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tunnel stiffeners...

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AKSNOWRIDER

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I BENT 2 TUNNELS SAME PLACE LAST YR... WE DONT NEED ANYTING TO FANCY AND WOULD LOVE SOMETHING AS LIGHT WEIGHT AS POSSIBLE
let me do some thinking on it..so..for those who have buckled the tunnel..would you want a complete side kit..or just something to fix this damage?..
 

CHAZWILDMAN

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Jan 5, 2011
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LETS JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE AND HAVE A BRACE TOWARDS THE FRONT IN PROBLEM AREA THANKS
 

CHAZWILDMAN

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I GUESS I WOULD BE IN FOR ANY KIND OF FIX.... JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT REPLACING A TUNNEL EVERY TIME I RIDE LOL
 

AKSNOWRIDER

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ok guys..I need to understand how these buckled..I have my own idea..but I need you to tell me..so if you have buckled a tunnel right between the chaincase and frt skid mnt..pm with exactly what happened when it buckled..also ...did it do both sides or just 1 and which one..thanks...
 

CHAZWILDMAN

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BENT BOTH ON THE CHAIN CASE SIDE..... FIRST TIME HIT A TREE WITH THE RIGHT SKI, NOT SURE HOW THE SECOND ONE HAPPENED BUT BENT THE TUNNEL IN THE SAME EXACT SPOT. FIRST SLED WAS A LONER FROM THE DEALER AND THE SECOND WAS MY SLED AFTER ABOUT 800 MILES. THIS WAS NOT JUMPING THE SLED PRETTY SURE IT IS FROM HITTING THE FRONT SKI ON ROCKS OR TREE'S
 
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IDAHO HOT SHOT

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Jan 21, 2009
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BENT BOTH ON THE CHAIN CASE SIDE..... FIRST TIME HIT A TREE WITH THE RIGHT SKI, NOT SURE HOW THE SECOND ONE HAPPENED BUT BENT THE TUNNEL IN THE SAME EXACT SPOT. FIRST SLED WAS A LONER FROM THE DEALER AND THE SECOND WAS MY SLED AFTER ABOUT 800 MILES. THIS WAS NOT JUMPING THE SLED PRETTY SURE IT IS FROM HITTING THE FRONT SKI ON ROCKS OR TREE'S

Hey bud, I think your caps lock is stuck!
 
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aebsledder

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Jan 16, 2008
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Looks like you got a potential side job lining up...better get some deposits! I really hope you can make some money on it. I have done a few side jobs myself (not on sleds) and it really makes you put in perspective how much your time is "worth". I am sure if you do decide to do a few of these the end result will be impeccable.
 
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trackvs2wheels

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Nov 26, 2007
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HHHMMMM...

Is it possible that we traded blowing engines every other ride out on these sleds to bending tunnels every other ride??

I am an avid Polaris guy...but posts like these have me a bit worried that my new $11k toy might end up looking like a hunk of twisted metal by season end...
 
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AkLogan

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Nov 26, 2007
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Kenai, Alaska
If you spend the time and get your shocks dialed in properly or do not hit stuff then your are not likely to bend your tunnel. A few of the ones that did bend that I kno have bottomed out the rear suspension hard and bent the tunnel. I rode my sled hard last year and even dropped it 7 feet off a sled bed to ice and didn't bend anything.

Mikes Sled is an exception cause of the trailer way back in the middle of no where he tows to. And any one saying I didn't hit anything it just bent. Things just don't bend think back real hard.
 
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Clarke673

Somewhere between too dumb to quit and flat earth
Dec 2, 2007
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the weak spots on thease sleds are the running bords. Not the whole tunnel. Hell i haven't even cracked my cf bumper yet? Idk who all on this forum has rode with me, but you won't find many people that flat out abue their sleds like i do. I put 1200 miles on my assault in about 2-3 months. I dislocated my sholder and had a few other injeries so i stopped riding way before spring snow hit. /all my miles are hard boondocking the the trees, flipping the sled over, rolling it, jumping it, ETC. IMO, this chassis holds up way better than the IQ, and IQ raw. I don't know if you guys remember or even rode the 05 and 06 Iq's but i would jump them so hard the side panels would blow off... your telling me the chassis wasn't flexing?

Our pro's are refined IQR's with longer tracks. They are realy good, just polaris built the running bords to soft. I also broke my chaincase from jumping but i think that had to do with a bad cast from polaris... granted, i also blew my lower sproket apart.

For me, i persinaly wouldn't want those tunnel sides to be honest. BUT, i don't pack 40 gallons of fuel in the back country... just my fat *** and a tow strap for the doo's.
 
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beamslayer

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I am with the the group that just wants something simply I do not believe I need to support the whole tunnel just the weak spot in the rear. I would like it out of aluminum so I could polish it or powder coat or paint it. It could look like what is on there just longer ,wider maybe go from in front of rear support to past the foot board support. I do not believe we need anything inside the tunnel but that is my thought. They seem to start cracking where the slit is.Mine could be stamped out for all I care. Bling bling looks good setting at a show.
 
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Clarke673

Somewhere between too dumb to quit and flat earth
Dec 2, 2007
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That's what you get for poaching all the early snow!!!!!!!!


it was worth it lol. The look on my friends face when i climbed a near verticle 20ft long hill and kept going out the top cat walking my assault. He was scared to try it on his doo :second:

Now i just need to unbend my tunnle and get my frined to make me some chroamolly bumpers.... :clock:
 

AKSNOWRIDER

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Any progress on some tunnel stiffeners? Thanks Chaz

Chaz, I do have a basic pattern made up to reinforce the frt of the tunnel right between the chaincase and the frt skid mount..I still need to make a pattern up for the clutch side..what I do need is for those who want this to pm me and I can get an idea of how many to make..these are gonna require install by someone who is somewhat mechanically inclined..and has the tools to do it...they will need/require both glue and rivits...basically it will be some small cut peices that will get glued into the cutouts in the stock overlay, as well as a base peice installed behind the overlay back to the skid mount to bring the whole area to the same level, followed by a top peice that will be glued and rivited over everything...I still do not have a price figured up due to the cost of material and waterjet time..but I am figuring right now it will be in the 250-300 range uncoated...for install you will need rivits, glue (lords adhesive is about the best and strongest, but 3M panel adhesive is plenty strong for the thickness of aluminum used) as well as the tools to do it with..


also.. I have a couple of guys who want a rear bumper and the outer overlay I put on my pro pictured at the begining of this thread(the silver cutout peice)so if you or anyone wants one of these..pm me...

also this weekend I tried something new for a running board insert(made from uhmw plastic and overlay the stock boards allowing the stock serrations to stick above the plastic...I have one ride on them this weekend and after 5 hrs of riding without ever stomping/kicking just moving my feet back and forth as i rode I had minimal snow build up...I did find that by the end of the day the rear skid brackets were holding enough snow to actually build snow on the boards..but many times better then the better boards or meat hookers I have had in the past..at this point I dont know if I could viably produce these..am checking into cost to have them cut..but if there is enough interest I might....

DSC00685.jpg


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DSC00722.jpg
 

ENDO1

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Put me down as being interested, looks like they will work good to stop the snow build up and add some strength to the boards.
 

AKSNOWRIDER

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A few guys on here have asked for a reinforcment for the pro rmk's between the chaincase and the frt suspension bolt...so I am going to build a batch...the reinforcment consits of 6 peices...

DSC00769.jpg


The first 4 will fill the voids between the bulkhead plate to make a flat solid surface...

DSC00758.jpg


The next peice will bring the tunnel side up to the same level as the bulkhead as well as add strength to the frt of the tunnel...

DSC00765.jpg


the last peice will overlay everything and be the primary strength of the reinforcment.....

DSC00766.jpg


DSC00767.jpg


this reinforcment will reguire lords adhesive to glue each and every peice in as well as quality rivits(I can provide both but cost wise it will be cheaper for most to aquire locally)also this reinforcment only goes on the chaincase side(out of the 4 bent bulkheads I know about, none show any damage on the clutch side...)
As of right now the tentative price I have been qouted for material and jet time puts these at 100-115 per set plus shipping(rivits and glue extra)this price may vary slightly but should be real close..I plan on placing the order on either wednesday or thursday morning of this week..so if you want one...pm me today...
 
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