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Cutting Lugs on Dragon Track - can't find old thread

B
Dec 31, 2007
1,621
128
63
Lolo, MT
I remember reading something awhile back about some of you boys cutting off the top of the lugs on the Dragon track. I think I'm ready to do that now! I went down an embankment Sunday (spring snow conditions) to cut some distance off a switchback. Going slow with the brake totally on, the sled started sliding and gathering momentum and me no likey.

I used the Advanced Search function and found a post Rob did about porting the track, and it talked about cutting the top 1/4" off and putting screws in. I don't think that's the one I read before, but I want to make sure what I want to do will work.

Can I get away with not putting the screws in, just cut the first 1/4" off each lug (like just the fingers) and call it good and have it work better for steep stuff in spring snow/concrete conditions?

Fluff
 
P

PalousePoo

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
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Farmington, Wash.
I've only read about Rob's way of doing it. I'm sure his way would work great in icy conditions, but am afraid it wouldn't be very good in pow? The stock poo track sure is scary in ice, head uphill and the next thing you know you're coming down backwards!
 
B
Dec 31, 2007
1,621
128
63
Lolo, MT
That's the link I mentioned that I HAD found, but it wasn't the one I remembered reading about before.

Then this morning our club prez who owns a Dragon and has been riding since he was a kid, said most people he has talked to who have cut the tops off the lugs have regretted it later. Sigh.... I'm not going to take the time to put screws in, so it looks like option 1 is throwing old belts on the skis or 2, buying a new track and selling this one with 800+ miles on it.
 

F-Bomb

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Nov 26, 2007
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I want to tell you all a story about the "stupidest" "blankety blank" "dumbblankity" "idiotic" thing my buddy has ever ever heard of.

Yours truelly ..Rob... said idiot butchered up a stock 155 polaris track trimming it down to 2.1 and inserting a series of sunk screws and hexed head screws in key positions. Well the dumb-a$$-i-est thing ever propagated on a polaris 800 snowmobile was suddenly 4 mph top speed (geared as is 85 before 89 after) (BUT WAIT the real benie is way quicker getting there too). Here is the biggie..on a hard flat surface trail drag racing from a dead stand still, the world's dumbest sled mod, ridden by the worlds dumbest rider suddenly went from being left behind by a like powered buggy (too the tune of about 10 lengths in multiple races) to WOW WHAT'S THIS... WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER! Somewhere between 10-11 lengths faster in a drag race..so that's pretty dumb. Same results against my own other test bed sled with another really stupid track mod.

Still dumb..cause my buddy says WE ain't a drag racers and these are mtn sleds (you blankety blank dumb $*^$). Cept we keep on drag racing all of the time and I sure heard it from far and wide when those other sleds were smoking me. (even though it was just a drag race)

Soooo now dumby on the dumb mobile goes to Wyoming. Hill racing this time...Hey the dumbest sled mod ever somehow propels a stock bore 800 up a hill in soft non hard pan snow at the exact same rate and speed as an 860 big bore that flat out rips. Magic? Must be...tooo dumb to know it can't go good on the hill.

Sooo now we simply head off into the trees for some free riding..this time it's good untouched Pow pow snow occasionally coming over the hood..in and out of the throttle tradional boon docking. Didn't get stuck...didn't get left behind...sled still flat out performs and I felt no sacrefice from the missing nublets and the significantly stiffer lug pattern.

Another day and another test..pretty big medium steep climb and now I'm comparing against a stock polie 163 track and an 860 motor. He climbed it...I climbed it..very similar ground speeds and very similar performance results. One super steep draw he was able to go straight I had to work at it and turn sideways. Not sure though that I had the same speed of attack at that time. DId the same spot again with more aggression and blew right on over straight. So I'd still say no sacrefice and while I may be dumb and riding a dumb mod it's looking pretty impressive performance wise.

Now in all seriousness...We have not had the 5 ft blow away fluff but last year we did and I had that same mod on a 144 track and basically went right were all other like weighted and powered sleds did. Anxious to get the opp to ride this sled in those conditions but MOM nature hates you all and I'm being punished for your shortcomings (or so I like to pretend cause I'm dumb!)

Windage and rotating mass as well as traction is were it's all at...a nice balance of all and you have a fast well performing buggy. The dreaded down hill slide and windshield wiper effect is inherent in this lug pattern. Fingers are the best go down pattern. On and off the brake lots of buttage (lean it out there baby) and stay off the beaten path are the best we can hope for in a drop.
 

Zrider

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Lifetime Membership
May 7, 2003
722
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Sparks, NV
Track Trimming

Fluff:

I've got the same sled as you and "had" the same concerns as you. Last spring was an eye-opener coming downhill. I contacted F-Bomb and he gave me directions on trimming the track. I did not place screws into the lugs, which would definitely make the lugs even stiffer. Trimming off the nubs has made the track stiffer, which is what I was looking for. And, I have not noticed any performance drop-off in the powder. As far as I'm concerned, it was an absolute win-win situation. No monetary outlay and about an hour of of my time. PM me your email address and I'll try to forward some info and pics that I sent to another feller from Lolo who was asking about trimming his track.

I'm sure not sorry that I trimmed my track.

Z
 

AndrettiDog

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Dec 23, 2007
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Colorado
I asked this question before I went to a drag race with my D7. That thing looked sloppy as hell coming off the line. So, very nervously I took Rob's advice and cut a small portion of each lug off. It was just enough to get the curl out of the lug. It took me all but 1/2 hour to do the whole track with the sled on it's side.

I go out and try the hook up and loan and behold, it rips out of the hole. I didn't do the screw thing, simply because I'm selling the sled and didn't want to take chances in ripping a lug (which apparently hasn't happed to very many people).

Do it! You won't loose anything in the powder (although you might think so when you get stuck, although you would have anyway).

Then again, maybe it is just my Better Boards that makes my sled run better (Did you like that Rob?).
 
S
Nov 26, 2007
345
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If you are scared of cutting lugs try using reverse coming down the hill. It won't help on ice hills much but if the snow gives a little you can have a very controllable decent. Just keep burping the throttle to throw snow out in front of you, works great.
 

F-Bomb

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Nov 26, 2007
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What? There are actually more "Dumbest" people on the face of the planet just like me? This is just shocking.

Oh man there goes my secret cheaters advantage......oh well!

On the other 144 track I did quite a bit of the hex head screws (two in narrow lugs 3 in wide) and it's really a standout. On this 155 track I found these 1" #6 square driven black screws that sink right into the lugs with nothing left exposed (the heads are tiny). They look like factory little indentations from the mold once they are sunk in. None have backed out or come through in over 200 miles and part of that was at 89MPH for 3 plus minutes (polaris cautions that the lugs will heat up and fall off at that type of abuse). The 144 track has well over 3000 miles on it. Lost one lug because I backed it into the curb at Hillclimb and am missing zero screws. I also put in one hex per lug row just to see how it would act (don't feel like it's enough right now...so if I decide to hillclimb race this sled I"ll put in more).

Now there is also a concern about the screws damaging coolers or tunnels. Mine hasn't hurt a thing on either sample sleds but there isn't much room up front so you do need to make sure they are NOT ANY LONGER NET THEN STOCK. I cut them down first and felt the difference in stiffness and while it's significant once you put the screws in it's a entirely different deal. It's my speculation that in the utmost deep and light powder conditions that the floppy ears of the stocker is superior but the facts of the matter are so far we have had about 2 days like that and over 100 that were more setup and variable. I'll take the 98% better setup thank you very much..and it's so radically better most of the time and not clearly worse in those others that it really is one of those things that has played out to be a good deal!

Too cut them down I simply get the sled off of the ground in the back so you can rotate the track. Made a metal template to lay across the belt so the lugs would be fairly uniform. Spray each lug with a generous amount of wd40 and then slice through with a kitchen GINZU knife. Very simple and takes about 15-20 minutes on the 155. Setting the screws takes a lot longer..about an hour. We are expert track screwers :D from the old grass drag racing days. Power drill and driver here.

Or just buy and run Better Boards..because that HAS TO BE IT!:D:D
 
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600xc4me

Well-known member
May 21, 2008
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La Crete Alberta
Sounds like this is one thing I'll be doing too, as 98% of my riding it at 1000-2000 feet, lots of set up trail like snow. How much lug do you cut off of the 5.1 2.4" inch track? How much paddle should I cut off? And do you have a pic of these "1" #6 square driven black screws" That you speak of? Wondering what I need to go look for exactly.
 
S

sledneck_03

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2009
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Saskatoon, SK
just trimmed my track, my wife was like what the hell are you doing?! well one little drag race against here on here 600 136 edge and she kept up to me and a 08 600rs beating me made me flip my lid, super pissed, stupid spinning pos. well, now, this winter should be a different story. I have yet to go to the mountains but i dont care if i lost some traction in the deep but it sounds like it wont so its win win,
 
Last edited:
H
Jan 9, 2008
2,818
399
83
Woodland, WA
I asked this question before I went to a drag race with my D7. That thing looked sloppy as hell coming off the line. So, very nervously I took Rob's advice and cut a small portion of each lug off. It was just enough to get the curl out of the lug. It took me all but 1/2 hour to do the whole track with the sled on it's side.

I go out and try the hook up and loan and behold, it rips out of the hole. I didn't do the screw thing, simply because I'm selling the sled and didn't want to take chances in ripping a lug (which apparently hasn't happed to very many people).
Do it! You won't loose anything in the powder (although you might think so when you get stuck, although you would have anyway).

Then again, maybe it is just my Better Boards that makes my sled run better (Did you like that Rob?).

I still woulda bought it from you:beer;:D:beer;...and I can vouch for the track trimming, that D7 rips!
 
H

harland

New member
Jun 1, 2009
16
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3
lloydminster, SK
just finished trimming and screwing my 155. my advice would be to use lots of WD-40, i used a swiss army knife and after i dipped it in WD-40 it went through like a hot knife through butter. also when sinking the screws in i found that dipping them in WD-40 made them go in better and look way better. cant wait to test it on the snow
 
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xc6rider

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2009
1,484
484
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Iowa
Tire grooving irons work awesome for cutting lugs down!

Borrowed a friends once to cut a track down 1/4" and it worked awesome! They are in the $60 range, but I know i wouldn't do another track without one.
 

rmk727

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Oct 3, 2008
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SO.DAK
If you ever studded a track b/4 this is easy stuff , i suggest doing just like your told 4 the best results altho if you use JB 80 it's twice as good as wd 40
 
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