Ski-doo Track - Snowmobile World : Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

Drew06 · 08-24-2004, 02:50 PM

I am getting ready to tighten up the track on my Ski-Doo after some suspension servicing and want to make sure that I get the tension just right. This will be the first time on this sled (98 FZ670). I have heard many different views on this. I am thinking of leaving about an inch of sag between the slide and the clips (middle of the track while raised on a track stand). I would rather have it rachet and have to tighten it a bit more rather than too tight and burn out my slides, belt and wear down the track. Please give me your recommendations. Thanks.

Drew

FishHog · 08-24-2004, 03:11 PM

the two finger rule is always a good one. Two fingers placed between the track and the sliders in the middle of the track, should just about start to hurt.

Your one inch criteria will be fine.

However since its only Aug, why are you setting tension now? I always leave it to the day before my first ride. No point in having tension on it for any longer than it needs.

FishHOg

SDRENE800RER · 08-25-2004, 07:15 AM

Is the track studded? IF it is you have to run it a bit tighter. I had 144 picks in mine and have the fancy track/belt tension tool and if I ran it at the recomended 1.375" at 16pounds force then It would ratchet and ended up having to be in the 1" at 19pounds to stop the ratcheting.

You want to run it as loose as possible. You dont need the tension tool, I havent used mine on a track in years. Use the 2 finger method and make sure the track is lined up straight. Take it for a spin and see what it does. What I do every season is I set my track where I think it should be and go for a quick spin. If its gonna ratchet it usually will do so immediatly. If it dosent I loosen the axle and then loosen the track tension a half turn and go for another rip. I keep doing this untill ratcheting starts and then go back and tightening by half turns untill it stops. Check alignment and Im good to go.

swish · 08-26-2004, 09:54 AM

doo what 800rer said,that is the way most do it

Drew06 · 08-27-2004, 09:21 AM

Alright, this is the deal. I got the skid back in and bolted all back up. Everything lines up nice, but when I went to start it to run the track around, it sounds like it is racheting a bit. I set the tension just a tad under 1 inch. I measured both sides (tension bolts and the spacing between the slides and track) to make sure everything is equal and that it lines up...and it does. Do you think that I need to go a bit tighter or will the track make some noise regardless? Is it possible the noise could be coming from the track clips slapping against the slides while the track is going around on a stand? I looked to see if the drive cogs were slipping as the track was going around and it did not appear to be. Another note, I marked on the tension bolts where they were before I loosened the track up and the bolts are quite a bit further out than previously, but the track seems to be a good tension right now. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
Drew

FishHog · 08-27-2004, 11:26 AM

There is no way its ratcheting if you have an inch of sag and its on the stand. There is just no resistance to the track turning on a stand. You could loosen it right off, and it won't ratchet.

That's just the noise a track makes going around. Usually it the clips coming off the end of the sliders. Don't worry about it, they are always loud on a stand.

I still gotta ask, why are you setting tension in Aug? Seems like a long time before your going to get to ride it. No point to having that tension on the track for a few months.

FishHog

Drew06 · 08-27-2004, 11:58 AM

FishHog, thanks for the reply. I do not loosen up the track for summer storage. I run my sleds in the summer and take them out for short runs on the grass. Call me nuts, but I like to tinker (clean, polish, run it) with it during the off season to make sure everything is a go when the snow hits. Some people call it being anal, I call it "preventative maintenance". At least that is what I keep telling myself.

FishHog · 08-27-2004, 04:07 PM

nothing wrong with preventative maintenance.

I do a lot of that also.

FishHog

SDRENE800RER · 08-28-2004, 08:42 AM

You must be hearing something else, I'll agree that with an inch of gap, it should not ratchet. Riding it across the grass will tell you quick if its ratcheting or not, lots of traction can cause that. But dont use a high traction situation as the measure for it. It can ratchet on a grass surface easily and not at all on snow with the same track tension.

Running to tight will wear out your new sliders. Its easy to damage them this time of year if the tracks to tight while messing with it in the yard. The sliders get hot quickly and can melt in a few minutes.

beretta · 08-28-2004, 02:05 PM

This may be a dumb question

, but in my defense I never had a good snowmobile till last year, so im still learning. I use to ride a 72 john deere. My question is what does ratcheting sound like and what is happening when the track does that. By the way SW is well informative and thanks guys for helping me learn so far. w00t