Hyfax track wear

[robgoggins]

I am brand new to snowmobiling and purchased a new Ski-Doo touring sled recently. But we haven't had much snow so a few weeks ago, feeling a little restless, I took it out on the lake - with virtually no snow on the lake. Only after talking with the local dealer service tech later did I realize that's a no-no. No snow = no lubrication on the "hyfax track".

I put about 5 miles on the sled riding on ice only. See attached pics. Am I still in good shape in terms of life left on the hyfax track?

Also, I'm planning on taking the snowmobile up north this coming weekend. I have confidence there will be enough snow on the ground to ride, but how much FRESH snow will be on the ground is a question mark. If there's no fresh snow, do you guys just not ride? Or do you just steer the sled off the track every 50-100 yards and dip the track into fresh snow to keep things lubricated?

Also, the dealer service tech told me some people install "draggers" designed to kick up ice or snow onto the track. Would you recommend those devices?

Thanks.

 

[Cirrus_Driver]

Hy-fax wear quickly at first, and then "cure" as they get hot and cool, and wear slows. What you may have done was cure them, assuming you allowed a bit of time in between runs.
5 miles generally won't do anything. Specs for width should be in the manual, best thing to do is measure at three points.

 

[2TrakR]

My 15 Grand Touring sleds (LE, which is the XR chassis) smoked the factory hyfax within a couple hundred miles. The dealer installed factory second set would also heat and stick if you went even 1/4 mile of hard pack snow like on a plowed secondary road. Really had to be perfect conditions. This is the XR chassis, not sure if you have the newer XS and if so, if it still applies. Had a GT Sport with the XS chassis and it didn't seem to have the same issue.

I put on the Yamaha/dupont slides on both the GT/LE sleds and have had zero sticking (where the slide melts and sticks to the track) since then. That includes some super harsh zero-snow sections.

My first GT was studded and the second was ran without studs and both had the same problem with the OEM slides.

All of that said, if you are running no-snow on lakes, there's not a lot of solutions other than to look at scratchers or other add-ons to make lubrication for the slides.

http://www.gripnripracing.com/ is where I've gotten the custom-cut Yamaha slides from (DooTalk recommended).

 

[snake]

put the scratchers on and never look back. wont help much on frozen lake but priceless on hard packed trail especially in the morning after the groomed trail set up over night. my engine temps drop 30-40 degrees instantly and constant lube has to extend the over all life span of the hi-fax.

 

[Wyelde]

There is a scribed line on most Hyfax to determine maximum wear. It looks like yours has it and you are fine. However, you need check in several places as they generally do not wear evenly. If you did not experience any sticking or smell a strong plastic burning smell, you are probably fine. as XXX007 said, it is recommended to "cure" the Hyfax by heating them up and then cooling them several times, which you probably did. Scratchers definitely help in low snow/hardpacked conditions, however, I would guess that 95%+ of sleds do not use them. It's not an issue very often.

 

[robgoggins]

Thanks very much everyone. Just to be safe I'm going to have them installed this week so the sleds are ready for our weekend ride. I watched some YouTube videos on the topic and it appears they're relatively easy to install, but I'm working a ton of hours this week so to the shop they'll go. Hoping for solid snow in central Minnesota this weekend.

 

[blkhwkbob]

One thing I might add is always try to use the manufacturers OEM hyfax. They fit right and go on and off smoothly. Aftermarket ones can be a total pain to get off and on. Also, the wear line is a good reference point but don't panic if you get near it while out on a trip or anything. There is still a little "meat" after the line.

 

[ac600sp]

Scratchers will not only help the slides last longer but help cool the heat exchangers by kicking up loose snow. I use the dura flex scratchers.

 

[ridindirty800]

Best way to check Ski Doo hyfax, I use this method and it works great!


"While a vernier caliper works great, I use something a lot easier, I just go to the tool box & open the drawer with metric wrenches.When the stock sliders are new a 18mm wrench ( open end ) just slides over snug. As they wear you keep using small wrenches to measure them & when they get to about 13mm the wear almost stops. At about 10mm the sliders are done & will need replacing, I've never replaced a set on any of my sleds until at least 8-9000 miles.

They will wear from the 18mm to 13mm in about 1000-1500 miles & then go for what seems like forever.I've put new sliders on my sled before a big trip & then see the new sliders look exactly like the old ones when I get home. This is while riding in PERFECT snow conditions. I then put about 6000 miles on them & they are still not done."

 

[harski]

Ridin, what chassis do you have of Doo? I have to say I'm a little disappointed with Doo the last couple of years. While I've been getting thousands of miles on previous hyfaxes on both the XS and XP chassis, I'm only getting hundreds the last couple of years. I've called out Doo on the quality of the hyfaxes as I sure haven't changed my style (don't ride in crap!). That's just me and my choice. So, if I haven't changed my style the only thing that could change is the quality of the part IMO. Anyway, thanks for your tip and I'm going to measure mine ASAP to see if it compares. The current hyfaxes on my '13 XS only have about 550miles and are at the wear line!

 

[Ohio Cat]

Scratchers will not only help the slides last longer but help cool the heat exchangers by kicking up loose snow. I use the dura flex scratchers.

Just put these on for my last trip. Great product and extremely simple to install.

 

[mezz]

I have always tempered the slides from new. Get them warm, then get into the deeper snow, come to a rolling stop, sit for a bit & let them cool. Good to go.-Mezz

 

[ridindirty800]

Harski I have a 2010 ski doo 1200 XR. I used to go by the wear line and change way early. I was changing every year as they looked worn out. So checking with a wrench has been great, I am year 3 with this method and a good 3-4,000 miles. When you change your slides drill a hole in and you can see just how much you have left for future reference.