I am by no means a master of suspension set up...but I've spent a lot of time in my last 16 years learning the science of the rear skid.
I've learned a lot of things by trial and error. I have made mistakes and found success...so my post here is "data driven".
Set up, Set up, Set up.
Weight transfer and trenching (or not) are relational.
It's all in the shocks and springs. Shock spring preload, clicker setting, etc.
The old rule of thumb is softer suspension (but not melted butter soft of course) in the powder and firmer (not HARD) suspension in the spring.
The first place you should look if there is too much trenching (aside from different performance of different tracks) is due to too firm of rear end combined with too soft of front track shock.
May be a bit off topic about the Polaris but it seems that the last few mountain models they have put out like to trench and lift the front end. I have a 2012 Rmk 163x3 with a turbo and it needed some cheap McIver mods to the skid to keep the front end down and avoid those deep trenches. Without the mods a person could disappear in the trenches and the sled was not much better than stock as it would just stand up and dig in the deep. Not to mention wanting to coming over backwards in the steep.
Adding more power to the sleds, with the new motors, may just amplify this issue, the manufacturer may want to address this before we can compare the tracks. I may be wrong but my two bits.
It all appears to be lack of talent with the rider
In the few times I have jumped from the 2.6 to the 3.0 my only noticeable comment was the lower gearing of the 3.0 at least the result of what I believe is the lower gearing. The sled carried slightly more ground speed in some situations where I found I had to correct myself and not override the sled compared to the 2.6 where I felt more confidence. Shock setup difference between the sleds would have also played a role. But the initial snappiness from the 2.6 wasn't there with the 3.0. Not a huge difference but just felt a little better on the 2.6
I also still run stock gearing on my '14, though going to a 2.25 I find is a happy medium on the pre '16 sleds, but I live with the stock setup. I would like to try a 3.0 geared a little taller for comparison.
They may not move forward on edge as flat as the Pro but I didn't mind the rest of it.
Interesting on both of these.
Compared to the doos, the Polaris Pro has a strong reputation of keeping the skis down on the ground out of the box and not being a wheelie monster.
The Axis is lighter up front and does get the skis up a little more, but there is a point of diminishing return on ski lift on powder and climbing.
Too much ski lift in powder may cause trenching.
But in a deep powder day, don't we all leave a trench? Especially with the early season of this year when there was no base and then suddenly FEET of snow. I see a LOT of posts, and experienced it myself this year...5 feet of powder, but can still feel the stumps and bumps under the snow. No base....and deep powder. Your rear skid set-up will help you out a little more than you think on these days.
