it is sort of nice to have happen. We store ours in an unheated garage. When we get back from a trip we put them in there. But we ride in upstate new york and live in southern pennsylvania so by the time we get home lots has melted off anyway 
Newbie w/newbie question
Do you guys put your sleds away in heated garages? The guy I bought my 600 from said I should put somewhere warm so the ice and snow melt from the skis and track. Is this important? Thanks for the help.
I don't care where we go, let's just ride....
I don't care where we go, let's just ride....
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Well, the absolute worst thing you can do for a car in the winter is to drive it on snowy, salty roads, then put it in a heated garage. Temperature is the most important factor in the rate of a chemical reaction, therefore the car rusts much faster than if just left out in the cold.
Now, with snowmobiles, you don't have the salt factor, hopefully, but you still have alot of rustable metal in there. I'm not sure if it would be better to have them warm, to accellerate the rusting, but also accellerating the evaporation of the water off the metal, thereby the rusting stopping quicker. Or if it's better to have the sled in the cold, where it rusts slower, and rusts longer because it stays wet longer.
Now, with snowmobiles, you don't have the salt factor, hopefully, but you still have alot of rustable metal in there. I'm not sure if it would be better to have them warm, to accellerate the rusting, but also accellerating the evaporation of the water off the metal, thereby the rusting stopping quicker. Or if it's better to have the sled in the cold, where it rusts slower, and rusts longer because it stays wet longer.
It really depends how you are riding. If you intend to ride mostly on trips where you will be trailering the sleds and there will be some time in between trips, then i'd clean them up and store them in a heated garage. But if you are riding on a daily basis, or if there is a couple days in between rides, then i'd keep them in the cold. If you have ever taken ice cold sunglasses and worn then in to a warm house, you will get all kinds of condensation on then. The same thing happens to your sled. The inside of your cylinders will get condensation on them, which is not good. Also, condensation will form inside your fuel tank, which explains how water gets in your tank and freezes up your jets on those -20 days. Once in a while is not too bad, but in the long run, there will be problems. When we have marginal snow, and I take a trip to ride, I will store the sleds in a heated garage upon return. I keep a dry-cell in my gas tank, and add some oil on the spark plug holes - then turn over the engine to distribute the oil. Not a full seasonal storage, but it keeps the rings from getting screwed up and the gas from getting water in it.
I park my sleds in a heated garage. As far as condensation forming in the cylinders, I have to disagree with RXL. The engine is hot when I pull it in thus preventing any formation of condensation when it hits the warmth of the garage. I am also able to keep the sleds clean all winter. I've seen alot of sleds that have been kept in the cold for a few winters, and they seem to show their age much sooner than ones kept in a heated garage .
I have dolly's I put the sleds on that keep them up off the floor. As everything melts it drips off of them. I keep everything lubed and coated with WD-40.
On those below zero days it's beautiful getting on a warm sled or in a warm car!
Needless to say if any work has to be done it's nice to be able to do it and be warm while you're working on them.
RtkatZL8
I have dolly's I put the sleds on that keep them up off the floor. As everything melts it drips off of them. I keep everything lubed and coated with WD-40.
On those below zero days it's beautiful getting on a warm sled or in a warm car!
Needless to say if any work has to be done it's nice to be able to do it and be warm while you're working on them.
RtkatZL8
My neighbor's shop is heated and we park our machines in there almost every night.The only time our sleds are out in the cold is when were riding.We have never had any problems at all doing this, and the sleds are always bone dry the next day.I figure the engine is hot when I park it inside, so it won't condensate.I run isopropyl and have never had any fuel problems.It's also handier to look your sled over before riding, as opposed to being outside, and the skis and track are never frozen to the ground.I'd rather start my day riding a nice warm dry sled then start out in the cold wondering what might be frozen up. thats just my oppinion.
normal people are boring, mean people suck
normal people are boring, mean people suck
It is a toy man. No different than a 4wheeler or dirtbike. Most people do not store them in heated areas. Keeping them clean is more important than making it warm on a cold winters night. Use WD-40 to keep the aluminum nice. It will eventualy corrode no matter what. As for the heat it would most likely do more dammage to a frigid surface than if it was just left cold.
"Meaningless Ride"
"Meaningless Ride"
we have stored ours inside, but no heat. i do just in case we get an ice storm aor something, to keep the cover from freezin to my sled. as far as anything else, i will point a nipco heater at the track with the sled in the air to get the ice away from all the idler wheels and the drive cogs, i hate the grinding sound they make when they have ice build up. but for the most part, heating is just an occasional thig i do.
The whole point of storing your sled in a heated garage is to keep the ice from building up on the track....RUBBER FREEZES TOO....and if it gets really cold, ice build up and the coldness from the cement floor can freeze ur track. You start it up and take off over and over again with a partially frozen track, its going to get weaker and weaker. I prop my sled up so the track is off the cememt, and put a kerosene heater next to it long enough to melt off the snow, then i spray the whole undercariage with wd-40 to prevent rust. Ask any smart dealer and he will tell you that having stiff tracks is a bad thing.
Need some darn snow people.
Need some darn snow people.
I figure my sled is like a woman, if I bring her home, warm her up and clean her off she'll take care of me next time! But really I store my sled in a heated garage between trips mainly because I give it a once over before wach trip, I really beleive that if you have the opportunity to keep it in a heated garage it will only prolong its life, my sleds usually look very good after 3 years of hard riding compared to some others..
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Originally posted by Skrplyr23:
The whole point of storing your sled in a heated garage is to keep the ice from building up on the track....RUBBER FREEZES TOO....and if it gets really cold, ice build up and the coldness from the cement floor can freeze ur track. You start it up and take off over and over again with a partially frozen track, its going to get weaker and weaker. I prop my sled up so the track is off the cememt, and put a kerosene heater next to it long enough to melt off the snow, then i spray the whole undercariage with wd-40 to prevent rust. Ask any smart dealer and he will tell you that having stiff tracks is a bad thing.
Need some darn snow people.[/quote]
Oh come on now lets be real I know a warm sled is good, I know keep it clean is good, I know WD-40 works great! BUT I just cannot swallow the frozen track thing. The 1969 skidoo 399 tnt sitting out back died several years ago it still has a track on it and has never been heated during the winter. I know of alot of vintage sleds with OEM tracks never heated most sit on the ground all summer too.
P.S. I do not heat the tires on my truck either before I use them.
P.P.S Skrplyer23 where did you get that name from? I have been waiting for you to post in the general area under login names
"Meaningless Ride"
The whole point of storing your sled in a heated garage is to keep the ice from building up on the track....RUBBER FREEZES TOO....and if it gets really cold, ice build up and the coldness from the cement floor can freeze ur track. You start it up and take off over and over again with a partially frozen track, its going to get weaker and weaker. I prop my sled up so the track is off the cememt, and put a kerosene heater next to it long enough to melt off the snow, then i spray the whole undercariage with wd-40 to prevent rust. Ask any smart dealer and he will tell you that having stiff tracks is a bad thing.
Need some darn snow people.[/quote]
Oh come on now lets be real I know a warm sled is good, I know keep it clean is good, I know WD-40 works great! BUT I just cannot swallow the frozen track thing. The 1969 skidoo 399 tnt sitting out back died several years ago it still has a track on it and has never been heated during the winter. I know of alot of vintage sleds with OEM tracks never heated most sit on the ground all summer too.
P.S. I do not heat the tires on my truck either before I use them.
P.P.S Skrplyer23 where did you get that name from? I have been waiting for you to post in the general area under login names
"Meaningless Ride"
i prop mine up on a stand outside, to keep the track for sticking to the ground. plus i start it on this stand and let the track "free-wheel" for a few minutes, this not only warms up the track, also warms up my liquid cooled sled. plus my local dealer said that lett her idle on the stand is good before you take off, if you dont keep your sled in out of the cold.
I put my sled in a shed every night. It's not a heated one, but i just bear to let it sit out side. But every so often i putit in the heated shop to let her dry out, get all that snow out of it. If anything i 'd at least keep it inside, heated or not. Still better to keep it inside. Or if u do keep it outside, i'd put a cover on it. Just my $.02
Ride Polaris!
Ride Polaris!
I have also heard that if you park it outside you should prop it up while it warms up then spin the track to get rid of ice and whatever else might be frozen to it.
Tree's don't make the greatest brakes...
Tree's don't make the greatest brakes...
It is wise to store your sled in a warm place during the winter. It will keep you from smoking the belt while trying to turn a frozen track. Just be sure no to fog the engine to much.
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Ride Snowmobiles, baseball, bowling, and golf require only ONE ball!!
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Ride Snowmobiles, baseball, bowling, and golf require only ONE ball!!
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keep ours outside (covered). but I live in Seattle and it doesn't get real cold unless your in the Mountains.
I need spellcheck!
I need spellcheck!
I store mine in a unheated garage, on a stand. If its real icey i'll use a heater to thaw out the track. Bring a cold sled into a heated area creates condensation in the gas tank not a good idea.
My neighbor has an 88 jag 340 that has always spent winter nights in his heated shop.After almost 14 years, that jag still looks mint and runs like a swiss watch.It seems like if that was bad for it, we would have seen some problems by now.
Beware of landowners wielding snowshovels!
Beware of landowners wielding snowshovels!
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