Slidekicks Vs Traditional Scratchers

[shortstop20]

So what kind of angle do they need to be at in order to stay in the hooks?

I have been manufacturing the traditional spring style ice scratchers for years and actually offer a three month warranty. You can also mount the traditional style on a bracket then enable them to spin around so they will not break off when backing up. I have heard good things about the slidekicks as well.

Does this reduce the amount of snow/ice spray that they create?

 

[SledGimp]

So what kind of angle do they need to be at in order to stay in the hooks?



Does this reduce the amount of snow/ice spray that they create?

I don't use the hooks, I hook them onto my rail.

 

[KFD070]

I put on Slidekicks on my 800 REV last year and haven't had any problems. One thing is they do sometimes put themselves down when riding but no big deal as it doesn't really affect anything.

 

[summ8rmk]

I have the original slidekicks on my summit and there "ok" They have been on there 2 yrs they are durable and i like the design but on hard pack or ice my summit would get hot and an identical summit with traditional ice scratchers would not( i had to drag my feet to keep the temp light off). The identical summit bought the new slidekicks this year so we'll see if it gets hot or not.

 

[MORSNO]

Also, some guys had them mounted backwards...wrong end mounted to the rail. Do a search for Slidekicks and you will find a thread where a guys was complaining about them and posted a picture of them with the scratcher tip mounted on the end with the 45 degree bend (that is the end that goes to the rail and provides the downward pressure on the cable). If not assembled and mounted correctly, of course they will not work well.

 

[shortstop20]

Also, some guys had them mounted backwards...wrong end mounted to the rail. Do a search for Slidekicks and you will find a thread where a guys was complaining about them and posted a picture of them with the scratcher tip mounted on the end with the 45 degree bend (that is the end that goes to the rail and provides the downward pressure on the cable). If not assembled and mounted correctly, of course they will not work well.

I saw that thread, I think I laughed for at least 10 minutes.

 

[BeartoothDistributing]

Hey Jeremy,
The price for shipping to any zip code in the U.S is free no matter how many sets you buy.They are on sale on my website for $67.95 a set plus the free shipping.We also offer $6.00 shipping to Canada for up to 3 sets.
www.icescratcher.com We also have them on ebay!

 

[BeartoothDistributing]

Thank you all very much for your great comments.In regards to how they are to be installed it does help a great deal if they are mounted correctly.I have heard alot of talk lately about there slidekicks coming loose and or fallling off.Sled gimp put it more bluntly then I will say but we do recommend that you tighten the bolt to 30ft lbs other wise resulting in loss or damaged product.Also make sure that you align the tip 90 degrees perpindicular to the terrain.With slidekicks properly installed they will be a great benifit to your riding experience.And well worth your investment.

 

[bfchiro]

I have had mine for 3 rides, and am not totally sold on them. They will not stay on the rail when you put them up. I am thinking on getting a eylet bolt and mount it to the rail to put them in. Also I have them at 90 degrees to the rail and thinking about going a little past that to try to get more downpressure.

 

[erieadddict]

I bought 2 sets of the sidekicks this fall and put them on the wifes sled and my sled. To date i have had one on each sled break. The cable seems to pull out of the crimp. I wonder if they could solder then crimp them? pretty heavy cable. the supplier will replace them, but i wonder what will happen when one of them breaks when i am flying across a lake after one breaks. We ride alot of lakes here in ohio, mainly because trails are far and few. when they are on properly and intact, they seem to work just as good as the spring type.

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

I put on Slidekicks on my 800 REV last year and haven't had any problems. One thing is they do sometimes put themselves down when riding but no big deal as it doesn't really affect anything.

It can affect them quite a bit when it falls off the rail and you don't realize it as you're loading the sled on the deck.
The ramp will rip the thing right off

As far as leaving them down all the time...yeah I guess you can but see the statement above.

Whitefish took excellent care of my problem as i knew he would.
He is a man of his word and took me at mine.
I called him and told him I ripped off one of the crimped ends and without so much as a picture or producing a broken part for him to inspect, he sent me a brand new one.

And to top it off, I got it the day after I called him.
That's called customer service right there.

He also explained that a great place to install them is so they "Park" or hook on the rail right where the rear suspension slider (for the spring) is mounted. That gives it a lot more to hold it in place while stowed.

I don't want to run them all the time because I think they'll last longer if I only use them when I need them.
Plus, there's plenty of hidden objects under the snow that might ruin one.
Railroad track, log, gate, sign, small woodland creature.

 

[MtnDoo]

It's an interesting concept, but in use it simply doesn't put as much snow into the track as the standard metal scratchers do. The springs eventually wear out and don't push against the snow very agressively, often the left side loosens and eventually falls off - even if torqued as the instructions say.

While I like the product, it needs more development.
i.e. Stronger springs, reverse threaded bolt on left side...

Till then, old reliable for me.

Good luck!

MtnDoo

 

[montanasledder]

Leave my slidekicks down all the time. even in garage. we have low snow this year and my dad already wore his HOLZ scracthers out. not much snow covering the asphalt in spots

 

[MORSNO]

Leave my slidekicks down all the time. even in garage. we have low snow this year and my dad already wore his HOLZ scracthers out. not much snow covering the asphalt in spots

Yep, we have NEVER have put the Slidekicks up on my wifes sled either. I'll be interested to see how well they wear doing this, but so far so good. We'll try the carbide tipped replacements after these wear out.

 

[jnj55024]

I put a pair of Slidekicks on my M8 and tore them off on the trailer ramp at the end of the first ride. (Forgot to put them up) I figure it was my fault for not putting them up before loading so I bought another pair and didn't even try to warranty them. They seemed to work well for me. I had the carbide tips on them and man they throw a lot of snow with those flat tips!!!

I didn't have any problems with them falling down off the rails either.

 

[highmarkedu]

Two seasons on slidekicks never had a problem yet leave them down all the time, as where ive went thru a few sets of the traditional scratchers and there a pain in the azz compared to slideclicks to hook on the rails. For those of you having troubles with them unhooking from the rails ive seen some that put an eye loop bolted to the rail to hold them up but havent seen or tried that route yet overall EXCELLENT product