Why all the Proclimb sucks comments?

Over the winter, I saw a lot of guys bashing the hell out of the Proclimb. Basically, they said it sucks. Why?

The Proclimb is a great fickin sled! Yes, some 800's have had belt issues. M1100T's have had reverse issues.

The first thing typically said is the Pro is lighter. Well, I saw a 2012 stock Proclimb go up against a 2012 Pro, and guess who out marked the other? It wasn't the lighter sled. I have always said, give me 10 hp or lose 10 pounds, I will take the ponies every time.

Here are my thoughts-

Engine- Cat (Suzuki) makes the most powerful and reliable engine out there. Through the M series and now PC, the engine has always been a strong point. I like knowing when I go riding, I will get home becuase the engines are extremely reliable.

Chassis- I like it. When I get on my M1000 now, it feels low, unresponsive and dated. I like the way you sit up on the PC. It gives great leverage for Boondocking and carving turns. Confortable to sit or stand on. I think the new chassis is a huge improvement over the M. Does it need some tweaking? Sure, but not a bad first effort.

Strength- These sleds, like the M's are TOUGH! I have hit, rubbed, smashed and blasted through and over stuff that should have destroyed spindles, broken tunnels, grenaded panels and mauled running boards. I know a XP would not take that kind of abuse, and I doubt a Pro would either. Sleds may be heavier, but they are built like tanks and can take far more abuse in my opinion than either a Pro or a XP (XM). Run a Doo or Poo HARD for a few years and see how they hold up.

Cost- My buddy rents Doo's to tourists. I have an idea of what it costs to fix one. Holy Crap! The parts are insanely expensive. I always though Cat parts were reasonable. I have done my share of damage over the years and it was never unreasonable to fix the damage.

So, for 2013 you have a Poo coming out at 417 Dry (or whatever it is). Will it be reliable? Will it take serious abuse? Will the engine hold together? When you go that light, you have to compromise. This thing to could fold in half like a taco when pushed. Structural integrity could be a serious issue like the Doo a few years ago. They never did really solve the Dragon and 900 engine issues, have they solved the Pro one's?

Me, I am not going anywhere. So the 2013 cat is heavier. Well, good for it. At least I know when I smash over that downed tree, hit a rock coming out a chute, or roll it 5 times, it will get me home. Plus, I know I have 15 more hp under the hood and my engine won't grenade in the middle of a season.

Everyone seems to think the goal of the manufactures is to build the lightest sled. Is it? How about a light, reliable, responsive, RUGGED sled? One that last years. One that comes home everynight. One that is very powerful. One that takes a backcountry, boondocking beating without breaking a sweat and comes back asking for more. One that is fun and does everything extremely well, from Boondocking to climbing.

So, before everyone screams Poo, 1. wait. See if it hold together and is everything promised. Remember, this sled is glued together and is trying a new drive system. 2. The Cat maybe heavier, but I think it is more than a match for anything else. 3. The Cat wears it's weight well. It is a well balanced sled and you can use the wieght to your advantage. 4. So, it isn't narrow enough for you, light enough or powerful enough? Well, Cat probably has more aftermarket parts available to custom design your sled the Yammi, Doo and Poo combined. Pipes, cans, tracks, intakes, big bores, turbos, suspension, and the list goes on and on and on. They are pretty freindly to mods.

Lighter is not always better.........

diggerdown said:

People love to complain, hate to praise. The belt issue is definatly the biggest problem and cat should have jumped on it and hit the ground running, bad move not to. I feel sorry for the guys that are having the belt problems and I do think cats owes them some loyalty too...goes both ways. But you know, as soon as something is not just right everyone thinks they got took. Like the guy on here with the stage 2 bikeman kit. Beat everyone on the hill, pulled like a freight train, clutches and belts ran cooler, but said it was not worth the money because clutch made noise which I assume was the reverse cogs in the helix. Hey, I sure stuck my foot in it this time...that was you! Snowest hs gotten full of a bunch of whiners, I'm not talking about the guys that have had real problems, just the bunch of groupies that keep it all going. Getting old.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that was me. I was simply giving an honest opinion on an aftermarket product. It pulls great, but I have never had a clutch that had a grinding noise down low. I haven't used reverse with it. I don't know if it is normal or not. I will do some more tuning and get some better clutch guys to look at it and see if it is setup right. I have not done much with clutches before.

I am not bashing my sled though. Love it. I got burned out on sledding. The M1100T got me back into it.

I have bashed Cat some this year, but that is the company, not the sleds. Other than reverse, my M1100T has been bullit proof.

Like I said, I like the Proclimbs. I have ridden both the M1100T and the 800. Rugged, powerful, comfortable, fun and a well designed next gen sled. No complaints from me.

If you spend your time always comparing your sled against other manufacturers, some years you will be dissapointed. Cat will not be the lightest, most powerful sled every year. I think the pros far out wieght the cons (the only one other than belts being weight). For me, I don't worry about Doo or Poo's. I just ask myself if I am having fun on what I got, and the answer is a big YES!

The biggest complaint I have heard about the Pro is motor, and not blowing up. It gets it's power high in the RPM's and doesn't have much down low like the old M7. The M8 and even more so, the M1000, cured this.

I have never cared about weight as much as I have about motor. I am a power guy, probably why I went for the M1100T instead of the 800. In real world boondocking, in many instances, you need the juice fast and sometimes from a dead stop to make a move. You don't have time to wait for it to tack up.

HP is simply a number, torque is what is important. The Cat 800 and M1100T simply have fantastic torque curves. They have the power throughout the entire RPM range. To me, this is what seperates the PC from the rest, pure power to get the job done whether screaming wide open at over 8000 rpms or making a move from a dead stop. Throw in the new chassis, and in my book you have a winner no matter what the weight. I have also never had a problem waiting for boost on the M1100T either. Hit the throttle and it is there.