Check Your Fully Clipped Tracks

[tuneman]

Check your track now, before the season begins. You may find rubber missing along the idler wheel path at the lugged fiberglass rods.

For some background on why this happens, Polaris lost their minds for a few years. They went to this center anti-ratchet driver setup, which requires excessively high track tension and excessive tension on the fiberglass rods.

Then they went against good recommendations and decided to clip the non-lug windows. Their reasoning was that they figured the clips would heat up in marginal snow and cause the lugs to delaminate. That could make sense, but if you also cut your rails too short, so that it doesn't transfer smoothly to the idler wheels, then the lugged windows of the track will scrape away at the back end of the rail.

So, then everyone just fully clipped their tracks to prevent the wear. However, that resulted in more heat in the track. Combine the heat with excessive tension and you get rubber peeling off the fiberglass rods as they begin to flex and break.

Polaris finally figured it out with extrovert drivers on the 3.5 pitch track, but geez, took long enough.

 

[Massif master]

I had the same delamination on the path of the idler wheels last year. In my opinion, it's the rubberless rear wheels that cut through the track thin rubber. Changed the track and put rear wheels with rubber and still good after 1700 miles.

 

[gtwitch]

What or who makes a rear wheel with rubber on it ?? I fully clipped my 163 on my 18 AXYS 3 years ago and so far so good.
gtwitch in wyoming

 

[gtwitch]

I would like to put larger Diameter rear wheels on my sled.

 

[Teth-Air]

Polaris would not warranty my track on my 2016 when the hyfax was wearing the un-clipped windows and said it was from running the track too loose. The dealer tightened to spec. and a month later the rear wheels started ripping through the track so Polaris replaced for free. I put big wheels on and fully clipped the new track and had no more issues. On my 21 I had delamination like yours and Polaris also replaced that track for free too. I think it was from running too tight so again went with big wheels and fully clipped.

 

[couch]

I'm thinking that the upper idler wheels plus track tension are to blame for some issues - esp if / when frozen
My other thought is that track contact area in rear wheels is much larger and load is spread out while contact area on upper wheels is much less (one rod. I suspect track is highly loaded in the vertical plane in way of the upper wheels...the newer rear upper arm with wheels moved to inner portion of track may help as the transverse span is reduced and rod is subject to smaller bending force.



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[volcano buster]

I'm thinking that the upper idler wheels plus track tension are to blame for some issues - esp if / when frozen
My other thought is that track contact area in rear wheels is much larger and load is spread out while contact area on upper wheels is much less (one rod. I suspect track is highly loaded in the vertical plane in way of the upper wheels...the newer rear upper arm with wheels moved to inner portion of track may help as the transverse span is reduced and rod is subject to smaller bending force.



Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk

I'm not sure I agree with this point.

If it were the upper idlers, wouldn't it affect both sides of the track and not just the one (note the uneven wear in the provided photo)? I'm assuming the rear idlers on the side the operator sidehills on the most are working this track over from the inside out.

 

[couch]

The worn rubber is likely frozen idler ....we always keep a rubber mallet to knock off excess snow & ice at start / end of day. The load on the upper idlers is likely contributing to delamination and broken rods which is a different issue ...

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[volcano buster]

I bought a cheap HF dead blow hammer for that purpose. Works pretty good.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

What or who makes a rear wheel with rubber on it ?? I fully clipped my 163 on my 18 AXYS 3 years ago and so far so good.
gtwitch in wyoming

I would like to put larger Diameter rear wheels on my sled.

polaris trail sleds have rubber around the outer ring. cheap and easy.

I'm just running TKI 9" wheels.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

The worn rubber is likely frozen idler ....we always keep a rubber mallet to knock off excess snow & ice at start / end of day. The load on the upper idlers is likely contributing to delamination and broken rods which is a different issue ...

Sent from my motorola edge plus using Tapatalk

Axys sleds have idlers on the outermost portion of the track. Doesn't contact the track where the delamination is happening.

only Matryx mtn sleds have idlers in the area shown.

 

[Teth-Air]

Polaris determined that the delamination was due becasue the rubber layer in this area was too thin. It was only on 7 or 8 locations and the rest were fine.