xc project

[xc_rider08]

ok guys... so i went and got some pictures for you guys today..

for everyone that doesnt know what is going on... this is the deal... im extending my sled from a 121 to a 141... i have a stock rmk 136 xtra 10 suspension with elkholm welded on rail extensions...

i have run into a few minor problems or at least i hope they are minor

so i dropped from 9 tooth drivers down to 7 tooth drivers and i got plenty of clearence for the bulk head...

but im runnign into problems that when i bolt the suspension up in the front i have no clearance for the track against the cooling tubes...

so my question is can i drop the front suspension mouting bolts down to the 2nd hole and be able to run it??? im trying to avoid having to notch the track out...

the next problem im having is i dont think i put the suspension back together right.. as i have barely have any clearance from the front of the skid to the drivers... it just doesnt seem right to me... someone tell me what i did wrong???

thanks for the help, kyle

 

[boots]

so drop it down a couple inches and move it back a couple inchs .... i seen threads on here about that ... i am not sure how much to drop and move back ...

 

[OverBore]

so drop it down a couple inches and move it back a couple inchs .... i seen threads on here about that ... i am not sure how much to drop and move back ...

Yes, you must move the skid backa few inches and drill new holes, get plates if you need and bolt it up.

 

[Modman]

Was that the original suspension from this sled? If not, then that it why it probably does not fit. So here are your options:

1) trim back the rail tips to give you some clearance from the drivers. You will have to re-drill the holes for the black plastic tips and the front hole for the hifax (not really a huge deal). You might also have to move the front cross brace back as well.

2) If there is enough slack in the track, you can move the skid back a couple inches and down an inch and re-mount it.

3) If the track is pretty tight when you bolt the suspension in, and you probably can't move it back more than 1", then you will have to get new rails for the 136 suspension (this is why I don't weld extensions on). Normally I would say unbolt the extensions and then mount the skid, then measure how long the extensions are and re-mount them. If they're welded on, you probably aren't going to be able to salvage the rails, you might be able to though, I can't tell from the pics. If you get new rails, then you can move the skid back and mount the suspension properly.

To answer your question above - yes you can move the front arm to the lower mounting hole to get the clearance you need.

Hope that helps.

 

[pipes]

Hey Kyle much better pictures. I take it the first two are of the stock set up and the next two are with the new set up. If so you will notice that there isn't that much clearance in the stock set up so you don't need to go overboard on the new. If you drop it down to the second hole as suggested and the clearance is the same as the stock set up them BINGO we have a winner. I would recommend tha you install an anti stab kit to avoid spearing your track.Hope this helps answer your questions. Happy sledding and see you in Elkford

 

[xc_rider08]

modman, thanks for your input and to answer your questions:

that is not the original suspension... it is out of a 99 rmk 136 that the guy had welded to a 141"(my sled is a 99 XC 600)... i was told that it will bolt right in and i will just have to move the back moutning hole back a ways to mount the rear of the suspension.. that why i bought drop brackets to do this...

1) how much clearance am i supposed to have between the skid and drivers???

2)ok... so i got a couple more pictures that should help with this... i took and mounted the 141 suspension in.. using the original hole for the stock 121 suspension.... too me it looks like there is plenty of slack... as we didnt have the rear mounted yet, because we have no idea where to put it till i get the front figured out... dont want to make my tunnel swiss cheese... but we did put a jack under it and use that to help us push up the rear to about the height that we need...

Was that the original suspension from this sled? If not, then that it why it probably does not fit. So here are your options:

1) trim back the rail tips to give you some clearance from the drivers. You will have to re-drill the holes for the black plastic tips and the front hole for the hifax (not really a huge deal). You might also have to move the front cross brace back as well.

2) If there is enough slack in the track, you can move the skid back a couple inches and down an inch and re-mount it.

3) If the track is pretty tight when you bolt the suspension in, and you probably can't move it back more than 1", then you will have to get new rails for the 136 suspension (this is why I don't weld extensions on). Normally I would say unbolt the extensions and then mount the skid, then measure how long the extensions are and re-mount them. If they're welded on, you probably aren't going to be able to salvage the rails, you might be able to though, I can't tell from the pics. If you get new rails, then you can move the skid back and mount the suspension properly.

To answer your question above - yes you can move the front arm to the lower mounting hole to get the clearance you need.

Hope that helps.

 

[xc_rider08]

Hey Kyle much better pictures. I take it the first two are of the stock set up and the next two are with the new set up. If so you will notice that there isn't that much clearance in the stock set up so you don't need to go overboard on the new. If you drop it down to the second hole as suggested and the clearance is the same as the stock set up them BINGO we have a winner. I would recommend tha you install an anti stab kit to avoid spearing your track.Hope this helps answer your questions. Happy sledding and see you in Elkford

thanks ron,

the first 2 pictures are of the track with the 7 tooth drivers, without the suspension in... so that would not be stock... the next two have the suspension bolted up in there at the first hole...

 

[xc_rider08]

some more pictures that may help out


the 121 with the all 121 parts.. just pulled out of the sled

now some not so clear pictures of the rmk skid as i recieved it when i bought it

 

[xc_rider08]

ok so here is what i did today..

i found out the from the tip of the rail to the front mounting bolt for the limiter straps.. that the 121 skid is 1" shorter then the rmk skid..

so i was told as an option that i may have to cut that 1" off the rmk skid up front and it would clear perfectly...

the next thing i did was drop the front mounting bolt down 1" to the next hole... i didnt drill the hole into the tunnel i just used a ratchet strap to to hold it in place so these are all roughly placed...

so here is the the suspension in the stock holes with it suspended off the ground... Is the track way to loose to just tighten up with the rear axel???

here are the pics with the suspension dropped down 1" up front ..

and here is the pictures of the drivers and the rail front tips. (the rails have not been cut down)

with dropping it down approximately and 1" i know have cleared my cooling tubes up top.. so that woudl not be an issue anymore..

this is how much slack i have in the track after i dropped it down the 1" up front

thats got to be too much for the rear axel to just take up??? or am i wrong???

 

[Rob1334]

Put that water away and bust out the beer, ideas will flow better.


Ge that whiskey ready for me, i'll be there tomorrow and we will get it finished.

 

[Uturn]

Looks like enough clearance in the rail tips to drivers. If your axle isn't all the way forward, you might have a hard time getting all that slack out. You need to find a 99 RMK and find the distance between the front and rear mounting holes to keep the suspension geometry correct.( I might be able to get this for you if you don't have it) You will also want to drop the rear mounting holes 1" to correspond the with the 1" drop at the front.

It might be obvious, but don't forget to unhook the springs before determining the rear suspension location.

 

[Modman]

Yep, that will be too much slack to take up with the rear idlers. You can go to a bigger rear wheel and hopefully suck some of it up, but likely you will have to move the suspension back. The 136 will not bolt up into your tunnel in the same place as your stock 121 because they are different lengths, Polaris didn't just use put 136" rails on a 121 suspension and bolt it in, its a totally different mounting location.

So you will have to move the front mounts and rear mounts back, or add more to the rails to move the rear axle back.

What I would do is hook a ratchet strap to the front bumper and then to something solid in the garage, then hook another ratchet strap through the track (with the suspension in the sled but not bolted) to the back axle and hook it to something solid. Then ratchet the two straps until the track is tight (basically pulling the sled in two opposite directions from the front bumper and the back of the track). This will stretch the track tight and will keep the suspension forced against the back of the track (make sure the rear axle is almost all the way to the front of the tensioner slot, but leave a little bit so that you can loosen it off slightly if you need to). When you get the track tension close to where it needs to be for normal everyday riding, that is where your new mounting locations for the front and rear arms will be. Mark the locations and move the front brackets, then rivet on your rear brackets where the rear arm is. You can set the rear arm height at this time by adjusting the rear drop brackets up or down as well. Its good to have a bunch of holes in the rear brackets so that you can try different height positions, etc.

 

[94fordguy]

Yep, that will be too much slack to take up with the rear idlers. You can go to a bigger rear wheel and hopefully suck some of it up, but likely you will have to move the suspension back. The 136 will not bolt up into your tunnel in the same place as your stock 121 because they are different lengths, Polaris didn't just use put 136" rails on a 121 suspension and bolt it in, its a totally different mounting location.

So you will have to move the front mounts and rear mounts back, or add more to the rails to move the rear axle back.

What I would do is hook a ratchet strap to the front bumper and then to something solid in the garage, then hook another ratchet strap through the track (with the suspension in the sled but not bolted) to the back axle and hook it to something solid. Then ratchet the two straps until the track is tight (basically pulling the sled in two opposite directions from the front bumper and the back of the track). This will stretch the track tight and will keep the suspension forced against the back of the track (make sure the rear axle is almost all the way to the front of the tensioner slot, but leave a little bit so that you can loosen it off slightly if you need to). When you get the track tension close to where it needs to be for normal everyday riding, that is where your new mounting locations for the front and rear arms will be. Mark the locations and move the front brackets, then rivet on your rear brackets where the rear arm is. You can set the rear arm height at this time by adjusting the rear drop brackets up or down as well. Its good to have a bunch of holes in the rear brackets so that you can try different height positions, etc.

Sounds like pretty solid advice to me... I like the simple approach personally.