Your Pre-Season Checklist

[gary_in_neenah]

It's time again for some thought into the upcoming snowmobile season. We all want our machines and trailers to be ready when we are so let's share some thoughts and suggestions.

I'll be riding my 4 Stroke Blizzard again this year and there's very little start-up maintenance required. Two or three grease zerts, a tank of fresh gas and we're ready! That leaves me time to focus on the trailer. I don't want to be the guy you see parked along the Interstate with a bad bearing or flat tire. I'll be checking the bearings, tire pressure, lights & wiring, etc. before that first trip.

What's on Your List?​

 

[skiroule]

With a bunch of relics and almost relics, it seems like every sled of mine has different needs, but I’m with you on the trailer Gary. Grease all four hubs, check the axle/frame insulators, lubricate the tie-down bar mounts, and install some different helper springs on the rear door/ramp. Also, maybe replace a couple tires. Of course, I won’t do any of this while the weather is nice. I’ll wait until it’s cold, windy, and wet.

 

[euphoric1]

my preseason check is always to go through sleds completely, drain gas and start with fresh, no more carbs to clean for me anymore otherwise would be doing that every year, no matter what's in it, change spark plugs, check belt and now belts on Catalyst, check clutches and where belt rides in secondary, check and lubricate all suspension and steering joints, check alignment, check for proper throttle cable adjustment, remove rear skid frame, inspect structure, check all bearings (not waiting till one fails) and wheels, check hyfax, tension and align track, look for any exhaust doughnut leaks, check exhaust valves every other year, inspect for any fluid leaks anywhere, check carbides, check lights and functions, change and flush diamond drive fluid on wife's sled. And as some of you have read, I have a 4 stroke sled added to my fleet now, doing all the same and will also change oil and plugs yearly on that as well, even though I'm sure some of you don't think that's necessary, to me... plugs and oil are cheap, even when running the good stuff. I do all of this to hopefully I can ride without having to fix them, last year was the absolute first time I ever had a sled in the shop as I thought I had a warranty issue and it was 25 below outside. A little maintenance goes a very long way.

 

[dfattack]

my preseason check is always to go through sleds completely, drain gas and start with fresh, no more carbs to clean for me anymore otherwise would be doing that every year, no matter what's in it, change spark plugs, check belt and now belts on Catalyst, check clutches and where belt rides in secondary, check and lubricate all suspension and steering joints, check alignment, check for proper throttle cable adjustment, remove rear skid frame, inspect structure, check all bearings (not waiting till one fails) and wheels, check hyfax, tension and align track, look for any exhaust doughnut leaks, check exhaust valves every other year, inspect for any fluid leaks anywhere, check carbides, check lights and functions, change and flush diamond drive fluid on wife's sled. And as some of you have read, I have a 4 stroke sled added to my fleet now, doing all the same and will also change oil and plugs yearly on that as well, even though I'm sure some of you don't think that's necessary, to me... plugs and oil are cheap, even when running the good stuff. I do all of this to hopefully I can ride without having to fix them, last year was the absolute first time I ever had a sled in the shop as I thought I had a warranty issue and it was 25 below outside. A little maintenance goes a very long way.

Uh when can I drop mine off ?

 

[euphoric1]

Uh when can I drop mine off ?

LOL!! I used to do this for many of my friends, especially back in carbureted days, they used to think I was nuts how much I would go through sleds every year. I will never take for granted that things are just ok, with my old riding group we weeded out the guys who would ride, park it and ride again next year and spend first day fixing things or the break down 100 miles from base. Fair to say that probably 80% of breakdowns can be avoided by simple maintenance and inspections. I believe to fix it before its broke, a simple noisy bearing can lead to a really bad day, and I guarantee one cant hear it when riding, and from my days of racing there was speed to be found and great handling to be had just from paying attention to the chassis and adjustments. I'd rather ride em than fix em, cant always catch everything but do my best.

 

[whitedust]

LOL!! I used to do this for many of my friends, especially back in carbureted days, they used to think I was nuts how much I would go through sleds every year. I will never take for granted that things are just ok, with my old riding group we weeded out the guys who would ride, park it and ride again next year and spend first day fixing things or the break down 100 miles from base. Fair to say that probably 80% of breakdowns can be avoided by simple maintenance and inspections. I believe to fix it before its broke, a simple noisy bearing can lead to a really bad day, and I guarantee one cant hear it when riding, and from my days of racing there was speed to be found and great handling to be had just from paying attention to the chassis and adjustments. I'd rather ride em than fix em, cant always catch everything but do my best.

I advised Brian he could retire to the UP and still make a decent living with a side snowmobile repair biz. lol. That won’t happen because he wants to live off grid away from people and lots of available land for that choice.

 

[euphoric1]

I advised Brian he could retire to the UP and still make a decent living with a side snowmobile repair biz. lol. That won’t happen because he wants to live off grid away from people and lots of available land for that choice

the deeper in the woods the better LOL

 

[600_RMK_144]

Such a long & painful list. My mindset is much like Euphoric1's --- Would much rather try to catch and address issues in the shop vs. on the trail. It's such a short season, I would absolutely HATE being sidelined because I was too lazy to address things ahead of time. Not to mention, driving 12-18hrs (each way), the LAST thing you want to do is be jerking off in the cabin while everyone else is riding!!!!!

Glad this season we have one new sled in the fleet, so should be able to skip most of these on that one.

General Sled: Pre-Season:
We drop the primary & secondary to Thunder Products Clutching at Hay Days to be serviced. You can service them yourself if desired.
Before installing secondary > Grease bearings behind it with a needle tip.
Install primary and secondary (after serviced at Thunder Clutching).
Blue loc-tight on secondary bolt.
Re-torque primary after running sled. > this is actually important. Ours have been loose when re-torquing!
Check clutch alignment (add/ remove shims behind secondary as needed).
New belt start of season…. Scuff belt > install > Set belt deflection. (rotate old to spare).
If sled has chain case, exchange fluid. Adjust chain tension as needed.
Pull exhaust valves > clean.
Check motor mounts for play – replace as needed
Check compression
Pull skid > replace worn / rusted bearings as needed or repack if still good
Check hyfax wear indicator. Replace if anywhere close to line.
Inspect track for damage, missing lugs, etc.
Set track tension and alignment.
Grease all zerks in the skid.
Check shocks for leaks. Send to Suspension Proz for rebuild as needed.
Check ski rubbers > replace as needed. (Keep spare set on sled).
Grease ski spindle bushings where the bolt goes thru.
Check a-arm bushings for excessive wear/ free-play.
New carbides start of season (old to trailer as backup).
Check ski alignment (should be toed OUT slightly).
If e-start: Install battery from trickle charging thru summer.
Spray exhaust valves w/ WD40 to keep from rust / rotting.
New plugs start of season (spares on sled properly gapped).
Tighten any loose scratchers.
Check/ adjust throttle free-play as needed.
Drain old fuel, add fresh non-ethanol/ premium fuel.
Top off oil.
Top off brake fluid.
Install registration & trail stickers as needed.

Sleds: In-season:
Clean primary & secondary prior to each trip.
Scuff belt prior to each trip.
Grease zerks every other trip.

Trailer: Pre-Season:
Repack bearings > replace every 3yrs (Timken – L44649 + L44610 / L68149 + L68111)
Inspect tires for wear, cracking, etc. – replace every 4yrs (Goodyear Endurance - 205/75/14); don’t forget the spare
Crack open receiver plug, check for corrosion, clean w/ electric cleaner – replace as needed (keep spare in trailer); coat w/ dielectric grease
Check truck plug for corrosion, clean w/ electric cleaner; coat with dielectric grease
Inspect trailer coupler, chains, hitch (out of round); replace as needed
Inspect door seals, etc.
Wash / wax exterior + pressure wash interior / flooring as needed

Trailer: In-season:
Grease bearings prior to each trip
Check tire pressures prior to each trip > include spare
Check lug nut torque prior to each trip
Check all lights prior to each trip