Ice Scratcher Protectors??

[guidoxpress]

i have freshly powder coated Ice Age rails on my sleds...

and i also have ice scratchers for them...

I use to hook the scratcher on the inside bogie wheel bracket and it never ate through the rails, but now that i removed the bogies...i dont wont the scratchers to wear into the rails..

i could have sworn i have seen some little brackets you can add to the rail and the scratchers will rest on it when in the UP position and not wear into the rails...

anyone know of such a thing?

link, pics, anything...??

Thank you in advance...

 

[STRETCHITOUT]

i did a peace of rubber like the one's they use for the scissor rubber stops. i just put it were i needed it and put a bolt washer and nylon lock nut... works great..

 

[guidoxpress]

i have some of those from my ice age rails i didnt use..i could use them until i get a more permanant part...

i think a nice UHMW or billet bracket would be nice to have, and can take all the wear..

thanks for the reply..

any other suggestions?

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

you could just slit a peice of 5/16 rubber hose and slide it on the rail where the scratcher sits and wire tie the rubber to the rail....

 

[duchunter]

Just a thought but what about using an eye bolt???

 

[NYTRO270]

Just a thought but what about using an eye bolt???

This is what I use, drill a hole and put in a eye bolt works great!!

 

[guidoxpress]

great ides...i like them all really, lol...

ill play with some of the things i have and see what i can come up with...might try all the ideas and see what suits me the best...THANK YOU!!

any more ideas out there?

 

[MORSNO]

Guido, have you thought about installing Slidekicks cable type scratchers that you can just leave down all the time? I have Holz spring scratchers on my 07 D7, but tried Slidekicks on my wifes RMK, and found in our type of snow conditions they keep temps and hifax wear about the same and you never have to raise/lower them.

 

[fasta76]

I just used a small piece of clear fuel line. Slid it over the scratcher to the part that rests on the rails. Works great!!!!

 

[F-Bomb]

You might try to reach Wade at RSI. He was once showing me a deal like that. It fit down along the rail like the rubber suspension protector stoppers do. Some kind of rare earth metal (we call it un-obtanium) if I remember correctly. I'm pretty sure it is not a commercial deal but who knows?

My PRO throws the scratchers down randomly...I'm probably going to build a little plastic catch for it. We have all kinds of plastic remnants around the shop for such things. It would be super easy to build a design that rests on the rail but also has a channel for the scratcher to lay in.

 

[guidoxpress]

thanks Rob.

i swear i saw something that was made specific to the hold the scratcher on the rail and protect it, and i swore it was on RSIs website. but when i actually got to wanting to do it, nothing found...

i will talk to Wade and see if he has anything for me...if not, with the great ideas from these guys, i can work out something for sure..

Morsno...i personally dont care for slidekicks, and never really seen them "Work well", but im sure its just the snow conditions i ride in..but i appreciate your inputs..

 

[guidoxpress]

i sent Wade at RSI an email, hopefully he can chime in on this too..

 

[EricW]

Are you using the scratchers for cooling or hyfax lube (maybe both). I have had good luck just using ski scratchers 90% of the time. Cooling is rarely the issue but hyfax wear can be.

That said, you might try ski scratchers and see if that is enough. The do throw enough for the track to pick up some for cooling as well. With the tubes on my Ez-Ryde so close to the rails, the scratchers over the rails would wear the side of the tube on compression. I used the "U" or saddle part of a 3/16" cable clamp and put a nut inside and out to hold the tip of the rail scratcher outside the rail. I didn't have powder coated rails to cringe about drilling into. Heres what I did.

Didn't like the looks of this

So I did this

Ski Scratchers by Hartman Inc.

Some I made myself

A Turkey that I brined and smoked........ya it was that good. lol. EW

 

[guidoxpress]

LOL...

great turkey pic, haha....

great post and post sir...much appreciated..

you know if that EZ Ryde looks too bad to you, i guess i can work with it and deal with my scratcher issue

 

[ZRman31]

I've also had problems with scratchers being deployed at ramdom... So i had aluminum "lock" brackets that required the scratcher to be pushed in towards the center of the sled to deploy... worked great and looked trick... wish i had pictures, but that was many computers ago.

 

[guidoxpress]

Wade at RSI replied to me and said they DID have the prodct last year to protect the rails, but stopped making them and will be producing a better designed product in the spring/summer of 2011..

so i will try one of the above methods this year and see what RSI comes out with.

Thanks guys!! Great inputs!!