hey guys i am wondering if it is worth it to convert my 2011 swtichback 600 witch is a 136 to a 144. i am going to be going to college up in the U.P. so i would be doing alot of bondocking there maybe a trip out west with my dad sometime just curious on what ya think. Thanks for all the help
136 to 144
- Thread starter nse250
- Start date
IMHO your best bet would be to find a used 146 assault skid with the 09/10 assault track it is a very heavy duty thick lug track great for grinding on stumps and rocks.
the west bottomless pow guys do not like them so they sell cheep more of a hill climb track.
or try to get a job slapping together EZ ryde skids and buy one with your workers discount
the west bottomless pow guys do not like them so they sell cheep more of a hill climb track.
or try to get a job slapping together EZ ryde skids and buy one with your workers discount
skiroule
Well-known member
Tell the truth now, are you going there because of the school or because of the snow? I do see a lot of snow days in your future. Which is it - Huskies, Wildcats, or Lakers?
Highly recommend the 144x2 setup. I think manufacturers could market this setup as the "U.P. Edition". As zimmbob said, anything less than 2" would be disappointing. Your 600 will pull that track just fine in the Lake Effect. Are you thinking of going with a different skid or just rail extenders? I've seen the extenders sold by Tracks USA in use and they seem to work quite well.
Highly recommend the 144x2 setup. I think manufacturers could market this setup as the "U.P. Edition". As zimmbob said, anything less than 2" would be disappointing. Your 600 will pull that track just fine in the Lake Effect. Are you thinking of going with a different skid or just rail extenders? I've seen the extenders sold by Tracks USA in use and they seem to work quite well.
i would probably go with whatever i could find a good deal on i guess doesn't matter to me much, but ill hopefully be a Huskie and a little bit of both
i would probably go with whatever i could find a good deal on i guess doesn't matter to me much, but ill hopefully be a Huskie and a little bit of both
Let us know what you go with. I think if I could go back to school, I'd go to the Wyoming university that is in Laramie. I don't know a thing about the school but that's ok.
booondocker
New member
I have the turbo version of this combination and had the 2 inch put on from the get go. While the turbo worked great, the chain ratio was not really set up for the boondocking you will be doing.
What does that mean? You will be burning up some belts with the stock version of this sled. Plan on changing it to save the engine and the belt life.
Otherwise the 144 and 2 incher is all you really need in the midwest.
Polaris put tipped rails on the sled and on hard pack it ran like a 136, but the sled does nicely in the bush. Only other thing I would do is to get rid of the skis which are junk, and get something that is much wider to run around in John Dee snow country.
If you do all that, even though the engine is a bit under powered, you won't suffer too much and it will do the job.
What does that mean? You will be burning up some belts with the stock version of this sled. Plan on changing it to save the engine and the belt life.
Otherwise the 144 and 2 incher is all you really need in the midwest.
Polaris put tipped rails on the sled and on hard pack it ran like a 136, but the sled does nicely in the bush. Only other thing I would do is to get rid of the skis which are junk, and get something that is much wider to run around in John Dee snow country.
If you do all that, even though the engine is a bit under powered, you won't suffer too much and it will do the job.
What do you recommend for the chain ratio? Also what kind of skis? Are the Polaris gripper skis good?
skiroule
Well-known member
Boondocker might have a better suggestion but it seems like you could run stock RMK 600/144 gearing, since that is basically what you will have in the end.
The hardcore people might say the grippers aren't very good but there are a lot of RMKs out there still running grippers and I know some pretty agressive long-trackers that haven't bothered to switch theirs out.
The Simmons Generation 3 is a great ski (arguably the best out there) but it's not cheap. I've been running Sly Dog Powderhounds for about 3 years and they work well in the U.P. powder but they have a tendency to hook in the hard, dense snow in northern MN. They have reduced my steering effort on the trail by about 80% over the stockers but I had to go to dual carbides and shim them to get the handling I wanted. Now they are awesome on the trail.
If price is going to be a factor, you might be able to find a used pair of grippers that someone has swapped out for a decent price. If you have to go new, I would look at aftermarket rather than spend big money on a new set of grippers.
The hardcore people might say the grippers aren't very good but there are a lot of RMKs out there still running grippers and I know some pretty agressive long-trackers that haven't bothered to switch theirs out.
The Simmons Generation 3 is a great ski (arguably the best out there) but it's not cheap. I've been running Sly Dog Powderhounds for about 3 years and they work well in the U.P. powder but they have a tendency to hook in the hard, dense snow in northern MN. They have reduced my steering effort on the trail by about 80% over the stockers but I had to go to dual carbides and shim them to get the handling I wanted. Now they are awesome on the trail.
If price is going to be a factor, you might be able to find a used pair of grippers that someone has swapped out for a decent price. If you have to go new, I would look at aftermarket rather than spend big money on a new set of grippers.
booondocker
New member
It has been awhile since I did the chain ratio changes, but I know that as a switcher, Polaris sort of tried to hit a happy medium with the ratio that came stock and it was really on the high end of things. Trying to get top end out sacrifices the low end grunt needed for powder sleds. With a 600 engine you will need lots of low end grunt to make it work well with 2 inch lug track. Go over to www.polarisfiles.com and search there for this information and you will probably find a gear set that will fit right in there and not require much modifications...like me, once you do it you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner and mine came stock from the factory with 144....so go from there.
As for the skis....I have yet to see a great ski from polaris....not sure why, but the wider you go for off trail the better you will like it. Simons has the best and they are worth it as far as I am concerned....I have used powder pros too....and they are both light years ahead of what you have on your stock sled. I have never used powder hounds, or a half dozen others out there that might work okay....but as most of the time, you get what you pay for. Once you go off trail, you won't want to go back...it is a blast and you don't have to do a 100 miles in a day to have alot of fun. Good luck with your switch over and let us know how it goes.
Trees4Traction440
New member
just find some stock polaris 144 tip up rails and a 2" track...do stock 144/600 RMK gearing and clutching for Boondocking...yes top speed will suffer but the smile factor in the woods will over take that! lol ...IF i were you i would just get Ice Age 136 Tip Up rails with a 2" 136 track for the UP...a 144 makes things too easy! lol out west ud want the 144 tho so go with that...the 146 assault track and skid mite be your best bet for cost and durability in the yoop,
Trees4Traction440
New member
and with a IQ chassis go with Powder Hounds or the Gripper skis...2 best ski options IMO for that sled
i think im going to go with just rail extentions if we do it because it has the really nice walker evans clicker shocks in them and i dont want to give that up. im more then likely going with the track usa extentions. i think that i sthe best options for me IMO. as for skis ill probably try for used but we will see what the pa says about all of this also need his approval also