2012-2014 hcr 800 ski stance
- Thread starter Braapist
- Start date
Not sure on the proclimb but I have a 09 HCR that I thought I loved until I tried my buddies snow pro. I was sold, took the hcr front end off and put the narrower snow pro on. Don't like the snow pro shocks as much as the hcr ones tho..... When I brought my proclimb, as much as I loved the looks of the Hcr I bought the snow pro.
Yes. The hcr feels more planted for stability when climbing like it was designed for. Standard or sno pro is easier to roll up on their edge for boondocking. The difference is quite noticeable.
C
CatRpillar
Well-known member
If you loved a 38 wide I think you will find an HCR a quite different animal
I took my LE and put an HCR front end on it to get that stability back that I have loved as a ditch banger but am a rare bird on this forum. .
I took my LE and put an HCR front end on it to get that stability back that I have loved as a ditch banger but am a rare bird on this forum. .
depending on years of SP VS HCR your looking at, the HCR has the shorter cooler, but the 2013 LE SP has that, and all 2014 SP have that
besides that the only difference is the ski stance and stiffer shocks, both of those items are aimed at racing/hill climbs not boondocking,
just my 2c
besides that the only difference is the ski stance and stiffer shocks, both of those items are aimed at racing/hill climbs not boondocking,
just my 2c
The HCR is a crossover sled, like a longer track crossfire (same front suspension). It has a track & front suspension that are more ideal for trail riding, but the rest of it is the same.
If you do a lot of trail riding to get to the good stuff, the HCR is an awesome compromise, other than that, there's no reason to buy one IMO. It's a significant step down in boondocking ability. You CAN do it, and many do... but many ride 600 lb sleds too... doesn't mean it's ideal.
If you do a lot of trail riding to get to the good stuff, the HCR is an awesome compromise, other than that, there's no reason to buy one IMO. It's a significant step down in boondocking ability. You CAN do it, and many do... but many ride 600 lb sleds too... doesn't mean it's ideal.
I like the wide front end on the HCR, in the back country they are a little harder to get on their side initially but I find that once it is on its side the balance it about the same but with the wider front end you tend to pannel out a little less. It is a lot nicer in the rough stuff. The track is a little stiffer, but not much. I do race so I guess I am used to the wide front end.
The HCR however is not a crossover sled. There are A Lot of differences between the crossfire and the HCR, the most notable is the crossfire has a different rear suspension and a horizontal steering post. The HCR is the same as a snow pro except for the wider front end and different shocks, the stiffer track and the fixed post riser.
My $.02
The HCR however is not a crossover sled. There are A Lot of differences between the crossfire and the HCR, the most notable is the crossfire has a different rear suspension and a horizontal steering post. The HCR is the same as a snow pro except for the wider front end and different shocks, the stiffer track and the fixed post riser.
My $.02
I'd consider getting an HCR and then putting narrower front end on it just because of the EVOL front shocks. I have a '13 ltd and want to upgrade my shocks to the EVOLs
HCR also comes with a tether, an upgrade I had to do.
HCR comes with stronger & bit lighter steering post, which im upgrading my LTD to before the season.
HCR has deeper keel skis, anything is better than the sno-pro skis. I upgraded Ltd skis to powder pro's
HCR has stiffer rubber in track paddles, HCR is 85 durometer & sno-pro is 80 i doubt you'll ever notice a difference here...
Whens the last time you heard a sledder say "I bet I wouldn't have gotten stuck if my darn track wasn't so stiff" or " I prob could make that climb but i dont have a stiff enough paddle" haha!
HCR also comes with a tether, an upgrade I had to do.
HCR comes with stronger & bit lighter steering post, which im upgrading my LTD to before the season.
HCR has deeper keel skis, anything is better than the sno-pro skis. I upgraded Ltd skis to powder pro's
HCR has stiffer rubber in track paddles, HCR is 85 durometer & sno-pro is 80 i doubt you'll ever notice a difference here...
Whens the last time you heard a sledder say "I bet I wouldn't have gotten stuck if my darn track wasn't so stiff" or " I prob could make that climb but i dont have a stiff enough paddle" haha!
I belive only the 2014 HCR comes with different/fixed steering post, the prior years came with adjustable posts I think
id sell you the 40" front end off of mine with the tie rods for 200. around 500 new from cat. you will find many 40" front ends for sale as basically everybody with a '12 std or snopro wanted to change out there 40" fronts for the '13 38"
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i wouldn't say the HCR is a crossover sled...i would say the XF High Country is a crossover sled
If you're willing to go 40 instead of 38, there's a lot of guys with those arms that you can get cheap.
If you want to go 38, probably about 500, and then you need to modify the shocks.
Btw, as to the "nobody had even said x aobut stiffer track"... actually, many have. There's a reason the older camo extreme is no longer in production, along with a BUNCH of other tracks that were too stiff. I'm not sure how the 85 duro feels, but I owned a 90 at one point & I'll never buy another one.
The HCR has a few selling points... but the reality is... it's a long track High country (which in itself is a great sled, it's what I built before such thing existed). Also, the suspension on the HCR is the same as the crossfire, which is also the same as the M.. only differences are shocks & length.
IMO there's just no point in having wide arms & stiff tracks on what should be a mountain sled. It's a marketing ploy that gets people to buy them for something they're less ideal for than the sled that costs less & does the job better. HCR owners will of course disagree, but I had both at the same time, and the HCR was a BIG step down. Especially now that the snopro comes in a 38" stance, the HCR is even more out of it's league than it used to be.
C
CatRpillar
Well-known member
Interesting post. I used to take short track cross country machines with wide front ends and sway bars and all that ditch type stuff and paddle them up. If you didnt need float they would kick butt in the trees because they were so maneuverable. Then tracks got longer and front ends narrower to handle more and more powder to result in the present day version of a boondocker that work better in powder but are mooses in most other conditions.
I might just drop a 137 on my LE/HCR and say to hell with the powder. I can always pooch tracks. Lol
I wouldn't say an HCR is out of its league, it's just built for a different kind of mountain riding. If you want a boondocking sled then get a sno pro, ltd, or standard model. If you want a hard pack hillclimber then get the HCR. That is what it is built for. Cat built them to be more competitive in the stock hillclimb classes where harder tracks and wide front ends are desireable. And to be a "stock" sled they have to sell them to the public. If you are selling them to the public you might as well try to make some money off of them.
If I was going to turbo a sled for a chute climber, jump a lot, or ride back east a bunch and make a trip out west a few times a year I would buy an HCR.
If you do narrow the front to 40" it takes a spacer in the front shocks. This requires full disassembly of the shock and rebuild with new oil and nitrogen. Some do use the shock as-is for extra travel. I don't prefer doing it that way since you end up with more scrub in the suspension travel. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe if you go all the way down to a 38" front end you need to get different shocks all together.
If I was going to turbo a sled for a chute climber, jump a lot, or ride back east a bunch and make a trip out west a few times a year I would buy an HCR.
If you do narrow the front to 40" it takes a spacer in the front shocks. This requires full disassembly of the shock and rebuild with new oil and nitrogen. Some do use the shock as-is for extra travel. I don't prefer doing it that way since you end up with more scrub in the suspension travel. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe if you go all the way down to a 38" front end you need to get different shocks all together.
If could do it over I would have bought an HCR and put a 38" kit on it with a 156X3. That would be the best all around mountain sled.
