Check your Bulkhead welds for cracks!!!!!

[spomey]

I knew that I had a small crack on one of the welds in my bulkhead so I took it down and had it welded.. that was last season. well the welder really didnt know what he was doing or was lazy and laid a bead over the existing weld and it broke again on the first ride. (I watched him do it and questioned his method but he assured me it would hold) no big deal I thought I will grind it out and take it to someone else.

So this season I planned on doing some major work on the sled and took off all the plastics and cleaned cleaned cleaned it up. while doing this I found a few more broken welds, most right through the middle of the stock weld.

the more I looked the more I found, so I pulled to motor and really started checking -- WOW, nealy all of the welds on my sled were broken, all in all I think there were 17 - I dont know how it stayed together....

coincidentally I made a new fried over the summer and he happens to be a welder and a sled lover so he has gone way over the top in welding and gusseting it back to stronger than stock...

I did take the sled into a stump years ago and a tree a few years back and this damage could be from them and a few years of "fun" riding. In any event it might pay to check yours over...

Spomey

 

[Going West]

I think this is a fairly common problem for a well ridden 1m. When i had mine all tore down to install the VE tunnel i did a bunch of welding as well. Never went as extreme as you but it still needed about 7 diferent spots welded.

This is a good heads up for every one eles, nice post.

 

[KMMAC]

Wow! Good to know, trying to buy one of these sleds I will be looking close!

 

[jrnbrg]

This also happens too the later m-chassis..unfortunately..

 

[7.3 sled head]

Cracks Also

Ya Iwas looking at my o3 Mountain cat while I was putting my 153 track on it I noticed I had the famous Arctic Cat tunnel Cracks that are right below the front bolt of your rear suspension. So I took it to my welding class welded it and then plated it for reinforcement, doesnt look that bad actually

 

[Reeb]

Some of those area's are impact zones and designed to take the brunt of impact in certain circumstances. Although, I did much of the same with mine, I didn't completely box in underneath my sled but similar. Beefed up mounts and known areas with torsional issues. Not at all uncommon for all Cat's atleast since the early 90's when the original ZR was produced. Although steel, a lot of the same places we see issues on new 1M's are seen in many older chassis'.

 

[HILCLMR]

Bulkheads

Nice pics of the repairs you did, Kudo's.
Amazing the damage that big twin will do!