I have an 08 Dragon 700 with 2000 miles on it that I have bashed off of stumps, rocks and anything else creeping under the snow and never taken an A-arm out. In the last week I have two friends that have toasted the A-arms on their 2012's. Today I took mine out for the first time and hit a rock under the snow at about 10-15 mph and folded the A-arms on the right side of the sled. I am glad the sleds are getting lighter but at what cost when you cant even clip a stupid rock with out doing 1 grand worth of damage.
Are the PRO A-Arms a little weak....?
- Thread starter Watson777
- Start date
I've got over 800 miles on my 2012 and have hit several things fairly hard with no bends or breaks. I'm pretty happy with the srength of mine so far.
Yes. They are crap. Save yourself money, sell your stockers and buy aftermarket cromoly or titanium if you got the cash. I bought alternativeimpact.com cromoly. Great product.
I bought mine 3 weeks ago and tweaked the left one on me third ride! Yesterday took out the right one and it pushed into my shock tube and bent it!! Both impacts were on the upper A arms! Love the machine, but yes week A arms.
So...let me get this straight. People are wacking A arms and calling them weak. The tubing size on my 12 SBA are larger in diameter (stronger) than the competition. We know they just don't break on their own but must be subjected to a load that would cause damage to the A arm. Don't hear anyone complaining about taking out the bulkhead they are mounted to. So...this is the way I see it. The A arms are gonna get wacked if you hit a tree, rock or any other obstacle. The tubing wall thickness would have to be substantially thicker to prevent most damage but then the bulkhead absorbs the impact. Ask yourself. since the A arms are going to get wacked anyway...why would I want to make them strong enough to save them and take out the bulkhead. Which do you think is easier to fix and cheaper. This should end any more discussion. Ask the Doo Boys that have taken wacks about how much fun it is to tear the whole front end apart to repair damaged substructure. I had a friend with a Doo Summit who went through this. Convinced me to stay away from Doos. If you want I could post the pics and help everyone be thankful they only take out A arms. Unless your riding a tank be thankful for the controled failure point design. Poo did it this right. Have a look at all the brands and you will clearly see why.
K
knaffie
Member
Obviously. But the point is, not that many years ago, snowmobiles were built tougher in general. People never bent a-arms, bulkheads, shocks, etc. unless they really hit something hard. You knew exactly when it happened, without a doubt. Now you can be out riding in deep powder and just touch something under the snow that you barely notice then notice later that the a-arms are bent.
So yes, the threat of bending a bulkhead obviously sucks, and bending an a-arm is better. But how about they start with the bulkhead and build the whole thing stronger all the way through. Think what an extra 5 POUNDS of material could do for strength. But now its a war of numbers, with weigh being the most highly criticized. So they're making them ridiculously light, and strength is the compromise.
T
theultrarider
Well-known member
I'm gonna go the other way on this one. In the year and half I've had my pro, It hit alot of chit. Taken out mulitple bumpers, hooked trees hard enough to take out the windshield as I fly through it rather than over it, you get the point. I am still shocked in a pleasant way that I am still riding on the stock a-arms that it came with. I never would have thought that they would hold up to this kind of abuse. That said, I'm afraid of what's gonna happen next time out lol.
J
JesseJames
Active member
That is because everyone (myself included) wants lighter, lighter, lighter. We just can't have both lightweight and bulletproof without the costs going even higher than they are.
F
FCR112
ACCOUNT CLOSED
However when it comes time to replace them there are multiple aftermarket sets available that are both less expensive and stronger than buying stock replacements... To me that means they could easily be better from the factory, and look the 13 lower arm has been redesigned!
Solution
Don't hit stuff.
Don't hit stuff.
T
theultrarider
Well-known member
Many times it depend on how you hit it. If you hit it where the ski can slide over it (the under snow obstacle) then the shock absorbs most the hit and you rarely see damage. If you hit it with a turned ski the force has to be absorbed somewhere and that is usually the A arm. Personally I will take a bent a arm any day. On the rev chassis, doo built the lower a arms so strong they almost always bent the nun and caused $1000+ damage. I can't tell you how many nuns I replaced on rentals but the a arm was still straight. I'd much rather replace a so called "weak" a arm than sub frames and bulk heads. Just remember, if you hit something that force has to be absorbed somewhere, it's either your shock (best scenario), a arm (next best) or bulkhead / frame etc (worst scenario).
After owning an xp previously, I will never complain about weak a-arms, period!
Dont want to throw myself under the bus here, but this is what i know to be fact. In the twelve years of building a arms, i have had never had so many calls on the new Pro a arms. I dont ride one, but have several friends that do, and most of them have replace at least one stocker. Thanks!
Dan
Dan
My riding season is on hold because I toasted two in one day this week on my '11 Pro R. I'm not sure what I hit that took out the right one, but I know for damn sure what I hit that took out the left one. It was a large rock; it didn't move.
I used this as an excuse to upgrade to the '12 front end. It was $350 for new '11 LCAs or $750 for the entire '12 package. However, the '12 LCAs are $99 each vs. ~$175 for the '11. So when I f' one up again, it will be cheaper to replace the part.
I used this as an excuse to upgrade to the '12 front end. It was $350 for new '11 LCAs or $750 for the entire '12 package. However, the '12 LCAs are $99 each vs. ~$175 for the '11. So when I f' one up again, it will be cheaper to replace the part.
What is the difference from 11 to 12 on a Pro front end? Thought they were the same except for color.
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