Going Green?

XCaSSAULT · Feb 20, 2018

Looking at getting a proclimb 800 153. My price range puts me in the 12-15 model year. Don’t know anything about cat as I’ve always been polaris. My research tells me cat clutches get hot and the skis are to skinny. I’m not to concerned with that right now or anything aftermarket mod. My main concerns are what to look for when buying/finding a good used sub 2,000 mile quality m8000. Like;

Where’s compression suppose to be? (flat land)

Any recall or service bulletins type stuff?

Good measuring locations for checking chassis straightness?

Signs of how the sled was taken care of?

How to shake down test ride to surface potential issues?
(Long high r’s pull, lots of midrange)

Things like that. Also I’m sure a 15 is better then a 12 but how much do they differ? I’m desperate for a good reliable sled. The poo 800 has just about wrecked sledń for me. I’ve always heard the zuk 800 is about as reliable as a 2 stroke can be.

When they do have problems what are early warning signs?
What needs to be done to keep them reliable?

Any comments or advice would be appreciated!

MountainCat1 · Feb 20, 2018

The Suzuki 800HO from 2010 'till 2017 has been a strong, powerful & reliable engine, So no difference there as to model year. Each year from '12 on, AC has made improvements to the Pro-Climb chassis, so my advice is to buy the newest model with the lowest miles you can afford. '15 & up are the best; Look around,it's the end of the season & many dealers are anxious to sell left-over new '17 sleds at great savings with warranty & financing!

grandpaj · Feb 20, 2018

M8000

All that has been said is true. But if any way you can swing a 16, it solves most of the issues you mentioned.
Skis, better, not the best but better
Clutching, team, world of difference, much more reliable.
And of course the front end is again a world of difference better.
And lots of them are showing up for sale at good prices because of spring and a bad snow year

cadeskii · Feb 20, 2018

I’ve had 4 procross/proclimb cat 800’s. In my experience the early ones were the best running power wise and the later ones are the most reliable.

A 2015 will have just about every reliability update and be the lightest in stock form and would be worth spending a little more on.

Compression on my 8000 mile trail sled was 125-130 and on a friends 2000 mile proclimb was 130-135. Seen people claim anywhere from 120-150

They are a stout chassis with no real weak areas, just give it a good look.

If you buy one with 2000+ miles it probably needs reeds which are cheap for stock ones

sno*jet · Feb 20, 2018

id steer clear of a '12.
newer the better with the proclimbs. significant upgrades every year from what ive gathered. id go '15 or newer if ya can.
what year is your poo? seemed like they got better around 14-15 for piston life.

XCaSSAULT · Feb 20, 2018

sno*jet said:
id steer clear of a '12.
newer the better with the proclimbs. significant upgrades every year from what ive gathered. id go '15 or newer if ya can.
what year is your poo? seemed like they got better around 14-15 for piston life.

I currently have my eye on a 13 with 570 miles for $6k (thinking I could get for $5.5) and a 15 with 1,340 miles for $6.5k (thinking $6k).

My poo was a 2010, 1,800 miles and 3 top ends. My buddy has a 16 pro and motor went at 500 miles (pto seal). No faith in poo no moo

MountainCat1 · Feb 20, 2018

NOT a dealer, but Country Cat has new '16 M8000s on sale with warranty & financing for $8200 to $8800. New '18s from $11,000 TO $11,800. I paid ~ $12,000 new for my '16 M8000 LTD & sold it 160 miles later for $10,000. Bought a '17 Mountain Cat new for $13,300 that is now worth at best ~$9,500. Pick your poison, it's an expensive hobby. With that being said the '10 & '11 M8s are GREAT sleds for ~$5,000, IF you can find one with low miles; I know, as I still own 2 of them (low miles) & wouldn't part with them for twice that!:juggle:

XCaSSAULT · Feb 21, 2018

What’s the difference between the proclimb models? Is there a base model and higher up models?

How does the hcr differ from the proclimb?

ultrasks700 · Feb 21, 2018

XCaSSAULT said:
What’s the difference between the proclimb models? Is there a base model and higher up models?

How does the hcr differ from the proclimb?

The HCR is Cats "out of the box" hill climb sled, and it basically is a Proclimb with a wider front end and a stiffer lugged track, its comparable to the Skidoo Freeride and Polaris Assault lines. They are a good sled for someone who is a 50/50 rider, 50% mountains, 50% trails.

The proclimb Sno-Pro models will all have fox floats, Limiteds will come with an even better suspension packages, graphics, and so on.

boondocker97 · Feb 21, 2018

I too would steer clear of a 2012 unless you get it for dirt cheap. Lots of things can be upgraded, but to do all of them it will cost you. 2013s were a little better and first year for the 2.6" lug track. 2014s got 26 updates over the 2013s. 2014 and 2015 sleds are virtually identical. 2014 snopro and limiteds also started getting the shorter tunnel cooler that was previously only on the HCR models - lighter, less ice buildup on the tunnel and boards, and still cool just fine with scratchers on the trail. 2014 was also the first year of painted tunnels/rails (other than 50th anniversary black/green 2012) which is a huge plus coupled with the smaller cooler for shedding ice and snow.

Like stated the HCRs have wider front ends, stiffer lug tracks, factory tether(?), and fixed post with a riser block handlebars instead of adjustable. Also came with Float Evol front float shocks. At some point, maybe 2015, they changed the track to have the same lug stiffness as the other models.

SE is the base model: Comes with Fox coilover shocks, no painted tunnels most years, full length tunnel coolers, "laydown" fixed steering posts (think ski-doo style steering).

Snopro: Comes with Fox Float air ski and rear track shocks, vertical adjustable steering post (more like the Polaris and older Cat M-series steering feel), short tunnel coolers in 2014 and 2015, painted tunnels and rails in 2014 and 2015.

Limited: Same trim as Snopro, just different graphics and usually came with a tunnel and goggle bag.

Disclaimer: This info only concerns 2012 to 2015 sleds. 2016-2017 is a different ball of wax.

sledhead685 · Feb 21, 2018

XCaSSAULT said:
I currently have my eye on a 13 with 570 miles for $6k (thinking I could get for $5.5) and a 15 with 1,340 miles for $6.5k (thinking $6k).

My poo was a 2010, 1,800 miles and 3 top ends. My buddy has a 16 pro and motor went at 500 miles (pto seal). No faith in poo no moo

I've seen 16's LTD's for between $6-7k. That would get you evol shocks, better performing skid, way better front end/skis, TEAM clutches, and a 3" powerclaw (worlds better than the 2.6"). It would cost a lot of money to make a pre-16 comparable to a 16. Personally I would go for a higher mileage 16 versus a 13-15 of the same price (wouldn't even consider a stock 12 for reasons mentioned above). And if I did get a pre-16, I don't think I'd pay over $5k. My 16 is approaching 3,000 miles and hasn't skipped a beat.

iroc1132 · Feb 21, 2018

2012 ?

I have a 2012 sno pro with 7944 miles on the ticker! Runs like a champ. Has never had a belt blowing problem, or any other problem for that matter. Secondary clutch was replaced 2 years ago and primary was replaced at 4000 (approx) miles and at 7800 miles. I put a new chain in it a few years back. I have done the rear skid relocate and added the steering mod to make it turn sharper. OH, shocks have been rebuild more than 3 times. I used to run Cat oil, for last several thousand miles I run Amsoil. And, last year I changed spark plugs. Sled has lived its entire life in Montana and Idaho. Its not a flatlander trail sled.
I guess what I am getting at is that good sleds are out there. But they have been taken care of and had a steady diet of maintenance. 2012 has a bad rep, no doubt, but they aren't all bad.
Look for loose rivets in tunnel, slop in suspension. roll it on its side and see how many times the belly pan bounced off rocks. Look at belt guard, above and below the clutches. Belt blower sleds will have signs of carnage. Look for kevlar and rubber packed into belly pan by brake, black marks on clutches.
Due diligence is your friend.

richardderkevorkian · Feb 21, 2018

Get a 15+ they require the least amount of upgrading.

The 14s have an upgraded rear suspension geometry and lighter spars/suspension bolts over previous years

The 15s fixed the ****ty jackshaft and have the best ecm tuning

The 16s got a hyvo chain, 36" fron end, skis that try and kill you, and debatable better clutching... I don't like the boss secondary

I prefer the 38" front end to the 36".

My dad rides a 15 with Polaris skis, a tki belt drive, and diamond s can. It is a great sled. Very fun with those few upgrades.

The chassis are pretty bullet proof, roll it on its side and make sure it hasn't taken any hits to the bottom skid plate and ensure that the a arm mounts look good.

Compression is pretty variable based on everyone's gauge and elevation... just make sure they're within a couple pounds of each other and it should be fine.

Check the condition of the belt cover and belly pan under the clutch, should let you know if it's a belt blower.

Good luck

mightymoko · Feb 21, 2018

boondocker97;4133873) [SIZE="4" said:
short tunnel coolers in 2014 and 2015, painted tunnels and rails in 2014 and 2015.
[/SIZE]
Limited: Same trim as Snopro, just different graphics and usually came with a tunnel and goggle bag.

Disclaimer: This info only concerns 2012 to 2015 sleds. 2016-2017 is a different ball of wax.

For what it's worth.
My 2013 limited has a short cooler and a painted tunnel

richardderkevorkian · Feb 21, 2018

mightymoko said:
For what it's worth.
My 2013 limited has a short cooler and a painted tunnel

13 limiteds also had the light brake disk. The rear suspension location on the 14s is the best improvement between the 12/13s to 14s

boondocker97 · Feb 22, 2018

mightymoko said:
For what it's worth.
My 2013 limited has a short cooler and a painted tunnel

Good catch, I forgot about those black and white ones.

89sandman · Feb 22, 2018

The 2012 limited also has the painted tunnel/boards. If you do a lot of trail riding the 12 has the long cooler which is very nice to have. The 12's only have the 2.25 track. 16 front end on any of them makes a night and day difference on how they carve. In fact makes it feel like a whole different sled...

sno*jet · Feb 23, 2018

what year(s) did they change the profile of the rails?
that might be a key improvement in how the sled gets on top of the snow. that and adding the braces after the front arm area, not sure when those were added but they are a must.

XCaSSAULT · Feb 23, 2018

What kinda operating temp are u guys seeing in deep snow, moderate snow and hard packed? Are these sleds really hyper sensitive to marginal conditions? At what temp does the computer start pulling timing?

When I had my rmk it wanted to be in the 130-150 range even in decent snow and would start going up from there fast on short hard packed conditions. I feel that is to hot for performance/reliability so I put a remote t-stat bypass on it. That changed my temps to 104-118 and rarely above 126. Hardly ever need the scratchers. Also warmed up faster with far less temp fluctuation.

Do these sleds have the stat in head or is it remote?

boondocker97 · Feb 23, 2018

sno*jet said:
what year(s) did they change the profile of the rails?
that might be a key improvement in how the sled gets on top of the snow. that and adding the braces after the front arm area, not sure when those were added but they are a must.

2016 was the new rail profile. 2015 had the front rail braces standard on snopro and limited. Earlier on the HCR and 4 strokes. Not sure if the SEs ever had them.

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