Limiter Strap for Stock Rear Scissor Linkage

[craigvansickle]

I spent a couple hours this weekend playing with my stock rear suspension. I disengaged the rear springs, put the bumper on a stand, and used a floor jack to put the suspension in a number of different situations. Then inserting a block between the rear scissor linkage and the cross rail support behind the linkage - the suspension acted the same as the timbersled video. As the rear of the rear suspension traveled upwards, the scissor linkage traveled backwards, contacting the block, and then the resistance increased and the hole skid moved evenly upwards. I tried different length blocks to engage the coupling at different points in the travel. After giving it some thought I am going to try fabricating an adjustable limiter strap setup to limit the rear travel of the scissor linkage. I will throw some photos up as fabrication proceeds. Anyone try this before or have any useful input?

Thanks
Craig

 

[skibreeze]

I like the idea, keep up guinea pig stuff.

 

[MARV1]

Keep us informed. Coupled suspensions move the front and rear together once you hit the blocks.

 

[MORSNO]

Keep up the trial and error experiments Craig...That's how all great inventions came about.

"I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
Thomas Edison

Have you paid attention to the number of views your threads receive??? Your original suspension thread has over 700 views in just a few days. Keep up the great research!

 

[sasky]

Great thread Craig,

I haven seen anything like that yet..... It makes me wonder why the sled manufacturers havent followed the lead of the aftermarket (Timbersled, Kmod, Fabcraft, EZRyde, Nextech and M10 variations etc..) and begun to put coupled skids in mountain sleds yet?

 

[KAWGRN]

Remember,, in your previous post I mentioned trying to put rotating coupler block on the rear sissors like fabcraft uses to couple..... look at the OVS site and see what they have for the M sled for controlling weight transfer thats kinda what I was trying to make untill I watched the TS vid the Ts goes beyond just coupling because when you just couple the front and rear arms you must ,totatly revalve your shocks or the suspension will act like it has 400 # springs in it

 

[craigvansickle]

Remember,, in your previous post I mentioned trying to put rotating coupler block on the rear sissors like fabcraft uses to couple..... look at the OVS site and see what they have for the M sled for controlling weight transfer thats kinda what I was trying to make untill I watched the TS vid the Ts goes beyond just coupling because when you just couple the front and rear arms you must ,totatly revalve your shocks or the suspension will act like it has 400 # springs in it

I hear ya. Thanks for the info. Do you have a website for OVS?

I expected more resistance from the skid as it coupled and travel upwards. There was an increase for sure, but less than you would think. Also, as the rear arm rotates backwards it reaches a point where it slows and then stops pulling the skid to the rear - and the increased spring rate offered from the front coil over ceases. It is hard to explain with words. I will post a video later. In the end I plan on getting an aftermarket skid and shocks next year. I just find all this fascinating.

 

[va2n]

Any update on your test!

 

[440dart]

I would like to know also

 

[craigvansickle]

Sorry guys, I am a little behind on this one. Had to do a bunch of work to my pickup the past couple weeks. I need to check in with my dealer to see if they received the WPS limiter strap this week.

 

[Snowman 2001]

It makes me wonder why the sled manufacturers havent followed the lead of the aftermarket (Timbersled, Kmod, Fabcraft, EZRyde, Nextech and M10 variations etc..) and begun to put coupled skids in mountain sleds yet?

I believe Polaris did in the 96-99 RMK's using the Xtra-10 rear suspension.

 

[va2n]

Let us know how it work.

I looking for a cheap solution to get front on the floor while climbing... Too much wheely!

 

[thefullmonte]

The million dollar question is, what does Craig do for a living? I bet it is top secret stuff for NASA or something. It is great when people can figure these things out and make them better. It even helps the factories when stuff is looked at through a different set of eyes.
So often we look at what latest and greatest thing we can bolt onto our sleds and we never look at the easy things right under our noses.
Craig, please keep us posted on this. Adding a limiter strap sounds like a pretty easy thing to improve on the performance of the suspension.

 

[80_ramcharger]

I thought about your post when i was in the garage. Seems like the piece that goes up to rub on the track coming off the linkage looks ideal(call it "arm rubber" for now). Do you think the components of the lower linkage and "arm rubber" are tough enough to take the abuse ? Maybe some reinforcing square tubing to stiffen it up ?

Let us know how your project is going!

 

[wanaber]

coupling

I'm not poo pooing the idea I think it's a pretty resourceful one, but didn't ad boivin make some coupling rod that you would connect the scissor to the rear axle with the axle end being slotted for the amount of coupling then engineered. I believe they made them mostly for zr arctic cats being they had no coupling either.

This low tech strap idea is kiss, keep it simple stupid, I like it. keep us posted