Track porting
- Thread starter PSI 800
- Start date
Port it for sure. We were porting tracks over 20 years ago and then the manufactures started doing it. It makes a huge difference in keeping your suspension free of snow. I'd do 2 or 3 holes in every bar down the center of the track. Don't touch the outside
I ported a series IV (which has alternating offset center lugs) a while back. I did alternating holes, one per rib, so the holes alternate about two inches left and right of the track centerline and fall in front of the respective lug. My thought is you get the most out of ports when they're in front of the lug because that's creating a void under the port as the lug moves through the snow, but I have no way to prove it. I used a 1-1/4" hole saw with the teeth ground off. Despite being fairly minimal, it seemed to make a big difference. Looking at the lug patterns on the 300LX, I'm not sure if I'd alternate sides or just run down the middle. I wouldn't do more than two holes per rib, and maybe I'd start with an alternating pattern and one per rib. You can always add more; hard to put them back! I've seen tracks where someone went crazy, and at some point you're letting more snow in than out and losing flotation. Swiss cheese isn't your friend.
If you watch a video of how a ported track works verse a solid track you can see that porting doesn't affect flotation. Get a sled stuck and the suspension packed full of snow then watch as that sled pulls forward even on fresh snow how the snow drops out of the suspension through the track porting. I used a 1-1/4 hole saw as well but that was on a 2.52 pitch and i placed 3 holes across the center on each segment. Just run the drill in reverse with a brand new hole saw. It burns it's way through and seals off all the fibers and your left witha very clean hole. Just do it in a well ventilated area.
