600 pro gear down advise

[RMKSinner]

I have a 15 600 rmk 155 chain case drive. looking to gear it down ? last year i ran 19-46 gear and it seemed a little to much for a 600. What are you guys doing to 600's ? All of my ridding is 6500' to 9800' Thanks!

 

[mountainhorse]

your 19/46 is what I would recommend for the sled (or a 20/46).

Sincere question, what do you mean by "too much"?

What clutching combo are you running?

Did you do the marker test on your sheaves?

From AVID products:

There is a simple test to see how efficient your gearing is. Mark the inside sheave of your primary clutch with a Marks-a-lot and go riding. After your of trip, look at the mark. If the mark hasn’t been wiped off, you can gear down and not affect the top speed of your sled as you ride it. We have talked with people who were afraid to gear down, because they felt it might affect their top speed. This is a valid concern,

but if you aren’t wiping all the marks off the clutch, then either you don’t have the horsepower to go as fast as you are geared or the top speed of your sled doesn’t fit your riding style. Lower gears increase drive belt life because the normal operating range is moved out further from the center on the primary clutch. More of the belt is in contact with the clutch and is less prone to slip and reduces belt temperature. You will also gain more throttle control at the lower speeds. Your engagement will be smoother and you will be able to get started in really soft snow without digging a hole.

 

[RMKSinner]

stock clutching, stock everything.
no i've no heard of the marker test you listed.
as for "too much" the main place we ride is alpine,wy
we start at 5000' i think ? and climb to 7000'-9000' 20-50 mile trail ride, down the trail 50mph i was running 7500-7800 rpm. seemed a little to much to me.

 

[d dunwoody]

2015 rmk 600

The 600 motor needs to be run at 8250 -8300 rpm gearing seems about right. Lighten your clutch weights. 54 or 56 gram.

 

[RMKSinner]

i was running 56 weights. Thanks for the info guys!