track width vs. lenght

[kennyblatz]

i currently have a 05 snopro the track is a 151 - 13.5 wide. It works alright but i want a better climber would i be ok if i went 162- 13.5 or even 174. i love the chassis but if i go to 163 or 174 and it still wont pull with other sleds theres not much point so my question is do you think the 1.5 inch slimmer will kill me or is the lenght more important then the width.

keep the sled and lenghten it or get a new sled?
thanks

 

[Hardass]

Do they even make a 13.5 in those lengths?

 

[Killerk]

You will be disapointed with a 13.5 in deep pow, especially climbing.
I used to ride, and still have an F-7 with a 144X2.25X13.5 combo track.
I rode it briefly as a 128 (stock), then 1 year as a 136X2 and many years as a 144.
If you reduce the attack angle, do drop brackets, and set it up good, it will perform good in the deep snow and boondock surprisingly well if you are an agressive rider... If you swap sleds with the same or similar length, you will soon realize it still doesn't float.

 

[Super B]

below is the square foot differences between the track sizes you are looking at. But, I am pretty certain that they do not make them 13.5" wide.

13.5 x 151= 14.16 SQ FT.
13.5 x 162=15.19 SQ FT.
13.5 x 174=16.312 SQ FT.

 

[kennyblatz]

The sleds is drop n rolled and has drop brackets. I was looking at dropping a 1000 into it and wanted to get some oppions first befor spending the cash

 

[1100]

Track

you would have to table saw down all of them tracks to fit any one of them on your sled. I realize your probably wanting to do this because you love the race chassis. but if you want to climb higher in anything with more then a foot of fresh on the hill you should get a sled with a wider foot print. Even with the 1000 kit i bet you a stock M8, rev, XP, D8 would give you a run for your money. If you dont have traction you dont put power to any use. Im not really up on my cat stuff but if its one of them F7 snopros and not the race chassis i would just upgrade to something with a wider track.

 

[1Mike900]

How wide can you cut one of these and still fit the tunnel? 14" maybe? Go as wide as possible and not rub!

Mike

 

[XC700116]

well, look at it this way

a 151X13.5 has a foot print (1/2 of the track's length) for demonstration purposes of
1019.25 sq inches

a 162 X 13.5 = 1093.5 sq inches
a 151 X 15 = 1132.5 sq inches
a 162 X 15 = 1215 sq inches.

as you can see you gain a lot more from the width than the length alone. If your looking for climbing ability and your looking at dropping the money into a big track and cutting it narrower along with a 1000 you'd be way farther ahead to go buy a new M8 or M1000 both in performance and in $$$. Always keep in mind all the little things that a mod like that has in costs, track tunnel ext and rails are the biggy's but theres all the little things with a motor swap like that that add up.

 

[kennyblatz]

yeah i could probably cut a 14 without to much rub. i know mods cost cash but if nobody buys mine i gotta do something with it. with the 151 i climb just a bit under a 154 xp but my clutching is out to lunch.

yes its a real snopro

 

[stalefish_132]

how much differance is there between the Firecat and the M series chassis? i'd say you'd be better off to just start with a M7 or M8. 13.5 will trench like a knife in hot butter.

 

[Killerk]

You will be better off (flotation and climbing wise) with a 15 wide sled.
14" will not clear the tunnel... 13.5 is TIGHT!
Footprint makes a difference, but for some reason going less than 15 wide hurts flotation big time.
You will get around good and pull decent marks if you poach, but a 15 wide sled would be a better way to go.
Track makes a HUGE difference also... You want a 2.25 combo track (discontinued) or a PC or A-20.
My 144 combo track made a big difference in flotation... Next to a 141 M-7 it still digs to china.

What length is your sled now?

 

[kennyblatz]

im at 151 right now

 

[Jaynelson]

Pretty expensive procedure to buy a 174 and then start cutting it up....I think I'd take what I could get for the sled and buy a mountain sled if that's the way your riding is goin....

 

[1100]

i dont know if a 3" would fit in that sled but i know my RT with the 3" will climb and boondock alot better than it did with the stock 2.25" 162"

 

[tundra twin track]

Twin 174's

Pretty expensive procedure to buy a 174 and then start cutting it up....I think I'd take what I could get for the sled and buy a mountain sled if that's the way your riding is goin....

I cut two 174's down to 10" wide to build Tundra Twin Track the 20" wide has a awesome footprint for the deep stuff!

 

[akmc800]

yes its a real snopro

are there alot of fake ones rolling around...lol. You can get an m7 for less than 4k, 13.5 isn't much track.

 

[kennyblatz]

When I say real snopro I didn't mean there's fake ones around I just meant its a snopro chassis so the steering post comes out where the top of the speedo would be on a m7, and the seat is higher/more forward, its more of a rev like chassis. For some reason cat just hasen't sold it to the public for the past 6 years.

 

[catmechanic]

hopefully this will give you an idea. 13.5x151= 2038.5 total square inches of track. the 136x15 on my crossfire has 2040. 1.5 sq inches more.

i don't see how the footprint can be considered half of the tracks length. considering that the track has to leave the rear bogie wheels, travel up at an angle to the top bogie wheels across the top of the tunnel, and then back down around the drive paddles.

look at it this way. the 13.5x151 will dig down deeper but it will also dig DOWN faster. since it isn't as wide it doesn't float as well.
the 15x136 will float longer, but when it does dig down, it can't dig down as far.

 

[Killerk]

im at 151 right now

If you are set on keeping this sled I would focus on skid set-up and type of track for your riding.
I don't see much benefit to going longer than 151.
I lost some fun factor going from 136-144, but for flotation it was a good tradeoff for my situation... 13.5 combo track (similar to a PC) made a HUGE difference in the pow.
A good powder track will help a lot (one that lays over)... But then in the hardpack it won't hook up like you are used too... Again, a trade off.

 

[PistonBroke]

Hey man, I've been there and done that. If you really want a mountain sled, there is nothing you can do to that 13.5 sled to get there. I agree with these guys telling you to just start fresh with at least a 15 wide track machine of some kind. Myself, I even prefer a 16 wide - Yammy and Doo both use this as their standard on most "mountain" models.

Keep that 13.5'er for grass drags and spring riding - they rock in that capacity!