Ice scratchers are a must-have for any snowmobiler and a low-cost solution to keep your snowmobile functioning at its best in low-snow situations while also extending the life of your equipment.
You need the right snowmobile accessories to keep you safe while you are riding your machine. Luckily, Straightline Performance provides a wide range of solutions to satisfy your requirements on their website, straightlineperformance.com.
Installing these Ice Scratchers is quick and straightforward thanks to the vehicle’s rear suspension. Ice Scratchers allow you to penetrate snow without fear of overheating, even if you’re riding on a snowpack.
Generally speaking, an ice scratcher is a short spring tine or cable with a hardened steel tip that is meant to drag across (scratch) the surface of a plowed lake, frozen lake, or hard-packed track as your snowmobile goes.
Even while it is available in various forms – most are aftermarket, but some are factory-installed accessories – it has a single purpose: to create snow dust that may be used to cool and lubricate the track and slide surfaces.
The Procedure on How to Successfully Install Straightline Ice Scratchers
- Apply a sufficient quantity of red Loctite to the scratcher carbide tip while holding the threaded head in a vice. Apply 15 ft-lbs of tension to the threaded head after inserting the Scratcher carbide tip 7/16″.
- Get a 3/8″ drill bit and drill a hole towards the top of your rail (closest to the skis).
- In order to ensure that the Scratcher cable is positioned correctly, test fit the cable, 9/16″ mounting bolt, and mounting bolt washer on the rail.
- Install the scratcher cable’s threaded head with the scratcher carbide tip inserted. Red Loctite should be applied to the threads around the scratcher cable.
- The scratcher’s head should be positioned at the correct angle for snow/ice contact and rail storage.
- Make sure the 9/16″ jam nut is “finger tight” by lowering it onto the scratcher cable base.
- Scratcher assembly should be removed from the rail, and the cable base should be held in a vice.
- Use a torque wrench and use 25-foot pounds of force while tightening the 9/16-inch jam nut to the scratcher cable’s bottom end.
- Apply 25 ft. pounds of force to the 9/16″ jam nut and tighten it around the scratcher cable’s base, not the head’s.
Ice Scratchers Are Used For What Purpose?
For your heat exchangers to be adequately cooled, you must ride on powder and have snow driven into your rear suspension. While entering the tunnel, you will see heat exchangers and Hyfax slides under the rails. If the temperature of the droplets becomes too high, the drips may evaporate. In order to keep them cool, they have been designed in this manner. This causes heat to be released from the engine after the snow has melted due to the melting. You risk having your engine explode if you fail to keep the coolant level low enough. Keeping your snowmobile’s motor properly greased cannot be overstated for economic reasons.
If you want to keep your rails in good condition, you should keep the slides in place for as long as possible since they are far easier and less expensive to repair than the rails are. The use of ice scrapers is recommended for many long-track riders as well. Even when there is a substantial amount of snow on the ground, long-track sleds heat up more rapidly and melt away more quickly than short-track sleds do. Because of the previous night’s rain, it is vital to use scratchers in the mornings, when the snow is more frozen and challenging than usual.
When It Comes To Snowmobile Ice Scratchers, What Is The Best Material To Use?
Your ice-scratchers will need to be replaced at some point. If the ice-scratcher performance on your snowmobile isn’t up to your standards right now, you might want to consider switching from cable to spring scratchers or vice versa. Keep an eye out for the materials used to construct the ice-scratchers. It’s best to use stainless steel for this application. Stainless steel can handle even the most challenging snow and ice with no rust.
Scratcher tips made of carbide have the most extended lifespan of any material. When looking for snowmobiles, you may come across scratchers with exterior coatings. This is a common design feature to enhance the scratchers’ visual appeal and boost sales.
Your scratchers, however, are more important than their appearance. Whether the scratchers are shiny or not is immaterial, as only you will see them. Stainless steel ice-scratchers with carbide tips are preferable to coated ones because they are more durable.
For How Long May Snowmobile Ice Scratchers Be Used?
When you buy a snowmobile, you get ice-scratchers in the deal. This regulation may be circumvented as long as the prior owner removed the scratchers. Imagine for a moment that you bought your sled new, with all of its original equipment specs intact, for the sake of argument. It depends on how much use they get out of your ice scrapers. If you want to move quickly, you’ll need a sled with ice-scratchers. Snowmobile scratchers constructed of cable are less effective, but you may reverse your snowmobile without the worry of the scratchers breaking or being damaged. These scratchers will hold up just fine even if you ride on concrete or asphalt.
However, spring scratchers are less popular since they are more sensitive. You cannot drive across an open parking lot or even back up over an open portion of the walkway with them down in springtime. Keep them clean, and they’ll last for at least three or four years at a minimum. There is no need to worry about spending too much money if your ice-scratchers break before they wear out. As long as your sled has non-reversing gear, you’re good to go.
Ice scratchers are a must-have for many snowmobilers to prevent overheating and retain lubricant in the skid. They provide a sense of security since today’s trails traverse enormous regions and a variety of elevations. A whole day of skiing or snowboarding might present you with several snow conditions. For those times when the snow is low, many scratchers fold up into a stand or sit on the skid rail, so you’ll always be ready to go.
