to drill or not to drill

[extremedesigndave]

This is my question. I have read many threads on this subject and just want a straight forward answer before i start drilling. I have a 02 rmk 800, with a 159 track and other goodies and i am not a small gent, 275, so should i drill the track for better rolling resistance or is it going to hurt my powder abilities?

 

[Wyoming T/A]

i have had several both ways and can NOT tell any difference in floatation--DRILL away

 

[Sled365]

I be with T/A on this one drill some holes

 

[POK900]

I have had ported stock and after market tracks, doesnt hurt reliability and the bigest gain is a rear skid that stays cleaner. Easy to do. Just have to sacrafice a 1" to 1 1/4" hole saw. Make your self a small flat bar template and start with a pilot hole. Most tracks can afford at least 2 - 3 holes for sure. The last one i did was on a Camo Challanger, based it on the drilled surface area of my old ChallangerLite. In a year you'll have to torch some of the loose threads to keep it looking clean. Rolling mass is best effected by the circumfrance of the turns the tracks has to make.

Just my $.02.

 

[viperxc]

Drill Away!

 

[finnpacoutdoors]

Drill baby drill!

DRILL! Just not over the bougeys....DO NOT WATERSKIP!

Even one down the center....cleans the skid nicely

 

[BigRed118]

Do it.... Just don't over do it! 2 1-1/8" holes have worked well for me for years.

 

[Wheel House Motorsports]

Do it.... Just don't over do it! 2 1-1/8" holes have worked well for me for years.

yeah. I have gone to 1 1/4" on a 3 pitch track, a little much, but it was available at the time.

you will notice way less snow hanging in the skid when things get sticky or pow gets really heavy. DRILL AWAY!

 

[Insaneboltrounder/sjohns]

I think for most mtn riding the snow buildup thing is bull. Ive been out on trips where we are wait deep and many of us stuck . Ive looked at the snow buildup of every sled and if there is holes or not there is snow packed in the skid FULL !
I do know that when i drilled my KK track you could feel the track rolled easier by hand. Dont know if that translates into more mph but i would think so.
Just talked about this with a buddy who talked about this with some very knowledgeable dudes and they say they will never drill a track again. sj

 

[Braaap12]

After seeing a punched track rip in half on a IQR mountain sled I will never even think about drilling a track, just my .02 tho

 

[05snopro440]

I know a lot of guys have had good results porting tracks, but I wouldn't do it. I want my track to last and i'll deal with some extra snow in the skid. Also, most guys are experienced with porting the old style tracks but I am just waiting to see what kind of destruction happens to the new single-ply tracks when ported.

 

[BC-XP]

Yep Drill Away.

Always thought porting track was more to let snow out and little less rotating mass.

have ridden both ways and didn't notice any flotation issues

 

[BigRed118]

Anytime you are stuck the snow will pack the skid. Take a look at 2 skids when they come out of powder and stop. That is when you will see a big difference. Now that being said I have seen some pretty sketchy drill jobs out there. I just sold my challenger track that had 2 1-1/8" holes and the person that bought it asked if Leiland Performance had done the holes. The key is to take your time and don't cut through, burn through. If you burn through you will not have problems. But like anything, the better the job the better the results.

 

[Gone Sleddin]

i don't know if i would drill the track if you do not have anti-ratchet drivers. from what i have heard, the extra stretch and flexability of the track will allow it to ratchet easier and you will have to run the track quite a bit tighter. that said, i did it on my last sled and was very happy. the increase in flexibility and decrease in rolling resistance is what i noticed most. would like to drill some more holes in my track on my dragon but am not sure the single center sprocket would be enough to keep it from ratcheting.

oh, and i have seen tracks get ripped in half that had no holes in them as well.

interesting thought on the durability of the single ply tracks though. never thought of that

 

[wyosledder]

I ported my track on my '06 M6 and drilled three 1 1/8" holes in the center bar of the track using a template I made from 3/4" plywood held in place with spring clamps. You don't have to ruin a holesaw to do it as most people say. Buy a good bi-metal, course tooth hole saw and get the arbor kit that has the fully threaded arbor. This allows you to reverse the drill and push out the plug and not have to dig them out. Remove each plug as you go.

Most guys I talked to that used cheap holesaws said it took them 4-6 hours to do their tracks. It took me 1 1/2 hours to do my 153".
do go slow so that it helps to burn the hole and help prevent fraying.

So far have only had one ride of about 60 miles with no problems. Rode everything from hard pack to couple of feet of fluff. Can't say I noticed any drastic change but figure it didn't hurt anything and did notice it sheds the snow from the undercarriage better.

Found a link to the type of arbor I'm talking about. It's a Vermont American Plug out arbor.

http://www.rockbottomdeals.biz/pd_18408.cfm

There's my stretched out .02 worth.

 

[Dootimes2]

Been running drilled track for 5 years on my sled and 3 years on wifes with no problems. Deffinetly rolls better with the 7 tooth drivers. 3 1 1/8" holes in center worked good. Took about 1 1/2 hours to do my 174.

 

[SUMX162]

Carried away!

I haven't seen many tracks as ported as mine, but I have had no issues. I bought this track already ported and put it on at the beginning of last season. I cannot comment on the the trackspeed, rolling resistance or flotation changes, as I went from a 151x2" to a 162x2.3" and also regeared and clutched at the same time. I do know that durability has great. This track has over 2500 miles on it, and at least 1700 of them, possibly all of them, were after the drill assault.

I have seen a factory ported track tear apart, but I have also seen non ported tracks do this. If you are a powder rider, I would drill away.

 

[donbrown]

Do not burn the holes in your track.

The heat completely desttoys the synthetic cord.

If you don't like the frayed cord cut it but never burn it.

 

[turborev]

I have seen a stock xp track get ripped open from a small stump. I went in through the ported hole. If your not worried about the little bit of weight i would not do it. Remember that hole could cause you a $1000 track.

 

[MTdream]

This is my question. I have read many threads on this subject and just want a straight forward answer before i start drilling. I have a 02 rmk 800, with a 159 track and other goodies and i am not a small gent, 275, so should i drill the track for better rolling resistance or is it going to hurt my powder abilities?

with that sled, which is prone to ratchet, I would suggest getting a nice set of anti ratche drivers first...


but have the exact same sled in garage, and it is ported...also did it to my Rev when I bought it, but have not done it to my T-nytro yet...