First Deep Pow ride with TS and Poo Track

[Butta]

Just wanted to post my results with my new Timbersled rear skid and Polaris Series 5.1 155" 2.4 paddle track. Went to Vail Pass yesterday and got into over the windshield fresh powder. Light and fluffy snow, with a little bit of a base if you dug far enough.

Overall result is fantastic over stock!! The ability to stay on top of the snow was remarkable compared to stock setup. The track never trenched like the maverick, and when I finally did get stuck it was quite easy to lift the back of the sled (my back thanks my wallet for it's sacrifices). However, I opted for the demonstration of the Jack in order to fully free the sled--those things work awesome!! When I got stuck it was when I broke through the base that was there in a hard turn and I ended up finding the dirt. The TS allowed the track to stay engaged with the snow long after the stock skid would have given up and had the sled "high centered" on the foot boards.

Confidence inspiring, and it's almost like learning a new sled with such vastly different limits of performance. I recommend this to any deep snow rider!

 

[sledskiing]

so i guess the net net is get a Jack

 

[Butta]

so i guess the net net is get a Jack

Absolutely!! I don't think I will get stuck nearly as much as I did last year, but having a jack would take ALL the work out of it. Definitely worth the money.

 

[glmtnapex]

Are we talking about an Apex? How difficult was the Skid/Track to install? Did you do it yourself? What other mods have you done to your sled? How detailed and helpful were the installation instructions? What's your opinion of the quality of the components?

I'm still not convinced on the value of the snow jack. I'd have to see/use it for myself to judge if it were worth the extra weight and brain damage of carrying it around all the time.

Max

 

[rotax]

Are we talking about an Apex? How difficult was the Skid/Track to install? Did you do it yourself? What other mods have you done to your sled? How detailed and helpful were the installation instructions? What's your opinion of the quality of the components?

I'm still not convinced on the value of the snow jack. I'd have to see/use it for myself to judge if it were worth the extra weight and brain damage of carrying it around all the time.

Max

Brain damage??

I've still been hesitating, but I know and have seem plenty of them work. And for the 5? 8? 10? lbs extra, I know it would come in handy at some point in the day, specially in CO POW!

 

[SRXSRULE]

The sled jack is the best thing I ever bought for sledding. We do alot of tight tree/boondocking and when the snow is good there are many times when you get stuck by yourself or your buddies get stuck trying to get to you. Its SO EASY to get yourself out with the jack. Many times its about a 3-4 minute job. Jack the back straight up, kick the trench in full of snow and get the sled level again. Then either spin the sled around or just drive it out after stomping down the snow in front. Worth every penny! Eric

 

[SnowAddiction2]

Another vote for the Jack. Worth every penny, and my back thanks me everytime I get stuck!

 

[08_Nasty_Nytro]

Lol

Well now the ? is would you have bein stuck if you didn't have the extra weight of the jack??????? JK, never seen one on the hill before but they sound cool.

 

[Butta]

Are we talking about an Apex? How difficult was the Skid/Track to install? Did you do it yourself? What other mods have you done to your sled? How detailed and helpful were the installation instructions? What's your opinion of the quality of the components?

I'm still not convinced on the value of the snow jack. I'd have to see/use it for myself to judge if it were worth the extra weight and brain damage of carrying it around all the time.

Max

Sorry, Nytro. Forgot to post that.

I did the install by myself. Wasn't difficult, just took a little time in the garage. Patience and accurate measurements are the key to success. I swapped drivers for the 2.86" Polaris track, which has the same gear reduction as dropping one tooth on the small sprocket (two birds with one stone!). I'm quite happy with the quality of materials of the Timbersled. I had a question when I was doing the install, and Bud was MORE than helpful getting me the right answer. AWESOME customer service....

And yes, the jack (if I could afford one) would be more than worth the extra weight it adds. You could completely turn the sled around even if it was pointed uphill, all by yourself. It should come stock with these heavier 4 strokes, 'cause it's just THAT SIMPLE. Wish they were only about $150 tho....

 

[Vertical_Escape]

Anyone got the link for these "jacks", sounds interesting ....

 

[sledskiing]

Anyone got the link for these "jacks", sounds interesting ....

see my sig

 

[Alaskan-rider]

I did the same with the series 5 Poo track on 7 tooth 2.86 drivers. I put the K-mod in instead of TS in the rear. (I know I made a good decision on the rear susp) The track is night and day from the MAV. the track stayed connected with the snow while carving and I know I get better than 15% on the hill climb side. The thing that was the worst was the wait for the drivers on back order from Sept 15th to Nov 23rd.

My wife has the same NYTRO (minus the K-mod) and she will wind up the series 5 track when one comes available in the area.

I would recommend this change to everyone... just soon after I get another series 5.

 

[Butta]

I did the same with the series 5 Poo track on 7 tooth 2.86 drivers. I put the K-mod in instead of TS in the rear. (I know I made a good decision on the rear susp) The track is night and day from the MAV. the track stayed connected with the snow while carving and I know I get better than 15% on the hill climb side. The thing that was the worst was the wait for the drivers on back order from Sept 15th to Nov 23rd.

My wife has the same NYTRO (minus the K-mod) and she will wind up the series 5 track when one comes available in the area.

I would recommend this change to everyone... just soon after I get another series 5.

Go for the 5.1 off the 09 Dragons. The 700's have the dual layer, the 800's have the single. Someone is bound to be changing their Dragon track, that's how I got mine. Saved a ton of cash over retail, and it was brand new with the stickers on it still.

 

[glmtnapex]

Again, I'm still not convinced on the Jack. I just spent $3000 to shave-off 60-70 pounds off my Apex so my chances of getting stuck are LESS. And now some of you are suggesting it's worth it to ADD 10-15 pounds back on the sled AND spend more money (how much are they by the way?) just in case I get stuck. It doesn't make any sense! I did see the Jack at the Denver Show back in October, it seemed like a good idea for someone that rides by themselves a lot (stupid and not recomended, esp in the mtns) and/or someone that gets stuck all the time. Don't get me wrong, I ride an Apex in Grand Lake (deep snow!), and I can get stuck with the best of them, but I've always been able to get out of it, many times without help from my riding partners. Chalk it up to lots of practice I guess.

In addition to all that, it seems like it would take less time to preform the basic 'get unstuck proceedure' (pack the snow in front, lift the back end a few times by hand, and ride it out) than it would be to break-out the Jack, set it up, jack up the sled, kick snow under the track, jack the sled back down, and put the Jack back on the sled. Again, I have not used the Jack myself, but I fail to understand the value of it. If you don't want to get stuck, maybe staying on the trail is a better idea. I myself think that getting stuck and getting un-stuck is half the fun and the challange of riding in the mtns. Carrying a Jack seems a bit like cheating to me.

Max

 

[skibreeze]

Carrying a Jack seems a bit like cheating to me

So is having twice the horsepower than sleds 15 years ago.
So is having twice the track on the ground.

I like cheating!

If your a big guy or one who never manages to get stuck where your buddies don't see you or can't easily get to you, you won't see the value of a jack.

Me, on ther other hand, would never consider spending 3k just for lightweight parts. To each his own.

 

[catman 1200]

Again, I'm still not convinced on the Jack. I just spent $3000 to shave-off 60-70 pounds off my Apex so my chances of getting stuck are LESS. And now some of you are suggesting it's worth it to ADD 10-15 pounds back on the sled AND spend more money (how much are they by the way?) just in case I get stuck. It doesn't make any sense! I did see the Jack at the Denver Show back in October, it seemed like a good idea for someone that rides by themselves a lot (stupid and not recomended, esp in the mtns) and/or someone that gets stuck all the time. Don't get me wrong, I ride an Apex in Grand Lake (deep snow!), and I can get stuck with the best of them, but I've always been able to get out of it, many times without help from my riding partners. Chalk it up to lots of practice I guess.

In addition to all that, it seems like it would take less time to preform the basic 'get unstuck proceedure' (pack the snow in front, lift the back end a few times by hand, and ride it out) than it would be to break-out the Jack, set it up, jack up the sled, kick snow under the track, jack the sled back down, and put the Jack back on the sled. Again, I have not used the Jack myself, but I fail to understand the value of it. If you don't want to get stuck, maybe staying on the trail is a better idea. I myself think that getting stuck and getting un-stuck is half the fun and the challange of riding in the mtns. Carrying a Jack seems a bit like cheating to me.

Max

well iam shure its easy to get un stuck on the trail right max

 

[SRXSRULE]

Again, I'm still not convinced on the Jack. I just spent $3000 to shave-off 60-70 pounds off my Apex so my chances of getting stuck are LESS. And now some of you are suggesting it's worth it to ADD 10-15 pounds back on the sled AND spend more money (how much are they by the way?) just in case I get stuck. It doesn't make any sense! I did see the Jack at the Denver Show back in October, it seemed like a good idea for someone that rides by themselves a lot (stupid and not recomended, esp in the mtns) and/or someone that gets stuck all the time. Don't get me wrong, I ride an Apex in Grand Lake (deep snow!), and I can get stuck with the best of them, but I've always been able to get out of it, many times without help from my riding partners. Chalk it up to lots of practice I guess.

In addition to all that, it seems like it would take less time to preform the basic 'get unstuck proceedure' (pack the snow in front, lift the back end a few times by hand, and ride it out) than it would be to break-out the Jack, set it up, jack up the sled, kick snow under the track, jack the sled back down, and put the Jack back on the sled. Again, I have not used the Jack myself, but I fail to understand the value of it. If you don't want to get stuck, maybe staying on the trail is a better idea. I myself think that getting stuck and getting un-stuck is half the fun and the challange of riding in the mtns. Carrying a Jack seems a bit like cheating to me.

Max

If you think that 60-70 lbs is going to make you get stuck less your dreaming. Your sled hold 70-80 lbs of fuel, do you notice a big difference in getting stuck at the end of the day when your low on fuel? I sure dont.

Anyone that thinks this jack is a joke, or a waste of money has never seen one used. it takes about 3 seconds to remove it from your tunnle, another 5 seconds to clip the base on it and maybe another 30-40 seconds to get out a strap from your trunk and loop it around your bumper. Then about 20-30 seconds to jack it up. Then you may not even need to move any snow at all. If you have it jacked up above the trench your good to go....all you do is PUSH the sled over off the jack. You dont "jack it down". 10-15 seconds to remove base and put the jack back on your sled.

Oh yeah...they dont weigh 10-15 lbs, More like 5-6 lbs. Eric

 

[ruffryder]

I swapped drivers for the 2.86" Polaris track, which has the same gear reduction as dropping one tooth on the small sprocket (two birds with one stone!).

Cool mod... Curious though if you have given any thought to what the speedo will now be reading. Do you know if there is a way to manually change it on the computer? Nice to be able to drop more gear on the nytro if needed.

 

[Butta]

Cool mod... Curious though if you have given any thought to what the speedo will now be reading. Do you know if there is a way to manually change it on the computer? Nice to be able to drop more gear on the nytro if needed.

Great question! I actually thought about this, as the speedo pickup is off the driveshaft. I will check with my GPS when I'm on the trail sometime to see what the actual difference is. I'm not real concerned with how accurate it is, however, as all of my performance gains in the future will be read as an increase/decrease in track speed, not the real track speed so much.

Spent the second day in the deep up at the Snowies yesterday. The snow on the back side was pretty good, and even though we can still find some landmines I think this will make a great base....add a couple more storms and we oughta be good for the season in the wind protected areas. I never got stuck all day, and even pulled out an 09 Summit X (yeah, rider fault that got him stuck, but I had witnesses!!). This Nytro is an all new sled with the Timbersled and Poo track....I cannot tell you how different it is, but my buddies were sure thanking me!! They would have to pull me out a lot last year, not this year though!!

And as for the jack not being worth it, it's a personal preference. I you aren't going places that are getting you stuck, then you don't need one. Where we go, someone with us will ALWAYS get stuck at one point or another, as we seem to find the softest and deepest snow we can. Pulling a sled out 5-10 times in a day will wipe you out, JACKING a sled out 20-30 times a day is childs play. "If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying"

 

[glmtnapex]

I surrender!

Ok, ok, ok... As I can see there are quite a few Jack proponents here. As I stated, I have not USED one, I've only seen one at the Show. But if 'cheating' is not only accepted but encouraged, why not just carry one of those portable Warn winches? Or keep a chopper on stanby to come pluck you out of a deep hole? Or hire a personal 'unstuck professional' kinda-like a bodyguard from 'stuckness' to shadow you all day, and as soon as you're stuck they spring into action? Obviously, these are extreme examples (except maybe for the Warn), but my point is, where do you draw the line?

In this day and age of 250+hp turbo/SC sleds with 200" tracks the line is getting pretty blurred. I guess I'm just too 'Old School' in believing, "you get it stuck, you dig it out", problem solved.

Max