best choice of kids sled

SpencerA · Aug 27, 2013

Looking for a sled for my four year old. Are the 120s able to go on trail rides? I know their slow but someone was telling me you can only use them in parking lots. Son has been riding a ttr50 for year and half so I trust him on the trail. Or would snow scoot be better?

volcano buster · Aug 28, 2013

I had a 120. I have a Scoot on loan.

You have to ask yourself what you want the kid to do on the sled. At 4, they don't have all the capacity to go where you go, so be realistic.

If I did it again, I would have the kid ride with me until they fit on a scoot. Long track the scoot and let them learn on it. The 120 is just a bit too restricted.

SpencerA · Aug 28, 2013

Is their anyway to control speed on the scoots? When you say the 120s are restrictive do you mean thcan't even go on groomed trails? Obviously I know they can't go in anything soft but a groomer I would think they would do but slow.

Escmanaze · Aug 29, 2013

120 go

My understanding is that a 120 will do just fine with a small body on it on the groomed trails. As a kid I had a kitty kat (the old 60 CC 2 stroke engines) and it was pretty weak, but it still at least pushed me around at like the age of 8 (I was really bored and didn't have anything to do). I've seen the 120's go pretty well with little kids on them and I don't even plan to turn the governor off until my 4 year old (I'm going to buy him one this winter) is plenty plenty capable of keeping it on the trail.

couch · Aug 30, 2013

check out some of the videos of the Scoots / Sports versus the other 120's ... lots of links on the site ...and then figure out what stage the kid is at and which is best.

Scoot / Sports are harder to find as they were not made for long (1990 & 91 for Sports) but are pretty robust and are a really good platform for learning as they are pretty rider forward like newer style sleds. Our Sports (mod'd with 108" and 121" tracks) can run at 50 km/h on decent trail and with plastic skis they can take a kid off trail in powder.

After they outgrow a Scoot / Sport then a 340 / 550 fan sled is a nice step up so that the sled size / power is matched to the rider (BRP Freestyle would be decent).

cateye5312 · Aug 30, 2013

There were a couple of Snow Scoots posted on ebay a couple of days ago.

I let all my kids ride with me until their helmet started bashing me in the chin and then put them on 340's. I've had Yamaha Enticers, Arctic Cat Jags and Polaris Indy Lites. Now I am outfitting the grandkids. I prefer the Indy Lites. I haven't been around the 120's much but my understanding is that top stock speed is 8 mph. You can modify them but I think you are still looking at a top speed of like 14 or so.

Escmanaze · Aug 30, 2013

8 mph

Ha ha!! I suppose all kids are different, but right now, at 4 years old, I absolutely don't want my kid going any faster than 8 mph!!! Maybe next year, I'll turn off the governor and get him up to 14 mph and I'll still be really uncomfortable.

Then if needed, rec motor has 3 levels of kits, the top kit gets you 6-12 mph on top of that. I figure my 120 ought to last my kid at least 2 or 3 years. Once he's about 8 years old though, a snoscoot or a snowsport would be much more appropriate as I would hope he would start to get bored of 20 mph once he starts to get that old. We'll see.

SpencerA · Aug 31, 2013

The more I think abou it I think the scoot will be too much sled for my 4 year old. If it had a govenor on it then I would feel better about it but from my understanding they don't. I do feel comfortable about the 120's thought since they are much slower.

Are the 120's all about the same from different manufactures? Are they all pretty reliable? Any years best or to avoid? We ride polaris so I was looking at their models but open to any make. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

volcano buster · Aug 31, 2013

Stick with Polaris 120's. They have a better drive system than the Ski-Doo and more power/suspension than the AC. I think there are more of them around too.

IDspud · Sep 1, 2013

I have six kids, we did the kitty cat from 2-4, 120 from 4-6, then the old fan phazers mtn lites until 12. My 13 year old can now keep up really well on a stock m-7 and is a lot of fun to ride with. 5 girls, one boy. We have never had a collision that we couldn't laugh about, except for neighbor kids that parents skipped years 2-10 with.......

I did put a fourstroke Honda in the kitty cat so it can break a trail now. 120 has been good ungoverned, my four year olds have all handled it well. Phazers we slap old arctic cat skis in place of the steel skis and seems to cure the tendency to get passed by the track.

H1Pilot · Sep 2, 2013

Age 4...get him on a 120. It's tough to get a 4 year old out in the mountains all day riding his own sled. I have a little trailer for sale that can haul a 120 behind your full size sled if you want to tow the 120 to backcountry meadows.

The great thing about 120's is that you can sell it for what you paid for it when buying used. This is no different than the ttr-50 dirtbike you have as long as you didn't buy it brand new.

As your kid grows, then it's just good ole Daddy judgement as to how to progress. My kids started on stock 120's and when my son was 6/7, I totally modified and longtracked the 120's so they could trail ride and boondock with us. Now that he is 8 and she is 10, I have moved them up to 300 freestyles.

I have seen and read about kids riding larger sleds from about 8 years old and up, totally dependant on Dads best judgment and am amazed at the skills these kid possess. The most common factor for most of these kids is that they started riding when they were 4 or 5 on kitty cats or 120's...or even just with their parents so they are comfortable with the weather and basic functions of a snowmobile.

I don't think anyone would dispute the best thing to do at age 4 is just to get him riding on a sled that won't scare the crap out of him or at a minimum take him out on your sled several times a year. 10 years from now, he will likely be digging me out somewhere in the mountains!

A couple more tips: Remember that kids are like most of our wives...as long as they are comfy, they are happy, which means we are happy. So focus on comfort like adding heated grips to a 120 for less than $100. Warm and dry = happy and they will ride longer. Also, loud exhaust can scare a kid even if the sled is only going 8mph...it's also fatiguing.

AZ800 · Sep 18, 2013

Depends what you want out of your trail ride.
Our kids have been going with us since they were 6months old, either with a kid harness to ride with the adult, a snowcoach, to riding up front hangin on the mountain bar, to driving with mom or dad on the back to now running their own machines starting at about age 8.

At 4 years old you're not going to get very far IMO with a kid piloting his own sled. At age 7-8 it is tough to get more than 20-25mi in a day, all groomers good weather. Pushed the kid about 50mi one day cause we made a wrong turn and he was a tired pup after about 35mi. Ended up towing his machine out because he was too exhausted to handle anything more than pulling the throttle in a straight line.

I never even started them on 120s for this reason. Snowmobiling is MY time too and they will have to be happy with one of the other options until they are old enough (getting there now 7 and 10, 1st yr this year for the 7y/o riding solo, 3rd year for the 10year old) to somewhat keep up. And the 7y/o will make me very nervous the first few trips, but he has alot of time under his belt on the wheeler with me on the back and now is to the point where I dont have to correct him about staying to the right, how to throttle, steer and brake in different situations, slow down and move over when passing oncoming riders or vehicles etc.

I'm not spending hours of prep/unloading, hours of driving to watch my kid do laps in the snopark or go 5mph for 5mi then turn around and head out.

Also, unless it's flatlander trails with no drop offs off the trail, 4 is definately too young to trust that they will steer it correctly 100% of the time on the trail. Oncoming sleds, staying to the right, EVEN when that side of the trail drops off 100' into a gulley. These are not skills and capability kids are able to process or control at that age. Prolly dont even know left and right yet 100% of the time.

Trail riding is completely different than doing laps around the yard or meadow. Think about it this way, would you trust the kid to get on his bike and ride it unsupervised, on the street or road, crossing intersections and bridges with no guardrail? Becasue that's what it is once you turn them loose on the trails, even if you're only 150' behind them.

My kids are as involved in the sport as anyone's and I love it, but don't put your 4 year old on the trail I'm riding because I'd hate to come around a blind corner and find him hugging the wrong side of the trail and run him over. Or cause harm to myself/family due to the same situation.

SpencerA · Sep 24, 2013

AZ800 said:
Depends what you want out of your trail ride.
Our kids have been going with us since they were 6months old, either with a kid harness to ride with the adult, a snowcoach, to riding up front hangin on the mountain bar, to driving with mom or dad on the back to now running their own machines starting at about age 8.

At 4 years old you're not going to get very far IMO with a kid piloting his own sled. At age 7-8 it is tough to get more than 20-25mi in a day, all groomers good weather. Pushed the kid about 50mi one day cause we made a wrong turn and he was a tired pup after about 35mi. Ended up towing his machine out because he was too exhausted to handle anything more than pulling the throttle in a straight line.

I never even started them on 120s for this reason. Snowmobiling is MY time too and they will have to be happy with one of the other options until they are old enough (getting there now 7 and 10, 1st yr this year for the 7y/o riding solo, 3rd year for the 10year old) to somewhat keep up. And the 7y/o will make me very nervous the first few trips, but he has alot of time under his belt on the wheeler with me on the back and now is to the point where I dont have to correct him about staying to the right, how to throttle, steer and brake in different situations, slow down and move over when passing oncoming riders or vehicles etc.

I'm not spending hours of prep/unloading, hours of driving to watch my kid do laps in the snopark or go 5mph for 5mi then turn around and head out.

Also, unless it's flatlander trails with no drop offs off the trail, 4 is definately too young to trust that they will steer it correctly 100% of the time on the trail. Oncoming sleds, staying to the right, EVEN when that side of the trail drops off 100' into a gulley. These are not skills and capability kids are able to process or control at that age. Prolly dont even know left and right yet 100% of the time.

Trail riding is completely different than doing laps around the yard or meadow. Think about it this way, would you trust the kid to get on his bike and ride it unsupervised, on the street or road, crossing intersections and bridges with no guardrail? Becasue that's what it is once you turn them loose on the trails, even if you're only 150' behind them.

My kids are as involved in the sport as anyone's and I love it, but don't put your 4 year old on the trail I'm riding because I'd hate to come around a blind corner and find him hugging the wrong side of the trail and run him over. Or cause harm to myself/family due to the same situation.

Great feedback on this topic. After a lot of thinking my wife and I decided to wait another year to get our 4 year old a 120. Our plan is to have him ride with mom and he can hold on to the grab bar. We have 3 kids so the two little ones can ride in the snowcoach still. I think we can get a lot more miles in a day if we do it this way.

Still in the market for a Polaris 120 though. If you guys know of one out west I would be interested. They rarely come up for sale around here so I'm open to have it shipped.

volcano buster · Sep 24, 2013

What kind of sled will he be riding on, with a driver? I have done that with my 2 daughters and they usually get a bit relaxed with their right wrist and end up resting it on the kill switch at the wrong times. On my wife's '04 600 I got a tank bag and installed a grab handle on the right side of it. This worked good for the kid to use to climb up on the sled and also to keep that hand off the kill switch.

SpencerA · Sep 25, 2013

volcano buster said:
What kind of sled will he be riding on, with a driver? I have done that with my 2 daughters and they usually get a bit relaxed with their right wrist and end up resting it on the kill switch at the wrong times. On my wife's '04 600 I got a tank bag and installed a grab handle on the right side of it. This worked good for the kid to use to climb up on the sled and also to keep that hand off the kill switch.

It will be a Indy trail 500 with a grab bar for him to hold on to.

AZ800 · Sep 25, 2013

They will hit the kill switch on you riding squirrel. I keep it held up with o rings anyway.
At 4 he should still be small enough to not be knocking helmets too much with mom. If she's like my wife be ready to take "kid duty" on your sled too for part of the day. And good mittens since the kid doesn't have hand warmers.
My 2 were done with the Sno coach experience by age 6 or 7, toooo bumpy!
But it was a great way to get them out for full day trips when they were little. The youngest one was spending full days in the coach in his baby bucket at about 6 mo old.
Have fun with them! It gets old sometimes when you want to go tear it up but if they're like my kids they will be 100% into sleds by the time they're old enough to pilot their own. Makes it that much better easier when they have the drive to spend all day riding even if its a little tough on them but they have that desire to keep going.

volcano buster · Sep 25, 2013

I would get a box of the chemical hand warmers. Pop them in the gloves behind the hand so they keep them warm but don't inhibit the use of their "grippers".

Get a thermos of hot chocolate and let them have fun. I ride a bit more aggressive so the kids learned to hang on so we could side-hill or cut donuts on the flat. Hardly slowed me down much at all.

AZ800 · Sep 26, 2013

Haha yeah, that's how I'd get the little one to get back on moms sled. He'd beg to ride with me and when I wanted to trade off again I'd rip a side hill or donut or somethiń and scare him back onto moms sled!
Only worked for a while. Now he wants me to side hill Everything he sees! Can't wait for this winter. Both kids on their own machines......fun

SpencerA · Sep 30, 2013

I guess we'll try it and take lots of breaks. Never thought about the helmet issue. I know that I'll avoid bad weather days. It was nice when we just used the snowcoach since it has a heater in it so we could take the kids in any kind of weather and they stayed warm.

07SummitX800R · Oct 3, 2013

Saw a sno scoot and sno sport for sale in Utah today on KSL.com

best choice of kids sled

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