Buying a sled, need advice

[krawler]

Id like to buy a sled for ice fishing and trail riding. I know absolutely nothing about sleds but am willing to take courses and learn from friends about the rules, machine and riding safely.

 

First i need to buy a sled, any tips as to what to look for when buying a used sled? dont want to spend more than 3g's. any brands and models to stay away from. i dont want to buy a really old sled but something reasonable for the amount of money id like to spend.

 

Thanks

[Terry]

well I felt a long track 2 up machine is what I wanted

for the money you will be looking at a machine from the 1990s

here are 2 that would suit you well and are good deals

 

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24030

 

http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24533

[Rustic-Fisher]

Long tracks are great, for average access areas nice and comfy ride carry 2 people ect, but for the back lakes you cant beat the older 300's nice and small trail blazers so you can pick them up and get them back on track when they bog down in the deep backwoods snow. Little harder to lift long tracks out of the deep stuff. Also I would stick with a liquid cooled machine if your doing a lot of ice fishing.

 

I have my long track for sale in the classifieds again as of today.

If your interested let me know.

RF

[Muskieman]

Rustic-Fisher has a great deal....I used to have one of those sleds and I beat the crap out of it

Tough as Nails!! Pretty fast and not so bad on gas and light too.

 

Great deal !

 

or you can get one of these!! Mega$$$$$ Ski-Doo Elite

[2 tone z71]

Long tracks are great, for average access areas nice and comfy ride carry 2 people ect, but for the back lakes you cant beat the older 300's nice and small trail blazers so you can pick them up and get them back on track when they bog down in the deep backwoods snow. Little harder to lift long tracks out of the deep stuff. Also I would stick with a liquid cooled machine if your doing a lot of ice fishing.

 

I have my long track for sale in the classifieds again as of today.

If your interested let me know.

RF

why would ya stick with a LC you need SNOW to cool the LC sometimes ya have poor conditions you can run a fan anytime you can let a fan sit and idle for hours if needed you cant let your LC sit there long or it will start to overheat,LCs are great and superior in there application

Edited October 21, 2008 by North East Shark

[Dabluz]

I like the Bombardier Skandics. Either a fan cooled 380 or a 503. The 503 is a better 2 up machine but I have done lots of 2 up riding on a 380 and it was ok.

 

I have an 88 or 89 Bombardier Safari with 144 X 16.5 inch track (the only year when Bombardier did not make the Skandic). It has a fan cooled 503. No reverse....no electric starter so it's quite light. I added 8 inch wide plastic skis under the original skis. Ok, it's not as wide as the newer machines nor does it have a great suspension but it sure does go through soft deep snow and can pull a good load.

 

For one person.....it's hard to beat an old Toundra with a long track.

 

Parts and repairs are cheap and easy for the Skandics and Toundras.

 

However, they are not luxury machines for extensive travel on trails.

[Rustic-Fisher]

why would ya stick with a LC you need SNOW to cool the LC sometimes ya have poor conditions you can run a fan anytime you can let a fan sit and idle for hours if needed you cant let your LC sit there long or it will start to overheat,LCs are great and superior in there application

 

My own reasons were,

Fan cooled = narrower power bands.

All I need is a little snow for the cooling plates vs colder temps for a fan cooled sled to preform at its peak

Liquid cooled+higher tolerances in most cases....

Fan cooled have there place but just not when it hits 8-10c on the ice, all sleds are different but most fan cooled sleds I have seen run rough in these conditions .

I do like the Tundras and Skandics though!

 

RF

[pike slayer]

a good place to look for sleds is in the states, they are going for dirt cheap! in august i bought a 2003 polaris rmk 700 with a 144" track and 2inch paddles for breaking trail and flying across lakes. when looking for a sled its all in what you want. you being a beginner i wouldnt buy anything bigger then a 600cc max to start. liquid cool has alot better performance but the fan cool is more reliable but slow. long track sleds are ideal for ice fishing but can be hard to find. everyone likes and hates companies just like cars. i'll buy anything but a cat. if you look around and pick up a sled in the states you can pick up a decent 2003-2004 skidoo rev. the sleds in ontario seem to be double the price, i guess more of a demand. check out the classifieds on www.hardcoresledder.com its a snowmobile forum site. also www.dootalk.com is a great skidoo forum site with some decent deals. www.johndee.com has some great deals all in the states and thats where i found mine. hope this helps!

[Dabluz]

With the Canadian dollar now down by 20%, buying in the states is a great idea.

 

Long track...short track....it all depends on snow conditions. Where I live in Quebec, the snow we get always stays very soft and gets deep except on the snowmobile trails. A lot of my fishing is on the Saguenay river and the tides break up the ice so we have to climb over broken ice a lot and this is where a long track also helps. I also do a lot of off trail riding to get to remote areas. Liquid-cooled versus air-cooled....there are plus and minuses for both. In -30 and colder, the liquid cooled engines often have frozen gas lines at the intake after they have been turned off for a while. The ice in the air thaws in the intake but freezes up when the engine is turned off. We have to pour boiling water to thaw them out. Then there is the problem of ice forming under the sled. It rarely gets warm enough so the air-cooled engines have no problems. In our area, the most popular machines have long wide tracks and the air-cooled versus liquid-cooled is pretty well equally divided between users.

[DRIFTER_016]

! am a new sledder myself. Last year I purchased my first sled. When researching my purchase I had different criteria than you. One of the most important things I wanted in a sled was dependability and good gas mileage thus I was looking at 4 stroke machines. Where I live gas is down to $1.224 which is cheaper than when I bought it last year. Another important criteria was comfort and that is why I bought a long track. I can ride 100 miles and not even feel stiff. In Ontario you will find mostly short track machines as most sledding is done on groomed trails (non of those here ) or lakes. Long track machines float better in deep snow so if you plan on getting off the beaten path a long track would be a better choice.

As for engine size 500 or 600 cc's would be a good place to start. Me..........I went all out and bought a 1000cc model!!!

Bigger isn't always better though. The smaller sleds are lighter and easier to man handle when you get stuck. Notice I didn't say if. It will happen and when it does you will be happier with a lighter machine.

This year I bought a winch for mine (I travel alone a lot and being able to get out of a jam is important when you're 100 miles from the nearest town)

Don't forget to look into a trailer as well to get your sled to where ever you want to use it.

[carll2]

if i were you id buy myself a longtrack especially for them back lakes.. if your going with a scandic id take the 550,or the tundra 300cc. if not bombardier you have yamaha with the vk profesional. i have a 151 inch track on my machine and wouldent get anything smaller.

[carll2]

With the Canadian dollar now down by 20%, buying in the states is a great idea.

 

Long track...short track....it all depends on snow conditions. Where I live in Quebec, the snow we get always stays very soft and gets deep except on the snowmobile trails. A lot of my fishing is on the Saguenay river and the tides break up the ice so we have to climb over broken ice a lot and this is where a long track also helps. I also do a lot of off trail riding to get to remote areas. Liquid-cooled versus air-cooled....there are plus and minuses for both. In -30 and colder, the liquid cooled engines often have frozen gas lines at the intake after they have been turned off for a while. The ice in the air thaws in the intake but freezes up when the engine is turned off. We have to pour boiling water to thaw them out. Then there is the problem of ice forming under the sled. It rarely gets warm enough so the air-cooled engines have no problems. In our area, the most popular machines have long wide tracks and the air-cooled versus liquid-cooled is pretty well equally divided between users.

 

ive never had problems with my liquid cooled snowmobiles........i find on warmer spring days with the fan cooled engines tend to overheat faster than liquid cooled

[Dabluz]

I often use my 503 air-cooled machine in very hot weather for fishing very remote lakes in the spring in the Monts Valin about 30 km from my home. In the Monts Valin mountains, the snow gets very deep during the winter. In the spring when there is no snow in town, there is still lots of snow in the Monts Valin. At night, it gets cold enough for the melting snow to freeze so I go out very early in the morning to get to the remote lakes that are not accessible other than by snowmobile. During the day, temperatures get hot enough to sun bathe. This means that I have to head back to my truck before mid-day otherwise I will get stuck in the slush on the lakes and my machine will sink into the granulated deep snow after I get off the lake. Yes....there are large patches where there is no snow but the machine has no problems going through this. However, the old growth forest is littered with fallen trees. I bring along a winch and tools to battle my way back to the truck....lol. The fishing is usually excellent. Not many people want to go with me so I go alone. Ok, I'm not riding at 50 km/h, just moving very slowly over the ground for a couple of kilometers. The motor never heats up. I've often done this to the end of the month of May.

[carll2]

I often use my 503 air-cooled machine in very hot weather for fishing very remote lakes in the spring in the Monts Valin about 30 km from my home. In the Monts Valin mountains, the snow gets very deep during the winter. In the spring when there is no snow in town, there is still lots of snow in the Monts Valin. At night, it gets cold enough for the melting snow to freeze so I go out very early in the morning to get to the remote lakes that are not accessible other than by snowmobile. During the day, temperatures get hot enough to sun bathe. This means that I have to head back to my truck before mid-day otherwise I will get stuck in the slush on the lakes and my machine will sink into the granulated deep snow after I get off the lake. Yes....there are large patches where there is no snow but the machine has no problems going through this. However, the old growth forest is littered with fallen trees. I bring along a winch and tools to battle my way back to the truck....lol. The fishing is usually excellent. Not many people want to go with me so I go alone. Ok, I'm not riding at 50 km/h, just moving very slowly over the ground for a couple of kilometers. The motor never heats up. I've often done this to the end of the month of May.

 

 

i know the mont valin area quite well..i do most of my mountain riding there..i should be heading up there in the next 14 days to ride,maybe il seee you in the mountains oneday!

lesson of this post in go longtrack so you can get to those back lakes lol

[Moosebunk]

Best, most reliable and cheapest to buy machine there is....

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=2185

 

But good luck finding anyone selling a used one.

 

 

I am selling a 2003 Renegade 600HO... Come get it.

[DRIFTER_016]

Best, most reliable and cheapest to buy machine there is....

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=2185

 

But good luck finding anyone selling a used one.

I am selling a 2003 Renegade 600HO... Come get it.

 

 

Wow, that is inexpensive. But nowhere near as comfortable or as much fun as my Yammie!!!

Plus it gets great gas mileage.

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/produc...S|1&LANG=en

[Dabluz]

Best, most reliable and cheapest to buy machine there is....

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=2185

 

But good luck finding anyone selling a used one.

I am selling a 2003 Renegade 600HO... Come get it.

 

Yes....the Bravo is a great off trail machine and yes....used ones are hard to find. They are Yamaha's answer to the Bombardier Tundra.

[Dabluz]

i know the mont valin area quite well..i do most of my mountain riding there..i should be heading up there in the next 14 days to ride,maybe il seee you in the mountains oneday!

lesson of this post in go longtrack so you can get to those back lakes lol

 

Not enough snow in the Monts Valin yet. There is some snow however. The outlook for the next week doesn't look good for snowmobilers in the Monts Valin. But, there can be surprises before the second week of November. In the Monts Valin, the snow usually arrives fast and furious and it's rare that there is not enough snow by the 2 nd week of November to play in.

[carll2]

Not enough snow in the Monts Valin yet. There is some snow however. The outlook for the next week doesn't look good for snowmobilers in the Monts Valin. But, there can be surprises before the second week of November. In the Monts Valin, the snow usually arrives fast and furious and it's rare that there is not enough snow by the 2 nd week of November to play in.

 

 

ohh ya i know i get my daily reports from my buddy that lives at le valinouet..only 4 inches but its coming, my first ride is next week in the parc des laurentides ...there calling for 20-30cms of snow up there this week, good enough for me to break in the sled on the logging roads

 

[carll2]

Best, most reliable and cheapest to buy machine there is....

 

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=2185

 

But good luck finding anyone selling a used one.

I am selling a 2003 Renegade 600HO... Come get it.

 

 

what kind of machine are you looking into now? how did you like the renegade?reliability?

[Guest skeeter99]

what ever you do dont get a artic crap.....oh I mean cat

[Dabluz]

what ever you do dont get a artic crap.....oh I mean cat

 

I don't think that any particular manufacturer has any real advantage over another....just like cars and trucks, all vehicles are quite equal. Bearcats are popular up here and I know of a few die-hard Polaris users that have switched over to Arctic Cats in the past few years. From what I have seen on TV, Arctic Cat is popular with the extreme racers.

 

I think that a person should first look at where he will get the best local service, prices and garantees. Where he can get to test drive the machines that will be best suited for his needs and then make his choice.

[Sinker]

I've had several sleds over the years, but the best one I've ever had.......is the one I have now. Its nothing special, and its not fast, but its very dependable, and always gets me from A - B. Its an arctic cat puma 340 fan cooled 2-up. Great little sled for icefishing.

 

I don't know where AC gets the bad name from.......this one has been great!

 

Sinker

[Sandbag]

For ice fishing I have a Polaris Indy 488 fan cooled machine.

 

Been great, very reliable and when things do need to be serviced/repaired, they are very simple to work on myself.

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[Dabluz]

I think it's a great idea for a person to do as much work as possible on his machines. When a person gave me a 1979 Honda CB350T motorcycle, I bought a manual at Canadian Tire for it. It only needed a bit of cleaning and I traded it for a 1983 Yamaha Virago 920 CC and I bought a manual for that. Then I bought a used 1988 Yamaha 350 Big Bear ATV and bought a manual. I did end up taking it all apart a few years later and took the engine to have the transmission selector replaced and then I re-installed the engine. I saved a ton of money by doing this part of the work myself. My old 1989 Bombardier Safari 503 fan cooled needed more repairs than I thought. I bought it at an auction for very little money. However, the chain case exploded not long after. With the manual, I did the job myself and found other parts that needed to be changed.

 

I knew nothing about these machines before getting them but now I know what to do when something breaks down and most importantly, I know what to inspect before it breaks down.