Who uses a teather cord?

ARMYSLEDER · Feb 22, 2008

I was just curious who uses or puts a teather cord on there sleds? My Highmark came with one but I have yet to use it. I have seen guys in the parking lots with them hooked to there jackets but have never tried it myself. I think if you fell off your sled on a hill you would want it running so you could try to get up and dig the track in to keep it from rolling. I know racers are required to have one. what does it do other than shut off the sled?

robo · Feb 22, 2008

i have one on my turbo, wear it around my wrist, dont want to starve the turbo of oil if sled is stopped running upside down for too long.

Sparx · Feb 22, 2008

I swear by my tether now. I wore it on and off until my Pro XR 800 flipped back on top of me in the mountains, spun over and got a chunk of snow wedged in the throttle paddle causing it to head downhill pinned and took out two 6" trees 8' off the ground. Fortunately it only bent the shock beyond belief and took out the lower radius rod, bent the top one almost 90 degrees. My tether was wrapped around my gas cap. Sled almost took out a couple buddies on the way down, if I would have worn it, would have made the sled day that much longer and had less drama. Still rode the sled to the truck no problem after pushing the belly pan back out. Never ride without it and buy one for every new sled now.... :face-icon-small-sho

mod03rmk800 · Feb 22, 2008

You obviously have not had to chase your sled on a gradual hill only to stay an arms reach of it as it rolls out of sight into a treed gully.

Or dumped it upside down and have the snow gremlin peg the throttle inches away from your head.

Or had a technical climb going on and somehow hit the kill switch.

Or had the mystical pinned throttle at start up to watch in amazement of how fast your sled is without you on it.

I have experienced 3 of the 4 above scenarios!

cmantle1 · Feb 22, 2008

i have two stories that hopefully convince you to wear one....

first this past weekend i didnt wear mine thinking i was a tough guy...it was epic deep snow and a blue bird day. I carved a turn and some snow wedged itself between the throttle and bars. The sled wasnt pinned, but it hauled *** away from me and into a snowbank. It took 3 days and a **** ton of digging to get it out. I will never step on my sled without it ever again.

My buddy was riding and his steering post broke, he fell, and the sled pinned it away form him. It ended up launching out of a ditch and into the biggest tree in the dam forest. completley ruined, nothing slavageable. a tether would have saved his sled...

CatWoman · Feb 22, 2008

Have your sled dump over on it's side (and not continue to roll), then fall in the spinning track.

One busted up leg will convince you to wear it. Sad part of this is that I had one installed on my sled when I got it. Didn't use it, so decided to take it off. :face-icon-small-con :face-icon-small-blu That was hard/painful lesson learned. I still feel the effects of that, and it's been 3 years the end of this month.

I wear mine around my wrist as well. That way I can yank it if need be.

Also, there is a thread on here in General (I got lucky - Avy story) about a guy that got buried in an avy. He was able to clear a breathing space before he was cemented into place, only to have exhaust from his running sled ruining his breathing air. His friends and him were equipped, and luckily recently out of avy class, so they got him out before he perished.

Ten-Zing · Feb 22, 2008

I have a funny story to relay.

The 2002 Polaris twin 800's didn't have decomp cylinders in em so starting em was a bit tougher pull.

So the Editor of Amsnow is a little guy, (Bonchar??) he sticks a glove inbetween the throttle and block of a brandy new test Polari800... Yanks cord, sled goes down road into a tree.... Next year insteada Polari offerin' a tethered 800 to Amsnow guy, they offer the decomp800 to everyone.

I run with a tether on my IQR now, just way simpler than the key AND killswitch.

SHEFFY40 · Feb 22, 2008

Do you guys find that you unplug it very often with it around your wrist as your jumping back and forth on the sides of the tunnel during an aggressive ride??

Scott · Feb 22, 2008

ALWAYS wear mine on my wrist.

WYsteph · Feb 22, 2008

I spent a day a cooke city last year catching sleds when people fell off. Trust me, tethers are a lot better deal and easier on the shoulders...

I wear it hooked on my coat, only trouble I have with unpluging it is if I have to get off to start the sled.

Snowstar · Feb 22, 2008

Always were mine. Totalled one sled and had a close call on my currant sled cause I wasnt wearing one.

farwest · Feb 22, 2008

Always !!!saw a guy flip his sled and get his arm sucked into the drivers!!!:beer;

winter brew · Feb 22, 2008

Have never worn it, I can picture alot of situations where it would get disconnected by a branch or my body and possibly cause an accident, few situations where I come off and care if the engine is running or not. JMHO-

woodies · Feb 22, 2008

i run a lefty and have the stuck throttle kill disconnected, tether is a must! plus have seen sleds run down the slopes with ghost riders funny chit if its not in your group!

AKboondocker · Feb 22, 2008

I dont wear one. Ive had tree branches hit my kill switch on the way up nasty climbs or tight boondocking situations and it gets ugly fast. I think I would disconnect it accidentally and cause a roll, etc.I used one a few times on my rev and I did almost lose a running sled down a ravine, but only once. I guess for my main type of riding it would do more harm than good. Personal preference I suppose.

sleddin pete · Feb 22, 2008

Watched my buddies 07 X roll down the hill and hit a tree after he fell off with his tether attached to the handle bars.If my Polaris had one I'd wear it

CatWoman · Feb 22, 2008

My sled didn't come with one on it.....I bought it, and the hubby installed it.

I don't find it gets in my way with jumping around on my sled, and I have to do that a lot. My sled is a bit heavier, or me being lighter.....I just can't lean and have it do what I want. I have move around a lot!!

I have had it catch on a tree branch twice....and that's not bad considering all of our riding is in the pine trees, and some very tight stuff at that. I've learned though how to bring my arm/elbow in if needed, and not have it effect my handling of the sled. I've never had it come off on anything uphill....maybe my stance is different than the downhill stuff. :face-icon-small-con I guess it is....I get more lax on the downhill, and now that I think about it, that's where it happened.

SilverGriz · Feb 22, 2008

New XP got away from on my first ride and hit a tree ($3100 in damage)! Needless to say I have worn it since. I hook mine on my Klim jacket. I think most sled jackets have a ring to hook it too.

NoSecondChances · Feb 22, 2008

mod03rmk800 said:
You obviously have not had to chase your sled on a gradual hill only to stay an arms reach of it as it rolls out of sight into a treed gully.....

....Or had the mystical pinned throttle at start up to watch in amazement of how fast your sled is without you on it.

I have experienced 3 of the 4 above scenarios!

Hey Hey!!! I'm 2 for 4 out of your scenario's!!! I never ride without it now after almost losing my sled to a 800 ft run down the mountain side into a forest.

Only difference on #4 is my old man's sled did the hary kary off the trailer with the throttle stuck open, tether switch was the only thing that saved if from doing the funky chicken off 3 other trucks in the parking lot.
My uncle had one that did the throttle dance on the trail though, left him standing on the side of the trail and hit a tree so hard it bent the rear rails in the suspension into an "S" shape.

KITIMAT TOM · Feb 22, 2008

The #1 reason I installed a tether on my 04 rmk was that I double with my daughter(7).If we ever wipe out I want the sled dead ASAP.Imagine falling off a untethered sled and your paniced child grabing a hand full of throttle by accident.When on my own I ride tethered ALWAYS.My .02$

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