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Axys 850 Drive Belt Slip

off trail mike

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May 31, 2011
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New Brunswick, Canada
Just wondering if anyone has any tips/tricks to reduce drive belt slippage on the 850's. Up until today (it's raining outside:face-icon-small-fro ) it's been pow city here and both sleds in our group seem to suffer from drive belt slippage when cutting through snow on a carve.

Thankfully not too often, but clearly there is some major water getting in there.

I was thinking that maybe it needs better drainage from inside the engine compartment or partially blocking the high open vents on the hood. Never had this problem on other sleds and the 600 RMK in the group doesn't seem to have the same issue.

Belt tension to spec, clutches cleaned and never appeared dirty anyway.

Thanks in advance.

OTM
 

PISTONPETE

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Nov 14, 2009
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New Brunswick,northern
Mike, frogskinz on hood help some, but major snow getting sucked in footwell also. Mines blocked off for fresh snow days and also clutch side panel needs a little sealing where it meets the hood just over the spare belt holder..

what area are you riding??
I was at The dealer here Tuesday and 3 guys called in with same condition..
 

sierra sleder

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Nov 20, 2008
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Montana
Frogz skins and foot well ideas

I've experienced same issue. 19 axys 850, I bought the 6 piece frogs skins hood kit but haven't installed it yet. I will probably before our next powder ride. Piston PETE how do you block off foot wells for your powder days?
Frog skinz kit looks good but I wonder if it will keep heat in on a warm spring day? I got the frog skin kits for my two BCA radio miss also. Those work great. Keeps dust dirt out of them when we ride Moto too.
 
H

hoov165x

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Apr 12, 2009
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Bend, OR
I've experienced same issue. 19 axys 850, I bought the 6 piece frogs skins hood kit but haven't installed it yet. I will probably before our next powder ride. Piston PETE how do you block off foot wells for your powder days?
Frog skinz kit looks good but I wonder if it will keep heat in on a warm spring day? I got the frog skin kits for my two BCA radio miss also. Those work great. Keeps dust dirt out of them when we ride Moto too.

https://www.t3customs.com/product-page/axys-footwell-vents
 
A
Dec 6, 2012
17
1
3
I have been having the same problem on a 2018 axys SKS and a 2016 axys SKS. Rode about 2-3ft I’d fresh cold soft powder last weekend and had the belt getting wet and slipping when carving or landing on a powder pillow. Tossed me over the bars once. I don’t know if the problem is powder coming in the top of the hood of shooting up from underneath somehow. I took a flashlight and you can see a lot of light under the sled and around seems (ie clutch side panel). We don’t get the opportunity to ride that much powder often so no one out here really had any ideas. Figure the guys out west would have answers with all their powder days lol.

I was going to seal some of those seams with silicone.. any reason not to? Should I be worried melted snow may not have somewhere to drain out?

A few years ago I had a belt slip on the 2016 SKS when water skipping. Almost sunk the sled. I think water sprayed up somehow off the ski, I never figured it out and just stopped water skipping.
 
I used clear silicon to seal the bulkhead seams as I had a little snow coming in. I have some belt squeal as well but I know for sure its the snow coming in through the hood vents,.. melting on the pipe, and then causing excessive moisture. The moisture also makes its way up through my vented Polaris window bag and causes things to be damp inside there as well.
 

off trail mike

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May 31, 2011
318
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New Brunswick, Canada
Mike, frogskinz on hood help some, but major snow getting sucked in footwell also. Mines blocked off for fresh snow days and also clutch side panel needs a little sealing where it meets the hood just over the spare belt holder..

what area are you riding??
I was at The dealer here Tuesday and 3 guys called in with same condition..

Pete;
We are out of Bathurst and up until the rain, didn't have to go far to get stuck!!! This layer of ice is OK once it gets buried as it will give a traction layer above 5 feet of fluff!

Yeah I'm thinking its coming in from the hood as I did manage to plug a couple of big holes up front in the bellypan....and no big improvement.

Few posts I looked through recommended pet screen and I think I'll try this first and try to seal up any obvious holes where snow comes in. I have prefilter material but it definitely holds heat. If I could identify which holes are the worst culprits, I could try prefilter on only those. Definitely left side holes but question is which ones???

As discussed, the footwell is definitely another area, but think I'll try one at a time. Hood first.

Does Polaris offer vent covers like doo???

OTM
 

PISTONPETE

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Kool, I am right by moose valley up here..

The frogskinz do hold a bit to much heat or block flow.I did not put the front nose one on and the one by they exhaust (upper )and might remove the one under headlight (Rh ). I would also try pet screen first, it might just block the flow JUST enough. But where it enters the most which fills where the spare belt is,( and drips down to belt ) is where the side panels come to the hood panel just by the corner of the headlight, so to speak, the seal is very bad.

I try to put a pic, kinda hard to explain..:eyebrows:
 

Sheetmetalfab

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Oct 5, 2010
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Pete;
We are out of Bathurst and up until the rain, didn't have to go far to get stuck!!! This layer of ice is OK once it gets buried as it will give a traction layer above 5 feet of fluff!

Yeah I'm thinking its coming in from the hood as I did manage to plug a couple of big holes up front in the bellypan....and no big improvement.

Few posts I looked through recommended pet screen and I think I'll try this first and try to seal up any obvious holes where snow comes in. I have prefilter material but it definitely holds heat. If I could identify which holes are the worst culprits, I could try prefilter on only those. Definitely left side holes but question is which ones???

As discussed, the footwell is definitely another area, but think I'll try one at a time. Hood first.

Does Polaris offer vent covers like doo???

OTM

Try this.

Watch the powder flow from your track through the running boards into the footwell while riding.

Also flows in the footwell when descending a hill. (Especially bad)

Then do the footwell vent/ cover and eliminate all belt slippage.

Cool trick.
 
A
Dec 6, 2012
17
1
3
Try this.

Watch the powder flow from your track through the running boards into the footwell while riding.

Also flows in the footwell when descending a hill. (Especially bad)

Then do the footwell vent/ cover and eliminate all belt slippage.

Cool trick.


I guess I have never paid attention to the foot wells taking snow in. Is the T3 Customs the best footwell vent for the Axys? I gotta figure something out bc the amount of belt slip I had in deep powder made it hard to ride.

Thanks!!
 

Sheetmetalfab

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I guess I have never paid attention to the foot wells taking snow in. Is the T3 Customs the best footwell vent for the Axys? I gotta figure something out bc the amount of belt slip I had in deep powder made it hard to ride.

Thanks!!

T3 customs is a good ez button.

I just cut out a bunch from 1/6” thick plastic.
Plastic trash can lid, kids roll up sled, old windshield etc.

(Added benefit is the front of the running boards will no longer get the big ice chunk)

Even helps the bare aluminum running boards stay clear.
 

gtwitch

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Laramie, Wyoming
sheetmetal, could you post pics ot the install of plastic install on the clutch side or both sides in the footwell?? appreciate it if possible as we were in 3.5+ pow yesterday and had some belt slipage issues and I can't imagine that the quickdrive belt and area ahead of the right footwell likes that much powder in there also. Thanks!!
gtwitch in Wyoming
 

Sheetmetalfab

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