GREASING THE PRO RMK... DO IT OFTEN AND USE EXCELLENT QUALITY GREASE

[hoov165x]

How about 'Pro Shafts'? They are no longer in business but I remember using them on my snocross sleds years ago. Basically a machined cross shaft with a HDPE or Delrin bushing close to each end. The friction is greatly reduced and the maintenance is decreased as well. I still greased them, but only to keep corrosion at bay- and greasing was less critical.

There you go- someones first million dollars. All we need is a manufacturer!

 

[Hansen13]

Thanks for this post! I was looking for a diagram that was able to show all of the grease points on the sled! Did the entire rear skid, but knew there had to be more to it!!

 

[Rockpicker]

Thanks Mountainhorse, good info!
Everyone thinks I am crazy for greasing as much as I do, but I have a theory "grease is cheaper than repairs and easier to install."
There is a grease gun bracket mounted to the wall in my trailer. I will grease daily if we ride very many miles.

 

[bkpa]

Here is another little tip. If you have a 2015 with remote resevoir, or any with, on the rear shaft install a 90 degree zerk. You can grease it then. With stock I couldn't get the gun on it.

 

[glowa]

Here is another little tip. If you have a 2015 with remote resevoir, or any with, on the rear shaft install a 90 degree zerk. You can grease it then. With stock I couldn't get the gun on it.

what remote reservoir in 2015?

 

[fullboredragon]

On the assault or snow checks with the walker adjustable shocks the adjuster blocks the grease zerk. U either need a 90 like he said or I actually used a 45. Kinda lame they were sent out like that.

 

[little dog 700]

You can grease your "non-greasable" bearings on the pro if you know what you are doing.
Every time I put new idler wheels on a sled or go through my skid for maintenance I will get a 90 degree seal pick and pop the seal out and clean and put new grease back in then pop the seal back on. I just did this to my pro on the jackshaft and driveshaft. When doing this you must pop it by getting under the lip on the inner sealing surface be carefull not to tear or bend the seal and make sure the seal is all the way back into its retaining grove when you are done.

 

[sportsterdanne]

I used a assault 2012 skid for my build and it had not run many miles Before the sled was crashed and sold in parts. it was completely dry in all bushings on the shocks and the rod under the shock. so lube up your new sleds as well.

 

[Indy_500]

I've been pulling all the crossshafts out of my sleds and cleaning/greasing them by hand every summer since I was 12 years old. All my buddies laughed at how anal I was with my maintenance, it sure pays off when I ride all year long without a problem and all my buddies are replacing parts left and right looking for advice as to why it broke... Used to sandblast and spraypaint every steel piece in the skid too until I got a real job, now they just go to the powdercoater! Greasing up my 15 RMK LE in a half hour and heading north!

 

[Indy_500]

One of the first things I did when I got it back in September!

 

[volcano buster]

Anyone come up with a good coating for the inside of the tunnel to shed snow while the skid is out getting a tune-up?

 

[mountainhorse]

If you have an sled... Buy a Dedicated pistol grip grease gun and keep high quality, low temp grease in the gun... and use it often. Every other ride is not too much.

The grease, in these skids naturally moves away from the pressure points with use... pumping it up regularly is the only way to get it to keep it in the right place.

Even (or especially) on a brand new sled... Grease the heck out of it... pump it up ... then bounce up and down on it to move the grease around... wipe off the excess and do this 5 or 6 times to get the grease throughout the pivots.

Trust me... in the speed of the factory assembly process... the greasing on the rear is skid is LESS than ideal.

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[gdhillon]

Mountainhorse, is it normal for the rear suspension to compress a few inches after you put it down from the rear bumper?

The scenario was I lifted up the track off the ground then put the sled down and once I let go of the bumper the rear suspension compressed/sagged a few inches or so from its own weight

 

[mountainhorse]

Yes.. it's called "sag"

Some have it more than others depending on a lot of things.

The owners manual, I believe, discusses this.

Have you followed this thread... pulled/dissassembled/cleaned/greased?

Also... best time to send your shocks in for service... minimum, get the fluid upgraded to a good full-synthetic oil like Amsoil or Raptor.

 

[mountainhorse]

I'm actually recommending now that a couple of pumps of grease to the rear suspension, at all grease points, happen after every ride to keep the suspension working optimally.

The metal on metal construction of the pivot/shaft, with no bushings needs all the help it can get.

Also, the steel on steel bushings in the shock-rod and shocks have no ability to have grease injected...so pull these out, clean.. and grease them well!


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[aksledjunkie]

Just did my buddie's 2016 over the weekend and my grease gun broke....grr haha. Time to get a new one.

 

[Sage Crusher]

Did 4 clients sled before the upcoming Elk hunt on the 15th- Had to talk them into it/ they said they "grease it all the time".. as MH stated the shocks...the steel on steel bushings in the shock-rod were a mess
Clients have changed their minds now about the preseason- just pump grease/ new fuel/ clean clutches, and go method.

 

[mountainhorse]

Bump...

Good to read this thread from the beginning.

Great to do now when you have some warm weather.. and down time.


This DOES make a big difference in how your sled functions and the skid works... Simply pumping in new grease doesnt cut it.

This is a great time to get all four shocks done... using ONLY synthetic shock oil and done by a quality shop like Gas Shock Repair.

TRS has some great recommendations for the PRO for setup.





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[mountainhorse]

A recap of some previous posts in this thread for those who don't want to look back.

FROM THE FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD... FOR EASY VIEWING.

mountainhorse:
If you want your PRO RMK to work smoothly, function reliably.. and not cost you big money to replace parts that wore out prematurely... Grease the sled and do it often..

Greasing also pushes out old worn out grease, moisture and debris caused by wear.

DO NOT use normal axle greases... especially not the blue " Waterproof Boat Trailer grease".. that stuff gets way to thick at lower temps that typical mountain sleds see.... this will cause the suspension to perform poorly.


The stock suspension on the PRO RMK is great, but it does NOT have any bushings in it...so normal use moves the grease around in the suspension and you have direct steel-on-aluminum contact... frequent greasing will keep the sled working smoothly and keep it from wearing out too soon.

You would not believe the difference in the "seat of the pants feel" of the sled between a poorly lubed one and one that is lubed and set up properly. HUGE!!

Sure it will "work" if you neglect it... but it won't work well/smoothly... Proper transfer and bump absorption of the suspension relies on the suspension moving freely with no "tight" spots.

Get a good DEDICATED grease gun and keep only high quality, synthetic grease in there for this purpose... a Pistol grip, rather than a pump-arm type of gun works better (pneumatic or cordless is best/easiest)... with a long hose and a quality grease gun chuck at the end work best... the pistol grip allows you to hold the hose end on the fitting with one hand and pump the grease with the other.

I use RedLine CV-2 EXCLUSIVELY on my sleds for grease...It is priced well, you can get it from NAPA, Summit Racing, or other Redline dealers.

Other acceptable grease is Mobile 1 synthetic and the low temp greases that the sled mfgs offer specifically for these applications.

Grease the suspension often...every few rides... if you want the sled to work well.

End of the season or 1500 miles, whichever comes first... pull the rear suspension out of the sled... remove all of the cross shafts, clean out the bores of the tubes in the suspension arms... check the shafts for wear, replace if necessary and re-grease using this grease.

YES... PULL IT OUT OF THE SLED... It's easier than you think!

This is definitely worth the effort!

In addition, pull the ski off... grease the sleeve-bushing and bolt into the spindle. Some people even put in a grease fitting on the spindle.

Other points are the drive shaft bearing on the PTO side, I like to grease the A-arm pivots too to keep it smooth and low-wear.

On the pro.. to keep the sled working well... pull the steering post and drag link bushings... lube them with the CV-2 (or similar) and you will see smoother steering action... especially when you have to use a lot of effort.

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This recent post brought this thread back to mind.

So with standard worn out pro bushings the total will be 10 degrees pivot.
Mine with 2200 miles is at least 2 degrees each way just from wear.

REAR SUSPENSION (AKA "SKID") MAINTENANCE.​

In the stock PRO-RMK/RMK suspension there are NO bushings in the stock front or rear swing arms/scissor...other than the ones in the shock eyes.

There are just bare aluminum cross-shafts in the bare steel tubes of the scissors. With just grease to lubricate them.

As you use the sled...the grease gets pushed around in the tube and you loose a lot of the all important lubrication... and get metal to metal grinding.

This happens really quick, and you need to keep up the maintenance in this important area.

I've seen some of those shafts go less than a season before being worn out... and others... with greasing every 2-3 rides last since they got their 2011 PRO RMK.

Also... a worn shaft will "bell mouth" the end of the tube it slides in if let go too far... It will also not allow the suspension to work as it should

The owners manual says to do this every 500 miles... BUT... If you want your sled to last, I recommend that you do it MUCH more often than that... say every 3 rides or so... and hit every grease fitting on it.

One other thing that makes greasing easier...

Keep a dedicated grease gun with the grease just for this purpose... Besides a pneumatic comercial or cordless battery-powered grease gun... I'm a big fan of the quality/price of the Lincoln PISTOL GRIP grease guns... This allows you to hold the chuck onto the zerk-fitting and use the other hand to pump the grease.

Also useful... after pumping grease into all of the fittings... cycle the rear suspension up and down a few times and grease it again...then wipe off any of the squeeze out.

http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Lubrication-1134-Pistol-Grease/dp/B0002NYDZ8

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Line-80402-Synthetic-Grease/dp/B000CPAEJA

Also, on the 2011 & 2012 PRO RMK's and the 2011 - 2015 standard RMK's (those with a chaincase as opposed to a quick drive)... Although the drive shaft on the PTO side has a zerk lube fitting on it... it does no good to use it as the bearing is a sealed unit with no way for the grease to get in....this is different than in previous years where there was a small hole for the grease to get in.

If you have a few seasons or more than 2000 miles on ANY year PRO Chassis sled... I highly recommend that you replace all of the sealed driveline bearings... This means all four bearings on the Quick drive equipped 2013-2015 PRO RMK's and the two sealed bearings on the PTO side jackshaft/driveshaft for the chaincase equipped sleds.... This is just good maint and keeps you riding rather than wrenching.

.

 

[14RMK144]

Always been using the philosophy of never too much grease, excepr of course when is coming out of voids clean
Here's what I use.
SCHAEFFER'S 274 MOLY EP Synthetic Blend Grease.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J...fer+grease&dpPl=1&dpID=41MT981N2AL&ref=plSrch