Aftermath of a tether failure...

[theletup]

So my season is over after today's double fail. Throttle stuck wide open so i pulled the tether and tether failed to shut down the sled. Bucked me and bombed straight into a tree about 100 feet away... she's done for.

Pretty bummed that my tether didn't kill the sled... just sucks when you're standing there watching your sled side hill away from you and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Thing was wide open until the tree won. I couldn't believe it.

Hit at about 50 or so at least. Still wide open. Accordion tunnel, busted bulkhead, obliterated a-arms, broken shock, broken bumper, over structure destroyed, steering post snapped off, crushed pipe, broken/cracked engine, all plastics done, headlight busted out and that's just what I could spot without taking anything apart. Can't understand why the throttle stuck in the first place which wouldn't have been a big deal but you can imagine my surprise when I pulled the tether and she just gained speed instead of stopping.

The picture with me standing in the background is how far the sled traveled before impact. Strung her all back together with some utility line I've been carrying around for the past 2 years so we could tow it out. Luckily we were above a road when it happened right before popping over a ridge into a bowl so it was pretty easy to get it out. My first total experience so I'm pretty bummed out. Hopefully I can afford a new sled next year.

 

[rp2000r]

Ouch man, Atleast nobody was injured.
Part out whats left to get a few bucks for a new sled and look into insurance.
Great to have when something like this happens.

 

[oscar]

Sorry for your loss! That is concerning why the throttle stuck, and why the tether did not work. Sends chills up a persons spine.

 

[glassman]

That is real shi..y. Just wondering if you had your heated grips going? I always get ice build up around the throttle and the TSS doesnt seem to work. Has sent me in the wrong direction a few times unwillingly. As for the tether thing, no idea unless you are pulling it off and on the base all the time, and a chunk of ice got wedged in there. I always unclip mine from my jacket and only use it to kill the motor if I fall off.

 

[akmclean]

If you don't have any insurance then you deserve no pity. Sorry to kick you in the balls.

 

[Dizzle]

Wow dude thats a bogus reply. I bet you're an insurance rep aren't you??

 

[Kirklan]

Wow, that sucks big time! Was this a Poo tether or a different brand? I have a couple Pro Armor tethers coming right now. I went with them after reports of the Poo tethers not working properly.

 

[winter brew]

Ouch! That sucks. I haven't heard of a tether failing, learned something new. Does Polaris also have the safety throttle like Cat and Doo? If so, its a double failure, ??

 

[FireDog14]

That is definitely in the category of "Things that suck" for $500 Alex....

 

[mountainhorse]

First off... Glad that one of my fellow sledders is OK after an ordeal like that

Second... I feel for ya... looks like a good day for riding.

If the tether is unplugged at the harness it wont work...

I'm not sure which tether you have...

Even the factory ones dont have a locking device... I zip tie PLUS tape the connectors together.

One of the big reasons I will not use generic connectors to mate with the factory harness.

 

[akmclean]

Wow dude thats a bogus reply. I bet you're an insurance rep aren't you??

Its the truth. The price for full coverage on that sled is HALF the price of those airframes!

I appologize if I offended you. I hope you figure out a way to get back on the snow.

 

[phatboyfilms]

akmclean - no need to kick this guy in the nuts, FYI not everybody can get full coverage for $200, I'm one of them.


OP - thanks for posting, that sucks, but glad u didnt get hurt. what tether do u have? Was it working earlier in the day? U get a chance to verify the connector didnt come apart as MH stated? Mine froze up on me last yr (Pro Design). Could be helpful to others.

My last I heading back down the mtn & noticed the throttle starting to stick slightly, after inspection ice had formed where the cable goes inside the block (on handlebar, sorry cant think what's called at the moment...). I jabbed the throttle 5-6 times to get it to clear out the ice. Did u look to see if there was ice build on urs there or you think it was something else?

Thx

Scott

 

[phatboyfilms]

Man, that seriously sucks.

 

[Ken Climb]

Bummer man!
Is your tether a fancy billet one? I forget which brand mine is,but I paid double for my billet aluminum one and when it gets cold out it freezes up and has failed a few times on me. I'll post the brand later.

 

[rmscustom]

My pro design tether sticks sometimes in powder... Pics like that motivate me to change to something else.

 

[POLZIN]

Bummer ! What kind of tether was on the sled ?

 

[theletup]

If you don't have any insurance then you deserve no pity. Sorry to kick you in the balls.

I have insurance but you're kind of a dick

 

[theletup]

First off... Glad that one of my fellow sledders is OK after an ordeal like that

Second... I feel for ya... looks like a good day for riding.

If the tether is unplugged at the harness it wont work...

I'm not sure which tether you have...

Even the factory ones dont have a locking device... I zip tie PLUS tape the connectors together.

One of the big reasons I will not use generic connectors to mate with the factory harness.

It was a Pro Designs (aftermarket tether). I used to think it was the best one out there and promoted it to my fellow riders all the time. When I installed it I cut, soldered, and shrink wrapped rather than plugging anything in. I test use the tether every time before I take off from the parking lot to make sure it is working and I pulled it multiple times that day before this incident. I'm guessing it got ice/water in it and froze it open.

ALSO:
I just want to make the point that the reason I am so bummed about losing this sled isn't because of the money. I was extremely happy with it. Put 700 miles on it so far this year without a single issue (until now). Also put a lot of personal time modding the sled how I wanted it to be. Yes I have insurance... They are only going to give me $7000 by the time I pay my deductible so I still can't afford a new sled until next year. It's a damn bummer.

 

[theletup]

My pro design tether sticks sometimes in powder... Pics like that motivate me to change to something else.

Definitely change it! This was the first time mine has failed all year... You might think "Well, it usually works so I should be good.... nope. I don't like to talk bad about people's products. Hell I didn't post what kind of tether it was in my original post although I had a feeling it would come up. But I kinda feel like calling Paul (Go Big Parts) and asking him to pull these. I mean I lost a sled over a tether failure. It's ONLY job is to kill the damn sled and it didn't do it's job when I needed it most.

 

[rmscustom]

Definitely change it! This was the first time mine has failed all year... You might think "Well, it usually works so I should be good.... nope. I don't like to talk bad about people's products. Hell I didn't post what kind of tether it was in my original post although I had a feeling it would come up. But I kinda feel like calling Paul (Sled Solutions) and telling him to pull these. I mean I lost a sled over a tether failure. It's ONLY job is to kill the damn sled and it didn't do it's job when I needed it most.

Got mine from Paul too. Right after I got it there was a post on one of his threads saying this would happen but I decided to put it on anyways. I even loaded the plunger up with dielectric grease but it didn't seem to help... Mine will stick at least once everyday the powder is good. These tethers should not be sold for use in cold conditions.