38 AMERICAN SNOWMOBILER • http://www.AmSnow.com■ (^) When to tighten a track
There are a couple ways to know if your
track needs tightening. First, if your
sled makes a ratcheting sound under
load. Second, if you have a fist full of
throttle while powering up a hill or
through heavy snow and hear a noise
(even through your helmet) that makes
you ask, “What the hell is that?” THAT
is the sound of your track skipping driv-
ers (A).
■ Got Sag?
Another way to know, that is less jarring
on the senses, is to lift the back of the
sled off the ground and see how much it
sags from the bottom of the center of
the rails (B). There will always be some
bend, however you can tell if it is the
correct amount by using a tension gauge
(C). Check your manufacturer’s website
or owner’s manual for the correct track
tension (how much sag you should
have) and tighten the track with the
instructions below.
■ 5 Steps for Tightening
1
Many of our sleds do well with the
following formula and can be
adjusted depending on perfor-
mance: exert 15 pounds of downforce
on the bottom of the track at the middle
point on the edge next to the rail, then
adjust for a 1.25-inch gap (D) between
the hyfax (bottom of the slide rails) and
your track. Note that manufacturer rec-
ommendations may be tighter depend-
ing on your sled. Many tension gauges
allow you to see how many pounds of
downforce you are exerting, as well as
showing you the gap distance. If your
gauge does not, you can use a tape mea-
sure and fish scale. Simply attach it to
the bottom of the track and pull down
until you get to 15 pounds, then mea-
sure the gap.
2
After checking the tension and
determining that tightening is
necessary, first loosen (E) the
ON THE WEB // More how-to tips
at http://www.AmSnow.com/tech
■ TRAILSIDE TIPS RYAN THOMPSON
5 STEPS TO HELP NEW SLEDHEADS TIGHTEN THEIR TRACKS
Adjusting track tension
Tightening a track may seem like an impossible task for
anyone new to snowmobiling, but really, it’s not as hard as
you may think. It can be done quickly, and with just a few tools.
A B C D
E F G
NO NEED TO CALL DAD This type of wrenching can be done by any novice who is sick of going to the shop when regular maintenance is due.