zbros 36" installation question

sledhead_79 · Feb 12, 2015

Purchased a set of new zbros 36" arm kit for the wife's sled.

Pictures on instructions are black and white and blurry has heck. Does anyone have clear color pictures?

Kit never came with the spacer washers for the shocks., can't see where they go in picture (black and white and blurry). Did anyone else not get these spacers with their kits? I received two bolts, two nuts, and two washers. Are these two washers what they are referring to as spacer washers?

How many of you actually modified the spindle? Is this really necessary?

I just got home from a long day and noticed the package at front door and was hoping to put the kit on before we hit the snow Thursday night.

Going to call ZBROS in the morning, but was hoping to get input over night before picking up the phone.

Spaarky · Feb 12, 2015

The washer is the spacer. Yes you definetely need to modify the spindles.

Cut out the supplied template. Lay it on the spindle. I did the rough work with a grinder. Cleaned up with die grinder, then made it nice with file and flap wheel. I actually had to take a little more material than the template indicated.

Getting the front end realigned is tougher than prepping the spindles.

Bushman900 · Feb 12, 2015

My kit the spacers were on the new shock bolts that are supplied with the kit. You need put them on the aluminum bushing on the shock end. Only one per shock if it is a 13 or newer.

rmkboxer · Feb 12, 2015

you have to drill your lower shock spacers or order some for a 12, if you are using stock shocks is what it says in the directions and I drilled mine

dktraw · Feb 12, 2015

Just a note, you do not have to drill shock spacers if you have an assault either. Just did the 36" zbroz to my 14 assault a couple weeks ago

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

New Question

Got my spindles lined up vertically, relieve pressure off of a ski and the spring on the shock is now hitting the upper arm. Its like this on both ends when rock sled back and forth. What am I doing wrong?

Sheetmetalfab · Feb 17, 2015

Turn the spring so the arm matches the gap between coils

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

Only gives me about a 1/4" of clearance if I do that. Should I expect more clearance?

Killer Time Racing · Feb 17, 2015

Something is up ... Stickers on front ?? Weld BB on right??

Stock springs?? Spacer in correct position ??

My stock shocks and Assault springs have all kinds of clearance ..

die hard poo · Feb 17, 2015

I'm guessing your shocks are still stock length? If so it's probably causing the front of the sled to be too tall in the front, which is causing the arms to have more droop. I highly recommend shortening your shocks by ~1/2". Makes the suspension work much better. Less bind on your upper ball joint, more clearance on the spring and upper arm, and less ski pressure.

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

Killer Time Racing said:
Something is up ... Stickers on front ?? Weld BB on right??

Stock springs?? Spacer in correct position ??

My stock shocks and Assault springs have all kinds of clearance ..

Weld BB?

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

die hard poo said:
I'm guessing your shocks are still stock length? If so it's probably causing the front of the sled to be too tall in the front, which is causing the arms to have more droop. I highly recommend shortening your shocks by ~1/2". Makes the suspension work much better. Less bind on your upper ball joint, more clearance on the spring and upper arm, and less ski pressure.

Stock shocks on a '14, which should be shorter than the 11/12's.

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

Note this is when sled is laying on its side, so issue would happen during carving, sidehilling, jumping, and pull wheelies.

Killer Time Racing · Feb 17, 2015

sledhead_79 said:
Note this is when sled is laying on its side, so issue would happen during carving, sidehilling, jumping, and pull wheelies.

Post a pic on the ground flat .. mine was on a stand and never came close

THEY MAKE A BB OF WELD ON THE TOP RIGHT ARM !! and the arms go so the bottom ones are rear swept !!

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

Pics of sled resting on ground. 3/8-1/2" horizontal clearance

Sheetmetalfab · Feb 17, 2015

sledhead_79 said:
Only gives me about a 1/4" of clearance if I do that. Should I expect more clearance?

1/4" is plenty.
Remember the arm travels up and out so clearance accordingly.
Suspension will be closer to optimum with a 16" shock.
Ride hieght, spindle clearance and balljoint misalignment.

Don't sweat running them as is tho.

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

I don't know if I am overseeing this issue.

This is what I am picturing

When sled is sitting on garage floor, lets say the compression is 0

When sled is thrown on side and spring/shock is compressed, lets say that is +7

When that other ski is in the air when sled is thrown on side and the shock/spring decompresses lets say it is -3

So if I am beating the crap out of the whoops on the rough trail headed to a good spot in the mountains, when the rebound on the shock/spring is in motion, won't it decompress more than -3 so lets say -5ish then come back to -3 while the skis are in the air? If this is the case, that spring is going to rub against that joint on the upper arm.

I just say this, cause in order for me to mount the shock onto the lower arm, I had to make sure that the spring was not under any compression/stress, put a 1X2 board between my gut and lower joint of shock and push up against the shock as much as I could just to get the bolt to slide halfway into the shock/arm. So I know that there is still more shock left in to decompress at a rapid pace to go past -3 on my homemade scale.

ditch1000 · Feb 17, 2015

sledhead_79 said:
Pics of sled resting on ground. 3/8-1/2" horizontal clearance

I think you may have the top arms backwards side to side.... If you had a picture from the front I could see better, but it looks like the mount for the ball joint is pointing down rather than flat.... I may be wrong, but I put a set of top arms backwards on a 39" ZBroz kit last year. I ran it all year, but I finally clued in that the top arms were backwards... It finally stressed the ball joints enough that it wrecked the seals on them....

Sheetmetalfab · Feb 17, 2015

ditch1000 said:
I think you may have the top arms backwards side to side.... If you had a picture from the front I could see better, but it looks like the mount for the ball joint is pointing down rather than flat.... I may be wrong, but I put a set of top arms backwards on a 39" ZBroz kit last year. I ran it all year, but I finally clued in that the top arms were backwards... It finally stressed the ball joints enough that it wrecked the seals on them....

Impossible on the 36" arms.
They are cut on the bottom.

sledhead_79 · Feb 17, 2015

ditch1000 said:
I think you may have the top arms backwards side to side.... If you had a picture from the front I could see better, but it looks like the mount for the ball joint is pointing down rather than flat.... I may be wrong, but I put a set of top arms backwards on a 39" ZBroz kit last year. I ran it all year, but I finally clued in that the top arms were backwards... It finally stressed the ball joints enough that it wrecked the seals on them....

Been comparing arms with this sled to see if they are in right spot.
http://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392251

zbros 36" installation question

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