174 3 inch track? What do I need

[P_ZIZZ]

Buddy is thinking of putting a 174 3 inch on his turbo cat and we were wondering if anyone knows what needs to be done for that bad boy to fit?

Any help would be awesome!!

 

[CrankShop910]

I think the tracks only come in 16" wide, so your going to need a skill saw.

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Yeah I think if it comes down to that its going to be a new tunnel so it fits that way but our biggest question is clearance at the front of the tunnel near the cooler. What needs to happen there?

 

[maxwell]

id talk to a few more people that run the 3". i dont personally but have had good luck with the 2.5. i have heard some people loosing lugs fairly fast on tjhe 3 inch. warrantied. but who wants to take a track off a couple times a season.

 

[Fatdaddy]

Check with Jim CC Cycle Westlock. He put a 3" track on his sled. Not sure what length he has but he did say he cut the sides & also notched the end lugs.

 

[Modman]

Yeah I think if it comes down to that its going to be a new tunnel so it fits that way but our biggest question is clearance at the front of the tunnel near the cooler. What needs to happen there?

Drop and roll or smaller drivers if you don't have enough clearance. Minimum of 3/4" clearance is required IMO, to allow the air pressure, snow, ice, rocks, etc to escape without scraping the tunnel. Also 3/4" will allow lots of room for the track to flex laterally around the drivers. Someone will tell you that they only have a 1/4" clearance on their track and its fine, they just don't tell you that the track hits the tunnel every now and then at wide open throttle....

 

[maxwell]

Drop and roll or smaller drivers if you don't have enough clearance. Minimum of 3/4" clearance is required IMO, to allow the air pressure, snow, ice, rocks, etc to escape without scraping the tunnel. Also 3/4" will allow lots of room for the track to flex laterally around the drivers. Someone will tell you that they only have a 1/4" clearance on their track and its fine, they just don't tell you that the track hits the tunnel every now and then at wide open throttle....

there was a guy using a feeler guage for this measurement on snowest. i laughed..

 

[Modman]

there was a guy using a feeler guage for this measurement on snowest. i laughed..

Yep - most people do not understand that the track will balloon out under load and speed - which is why 1/4" on the garage floor turns into rubbing on the hill at 3/4 throttle.

Also the track flexes around the drivers, in both the rotational axis' (direction of rotation - so where it goes around the wheels, idlers, drivers, etc) and the lateral axis' (by lateral I mean from edge to edge - your track will actually bow outward in the middle between the drivers). Years ago when we ran solid plastic paddles on the tracks, one of the first designs was a full bar all the way across the track (2" high by 15" wide - one row). We had intense vibration from the track because the paddles did not allow the track to flex as it went over the drivers (on the lateral axis). The solution was a simple fix, skil-saw all the paddles in 1/2 right down the middle of the track (so now you had 2 paddles on the same row that were 2" high by 7.5" wide), this allowed the center of the track to flex, which reduced the vibration.

I figure the tracks flex at least 3/16" in the lateral, although I've never had the balls to put my sled on the stand, run the track at 50 mph, stick my head underneath and try and measure the actual flex.... I should mention that the 3/4" minimum clearance is with the track properly tensioned (and as loose as possible in that regard). If you have to keep the track super tight in order to keep it from rubbing because you don't have enough clearance - you are gaining friction and losing power transferred to the ground, which totally negates any advantage the bigger track gives you.

 

[ponyboy]

yep ......... new tunnle and a D&R is what you need , on my sled i have 5" of clearance from the tip of a 151 x2.5 to the bulkhead ......... lots of work, but hey , you got all summer good luck

 

[maxwell]

you should talk to mountain magic. they install skidoo chain cases onto the cat chassis for this purpose. im assuming its a couple inches longer but im not familiar with the diamond drive setup. although i do know i dont like it haha.

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Thanks guys I will make a few calls and talk with the pros about it!

 

[maxwell]

they may want you to "bring your sled to the shop" rather than giving advice.

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Thanks for the input guys but he changed his mind a 2.5" will do the trick! LOL

 

[reg28]

He will be happy with the 174 and 2.5 inch. I had one put on this winter and it works great!

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Thats what we were think way less hassel and still should make a huge differance with the sled!

 

[Deano670]

We did quite a few of these conversions this year, The 2.5 camo extreme is an awesome track with great reviews. One cust in particular is a giant, we installed the 174 2.5 on his 09 turbo m1000 and he absolutely loves it. Not so much in the tree's mind you but on the long steep and deep stuff its just what he wanted. I see mountain magic posted prices for the installation of the 3" track in the site sponsor forum though.


Deano

MAD MOTORSPORTS

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Right on this is a 1000 turbo as well. He loves the steep and deep long climbs so I think it will suit him perfect! Anything special we need to know before we get into it Deano? Whats the best extension to go with? or is it better to do a tunnel?

 

[Deano670]

The cr ext is very nice to work with, fits like a glove and while your at it get chad to supply you with the large cooler, helps with heat on the turbo's. Its pricey but you get what you pay for. There are pics of the cr 174 in my profile album number 2.

Deano

MAD MOTORSPORTS

 

[P_ZIZZ]

Thanks deano we have done a cr ext on a king cat and they have built three cr chassis so looks like we will make a call to chad and get this lined up!

 

[Deano670]

I am working on making some new extensions and cat tunnels myself, but they wont be ready for a while yet. They wont be disappointed with the product from Chad. Like i said its pricey BUT you get what you pay for.


Deano

MAD MOTORSPORTS.