To Ice Scratch, or Not to Ice scratch

[Summitseeker]

Scratchers are indeed a necessity for hard pack and most road conditions.

Now if I could just remember to raise them before using reverse

With my new reversible ice scratchers there is no need to raise your scratchers will riding hard pack or groomed trail. Same downward pressure as the ones I have been making for over 10 years but now reversible.

 

[grizking]

Picture

How about a link or picture of the reversible scratchers

 

[Matte Murder]

As everyone has said and I agree you need scratchers for the hard pack. I have been using the Super Single cable scratchers and love them. The reversible ones are only reversible on hardpack. I never remember to put them up and the scratchers will self deploy if you are sidehilling on really steep slopes or sliding your sled down hill on it's side even in deep fluffy snow. To easy to break or bend them up IMO.

 

[SledGuru]

I run the cable style and eliminate my inside front wheels, get a good season or two usually before I worry about replacing the $30 hyfax or what ever they cost and I never overheat

 

[cateye5312]

I've run cable scratchers for years now. I swear by them and just got 3 new sets of the Dura Flex scratchers with the carbide tips. I am totally lazy. I put them down the first trip out of the trailer and never put them up again the rest of their lives - forward, backward, into and out of the trailer, etc. In super bad hard spring riding conditions you might get a light coming on but 99% of the time they do the job. This will be the first carbide tips I've run but even the standard steel tips lasted us two seasons or better depending on conditions.

Just as a point of reference I would have to say overall we spend 40% of our time on groomed trails getting to and from good play spots.

 

[sanity]

I've been on two meager rides (~60 miles total) without scratchers and haven't seen the temp gauge go above 4 bars (basically it stays the same after warm up). This is riding on mostly hardpack snow for a ~3 miles before hitting anything halfway decent. And even then it was mostly trail riding on old snow with the intermittent breaking new trail or finding powder stash ride.

I suppose if you are always riding in crappy snow they might be necessary, but otherwise it seems to be a nice-to-have just in case it gets crappy. I also have a 2010 XP that didn't have scratchers until this year. I finally had it overheat once last season on a cross country trip where there was a stretch of highway we had to traverse followed by really low snow (i.e. basically no snow). I installed the carbide cable scratcher and it looked like it was jacked up at the end of the first ride, but I was in a hurry putting the sled up and didn't check real close. For the riding I do I'm not sure they are worth it.

 

[cadams]

I've been on two meager rides (~60 miles total) without scratchers and haven't seen the temp gauge go above 4 bars (basically it stays the same after warm up). This is riding on mostly hardpack snow for a ~3 miles before hitting anything halfway decent. And even then it was mostly trail riding on old snow with the intermittent breaking new trail or finding powder stash ride.

I suppose if you are always riding in crappy snow they might be necessary, but otherwise it seems to be a nice-to-have just in case it gets crappy. I also have a 2010 XP that didn't have scratchers until this year. I finally had it overheat once last season on a cross country trip where there was a stretch of highway we had to traverse followed by really low snow (i.e. basically no snow). I installed the carbide cable scratcher and it looked like it was jacked up at the end of the first ride, but I was in a hurry putting the sled up and didn't check real close. For the riding I do I'm not sure they are worth it.

They are fricken 60 bucks people. Why on earth is this even a discussion? If you want to buy hyfax a couple times a season then don't do anything. Its one of those brainless things. Kind of like warranty

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2