Snowmobile Jack

If you snowmobile in deep powder with or without people, you most likely get stuck multiple times each trip. Even if you are with people, it can take hours to get the snowmobile out. A snowmobile jack can make it much easier and give you more time riding instead of being stuck. All you have to do is pack down some snow and place the jack down, then the jack raises the snowmobile off the ground. You can then throw the snowmobile over so it is on top of normal snow. It is also very light and mounts on your sled really easy. You can find these anywhere online and they start at about $100.

Ice Scratchers

If you are still riding, the snow is most likely hard packed which makes your sled heat up fast. The few people I know that still ride, have a dual ice scratcher set up to make the sled stay cool in those conditions. Even if you are not riding, it is a good idea to spend about $100 on a pair of ice scratchers. They are easy to install and will keep your sled cool. Your sled should run at about 118 to about 140 degrees. When the sled heats up to about 160 degrees, you need to stop the sled and throw snow on the back to make sure you don't blow the engine. You will only need these down when you are trail riding or most the time during spring.


If you are serious about spring riding and ride till even early may, you will need to have dual ice scratchers to keep the sled cool enough. You will have to mod your sled enough to put the second scratcher on. You also can buy scratchers that can go in reverse and not breaking which is nice.

Goldfinger

A goldfinger is left hand throttle for snowmobiles. This will make your side hill and boondocking experience even better by giving you more control. It makes riding much easier when you have the ability to use a left throttle when you can't reach the right one. These throttles are great for anyone from beginners to experts. They are also very easy to connect to your sled and will take about 30 minutes. You can order these from almost anywhere and they range from $90-110$.

Have Control Over Your Sled

There are many customizations you can add to your sled that will give you more control. One of the cheapest and simplest upgrades you could add are handlebar extensions. The size of the extension depends on your snowmobile, riding style, and preference. If you do trail riding and sit a lot, short extensions would be best.

Tall extensions would be best for intense riding in powder, hill climbing, and jumps.

 

The higher extensions help out on how much control you have over your sled because it gives you a lot more leverage. I have 5.5" extensions on one of my polaris sleds which seems be the perfect height. Any taller would be too tall and make it hard to ride and any shorter would not give the maximum control.

You can go to any nearby snowmobile shop and they will help you pick the right extension.

Upgrading Skis

If you want to upgrade your sled even more, buying after market skis is a good choice. After market skis will make your sled lighter, allow you to have more control, and will glide across fresh powder much smoother. My sled has the Hell Hound skis made by Slydog.

Each ski is 7.25 inches wide which is the best length in my opinion. I feel like any skis that are wider than this dig into the snow too much, unless you strictly ride in deep powder. Any skis that are less than 7 inches wide are good for mainly trial riding. These skis were the largest improvement that I put on my sled. It gives more control on trails and just float in deep powder. It is much easier to throw the machine around and control it just by adding these after market skis. You can buy these skis for $500 and customize the colors and designs by going to: http://slydogskis.com/

You can also watch this video for a more in depth description:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVKxQRaP69U

Best Can For Your Sled

If you have decided that the riding in your area is over, now is the perfect time to do some upgrades. You now should have much more free time on your hands since you are not on the mountain, and customizing your snowmobile is now the perfect project. One of the first upgrade's you should consider is a exhaust canister. They will drop pounds off your sled, increase the power and performance, and make your sled sound better.



I have rode on many different sleds that had different cans on them, and I by far like the Skinz Super Q Silencer that I have on my sled.




This can gave my 09 Polaris 700 RMK unbelievable power and made it sound great. It made my snowmobile drop 15 pounds which is a huge amount of weight. It was also very easy to install and came with a 3 year warranty. If you enjoy racing, mountain riding or ride in lower populated areas, this can would complete your sled.

If you want to hear the difference between this can and a stock Polaris can, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaQcLy5lEfY

Spring Riding

Even though the riding conditions have felt like spring riding for the past couple weeks, today is officially the first day of spring. That means there is plenty of riding left to do, you just have to find it. I went riding this weekend and found snow depths ranging from 6 to 8 feet between an elevation of 7,000 to 11,000 feet. That sounds like a good amount of snow but the riding conditions are not the best. The snow is turning to concrete but there is still good riding in trees.

To find good snow, you first need to get your snowmobiles to the snow which is a challenge itself. You will first have to search for the snow.

  

And to get to where the snow is, you might have to deal with this:

If you are able to get the sleds on the snow, it is worth it but if you cant, it is still not time to put them away. Now is the best time to tune up and even customize your sled.

My next posts will talk about extras and upgrades you can add to your sled to make it better for next year.