to clamped between the Jackshaft shoulder and the brake disk / top sprocket stack. People have been finding that the washer bottoms on the jackshaft before it actually puts a crush load on the top sprocket / brake disk / inner bearing race / Jackshaft shoulder stack. This leads to the jackshaft spinning inside the inner bearing race and wearing the jackshaft out prematurely. The easy / quick fix for this is either a shim in the stack or some have used a heavier Skidoo washer that does not flatten out as easily to maintain the crush on the inner bearing race.

There were some QD bolt breaking issues that the better bolts helped with.

But for the most part the first two are the big ones and they are just the luck of the draw due to manufacturing tolerances. If you have not noticed anything odd in the first 500 miles (and you have been paying attention) you likely got a good one.


I'm at sea level and I still gear mine down, I think they come stock "geared ridiculously high". I gear mine to about 75-80 MPH top speed, I like acceleration and using the whole clutch. The stock setup is way too sluggish for my tastes. C3's kit is far better, than stock or the other options, and gets my money over the other options out there. C3's may cost a bit more but is a better design IMO.

Again Just My Opinion



Ride'er like you stole her

 

[mountainhorse]

Some links to browse do a search for "quickdrive" or "belt drive" and you will get lots of details.

In fact, there were enough posts on the 2013 Quickdrives that for that season... I created a separate sub-fourm section dedicated to strictly the quickdrive.... which I merged back into the PRO forum in 2014.

Most of the issues were caused by defective drive shafts IN 2013 Model Year (MY) ... for the 2014MY there were improvement in the belt and drive shaft.

Updates were put out by polaris for the 2013 MY PRO RMK's... a driveshaft collar and pulley bolts.

There were some good write-ups on here about checking bearing clearance but I could not find them this moring... I only have a few moments to look and have to get back to work... but they are out there... Checkcking bearing fit on the jackshaft and driveshaft are big ones... In 2014, there was an improved belt.

Also..IMO...invest in the correct tools to install the drive belt... sure, you can get it on without it... but, IMO, not the best idea.

Also, IMO, a good idea to put a full coverage collar on the driveshaft on the endo f the driveshaft on the side with sprocket attached (no need to remove the driveshaft)...of the 2013's and move the factory collar to other end.

Not a bad idea to add a belt tensioner from Fire N Ice or TKI for good measure.

With the updates and a new 2014 belt... you should have no issues.

from a post of mine in 2013

While the majority of people have not had QuickDrive® belt issues, there Are a significant number of people that did and do have issues of belts failing prematurely.

To say that the QD is trouble free OR to say that it is fraught with issues ... would not give an accurate "picture" of the situation.

It does seem to come down to luck of the draw. If the unit is out of warranty, I would install a full-full circle/capped shaft clamp and do some reading in the Quick drive section on issues like bearings on jackshafts & Driveshafts, soft adhesives, driveshafts out of true and/or running a steel drive shaft.

It does seem to come down to "luck of the draw"... you have a really good chance of getting one that is trouble free... and a lesser chance of getting one with issues.





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The 600 you have would benefit, IMO from gearing down... heck... the 800's run better with gear down as well IMO.



http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346037

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=339999

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=333103

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332337

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=323799

http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344815






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[Teth-Air]

Personally I think there are a couple of choices here:

1. Do nothing but don't ride where your life may depend on getting out.
2. Upgrade to the 14 belt as they are more reliable.
3. Upgrade to an aftermarket drive that you can re-gear to 2.25:1 or 2.42:1

Point 3 is way more than about reliability of the quickdrive belt. With he gearing change and the addition of a tensioner the clutch belts last way longer, the sled feels smoother and the acceleration is improved.

The aftermarket kit I am familiar with is from TKI and is easy to install and can be moved from machine to machine if you sell it or upgrade.

It truly is money well spent as the stock gearing is definitely not good.

 

[rowe]

Just follow the break in for a new qd belt then ride it like ya stole it!! i got 5300km (manual calls for new belt every 3200km) out of my stock 13 belt haha,but while it was sitting in my garage over summer i noticed most of the teeth on the belt were separating,put a new belt on and will follow the break in again. Like everyone else said,keep an eye on the bolts and make sure they are torqued correctly with loctite,there was a recall of the bolts and a change in the torque spec in 2013. went from 30 ft. lbs to 45 ft. lbs

 

[sledhed]

Thanks a bunch everyone

Thanks everyone for the info, this is a perfect example of the reason I joined snowest so many years ago. and thanks Mountainhorse for moving this into its own thread (although I had a bit of fun trying to find it )

A little more info, the sled has 169 miles on it, so it is past the 100 mile break-in already when we bought it. Was a sweet deal for such a low mile sled.

If I recall correctly, any service / recall records should be available from Polaris so I will have my dealer check the VIN number to see what as been done to it. It is my wife's sled (she bought and paid for it) so I won't be taking it too far into the back country but I don't want to have to tow her out either, so I will check into all of this and get a spare belt.

My local Polaris dealer is Kurts in Missoula, they sell a gear-down kit, not cheap though, so I was thinking of dropping to 7 tooth 2.86 drivers instead, which would gear it down and also gain some clearance for the 2.5 Camo Extreme (9104M) we kept off of her Dragon 700 when we sold it...

 

[AndrettiDog]

As a person who lost two 2013 belts on a '13 Pro, I might have some info for you. MH (as always) gave some great info. The '14 belt is a much better belt with very few (I don't know anyone personally) problems. I broke my sled in as Polaris suggested. One day I jumped a small mound and didn't relalize there was a flat ditch behind it. I landed hard, bent both rails, tweaked my back and blew out a QDS belt on the landing. My dealer gave me another '13 belt (no '14 belts yet). Then I added a Silber turbo and my first time out I strip out a belt (several cogs). It sounded like my track was slipping. Polaris apparently will only cover one belt. So...for the price of two belts (one new and one spare) and the "special" tools for changing them ($90). I was within $100 of buying the TKI belt drive. It was a no brainer for me. The TKI drive is awesome! Tensioner is simple, install was easy and extra belts are only $80.

Even with my bad experience, I still support manufacturer's going the direction of the belt drive. It makes sense, less weight and more direct drive engagement. It just needs fine tuned on the Polaris side.

 

[Jaynelson]

Have you guys with a year or 2 of riding a QD sled added a skid plate for the QD? Or is that just "fluff" ?

 

[AndrettiDog]

Have you guys with a year or 2 of riding a QD sled added a skid plate for the QD? Or is that just "fluff" ?

Nope. I suppose it might come in handy when you hit something hard enough. Just hasn't happened to me.

 

[Scott]

I put the VanAmburg drop pan on mine just for peace of mind.

 

[sledheadd]

I put the VanAmburg drop pan on mine just for peace of mind.

Same here.
I also installed a C3 belt drive after blowing 3 belts in under 500 miles.
C3 was my only option at the time, any after market drive will be better.