IceAge PRO MOTION... MY INSTALL AND SOME QUICK THOUGHTS

mountainhorse · Dec 1, 2014

Well packaged and arrived quickly from IceAge.

Very nice fit and finish. The machining quality and finishing looks top notch.

This photo shows the ball-joint (spherical bearing) that allows the rails to flex.

The test subject... 2015 PRO RMK LE 155" suspension.

All the tools I used for the install except for a 3/8"-drive torque wrench and a grease gun.

Before the stock scissor removal.

Using 13mm socket and 13mm box wrench, the upper pivot bolt pulls easily.
With the skid out of the sled, it allowed me to simply swing it up and out of the way...If it were in the sled... a simple string or wire would keep it up and out of the way.

I applied a thin smear of grease on the shaft before the sleeves went on for corrosion protection.

IceAge provides high quality bolts that already have locking compound on them.

Installed onto the rails, torqued to 50ft lbs (600 in lbs)

Pre-Greased and then slide the provided upper shaft into place.
Making sure not to get grease into the threads.

Bolted into place on the upper arm using the provided flat head hex-socket cap screws... I used some blue Loctite on the threads and then torqued to the specified 25 ft lbs. (300 in lbs)
Gave it a few pumps of the CV-2 Redline grease while on the bench.

Finished with install...Waiting for the sled to be finished.

mountainhorse · Dec 1, 2014

The instructions are super simple and straightforward.

My install took a total of 30 minutes including taking photos.

It would take about the same amount of time in the sled.

At first glance you would think that that the shock and arm needs to pivot to allow for movement.

It took me a few moments to wrap my head around it at first too.

BUT...

The front and rear torque arms remain, as stock, secured to the tunnel...so those do not move any differently than the stock install.
What DOES pivot is the PRO-MOTION kit itself...This pivot of the lower PRO-MOTION scissor allow the rails to flex from side to side by the amount provided between the motion-stops built into the CNC machined scissor block.

I'm praying for snow now so that I can get some time on it!!

.

mickyd32 · Dec 1, 2014

I await your reviews MH. What did you install it on?

pulltype_polaris · Dec 1, 2014

Sorry to be that guy. 600 inch lbs for 50 ft lbs.

mountainhorse · Dec 1, 2014

Good catch...you are correct.... Type O...Thanks.

12x50=600 in lbs

300 in lbs for the flat head screws (25 ft lbs)

.

polarisIQmn · Dec 3, 2014

Im considering this for my sled this year. What I'm really struggling with is how can only the rear mounting to the rails have a flex point and not the front? Won't that tweek the rails if the back is pivoting but the front mounting point is not? Maybe I'm overthinking this too.

Chad

mountainhorse · Dec 3, 2014

Chad... I see where you're coming from.

And to be fair... I've not run it yet, though to me, the concept is solid... the rails should have no issues with flexing... Time will tell.

.

907assault · Dec 3, 2014

What I can't wrap my head around is......

Doesn't a stiff / rigid skid sidehill better? It has a cutting edge to pivot on. To me, when I picture it in my brain, on a sidehill a pivoting portion of the skid would always be wanting to tilt downhill. So you'd be working the pivot and cutting in.

Maybe thats just me, or I'm thinking this thing pivots more than it actually does. Even so, I can't see it being a benefit. Just seems like a rigid chassis / skid is the way to go if you are a rider that "feels" everything while in technical riding siutations like myself.

sledneck_03 · Dec 3, 2014

907assault said:
What I can't wrap my head around is......

Doesn't a stiff / rigid skid sidehill better? It has a cutting edge to pivot on. To me, when I picture it in my brain, on a sidehill a pivoting portion of the skid would always be wanting to tilt downhill. So you'd be working the pivot and cutting in.

Maybe thats just me, or I'm thinking this thing pivots more than it actually does. Even so, I can't see it being a benefit. Just seems like a rigid chassis / skid is the way to go if you are a rider that "feels" everything while in technical riding siutations like myself.

Maybe it works like a tire with less air pressure. Like a high pressure narrow tire on a bike on angled hardpack will slide down the face with the bike vertical. A wide less pressure tire conforms to the surface, sticks and gives you way more traction... Could work that way. So the track angling more parallel with the hill on a side hill would pack the snow perpendicular with the hill vs packing it down the slope? Mmmm no idea. Polaris has a picture on their website that shows that the bendy xm is a disadvantage over the pro, could just be marketing bull too.

#canadastrong

mountainhorse · Dec 3, 2014

We'll all see soon enough here... Crossing my fingers!!

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89sandman · Dec 3, 2014

Nice looking piece, know it works for the xp chassis, would be interesting if it made the pro even easier to carve. Back in the 90's everyone thought the stuff then was as good as it gets and look at what total pos's those sleds are now. Someone has to think out of the box or we'd all still be riding 500+ pound tanks, no offense yami riders

polarisIQmn · Dec 3, 2014

I'm just thinking out loud, thats what is so great about a forum. But before guys were adding rail stiffners to avoid the flexing, and even on IceAges website they say their X-Brace they have will affect the performance of the Pro-Motion attachment. If the Pro-Motion needs the rails to flex to work correctly, then.....my head is going in circles. The Pro-Motion pictures on the website show the skid sitting flat on a bench and the rear pivoting back and forth without the front end of the skid leaving the flat bench, something has to be giving somewhere. Iceage is king of rails, so I'm sure the testing has been done, I'm just a guy with a sled LOL

mountainhorse · Dec 4, 2014

Bracing is used to keep the rails from "bowing" out... the kiss of death for rails....

I'll sill be using cross shafts on mine.

.

XP Summit · Dec 4, 2014

I bought one and I am excited to try it out. I do believe it will make the sled handle a little different than we are used to, but I am fine with that as my style of riding is a little more finesse vs aggressive. I personally think the benefits of getting the weight to transfer with less effort, in most backcounty riding conditions, will be more beneficial than potentially some awkward track angles. (still trying to wrap my head around that). I don't believe pivoting arm will be for everyone, at least not yet. There are still a lot of benefits for having the entire rear skid solid.

mountainhorse · Dec 4, 2014

Thinking more about this...

The Pro Motion is not a "pivoting arm" since the arms and scissor don't pivot... the back 2/3'rds of the rail "flex".

.

polarisIQmn · Dec 4, 2014

Yes, thats what I was getting at, glad I wasn't off my rocker. Hurry up and get some time on that sled so I can determine whether to order one for my trip at the end of January or not!!

Chad

winter brew · Dec 4, 2014

Now they need to make a front arm that' s split (like the Doo) so the arm or rails don't fatigue. if it's the rails "flexing", the force required for them to flex is feeding through the front arm. If it's the front arm flexing, how many times will it flex?
Sorry....destructive testing for a living, I watch aluminum stuff fatigue and break on a regular basis so I'm always looking for the weak link. :face-icon-small-hap.

AKtoad · Dec 4, 2014

winter brew said:
Now they need to make a front arm that' s split (like the Doo) so the arm or rails don't fatigue. if it's the rails "flexing", the force required for them to flex is feeding through the front arm. If it's the front arm flexing, how many times will it flex?
Sorry....destructive testing for a living, I watch aluminum stuff fatigue and break on a regular basis so I'm always looking for the weak link. :face-icon-small-hap.

10^6 cycles best guess design number.

No different than pounding down a trail or jumping. Everything flexes.

druchti · Dec 9, 2014

Anybody get any seat time on one of these yet?

nort10 · Dec 9, 2014

druchti said:
Anybody get any seat time on one of these yet?

I have roughly 130 miles on mine.....the first 90 to 100 miles were road miles but with 1' to 2' of powder. I added a number of things to my sled this year (Dynoport pipe & can, V-force 3R reeds, Walker Evan piggyback shocks in the front, Dan Adams seat, and the Pro-motion) so I needed to tune and get my sled dialed in. The first two days were just tuning, getting the clutching dialed in on the road and in some meadows. The last day I was more focused on shocks and the pro-motion. I went back and forth from my sled (2014 Pro RMK 163) & my friends sled (2014 XM 163) so a pretty good comparison. I could actually get on some steep side hills and so far I haven't noticed any washing out from the pro-motion. I'm thinking the lower pivot point (1" off the track with the pro-motion) compared to the (5" off the track with the t-motion) feels like it holds a way better side hill. They both roll over really nice (T-motion & Pro-motion). The pro-motion makes it so much easier to initiate now for the Pro than it did before. I think it is going to make a rider conserve energy through out the day for when you really need to use it. Time will tell with more steep side hills and seat time because if it washes out where it didn't before it will come off my sled!! Right now I'm really impressed with it though!!!!

IceAge PRO MOTION... MY INSTALL AND SOME QUICK THOUGHTS

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