Techniques for self rescue, righting a snow bike?

[DieselTwitch]

Took my first run on my bike today. a 12' 500XC-W. in one word... AMAZING! the learning curve was about 5 min long and the powder was so natural it was amazing. Started playing in the trees and managed to trench my bike in a few times.

Im looking for suggestions for different kinds of "stuck" The one where your ski is in the air seams to be fun to get out of. also The wrong way fall on a side hill really sucks too but its not so bad to drag the ski around under it and throw the track down and then start it, dig it in with the track and then stand it up. Any one have any special tool or tricks for getting bike unstuck from the dreaded trench?

Picking the bike up when it falls on its side sucks also, however I found that if you jump on the bottom of the track and the ski it pushed them into the snow and actually makes standing it up easier.

I was thinking of installing some type of pole on the bars that could be extended and pined vertical (parallel to the forks) to give more lifting power on a laid over bike.

I was also thinking of using a section of 3/16" amsteel rope and some pulleys to system to help winch a bike out of a hole. I was hoping to find some type of hand crank winch pulley system but nothing small enough and light enough. The rope could double as a tow rope also

 

[Jon Mutiger]

For the trenched out stuck, you can flip the bike over lifting the ski and pivoting on the track. Done right you can spin it on its way down hill so it is not completely upside down.

For a lowside tipover, you can flip the bike as well from the top. Just grab the track and make sure it's clear where it's gonna land.

Sounds like your riding alone, I'd recommend not doing that anymore, as you will eventually get into a stuck requiring more help than you'll have. Walking out isn't an option lots of times.

 

[JimBridger]

I ride alone with all my snowmobile friends... I always manage to get stuck or tip over in a spot that they can't reach. lol I also seem to be the only one that can help my idiot friends that get stuck on steep side hills. Riding with snowmobilers means you are pretty much riding solo. I think it's good to know how or have the means to get yourself out since we can go places they can't.

 

[KAWGRN]

Snow bunge on the bark busters helps me a lot!

 

[garafajon]

Someone here once said you could stand a bike up from its side up by just hitting the gas and the track would grab enough to do a 180 and stand itself up. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds awesome.

 

[Freeride1]

Track spin helps a lot to right it if you didn't stall the bike falling over. Just like a sled.

Icarry a rope ratchet and snow bungee on my sled. They have gotten me out of some really bad holes. You need a longer rope to go with it sometimes also.

http://www.etrailer.com/Cargo-Tie-D...tml?feed=npn&gclid=CN7mpOuvvLsCFUcaOgodrX0Abg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GVD7DK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1387459119&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GVD7DK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1387459119&sr=8-2

It only works one way.

Bungee goes on the sled, rope ratchet goes to the bungee so you are pulling away from the sled then the other end goes to the tree. The extra rope works best tied to the tree of you need it.

 

[DieselTwitch]

Track spin helps a lot to right it if you didn't stall the bike falling over. Just like a sled.

Icarry a rope ratchet and snow bungee on my sled. They have gotten me out of some really bad holes. You need a longer rope to go with it sometimes also.

http://www.etrailer.com/Cargo-Tie-D...tml?feed=npn&gclid=CN7mpOuvvLsCFUcaOgodrX0Abg

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GVD7DK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1387459119&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GVD7DK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1387459119&sr=8-2

It only works one way.

Bungee goes on the sled, rope ratchet goes to the bungee so you are pulling away from the sled then the other end goes to the tree. The extra rope works best tied to the tree of you need it.

I have a few of thouse! I will throw one on the bike!

Having a Rekluse and FI really helps with not stalling the bike when tipped over

 

[vmax1200]

Remember to never over side load the track by pulling the front ski around ,kick the snow away so the track is not in a trench,I have seen cracks and fractures where kit mounts to bike frame .

 

[DieselTwitch]

Remember to never over side load the track by pulling the front ski around ,kick the snow away so the track is not in a trench,I have seen cracks and fractures where kit mounts to bike frame .

Got any photos? I'm trying to picture how this would crack a frame as compared to any other time.

 

[Freeride1]

I think what he means is you need to clean around the track after you trench in before you try to pull it around or it will try to bend the bike sideways when you pull the ski around sideways. That is good to do anyway. You will waste a lot of energy pulling on a bike/sled that is locked in a trench.

 

[Gager]

vmax1200's point is that when you're bike is trenched in deep and you grab ahold of the ski loop and pull with all your strength and body weight, you are exerting a tremendous amount of force on the skid frame and you risk bending or cracking the frame. Don't do it and don't let your snowmobile buddies "help" you do it!

I usually kick or dig the snow from one side of the track (down hill side) and then push the bike over so it's laying flat on the snow. Then I grab the ski and pull it down hill until bike is at about a 45 degree angle to straight down. Tip the bike up, start and go.

 

[Rush44]

Got any photos? I'm trying to picture how this would crack a frame as compared to any other time.

Sure, I got some photos. But just think about it... you trench your track maybe doing an uphill turnout around a tree. You hop off the bike and grab your ski loop and start jerking on the front end trying to pull the bike into a proper downhill angle. Everytime you jerk on that ski and the bike doesn't move much you are putting stress on the section of the subframe that attaches to your bike. The side to side jerking motion will eventually wear out the welds and produce some stress cracks. The kit already vibrates a lot so just riding your Horse down the road could even further worsen the cracks. Just simply kick or dig out the snow on the uphill side of the track and then you can more safely pull the ski around without putting undue stress on the kit. The side to side jerking motion probably has a lot to do with peoples bearings wearing out fast... at least more than moisture introduction (my theory at least).

All it takes is one hop over the trail with cracked welds and you can have this:

 

[DieselTwitch]

Wow! noted!

 

[more snow]

Rush44, you have some very loyal snowmobiling friends!

 

[Rush44]

I left the bike in the woods overnight and came back with a spare sled and a friend the next day. We actually broke that yellow sled on the way in and had to jimmy rig it to get it out.

 

[dirtrebel]

future broke bike

not mine but a friend left it in my shop and I thought I would look it over, if it was black you would never know! up to him what to do, probably get it welded before he sells it to some poor bastard. It is not just dirt my fingernail catches in it pretty good. timbersled has a great product, these type things happen.

 

[mikesnick]

Lifting bike

A couple years ago I put a flexible mountain bar strap on the handle bars. Its great for that initial lift when the handlebars are buried.
I'm getting up in years and find that taking a little more time with the shovel saves a lot of energy. Do it right the first time instead of several attempts.

 

[DieselTwitch]

Good to know what to look for. Now part of my regular pre ride inspection! thinking this part should be either cast larger or machined out of billet.

 

[mobgma]

Long time creeper but felt the need to post my 2 cents. Nothing against TS but this is why I am leaning towards the UFO kit. Unless the welds are good for -50 Celsius, the welds and material IMO can be compromised easily. I am sure their welds are excellent but unless both the material and the welds are cold temp. rated (welders will know more about this than I do) than I have to lean towards the UFO. I have seen alot of people on the TS FB page having weld detachments or break issues. Also alot of guys with battery issues. Alot of guys with carb issues on older bikes.

 

[Rush44]

To be fair the carb and battery issues have NOTHING to do with the UFO or MH kits. The MH kit that I had was a very early kit that did not have double pass welding which ALL the new kits have. Will there be some breakage in the future? Of course. But TS consistently makes strides to improve their product and they always address a customers issues.

I can think of many issues with other products like rivets coming loose on Skidoo XPs, driveshafts snapping from being too lightweight from the manufacturer, planetary gears shearing on M1000's, reverse getting stuck, Fox Float shocks snapping in two and releasing all pressure on the first release to consumers, burndown issues with the Pros... the list goes on and on. What really defines a company is how they stand behind their products and how they support the customer base. Timbersled has been top notch and is largely responsible for the explosive growth of the snowbike industry in the last 3 years. You are kidding yourself if you think switching manufacturers will mean a 100% break and trouble free future.