Powdercoated rails - Thoughts?

[TheBreeze]

I am getting my rear suspnesion parts and a-arms/spindles powder coated. I am also thinking about doing the rails while I am at it. What are everyone's thoughts on powdercoated rails? Any drawbacks? Advantages? Success in the past? Let me know! Thanks in advance.

Matt

 

[yammi4ever]

I bought some rails from climbax (randy swenson) and their were black anodized, I would go this route if you can get it in a color you want. I have never been too impressed with powdercoat myself. Seems once it chips it starts coming off quite a bit. Maybe it is just poor prep work, but never seems like it holds up as good as people say it should.

The anodized rails seem to hold up to abuse, and maybe it is my imagination, but the snow doesn't seem to stick to them at all.

k

 

[priest lake rmk]

I had my RMK's rails coated black. It looked great until I rode over gravel in the spring. Totally ruined every coated part on the sled. I would never do it again.

 

[Nikolai]

Never had issues with PC on anything. I've done rails before and am doing another set in a few weeks along with the rest of my sled.

 

[MTdream]

no issues at all with mine...have PC'ed both last sleds...no worries...it is all in the prep work...

 

[priest lake rmk]

Do you guys spring ride? Mine were great until I had to ride a little gravel.

 

[Blk88GT]

My rails have ~400 miles on them since I coated them and they look great. Then again, I didn't ride any gravel, I find the sled goes better on the snow

 

[Stack]

I ran several years with powdercoated A-Arms and Rails, all in bacl, and never so much as an issue. In the midwest we run in some nasty stuff from time to time, this was on a trail sled, and I went over dirt, rocks, etc....... whatever poked its way into the low snow trails we had to cross from time to time.

If the powdercoated parts are prepped correctly, and they use the correct powder, you will not have any issues.

John

 

[Reeb]

No issues whatsoever. I polished my rails first, then sent them off to PC. Came back awesome. Did my front suspension, tunnel, and whatever else I thought I wanted done.

 

[MTdream]

Do you guys spring ride? Mine were great until I had to ride a little gravel.

I do, but am relatively careful...however, i did enough spring riding last year it blew out my bearings...but the rails were just fine...

 

[F-Bomb]

we do lots and lots of them....the facts are that it's a nice in field performance benefit in that you don't pack around near the snow ice build-up on your rails with a coated finish. Prep, product, process, and applicators skill seems to be the most important factor in durability.

I have sleds with both anodized and powder coated rails that we ride daily on the same trips and our coated models work better and have lasted equally as long. Both will show damage if you scratch them past the point of their hardness factor. Ice scratchers put in the up position are tough on both!

go to polaris section and read the thread on powder coating tunnels on the first page for some additional info