I replaced the rear springs on my 2002 MXZ. To do this I took out the two rear bolts and allowed the suspension to drop down. Replacing the springs was easy. Now as I am trying bolt the suspension back in, I can't get the holes to align on those two rear bolts. Any suggestions? They are off only about 1/2 of an inch. I need to move the suspension forward. Is this a two man job? Or is there an easier way?

Thanks for your help!

i take the suspension out on the floor stand on it use a strap or piece of rope to tie the suspension down then install it myself ....once the bolts are in, :christmas: loosen the straps or cut the rope and your off to the races....

An easy way is first loosen the spring pressure to lowest setting and then use a ratchet tie down around both front and rear shafts like a winch .

disconnect the spring where it connects by the slide rail and let it hang along side the track,easy one person job

I did the same thing recently on my sled and had a beeyatch of a time lining up the bolt holes too. I ended up flipping the sled on it's side and it made it that much easier to do it for some reason.

Yes I think that is a major pain in the ### too. Heres what I do, place the track on a hydraulic jack and then I stick a 2x2 on top of the track between the tunnel and the track and then finesse them until the holes line up. I have found that a lot of cussing and swearing helps too. Becareful not to cross thread those bolts when you get them lined up.

Yeah, this seems a little more complicated on my new-to-me 2001 MXZ. I came from Polaris, and it was very, very simple to remove the torsion spring tension, thus allowing the rear cross-shaft to move longitudinally. You remove the spring tension by merely lifting the long end off the support on the slide rail. Now, I must remove that hold-down, but in order to get access to it, the wheel needs to be removed first. Again, a bit more complicated than it used to be.

Since on the subject, NE1 have the factory torque specs for these bolts (rear upper cross-shaft, idler wheel, torsion spring retainer dealie)? It looks like I'll need to drop the rear of the suspension in order to get access to the track to drill the holes for my studs. How 'bout shock mounting bolts too (yup, all 8 of 'em)?

TIA, Mark :confused:

MPH you don't have to drop the rear of the suspension to drill your track. I just either bungee the snow flap up and then lay out my pattern on the back drill and then rotate the track make I support the rear of the sled with a ratchet strap to the garage ceiling.

Tiny:

I actually removed the snow flap to aid installation of heat exchanger protectors. I marked out my pattern (a modified V pattern, two actually: one wider than the other, alternating, each taking 3 lugs, generally following the pattern of the lugs), and on some of the positions, the hollow-point drill would contact the idler wheels of the back axle after breaking through the track. I thought it'd be easier to just undo that back upper cross-member, drop the rear, using cam-lock tie downs over the garage rafters to support the rear of the sled. This would just give me more room, less of a struggle overall. Dunno, maybe my drill is longer/bigger than most? Heh-heh! Perhaps a right-angle chuck would be the ticket, but I don't have one. Oh well.

Mark

Originally posted by skidont@Nov 21 2003, 11:13 AM
disconnect the spring where it connects by the slide rail and let it hang along side the track,easy one person job
what he is saying is you have to take off the spring supports to do this, first have to remove a set of idlers along side of the spring supports. then the holes will line up very easily.

Ratchet straps.. 2x2s..

All you need to do is start turning the tensioner bolts to tighten the track.. with the rear bumper supported at the correct height so the holes line up on a horizontal plane.. then as you turn the track tensioner bolts, the rear mount will move forward.. obviously stop tightening when it lines up.

And the winner is...

WALRUS!!! Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Walrus, your idea worked perfectly. In the future, this will be a much easier job.

Thanks again.

Now on to tackling the carbs.

Now that I see this thread after your done, there is an easier way. With the front 2 bolts in, I flip the sled on it's side, push the skid into position. The holes are half an inch out, so I lock the brake, take a pry bar, put it through a window of the track and pry the spring forward. VOILA !!!! Easy as pie. One man job.