WARNING: DON'T OVERLOAD THE TUNNEL ON YOUR PRO RMK (Photos)

[ksmity21]

Installed yesterday on a 163 PRO;



Setup;

Burandt Bag - 5lbs
OEM Polaris Gas Rack - 2lbs
2.5 Gallon Gas Tank - 2lbs
Deluxe Under seat bag - 1lb

That's 10lbs just in bags, not even loaded..

Now loaded; DRY weight without snow build up..

Burandt Bag loaded -10lbs
2.5 Gallons of Gas - 15lbs (WEIGHT OF THE GAS ITSELF)
Tools/Rope - 5lbs

Total tunnel weight; 35lbs fully loaded, that is the dry weight without snow build up, etc..

The gentleman ran this almost exact same setup all last season without any bending issues on his 12 PRO..
Sled left our shop fully loaded on his 13 PRO at 9am this morning on his way to Togwotee for a day ride...

The sled has a 166" Camoplast with an anti stap kit and avid drivers for those who took notice to the longer length..
We will update if we run into any issues..

 

[diamonddave]

Not to change the direction of the intent with this thread but that series 4 166" track is one of my favorite track's of all.

 

[ksmity21]

Not to change the direction of the intent with this thread but that series 4 166" track is one of my favorite track's of all.

HUGE favorite amongst our customers as well, were currently at 5 complete 166 swaps on 2013's as of today..

 

[esatk10]

i crumpled my tunnel only a month into having my first pro so i designed a bumper for my own sled to alleviate the problem,it turned better than i excpected, its only 2.8 pounds for the 55 so i decided to produce and sell them....i have a standard height in a 55 or 63 or a pack rack i call it with a tie down system so you can carry much heavier items....i pulled 4 sleds last year without incident,im using 6063 alluminum so there very strong and also keeps the weight down....if anyone is interseted please contact me 307-413-3196 there $225,my tunnel replacement was $3800 due to polaris not honoring the warranty so hopefully this will prevent an expensive fix and a month of riding lost

 

[mountainhorse]

For those that are loading the tunnels heavily without issues... great.

I've recieved plenty of feedback from this thread from people that heavily load their tunnels without issues and others that have had a bent tunnel from light loading. Owner beware and responsible.

I agree a couple of lbs here or there is not going to matter, especially if it is choked up closer to the seat.

ALWAYS put your heavy items as close to the seat as possible.

I have personally seen a buckled tunnel from 2.5 gallons of gas placed towards the rear with bags packed as well.. prob less than 25 lbs.

ksmity.. for that customer going to Togwotee with the 166... if he comes back with a bent tunnel, are you going to warranty it since it was well beyond the recommended limit?

The only point of this thread is to let people know that the factory specs a weight limit on the tunnel... There have been people that have buckled their tunnels from too much weight and to be careful...especially if you are an aggressive rider in tough terrain.

 

[ksmity21]

ksmity.. for that customer going to Togwotee with the 166... if he comes back with a bent tunnel, are you going to warranty it since it was well beyond the recommended limit?

If a problem occurs, we will handle it accordingly.. I always keep my customers best interests in mind, he is fully aware of the factory rec limits..

MThorse - No offense intended, i was just showing a unique setup by request from my customer to share with the snowest community..

I think you do a great job in recognizing all factory recommendations and updates to the Polaris Community here on snowest. Thanks!

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Eric, you should also add on there to adjust the suspension so its stiff enough to barely bottom on your hardest hits...the suspension is the key to keeping the tunnel alive........

 

[ndC7M8]

I'm embarrassed now because the "Do Not" photo is of my 2011 rmk right after I had got it and put it together how I thought I wanted it. Just so everyone doesn't think "Oh what a dummie!" when they see that picture, I did move the gas cans farther forward after the first ride, I was just trying to come up with a way to hold my snowbunjie on the sled that kept it tight so it wouldn't get sucked into the track. I was quite surprised when I saw my sled in a post lol. I have not had any tunnel bending issues from the gas cans. And as someone else stated, emptying the cans as soon as there is room in your tank is the best bet anyways. keeps the weight where it was designed to be. Anyways.....I feel dumb! haha oh well. At least I'm helping educate my fellow sledders on what not to do. Thanks Mountaindonkey, er, uh, I mean Mountainhorse

 

[ndC7M8]

holy crap. just realized over 1800 people think I'm a jackwagon now lol.....there goes my credibility

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

holy crap. just realized over 1800 people think I'm a jackwagon now lol.....there goes my credibility

naw...remember..you planned it just so MH could get his pics for this thread...right?

 

[ndC7M8]

naw...remember..you planned it just so MH could get his pics for this thread...right?

Exactly! Set up purely for example!

 

[AkLogan]

I packed a 3.3 full of gas on my 2011 for over 1600 miles and never had a issue. Having the Suspension set up to take the weight and not bottom is very key. I think ICR bent his tunnel with a empty can on it from bottoming. theultrarider bent his tunnel to and i think he even did it with mikes(aksnoriders)braces. Large gas can and he bottomed it out really hard from his description.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

I packed a 3.3 full of gas on my 2011 for over 1600 miles and never had a issue. Having the Suspension set up to take the weight and not bottom is very key. I think ICR bent his tunnel with a empty can on it from bottoming. theultrarider bent his tunnel to and i think he even did it with mikes(aksnoriders)braces. Large gas can and he bottomed it out really hard from his description.

come on logan, youve seen tims rear..is it any wonder it did? I have to admit, I am impressed it didnt fold the tunnel..I did try to talk him into 1/2" braces..but no, he said he could control the kid inside himself...now we know better..........

 

[ak49er]

I'm not a mathamagician but i think weight + momentum= Inertia

So, Polaris, is that a static 15 pound load or a dynamic multi-pound load?

Moment of Inertia? Or dead weight.

 

[mountainhorse]

ak49er,

I'm sure they are referring to static weight... but I see where you are going... in an extreme situation .... you could bend just about anything.

This is not a "sky is falling" post... just a heads-up that you should seriously consider the ramifications of loading the tunnel and where to put the bulk of the weight.





.

 

[jdw1]

I have seen the tunnel with "Stand" more that 15 lbs.

 

[sledhooligan]

Always amazes me how much crap people pack on there tunnels. I have the polaris bag and used to have the gas rack but took it off for this year.

 

[AKSNOWRIDER]

Do you mean like this? that is 10 gallons of fuel, 30 pds of tools and gear, along with food/drink/gloves...all on the back of my 11 pro 163...I put just over 125 miles on that day..

 

[insurance1959]

My 2013 Pro 163" tunnel bent yesterday!

I have mountain addiction gas can rack and tunnel bag setup and my tunnel started to bend downward while riding yesterday due to the weight as nothing else has damaged the tunnel! What a wimpy tunnel! I'm ready to switch back to Skidoo due to this poor engineering!

 

[Skeld]

Always amazes me how much crap people pack on there tunnels. I have the polaris bag and used to have the gas rack but took it off for this year.

Depends on what you are doing. For me I need to carry gas and some other items for brush cutting etc. Longer distance riding. One of the benefits of having a long track is room on the tunnel. Kind of stinks that it doesn't hold up. I haven't had an issue yet with mine, but this thread has made me paranoid.