straightening bent Pro tunnel

mwboondockers · Feb 27, 2015

Has anyone had any luck straightening a bent tunnel on a 163? if so any tips. Mine is bent pretty bad. It is kinked out clear up below the seat, hard to see in the pictures and the support brackets are bent also. I want to straighten it and put on a VanAmburg rear bumper to stiffen it up. If I cant get it straight I will turn it in to insurance and replace it.

sledheader · Feb 27, 2015

You'll never get it completely straight and even if you did it will be forever weakened from being stressed beyond it's yield strength. If it was me and I didnt have insurance and was planning to keep and ride the sled myself (Not worried so much about resale value), I would lift the back of the sled with a strap or chain and work with it to get the top of the tunnel halfway straight and gusset the hell out of it. I would put gussets inside and out on the tunnel.

If you have insurance, turn it in to insurance.

What did you do to bend it this way? Just curious

rmkrazy87 · Feb 27, 2015

I am also curious, that is pretty jacked up

mwboondockers · Feb 27, 2015

I came off of about a 5 foot ledge and landed on a flat trail out in Cooke City last weekend, not a real big deal and it folded down. I had rope, snobungie, shovel, gloves, a Gatorade and some beef jerky in my bag. I guess it was too heavy. Kind of pointless to sell that bag with that sled from Polaris if you cant even put that stuff in there.

sledneck_03 · Feb 27, 2015

mwboondockers said:
Has anyone had any luck straightening a bent tunnel on a 163? if so any tips. Mine is bent pretty bad. It is kinked out clear up below the seat, hard to see in the pictures and the support brackets are bent also. I want to straighten it and put on a VanAmburg rear bumper to stiffen it up. If I cant get it straight I will turn it in to insurance and replace it.

my neighbors was worse than that. took it to a body shop and they used the machine that pulls uni bodies straight. you could add some feethooker side braces after.

FatDogX · Feb 27, 2015

sledneck_03 said:
my neighbors was worse than that. took it to a body shop and they used the machine that pulls uni bodies straight. you could add some feethooker side braces after.

I think this would be your best bet. Then once it's straight, brace it up good and I think you would be fine. If I remember right, Mike Metzger a member here on snowest, I think straightened his tunnel, which was a Pro????

sledheader · Feb 27, 2015

Wow that is sad and pathetic. I guess I'll plan on adding gussets to the tunnel on my axys before I ride it. A 5' drop in no way should have an effect on a sled like that.

meathooker · Feb 27, 2015

we started making braces for this issue -

this sled was bend down more than that one.

and now with an integrated bumper -

note how the rear bumper doesnt have any abrupt rear edges like the polaris bumper. It is a much better looking and ergonomic connection.

tuneman · Feb 27, 2015

sledheader said:
Wow that is sad and pathetic. I guess I'll plan on adding gussets to the tunnel on my axys before I ride it. A 5' drop in no way should have an effect on a sled like that.

No disrespect, but I completely disagree. You see the tunnel bag on that thing! It's light weight aluminum, it's gonna bend with enough stuff packed into it. The bag was designed to go directly behind the seat, but the OP also added gas cans. One can either have light weight or an Arctic Cat. I don't put that kind of weight on my tunnel, but if I did, I'd definitely reinforce. Expecting that thin aluminum tunnel to support all that is not realistic. Now, don't let your insurance company read my post.

Killer Time Racing · Feb 27, 2015

tuneman said:
No disrespect, but I completely disagree. You see the tunnel bag on that thing! It's light weight aluminum, it's gonna bend with enough stuff packed into it. The bag was designed to go directly behind the seat, but the OP also added gas cans. One can either have light weight or an Arctic Cat. I don't put that kind of weight on my tunnel, but if I did, I'd definitely reinforce. Expecting that thin aluminum tunnel to support all that is not realistic. Now, don't let your insurance company read my post.

Hate to be in the same thought process but ..... That bag is to much weight after adding cans..5 gallons of gas weights @30 pounds and that bag plus 5 pounds of stuff = way more than the 15 LBS. Max that is posted right ahead of the Tail Light in a Orange Warning sticker !!

I try to watch anyone who is around my sled , I've had more than one 200 Lbs. Guy try to sit on it !!!

Sorry but I'd turn it in and hurry it through so they don't see the sticker!!

sledheader · Feb 27, 2015

The guy had like 5-10 lbs of stuff in the bag. Look where the tunnel bent. It bent behind the gas cans, the gas cans didn't play into this one bit. It was the impact of the landing and the (conservatively) 10 lb bag on the back.

wellfed777 · Feb 27, 2015

sorry man that suck :face-icon-small-sad
what others have said straiten the best you can the enforce the sides

just curious how many miles ? any chance the tunnel was weakend by bad
landings in the past ? or dragging the bumper on wheelies ?
or have you been towing any sleds out this year ?
is it only bent on the one side ?

thanks

seem crazy that it bent on a 5' drop onto a road even with the bag ???

Jaynelson · Feb 27, 2015

The gas cans put the bag too far back. 5 feet straight drop to flat road could be a pretty hard hit in this year's snow conditions. Guys have bent the cat/yam tunnel doing the exact same thing...not just a Polaris thing

hhttp://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390963&highlight=Bent+tunnel

ak powderhound · Feb 28, 2015

bummer

k-mod with raptors can prevent alot off oops like that.

sledhead Ed · Feb 28, 2015

Can you make the integrated bumper setup to go as far foward as the front of the pro factory brace so it can be used on a switchback assault?

FatDogX · Feb 28, 2015

sledhead Ed said:
Can you make the integrated bumper setup to go as far foward as the front of the pro factory brace so it can be used on a switchback assault?

Most Wanted Performance use to make rear bumper that would go along the entire side of the tunnel down to the factory braces. Not sure if they still offer it or have it still though????

Sheetmetalfab · Feb 28, 2015

I've seen one bent like that from a guy butt planting off a drop on the rear tunnel.

I got it all straight tho.
Added powdercoated smooth braces so no snow will accumulate.
Bottom edge is hemmed 1" to the inside to capture the cut edge of the tunnel.
Cut the little flange out off to aid in resisting snow build up.
Added a powdercoated center strip of super thin aluminum to strengthen and match the braces.

Go4broke2stroke · Mar 2, 2015

bent tunnel

Mine was just as bad last year. During spring riding I came off a jump and endo'd it. It flipped 7 times before it came to a stop.
My friend works in the auto body field and brought some pressure clamps and we hooked a come along to the front and back of the sled and put pressure on it.
He then used his auto body hammers and worked out the ripple. Honestly it turned out 100 times better than i thought it would.
I then put a full van amberg brace on it.
My advice would be to take it to a good auto body shop if you dont have the the experience.

mwboondockers · Mar 2, 2015

I got it straightened out this weekend. It came out pretty good. I am waiting for a VanAmburg bumper to show up and then I will make sure everything lines up. I like the idea of putting a couple light strips of aluminum on the top also. Ya it adds some extra weight but so does lunch and beer!! I will post pictures of it when done.
FYI-the gas cans were empty also so the only weight was the empty cans and the tunnel bag.

MacDawg productions · Mar 3, 2015

meathooker said:
we started making braces for this issue -

this sled was bend down more than that one.

and now with an integrated bumper -

note how the rear bumper doesnt have any abrupt rear edges like the polaris bumper. It is a much better looking and ergonomic connection.

Interested in tunnel braces. Pm me!!
Thx.

straightening bent Pro tunnel

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