timerman
04-11-2006, 02:35 PM
This year I made a rear skid change to a Polaris Xtra 10. Since I got the idea from this site, I thought it fitting to post some notes for others that might want to go this route.
The new skid is from a '99 XCR. The swing arms are on 23" centers, much narrower that the Yumyum OEM skid.
After giving a fair bit of consideration regarding placement, I determined that the Polaris rear swing arm needed to be mounted 3/4" forward of the OEM mounting location. I know others have used the OEM mounting but I'm a little anal about sticking with OEM pre-loads and center distances between swing arms. I figure the manufacter has a lot more (and smarter) folks working for them than me.
To mount the rear skid, I used 1/2" thick aluminum plate, drilled the front rivets on the OEM tunnel back plate, marked and tapped the new plate and attached it with 1/4 - 20 bolts. I also put a 3/8" bolt in the old skid mounting hole for extra support.
I made a wood template with a 3/8" bolt for inserting in the new rear mounting hole and a 3/8" hole in the opposite end 23" on center (or whatever your new skid center distance should be) to mark the correct location of the front swing arm mount.
You kind of have eyeball the vertical location. I wanted to have just a slight more tunnel clearance just in case I decide to go with a higher lug track in the future (but was pretty conserative not to change the geometry too much).
I used two pieces of approximatley 5" long, 4" sides, 1/2" wall aluminum angle to reinforce the area where the front swing arm mounts to the tunnel, making sure I tied them into the OEM tunnel backing. The profile (radius) of the angle was slightly different than that of the tunnel, but it worked fine. This way the tunnel will be able take the impacts from the swing arm and it will also support the running boards.
These brackets were also tapped and mounted with 1/4 - 20 bolts.
I mounted up the skid and proceeded to use the seat and running boards for a trampoline to feel the results of my labor.
Not bad. I was not able to put a lot a miles on this year, as you see you acutally need snow for that. But I was impressed with the little bit of riding I was able to do. The machine takes the moguls much better, sits about 2" higher, looks better, and didn't seem to effect stability too much.
I'd recommend the swap!
For those interested, I can buy 1/2" wall aluminum plate and angle from work.
I'll follow up with some photos later.
The new skid is from a '99 XCR. The swing arms are on 23" centers, much narrower that the Yumyum OEM skid.
After giving a fair bit of consideration regarding placement, I determined that the Polaris rear swing arm needed to be mounted 3/4" forward of the OEM mounting location. I know others have used the OEM mounting but I'm a little anal about sticking with OEM pre-loads and center distances between swing arms. I figure the manufacter has a lot more (and smarter) folks working for them than me.
To mount the rear skid, I used 1/2" thick aluminum plate, drilled the front rivets on the OEM tunnel back plate, marked and tapped the new plate and attached it with 1/4 - 20 bolts. I also put a 3/8" bolt in the old skid mounting hole for extra support.
I made a wood template with a 3/8" bolt for inserting in the new rear mounting hole and a 3/8" hole in the opposite end 23" on center (or whatever your new skid center distance should be) to mark the correct location of the front swing arm mount.
You kind of have eyeball the vertical location. I wanted to have just a slight more tunnel clearance just in case I decide to go with a higher lug track in the future (but was pretty conserative not to change the geometry too much).
I used two pieces of approximatley 5" long, 4" sides, 1/2" wall aluminum angle to reinforce the area where the front swing arm mounts to the tunnel, making sure I tied them into the OEM tunnel backing. The profile (radius) of the angle was slightly different than that of the tunnel, but it worked fine. This way the tunnel will be able take the impacts from the swing arm and it will also support the running boards.
These brackets were also tapped and mounted with 1/4 - 20 bolts.
I mounted up the skid and proceeded to use the seat and running boards for a trampoline to feel the results of my labor.
Not bad. I was not able to put a lot a miles on this year, as you see you acutally need snow for that. But I was impressed with the little bit of riding I was able to do. The machine takes the moguls much better, sits about 2" higher, looks better, and didn't seem to effect stability too much.
I'd recommend the swap!
For those interested, I can buy 1/2" wall aluminum plate and angle from work.
I'll follow up with some photos later.