Strange 166 track we purchased

[Z-Man]

he said camo told him it was 3.075" pitch ???? who knows

3.075 X 54 windows open would give you a 166.05 inch track. The only problem is no one makes a 3.075 inch pitch driver, so there would be no way to use the track unless you could get AVID to make a 1 off set of drivers or find a set used for testing and development by Polaris. You would also have to clip the rest of the track to use the Avid drivers, as well as cut your rail tips shorter and install an anti-stab kit.

 

[Rider1958]

3.075 X 54 windows open would give you a 166.05 inch track. The only problem is no one makes a 3.075 inch pitch driver, so there would be no way to use the track unless you could get AVID to make a 1 off set of drivers or find a set used for testing and development by Polaris. You would also have to clip the rest of the track to use the Avid drivers, as well as cut your rail tips shorter and install an anti-stab kit.

I am going to have trouble reselling this track......

 

[mountainhorse]

There is no physical way it can be a 166 and 3.0 pitch. The total length of the track has to be divisible by the pitch. So, if it truly is a 3.0 pitch it can only be 162, 165 or 168 in length. To be 166 it would have to have 55 1/3 open windows which will not work

I hear ya Z-man...I thought the same thing for a while...

Here's my take on it...for what it is worth.

The numbers on the lengths of the tracks are approximate... like ski doo calls thier 2.86" pitch track 154" where Polaris calls it a 155"... same exact length & pitch.

A 166" 2.52" pitch track does not add up either... 65.87 paddles??.... 155" = 54.1, 151= 59.9 paddles etc

The 3" pitch tracks usually are the right length for the pitch...eg 162, 153, 141, 174, 156, etc... nice even numbers from a nice even number...

 

[mountainhorse]

That 166" track was made for 3" drivers... no special drivers needed.

It will be a great track as Guido pointed out for sure.

Just a little less clearance than the 2.52" pitch 166's.

That track would be an easy sell to anyone with a cat that wants to go long with an awesome track that fits their stock drivers/shaft!!

 

[Rider1958]

So....3" drivers must have been used so this track could work - it IS used.
On a prototype sled?

I'm guessing a 3" driver gives more strength, less chance of slipping when turning track under load?

Other than that - what is the advantage of a 3" pitch?

And if you went ahead and used 3" drivers, wouldn't it make sense to also install extroverts and clip the track fully (if possible)?

Shouldn't a museum give me a FORTUNE for this RARE track?
All right, maybe not.....

 

[Z-Man]

I'm guessing a 3" driver gives more strength, less chance of slipping when turning track under load?

Other than that - what is the advantage of a 3" pitch?

And if you went ahead and used 3" drivers, wouldn't it make sense to also install extroverts and clip the track fully (if possible)

Since it would be impossible to get 3" pitch drivers for Polaris that are not extrovert, yes you will have to fully clip it.

No the 3" does not give you more strength or less chance of slipping. The only advantage is fewer crossbars and lighter weight.

Carefully measure the track pitch before buying any drivers and make 110% sure you have a 3.0 pitch and not a 2.86 pitch.

I doubt you would get any more for it than any other track unless you find a guy riding on a prototype sled that needed this track.

 

[Z-Man]

Here are two photos to show exactly what you are measuring. Inside the holes in the track would be better but since it is not fully clipped it will not give you an accurate measurement.

 

[Z-Man]

This photo shows you how far off 3.0 is on a 2.86 track. It's not much and I would bet the tracks would actually run with the wrong drivers (2.86 track with 3.0 driver), they would however cause excessive wear on the track from the drivers always grinding on the track.

Running a 2.86 track with a 2.53 driver or a 3.0 track with a 2.86 would 100% not work. The driver would hit the top of the next lug in the track and bind!

I DO NOT RECOMMEND TRYING THIS, YOU SHOULD NEVER TRY TO RUN A TRACK THAT IS A DIFFERENT PITCH THAN YOUR DRIVERS.

 

[Rider1958]

Thanks for the pictures Z-Man, I'm now clear on how to measure the track pitch correctly.
Will do so and report back (if anyone is interested).

And thanks for the info on the larger drivers.

 

[Z-Man]

I posted info on the size of the drivers that you can use to calculate track clearance to the front of your tunnel. Measure how much clearance you have with your current track to determine what tooth number driver you would need.

http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=234365

 

[Rider1958]

So....
7 tooth = 6.55" diameter drivers
8 tooth = 7.50" diameter drivers
Halving either gives you 1/4" more clearance than stock for 7 tooth, and 1/4" less clearance with 8 tooth.

If the 7 tooth set gears the sled down (which most say is good) - wouldn't you then lose track speed?
And isn't track speed what keeps you on top of powder?
Or is that too small of a difference?

I wondered the same about gearing chaincase down...

 

[Z-Man]

Most people gear the 900's down. If yours is geared down going to the 7 tooth will gear it down a little more. One other thing to watch out for when putting smaller drivers on is the track clearance about the front suspension arm. You may have to put larger carrier idler wheels on the back suspension arm so that your track does not rub on the front one.

The smaller drive sprockets will lower your top end speed but may increase your track speed while climbing in deep snow.