2016 Wish List / Predictions

-more accessories
-lower price! please!
-better fork clamps
-lighter ski and spindle

A cover for the brake disc caliper, so I stop running into things.

Awesome thread. You know we're watching! Keep the ideas coming...it gives me more ammo in our R&D meetings!
Even if it's been mentioned, re-stating a wish list item gives it a +1 on our list.
-Blaser

- all tracks to be 10.5" width with 2 1/4 paddle

- better fork tube clamps (maybe have some sort of rubber inserts)

- shock options( swap what ever style you want in what ever location you want them)

- a small hole in the chaincase cover with a rubber plug to pop in and out for lubing the chain without taking the whole cover off

- built in gas rack on all models

- some sort of plastic brake housing/enclosure keep the snow off of it

For Timbersleds sake, I think they need to focus on cost reduction.

If the price to manufacture to selling price is too wide, it leaves the door wide open for someone to get the chinese involved.

I would say focus on cost reduction and pass along the savings, and get more units out there. They are currently too expensive for most people to just try it out.

Jon

-Belt drive and less parasitic non o-ring drive chain
-20lb weight reduction minimum
-Adjustable jackshaft for any gearing combination
-Less snow up my back and a$$
-Bigger lug track with more length options
-Proper length bolts that don't have threads contacting wear points ie ski shock rod etc.
-Metal chain tensioner gears. I made my own, plastic ones don't last they're crap
-A real chain case chain tensioner oh yah the belt drive will have that
-WAY less flex in the tunnel sides
-Stronger tunnel sides, we've destroyed few now
-No maintenance bearings, if I can run a driveshaft bearing on my 290 hp sled for 2 seasons there's no reason I should be replacing bearings with a 50 hp machine basically ever
-Less rolling resistance
-Evolve the ski further, its way better than it was but its not there yet it needs side cut like a downhill ski or snowboard
-Built in tunnel cooler option with multiple thermostat choices
-Better and more air intake options
-Drill all the metal gears for weight reduction
-Gun drill the jackshaft and driveshaft
-Splined shafts and gears no more hardware store keys and shafts
-Did I mention lighter??

JMO

M5

Lower Cost.

Chaincase cover that does not explode. Maybe metal interior with plastic exterior so it deflects off of rocks easier but retains strength.

Improved fork tube clamps that will resist bending or damaging fork lowers. Maybe eliminate them altogether and try the UFO spindle which as I understand does not clamp to fork tubes.

Better shipping rates for Canadian customers. $22 us to send me a pre filter is ridiculous "Eh". How much does a stamp cost in the US lol.

Improved Brake. The icing is hard to deal with at times especially when off the trail in deep snow.

A fender or shroud for the subframe so snow roost doesn't assault airbox and throttle body/carb areas. (might help the brake also)

A ski skin for spring riding. All plastic so we can cross dirt patches and open creeks with a little more class!

Get rid of chaincase on outside of frame. Move inside between frame and track.


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Metric please! My number one would be make all the bolts and nuts metric. Virtually all the bikes on which we run these kits are metric and carrying two sets of tools doesn't make sense. Just doing that would equal a bit of weight savings by our not having to carry extra tools and save, at least for me, some frustration. Owning ATVs, snowmobiles, cars, motorcycles, etc and this being the only item that is not metric, it bugs me everytime I have to pull out the never-used SAE tools. Ha. So do away with SAE and go metric like everything else we own.

The rest of these have been mentioned already, but just to give another vote...

Use bolts that are of the proper configuration so the shank is the correct length and the threads aren't contacting and wallowing out the mounting hole.

Clearance for longer paddles and/or offer longer tracks with bigger paddles directly on the new kits.

I don't care about weight reduction near as much as reliability. Do whatever it takes, even if it adds a bit of weight, to make the kit more robust to minor hits and flexing. Reduced flexing would help keep everything aligned better and potentially head off wear issues with bearings, sprockets, and everything in between.

Enclose entire tunnel to keep snow off back of engine, rider and brake.

Splined shafts for sprockets rather than key ways. Not sure why, but splines just seem more secure and robust. Probably my imagination and I haven't had any probs with keyways, so mark this one as very low priority on the wish list because the extra cost on this one probably makes it not worth it.

Reduced price would be nice but the above improvements are way more important to me and worth paying for in my book. Regarding price and getting people into the sport, there are enough used kits trickling down so those that don't want to spend as much can get into the sport. No different from sleds or cars or whatever. We all want this years sled, but want to pay what a 5 year old used one costs. Ha. So, keep focusing on improvements and quality and let the price fall where it may. Someone will always come up with a cheaper kit with inferior quality but most will still see the value in quality. More than likely any price reduction will come from volume efficiencies by making more kits each season as the sport grows and/or buying raw materials or components in a larger volume as more and more people buy the kits.

I second the metric idea, nothing is SAE anymore.

M5

RELIABILITY and pricing are the biggest things.

The brake issue is pretty big too! Almost smashed a buddy when I forgot to brake pump 40 feet before I actually wanted to stop.

- More accessories!!!!!!!

-Spare parts kit with master links spare strut rod bolt, tensioner bolts ski spindle bolt,keyways just a little kit with the common things that break and could leave a guy stranded. And a little tool kit. I pay anywhere from 8k to 11k on a ktm and i get a little tool kit and i use the **** out of them. I think that would be kinda handy from timbersled

-Metric please
- Metal chain tensioner sprocket or sliders
- Bolts that are made for the kit without the threads in the contact points
-splined shafts
- Brake sheild to keep ice build up at bay
- Pre bleed brake caliper or something, it took me longer to get the air out of the system than it did to disassemble and reassemble the bike and kit
-Roost guard for the air box/ rear of engine

kylerf150 said:

- More accessories!!!!!!!

-Spare parts kit with master links spare strut rod bolt, tensioner bolts ski spindle bolt,keyways just a little kit with the common things that break and could leave a guy stranded. And a little tool kit. I pay anywhere from 8k to 11k on a ktm and i get a little tool kit and i use the **** out of them. I think that would be kinda handy from timbersled

-Metric please
- Metal chain tensioner sprocket or sliders
- Bolts that are made for the kit without the threads in the contact points
-splined shafts
- Brake sheild to keep ice build up at bay
- Pre bleed brake caliper or something, it took me longer to get the air out of the system than it did to disassemble and reassemble the bike and kit
-Roost guard for the air box/ rear of engine

Click to expand...

Agreed


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My list.

Tensioner
Splined gears
Brake guard
Metric bolts that have proper thread lengths
Shock options
Stronger side panels

I think bearings will fail I don't know any that will not fail might want to look at bronze bushings with grease Zert :noidea:

I third, fourth and fifth the metric bolt idea with proper length bolts that rest a shank on the frame and bracket areas of my $6100 toy and not a the threads of the bolts. All of these bike are metric why do I need to carry two sets of tools ughhh.

Beef up the ski bracket that attaches to the spindle. I get that its a fail safe between ski/spindle failure and spindle/fork failure, but I think that there is less than a an 1/8th" of stainless steel to keep the bracket from bending, of course that paired with the improper bolt on the spindle didn't help to keep my ski bracket from bending the first ride out.

Lower cost my @ss hole is still puckering!!

All in all a great product that has come a long way in 5-6 years. Its time to work on the fine details and really make this the only choice for people in the future

Thank you everybody for your ideas. Do know that we keep track of all of them. Some of the wishes are very possible and some are not at this point in time.
We do have a lot of very nice changes for next year that you will be pleased with. Some things we would like to change but are unable to simply because it would raise the price of the kit not lower it. Such as metric bolts; there is more to it than just installing them. Metric bolts use a lot of strange wrench sizes. To accomplish what we want properly we would need to have all custom bolts made for our kits, we simply are not big enough to have this done at this point in time.

Most metric wrench sizes will interchange with the SAE sizes on the kit. Here is a reference chart to help you refine your toolkit. These are all the tool sizes on the Mountain Horse snow bike system.

Hex Keys:
5/32" / 4mm
7/32 / none
Wrenches:
7/16" / 11mm
1/2" / 13mm
9/16" / 14mm"
5/8" / 16mm
Any sizes larger then 5/8" use a Crescent wrench.

Allen from Timbersled.

FYI, all the Metric fasteners you ever wanted. http://www.fabory.ca/pages/home.html

The metric sized wrenches aren't really weird, they actually follow a sequential pattern where the number on them relates precisely to the measurement of the head of the bolt. While they might seem foreign and strange, they are actually quite common, especially on the motorized portion of the kit.. I agree it would be a good thing to go Metric and use the grip area of the bolts not the threaded area as a bearing surface.

Jon

Mtn. Muncher said:

Thank you everybody for your ideas. Do know that we keep track of all of them. Some of the wishes are very possible and some are not at this point in time.
We do have a lot of very nice changes for next year that you will be pleased with. Some things we would like to change but are unable to simply because it would raise the price of the kit not lower it. Such as metric bolts; there is more to it than just installing them. Metric bolts use a lot of strange wrench sizes. To accomplish what we want properly we would need to have all custom bolts made for our kits, we simply are not big enough to have this done at this point in time.

Most metric wrench sizes will interchange with the SAE sizes on the kit. Here is a reference chart to help you refine your toolkit. These are all the tool sizes on the Mountain Horse snow bike system.

Hex Keys:
5/32" / 4mm
7/32 / none
Wrenches:
7/16" / 11mm
1/2" / 13mm
9/16" / 14mm"
5/8" / 16mm
Any sizes larger then 5/8" use a Crescent wrench.

Allen from Timbersled.

Click to expand...

Sorry but I have to pluck on this. 13mm is not a 1/2". 1/2" falls right between 12 and 13 with some of the torques used you'll just round off the bolts using a 13 on a 1/2". Crescent wrench belongs in Walmart where it came from in the first place. The other sizes you've listed are close to each other but they aren't the same. Metric bolts are right there on the shelf next to the SAE in the hardware store in Montana, same price, You'll just have to step up for some new taps and wrenches is all. NOBODY uses SAE anymore, it makes your product seem a bit backwoods. Once again JMO.

M5