Depends on the amount of snow you can get into the suspension for lubrication. If you remove the wheels, add some ice scratchers so you won't prematurely wear out your hyfax. Some guys that ride in powder all day remove ALL the idler wheels to remove weight and drag on the sled. As long as there is fresh powder, they don't seem to have a problem. If you spend any time on the hardpack trails, you may overheat the hyfax. The scratchers can help with that.