Whats a Good all Around Mountain Sled ?

[Rprecision]

Whats a Good all Around Mountain Sled ? W/ Pics

So, I have this 16 year old AC 440 Prowler 2-up 136” I bought as a first sled last year. I got that thing stuck so bad, so often, I lost my humor pretty fast.

Anyways, I have been keeping a eye out for something newer. For my use a new sled isn’t worth it.

I kind of like the looks of the 2000ish 800 Mountain Cats. Thing is they seem to be hard to find with reverse. The tight areas I ride make reverse a necessity.

I am thinking 600-800 cc, 144”ish track, reverse and dependable? EFI is a plus ?

I have glanced at a few 2005-2007 RMK’s with 900’s but I have heard mixed things?

I’m just not sure what to keep a eye out for ?

What would you recommend

Oh, around 3k would be nice, but if its worth it I may go 4.5K


Thanks

 

[Rprecision]

Lets hope for this problem this year !

 

[Rprecision]

 

[poorider]

uh oh here we go again...sniff sniiiiiiiiiiiff.....I smell another brand war a comin. Never mind what anybody else says buy a polaris lololol.
No really agood 700- 800cc with a track 144 and up works great for most mountaineers no matter what color the hood is. The newer cfi sleds have their advantages like the catm's and the polaris cfi rmk's.the last few years since all brands have eliminated trailing arms have made a HUGE difference in handling and ride, If you are not brand specific then choose a sled with a good dealer nearby. Or buy a Yamaha if you don't care about having the lightest sled but you want it to last over 10k miles without a serious rebuild

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

uh oh here we go again...sniff sniiiiiiiiiiiff.....I smell another brand war a comin. Never mind what anybody else says buy a polaris lololol.
No really agood 700- 800cc with a track 144 and up works great for most mountaineers no matter what color the hood is. The newer cfi sleds have their advantages like the catm's and the polaris cfi rmk's.the last few years since all brands have eliminated trailing arms have made a HUGE difference in handling and ride, If you are not brand specific then choose a sled with a good dealer nearby. Or buy a Yamaha if you don't care about having the lightest sled but you want it to last over 10k miles without a serious rebuild

Pretty well put.
Buy whatever you want to afford.
But by all means the most important thing that Poo said here is "choose a sled with a good dealer nearby"
This alone will help you have a better experience this winter.

 

[Rprecision]

Ok,

As for the brand thing, ....ahhhhh I dont really care. Hell all I know is AC. But that is a 16 year old !

The only reason I mentioned the Polaris was they seem to be popular ?

Im just trying to learn what brands offer what, and look at things objectivly.

Thanks, this is a great site!

 

[snowmobiler]

for 4 you could get a super nice 04,05 800 rmk or m7s are good sleds too.

 

[AkHockey10]

What type of riding will you be doing?

You can find a great 2000ish mountain sled 600/7/8 144"+ for less than $3K.

I ride ski-doo, but grew up on Arctic Cat ! ( )

EFI is wonderful! you can roll your sled over 20 times and it will still start up on one the first three pulls. It can be -30 outside and it will start up cold on the first three pulls. One of the best inventions ever, IMO! but, EFI sleds are hard to mod compared to carb sleds but, that probably wont be something that your concerned with for right now, id assume.

i believe in 2002 (?) ski-doo came out with reverse on there sleds. I have an 02 summit 800 151" and really do enjoy the sled but, its not efi and i tend to roll my sled about once every ride lol and it gets hard to start once shes been rolled but it is reliable. You can find 2000-2003 summits in the $3000 range. Its all what you are looking for and what YOU want. They're all good sleds, some better than others of course. My dad has a 2002 mountain cat 800 144" (carb) really a good sled and is reliable. If you do decide on Cat, id recommend finding one with EFI. Yamahas are heavy but, way super reliable and have a nice sound to them also! now with, Polaris.... I wont even, go there! LOL. Nah, im not a fan so cant really help ya there but, a lot of people swear by them on here!

next.

 

[Idcatman3]

If you've got a Cat dealer nearby or are even slightly mechanically inclined, reverse kits for the mountain cats aren't that hard to come by. For a sled that you don't want to mess with, I would echo Akhockey, and go with EFI, the newer EFI systems are much better than older ones.

But, any mountain sled from 2000+ will be a drastic improvement over a prowler.

 

[WyoUltra]

a good site to look for sleds is

www.ksl.com

lots of good buys in the classified section

and as said above sleds from 1997 to 2003ish can be nice strong sleds right in your price range... some modded polaris 700's are in the for sale section here on snowest not for a bad price either....

 

[NWGooser]

Set your budget and then decide what is important to you. All of the big 4 have made great Mt. sleds. All 4 have also made dogs. For reliability, avoid mods and stick with stock. Lots of good info on this forum if you wade through the bs.

 

[Wayniac]

The 2004 RMKs came stock with reverse. They had at least a 144" track too. You can get a very nice one for $3-$4k. They are the older style trailing arm front suspension, but good dependable sleds with lots of parts available. The 700s are bullit proof engines.

There are many great sleds you can get within your price range. I agree with the others, make sure there is a good dealer nearby to support you.

 

[Rprecision]

What type of riding will you be doing?

Well, Im probably not your typical snowmobiler, at least by traditional stadards.

I hunt Bobcat, lion, red fox and coyote from november through febuary. So, my purposes are rather utilitarian. Last year we got a execeptional amount of snow as you can see in some of the pictures. I really enjoyed the freedom and acces the snowmobile afforded me. I could hunt areas otherwise unaccessable.

I really enjoyed busting through powder. I often am braking my own trails but I usally am on forest roads, logging roads Etc. Not alot of back country stuff, but some.

Last year I really didnt know much about snowmobiles. Bought the prowler, put about $600 in it with a new clutch, belt, rebuilt and jetted the carbs for 10000' +.

This year I bought a new track 1.5 Ripsaw to replace the .5 track on it (Probably original). Started on that last month discovered I had the passenger side suspension rail cracked and broken. AC no longer makes them, finally found a skid last week. I replaced all the drive bearings and added 8 lug drivers. New t-stat coolant, fuel pump... re geared it a little lower....on and on it goes.

In the end its still a Prowler and eventually will go boom for good. I'm putting or have put more money into it then its worth.


So in the meantime I'm trying to find a newer sled I dont have to work on all the time.

There seems to be a kind of either love or hate for Polaris ? Where does this come from ? Seriously?

I like the idea of having a dealer around, I plan on doing all the work I need to do myself, but if I need a dealer AC and Polaris are around, Ski Doo isnt really.

Some people have mentioned Yamahas. I have heard they do great on gas but are heavy. I have yet to see one used, at least a 4 stroke.

Thanks for all the input, this site is much better then some of the others I have been on!

 

[Rprecision]

All of the big 4 have made great Mt. sleds. All 4 have also made dogs.

Thats what worries me, knowing my luck I will end up with the dog ! Thast what I am trying to research before I decide what I want ?

 

[RECREATIONAL IRON]

My choice for an all around mtn sled would be a 07 to current 600 rmk either 144 or 155 but the 155 has the newer track so that is a plus. Another good sled is a 02-05 800 rmk if the crank is addressed, that is a great sled as well.

Another mention is a 05-06 800 summit or a 05 M7 but the above two would be my first choice.

 

[Wade]

There are some 2002-2003 SkiDoo ZX summits with electronic reverse. Makes the motor spin backwards. (I own one) You probably could pick up one for $3000, with a 144 track. Don't buy a sled that's had the head modified, or nitrous on it, just stay away from engine mods or air intake mods of any sort. Just a good rule of thumb. You could expect a sled like this to blow the engine after 2500 miles up to 4000 miles, and you usually don't see one with 4000 miles, unless the rings/pistons were replaced ever 3000 miles, and well maintained.

Lightweight can, wider track, scratchers, lightweight hood, handlebar risers, even after market reeds, don't hurt anything. The old ZX summit skidoos where dependable, as long as the carbs weren't dinked with. And, if you like modifying things, you could easily take a lot of weight off.

I also like the Polaris Edge chassis, but they tended to overheat.
The old Yamaha 2 strokes wheren't too heavy, but they were damned dependable. Cheap now also.

 

[Ron]

Thats what worries me, knowing my luck I will end up with the dog ! Thast what I am trying to research before I decide what I want ?

I agree with the Polaris 700 for your budget, dependable, economical sled. Get an 04-05 if you want reverse. Don't rule out a 151 track they are a bunch better in the snow & handle about like a 144.
If you can take an experienced sledder with you to look at used it would be a big plus. Look at mileage, the owner & then the sled. Some turn speedos back or unhook them. The exhaust will tell a lot about miles & hard use. If the sleds in good shape the exhaust will not show signs of over heating...look at the paint. Check under the sled for damage & examine the track. Check engine compression or better yet do a leakdown. Ask for service info- exhaust valves need cleaned, clutches serviced, chassis greased, chain case serviced, etc... lots of minor maint. that extends the life of the sled.
After you look at a few you can tell at a glance if a sleds been well cared for or just the opposite.

 

[jkpolaris]

if possible i would go to haydays this weekend in mn. last year we got a 2007 rmk 600 144 w reverse for 2800 and ran it all last year without a problem and the year before i got one for 3200 so the good deals are out there!!!
good luck

 

[ZL50068]

Welcome to the snowest family bud! Polaris makes good sleds, and I have not seen to much hate toward them, except their 900's, they were a pos. Ski- doo I never really liked but their rev in mountain form(summit) would not be a bad choice, but they do have relaibilty issues on thier motors, I am a cat man myself. My dad has a 01 mountain cat 800 with a 156" track and nos, the thing flat hauls and hangs with the newer skidoos all day. But to the point, if I were in the market for a fairly cheap, good mountain sled, an 05 or 06 M7 would be my choice. The 700 in those things is really good stock and can accept mods easily. They are very light, and very, very easy to throw around. So, there is my honest opinion. good luck..

 

[MNIQR]

Sounds to me you need a widetrack/bearcat and call er done.