2024 catalyst
- Thread starter SnoPro1000
- Start date
I can't imagine why they wouldn't offer both single and twin rail as options. They want to sell sleds, right? Would obviously sell more sleds that way with what would seem to be minimal cost. A twin rail with a 3.5 pitch track would be a great option. It will be interesting to ride a catalyst. I just bought a '22 Alpha as a second sled (other sled is an Axys). In many ways it's the easiest sled I've ever ridden. Definitely not going to compete with a Polaris on steep sidehills but for most riding it works great and I haven't noticed much washout although it's clear it will with too much throttle. Soft snow so far. Don't regret buying it at all. Funny how the snow west reviewers (Harrris) never mention the extremely strange overly forward feel of the ski doo's with the tendency to over transfer and unstable steering yet they more or less say the Alpha is damn near unrideable. It's so close to my Axys it's hard to tell the difference most of the time. If the Catalyst is better it should be a great improvement for cat with many of the changes they should have made in about 2017.
Might be pride. This is the best thing they have invented in years, going back to twin rail may look like a failure.
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For someone who has nearly every accessory for the alpha rail, it still gave out while heading up the trail, i dont know that ive ever seen him jump his sled on video.
Only issue people have pointed out is he unloads from his truck without ramps. Crazy to think its just glue and 4 rivets holding the rear wheels on.
Diamond drive back to chain case, telescopic handlebars back to a riser. Just two examples of Cat inventing something and then later going back to original.
As far as that Alpha rail failure. Dude literally starts his sled up, puts it in reverse and launches it off the back of his pickup! The first thing that him and his sled land on in the hard parking lot is the back of that skid. Tell me any other scenario where in the mountains you would apply that amount of force onto the rear of the rail.
Could also be a thing you just check every 3 rides like something else in life? Does suck it wrecked his track but the glass is half full for him as he wants a 154 now so life goes on. Was talking with a guy in the lot last week who had a catastrophic failure on another brand . So I guess you gotta check well and offen to ride snowmobiles or Snowbikes. The double rail option could be exspensive for artic cat though as it’s another suspension and well they’d have to manufacture it. Don’t think the trail stuff would work would it?
Uhhhh… pounding down a whooped out trail? Jumping…. anything? … applying throttle?
A sled falling 3ft out of the back of a pickup at 3mph is the least stressful thing a sled does all day.
They arent designed for that load. I just had G5 that the guy parked to close to his buddy and came off the ramp into the guys tire. Bent the rear axle, both wheels and the adjuster bolts.
Sled as a whole sees a lot more abuse throughout a day, but there aren't many riding scenarios that put a concentrated load on that specific joint as much as dropping it out of the truck does. Most of the situations you describe distribute the force across rail. Should it be stronger? Yeah, but dropping it out of the truck is a uniquely bad scenario for stressing that joint IMO.
I found multiple cases of this same failure on Facebook forums and I TKI braced the rail, updated front shock bolt and added a few grade 8 1/4" bolts to that rear wheel section so it would not come off if glue and rivets failed.
I dont see why Cat could not make it an option for snowcheck. you can select different tracks why not skids, after all they still make twin rails. On line forums seems to show a big demand for a twin rail. I also agree with spoon and would get rid of the chinsy rivets " dumb idea" and go with bolts.
All in how the load is applied.
The rivets are not meant to be structural, but to hold the parts together as the glue cures. The glue bond failing is the structural component that really needs to be addressed.
Remember in 2013 when Polaris guys thought a single 3/16" rivet was going to keep their glued a-arm from falling apart?
That guy doesnt launch it out of the back of the pickup. There is more stress on the back wheels when you load a longtack up the ramp. I get stuck on mine all the time if its icey. Only that tail end is touching the ground for a sec until it gets up a ways. Backing off the ramp just as bad, all the momentum with your big ass coming down on that point. Easing it off the tailgate without a rider is probably gentler imo.
I’ve ridden a 2010 m8 for about 10 years. Bought a 23 cat this year. Not sure what the single rail will do this spring as far as side hilling, doesn’t sound to promising. But, I can sidehill waaaay better on the alpha right now. I stank at side hilling before. Now I’m doing things I couldn’t do before that’s for sure. So for me, this spring I might go back skill wise to where I was on the m8, but right now I’m loving the alpha.
So many new cars have glued together chassis and body stuff. Allways a shock to find It (former auto body worker) if your worried cross bolt it . Be pretty easy Doesn’t excuse cats design flaw but may bring you piece of mind but may also crack the rail eventually? Could put a weld on it pretty easy too. I think? What are they made off ? Lol. I just looked at mine this afternoon to see lol. I disagree with the argument that the rail slamming the ground is the same as riding. Riding mostly on snow , suspension is at work, it’s less a jolt most time and the literal folcrum for that energy is exactly at that same point and angle. Iam sure it’s more than one thing and it’s a design flaw but it in my opinion dropping it exasperated it for sure. I hadn’t heard this particular problem before and iam a internet research freak lol
The Alpha isn't near as bad as social media makes it out to be. The M sled were good sleds for their time but no where close to the Alpha.
Like I said before, Syxxes (the guy doing all the camera work) is a putz and a wanna be!
Oh, I don't know. He seems like a pretty happy guy overall and goes with the flow. He may not be the best rider or filmer but not sure he ever said he wanted to be. His group seems pretty redneck but the content is what it is.
I don't know, I think he relates to a lot of guys out there as how most of us are. He is out to have fun and obviously enjoys what he does. He doesn't have the budget of Muskoka or Turcotte and his riding skills are more on par with the average to above average mountain rider. I follow a lot of the guys riding out west in BC and enjoy the different takes each has on riding style and I can appreciate the wrenching and keeping old(er) sleds competitive with the new iron. Not everyone can afford to buy a new sled every year just to be top dog on a video. I get that a lot of guys don't want to wrench on their downtime but some of us actually enjoy it and I like the vids that involve wrenching and riding because I can relate to it myself. Syxxes can keep doing what he is doing and I will support it.
