track studding

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:32 am

Need some advice.

The Carlson Chasers have been advised to add traction aids to their tracks and skis.

I've seen a couple different designs of ski carbides. One is like a wedge shaped strip put into the wear rod, the other is like a strip of knife edge steel put in the rod.
Any opinions?

On the tracks; What are our options?

I'm leaning towards star studs because number one; 1) I have a bunch of them and 2) they install into the cleat, and I would think they would be less inclined to pull out of the 33 year old track mounted there.

We need some ideas guys.

Dator76 · Post by **Dator76** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:46 am

I put 5/8" picks in alternating holes on cleats, they haveto be drilled to 1/4" hole and cleats are hardened so drill bits dull quickly. be sure to protect the tunnel. I use 1" square by 1/8" wall aluminum tube as the factory dator nylon isnt thick enough to keep 5/8" picks from tunnel. i drill in original holes and rivit sq. tube.
i think stars would provide a lot of grip in hard pack, picks are for ice drags

Post by **JRC ETD** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:37 pm

Star Studs pack with snow and are worthless, they also throw off due to the mass and size of the product, Woodys carbide tipped are the best investment, and the secret is we don't put them in so much for traction as we do for braking...........so much time spent on speed, so much gained on slowing down (fast) JRC

Post by **JRC ETD** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:50 pm

Cardides...........is really a personal choice, not enough... no control.... to much........no speed and fighting the sled all day, to many studs push the carbides, to much carbide will jerk the sled out of your hands....so experiment with a goal of just enough contact with the snow for control to point the sled on course without losing speed or control effort...The front swing arm setting should carry the ski's with throttle, the clutching and carbides control when your drop the throttle, notice that brakes did not come up...apply only when SOL....Less carbide the better, unless you have 60 miles of asphalt at Winnepeg! JRC

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:45 am

JRC ETD wrote:The front swing arm setting should carry the ski's with throttle, the clutching and carbides control when your drop the throttle, notice that brakes did not come up...apply only when SOL....Less carbide the better, unless you have 60 miles of asphalt at Winnepeg! JRC

I currently have the sled set up for maximum ski lift. I find that in some conditions, I must get on the power to even turn the bars. The 340S handles very different from my X-8.
More stable, but I find that also means I can't physically throw it around like you can the mid-mount sleds.

More seat time is required!

Post by **ICCSF 108** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:32 pm

we used the carbide wedges, like Jon said more for stopping, if putting in the cleats buy some cobalt bits ( way cheaper than carbide & better than regular) to drill through the cleat. Just make sure you don't put any under where the wheels or the drive sprockets run, really NO need to put more than 2 in every cleat, Just stagger your pattern around.. there are pictures of stud patterns on the net. count your cleats x 2 = number of studs wanted. on the old cats for trail riding we used a <><><> pattern.

Kenny

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:43 pm

Kenny

Did you put all the studs in the center belt, or go out to the edges?

I had been thinking putting the studs in the original rivet holes ( after drilling them out ).

JDXspec · Post by **JDXspec** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:33 pm

When I was setting my 295/s up for drags I debated what stud setup I should use. I ended up using the 6 point JD star studs(not the 5 point) I put 2 on a cleat. one on each end, every 3rd cleat results in 32 studs. (50% in center 25% each outer belt) I mounted them in the orginal cleat rivet hole. I worked very well with amt of power the 295 produces even on ice. You can still get the 6 pt from Parts Unlimited for $6.95? for 20 studs. I'll will get a pictures of it. I hate to disagree with Jon but then again I kinda race on a tight budget.

HoosierDeereMan · Post by **HoosierDeereMan** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:38 pm

Brian,

Based on the story Jon was telling us that happed to Bob Enns,

I think it would be wise to only stud the center section.

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:02 am

Hmmmm, despite my best intentions to ride the 340S gently, I find that it begs to be ridden hard.

However, I really don't forsee myself riding the sled THAT hard! :lol22:

Danzig · Post by **Danzig** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:34 am

Attachments:

100_0159.jpg (675.52 KB)

JDXspec · Post by **JDXspec** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:32 pm

Here is how my 295/s has the studs placed in the track. Haven't broke any yet and the bolts have the exact same heads as the org rivets. All the nuts were loctited too.

Attachments:

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:36 am

The rivet dia. is 3/16 I'm thinking. The smallest Woodys stud I'm seeing is 7 mm, which is a bit over 1/4" dia., thus the need to drill out the cleats.

With consideration to the coments here, I'm now thinking of going with the Woodys Gold Diggers. Less mass, self cleaning, probably easier on the track than the star studs, the downside is a whole lot more $$, and the need to drill out the cleats.

I'm thinking of trying a set of square slides for new tunnel protectors. They also fit Skiroule, so if they don't work out, I'll still have a use for them.

On the carbides; It looks like we don't have a lot of choice here. Central and DK, only shows X-calibar Carbides. The ones listed to fit Deere come only in 4" carbide length.
If anyone knows of any other posibilities, let us know.

427cobra · Post by **427cobra** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 9:43 am

Yeah Brian those are the only carbides I could find. I bought a few pairs and I am going to install them on my Cyclone along with my 80 LF....

All this talk of studding has got me thinking I may want to install some studs for this "Vintage Challenge"

400brian · Post by **400brian** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 4:19 pm

While we may have different sleds, everyone running slides are talking about the same 2/3 cleated track.