Installation and Review: KMOD Gen II Coupling Suspension

[christopher]

With the powdercoating removed, the Tri-Hub wheels and axle slid right into place.
It was a perfect fit, clearly machined to fit these rails exactly.

Adter everything is in place, and you have verified the rails are flat and parallel, go ahead and lock down all bolts.

 

[christopher]

With the rear axle/wheel in place Kevin inserted another of the cross bars into the rails.

 

[christopher]

Inserting rear arm upper cross shaft.

Installed rear idler wheels and lock collars, with shafter centered and equal amounts extending from both sides.

 

[christopher]

With the rear skid now fully assembled Kevin turned his attention to the mounting brackets that would support the skid in my Mytro.

He started at the back by removing the two large OEM drop brackets.

Notice the smile on his face.
Kevin is just a naturally happy guy who genuinely loves what he does!
Wish more people loved their work like this.

With the OEM plate out, he prepares to install his new custom rear drop brackets.

 

[christopher]

Prepped and ready for the new drop bracket to be installed.

The OEM Bracket on the opposite site of the tunnel.

By drilling the exact center to center in a bar, and mounting it to a sled, Keven was able to get the exact center to center from the front arm mounting to rear drop bracket.
Using a tape measure can be off just a bit and difficult to handle under a tunnel.
This system ensures he NAILS it every time for a perfect installation.

 

[christopher]

After the mounting holes are drilled the new drop bracket goes in.

 

[christopher]

Rear drop brackets are both bolted and riveted into place.

Just before mounting the skid, Keven makes the final adjustments to it.
Sets the RAP (Rapid Ajusting Preload) on the Raptor dual rate coil spring.

Measures the spring free length for proper preload.

The FINAL SKID just before installation in the tunnel, a thing of beauty.

Keven slides the slid into the track with a finese that comes from having performed this maneuver countless times!

Lining up the front arm with the forward hole, sometimes requires a little "Foot Action" on the rear of the skid.

This photo shows the difference in the OEM mounting point and the new mounting point (As seen with the brass colored bolt head)

Notice that it is 2 inches forward and 2 inches up.
But the internal track location remains the same relative to the tunnel and forward bulkhead/heat exchanger.

This change in location allows the KMOD suspension to achieve a closer to stock ride height in a long travel suspension.
This also puts the tip of the rails closer to the drive shaft to keep more track in the snow.

 

[christopher]

With the skid bolted into place, its time to adjust the rear track tension

A few twists of the bolt and the track tension comes right into line.

And Nytrocity with her new Skid and Track in place waiting for final assembly on a few last components!

 

[christopher]

Have lots more text and comments I will post as I go back through all the photos next.

 

[Jager Bomb 243]

looks good!! Lotta time invested in that sucker!

 

[Lococoin]

I think you will really like that skid. I went with it last year after two years of reading and I don't regret it for a second. On top of a great product, Kevin's customer service is second to none. Every email and phone call has been answered and returned promptly and he has been willing to bend over backwards to accommodate shipping items to me in Canada.

Great product! Thanks Kevin

 

[christopher]

Customer Service is everything in my book

No matter what you buy you WILL need service at some point, and when that time comes, THAT is when you find out the real quality of the product you purchased.

And I am here to say, KEVIN has been a DELIGHT to work with over the course of the summer.

If this customized suspension is anything less that "FABULOUS" I will be seriously disappointed. But after all my research and talking with many of his current customers I don't think I will be disappointed at all.

 

[M5-]

Keep an eye on those rails. We've had 4 sleds with powder coated rails and all 4 cracked. Just sayin.

M5

 

[christopher]

Explain.
Are you suggesting that the powder coating process is in someway effecting the rails??

 

[HDEMWET]

Some folks believe that the heat from the oven used to bake on the powdercoat embrittles the aluminum. If properly done, the heat in a baking oven should not come anywhere aluminum's critical hardening temperature. I'm currently in a welding engineering course and asked my professor this very question after seeing it brought up on here a few times. If 6061 T6 aluminum is being used to build these rails, then you should never have a problem. There are inferior grades of aluminum out there that is mostly recycled stuff with very coarse grain size in the material, but 6061 is treated and worked to be tough enough for the aircraft industry.

 

[Budd]

Keep an eye on those rails. We've had 4 sleds with powder coated rails and all 4 cracked. Just sayin.

M5

You may want to consider finding a new powder coat shop. Budd

 

[m8magicandmystery]

dang...buy the time it took to read your thread i would have installed the skid twice over..lol..it looks good..so much is similar to the timbersled..im not sold on the raptors..hope ya get lots of snow to get the benefit of it...

 

[polaris dude]

huh...not how I expected Christopher to look

 

[slash]

thats Kevin from K MOD

 

[christopher]

huh...not how I expected Christopher to look

he he
I am the guy BEHIND the camera.
Didn't appear in any of the photos.