Question on scratchers...

[Sleddingfarmer]

Im looking at picking up some version of ice scratchers for next season..
Theyll be going on my 03prox600 121 with a 1.5" camo intense. However riding trails here in NY at times there are a # of rd crossings and sections where ive got to rd rash for 1/2mile or something..How well will the scratchers hold up to constant rd crossings? I know they can be picked up and down but doing that 50times a day will get old real fast.

 

[winter brew]

Not long on concrete/asphault.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

We have had luck with hardfacing the tips..but you have to be real careful to not put too much heat to it...and cool it right away after welding(takes the temper out of the spring steel if you dont)..but helps alot with the life of them...

 

[Kevco]

Never run on dirt you'll toast your hifax real quick.

 

[spring snow hero]

if you are gonna hard face the tips keep the rest of the scratcher submerged. chrome silicon is not real big on heat.

 

[R J]

I don't know the name of them but their were some on here a while back that looked like they would withstand that type of use better then the old spring ones? I could be totally wrong but it would be worth a little reasearch.

They looked like they were on a cable and could be left down if you happen to back up without getting wrecked?

Why do you think you will need scratchers? That track shouldn't be all that bad, how stiff are the lugs? 1.5" isn't that tall for us guys on this site. The stiffer the lug the better it is at chewing up the snow, the softer more pliable lugs tend to need scratchers more often.

In my case here in the midwest I have had a Ski-Doo with the 151 2" track. Never had scratchers on it, replaced the hyfax usually one time a season. A Polaris 159 2" track, went two season without them but toasted a set out west in the spring so I put them on. Polaris Dragon 155 2.4" track, these are a must now on anything other then chewed up western snow. With all these sleds each model track has progressively gotten softer in which has meant needing the scratchers more and more.

 

[Sleddingfarmer]

I would say the lugs are firm, but i can bend them some by hand. A bit harder than my old 1 5/8 snox track...
I think I need something becasue on my only ride with this track at the end of the season, w/in about 2 miles of getting on the trail my hyfax was just melting off, and my skid/tunnel had almost no trace of snow anywheres. This was late March and about 20 out and trails were like concrete for the 1st hr or so...And in this area thats not to out uncommon for anytime during the season due to ice storms or w/little warmups and some rain during the season.
In the past it wasnt a big issue, because I was running 96 studs on my old track, and that would break the hardpack up fine. At almost 5k miles, im on only my 2nd set of hyfax. But after sending 2 studs through 2 different front exchangers im not really wanting to deal with that anymore. W/such a deep lug, the stud obviously has to be longer yet and just cant take the stress over time.

 

[whitefish]

I can help. Click the links below for info.

 

[RSI]

Concrete and Frozen dirt is defintly hard on the scratchers. Here is our new design that has a real clean look to it. No exposed bolt heads and includes two washers per collar. One for rail side and one for collar side. You can find them at dealers nation wide.

Distributed by

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[Jeff C]

I just do not understand why the scratcher manufacturers don't weld a nut on the side of the scratchers right at the bottom where you can screw a track stud into the nut!

Stud wears out = replace a $2 stud not the whole set of scratchers!

I cannot count the number of times this was suggested.

If somebody will make them, I will buy them.........

 

[RSI]

Good idea Jeff. We are working on a reversable super durable scratcher design. Initial testing has been good but we want to wait till it is 110%. Hopefully late this year or early next year

Question about the stud thing. Studs are only sold in minimum of 24 packs if not 96 packs. Would you purchase a whole pack of studs for your scratchers or would you like to see them included with that type of scratcher?

 

[Jeff C]

Include a few of them, and then sell them new ones for $___/each when they wear out. Give them a chance to buy extras at the time when they order them for the first time.

It is almost always the last 1/2" of the scratcher that wears out and then they dont hook on your rails and you have to replace them.

It seems silly to me that someone has not made one of these yet.......

 

[switchback]

I tried a set of the Sidekicks (cable style) and sold them. They didn't work well at all in the conditions I tried them in. They were on a Nytro and unless the trail was as smooth as a table top they would end up hooked on the rail from bouncing around, bumps, jumps etc. They beat the crap out of the rails from hitting & hooking them. Also, with no downpressure they don't scratch the hardpack which defeats their purpose. The old spring style worked better.

 

[Trinity Taz]

You are right, our Slidekicks did bounce and perform poorly.
...We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused and are entirely confident that we have completely fixed the issue after 3 months of hard testing (we even tested a Slidekick on a hard quartz covered dirt road...after 30 miles the standard non-carbide tip finally quit doing its job!) We have found a new polypropylene (instead of pvc) coated AND impregnated cable which will be used on our 08-09 production. This new cable has about three times the stiffness of the old kind and has a cracking resistance well below -30 F. The new optional carbide tips are also available to anyone who plans to keep their sled cool on solid ice.
If you bought Slidekicks last year and are unhappy with the performance, we will replace them free minus freight. Just call 1-208-868-3308 Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm MST.

-HINT-Whitefish on the forums, one of dozens of our respectable dealers, sells our product and will happily set you up anytime!
Just ask him how well our new design works.(He recommended we tone down the design because he thought they threw ''maybe a little too much snow'', or something like that;I told him we could just rename the product Snowplows!

Thanks to all of our customers for your patience and loyalty, see ya on the snow this fall!

 

[AZ800]

I ran a 1.5" Camo on a ZR for 2 years without scratchers, and never heated the hyfax up and this was with 2 rear idlers only, all other wheels removed. Granted 70% of the riding was soft snow, but never heated up on hardpack either (where my RMK wouldn't go 100yds without burning the hyfax if the scratchers were up).
Yes, any hard dirt, sand etc, will trash your undercairrage pretty quick if the scratchers are down.
I've only used the old spring style, hook to the rail scratchers. Tried to mount up a spring type set that bolted to the underside of the running boards, wouldn't work and put alot of stress on the 'boards. Returned thm.

 

[w8ing4snow]

I ran mine like that on winter in MN and they were toast after one season. Maybe 800 miles. But you can buy replacement springs for 20-30 dollars. Also you can heat and rebend once or twice.