Sled brand purchase - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

Kirk36 · 01-17-2008, 08:19 AM

Dear Sledders,

I am about to purchase a more expensive sled that I have ever had. I have been doing my homework online checking different classified ads for used sleds that are out there. I can see a recurring theme to the Arctic Cat brand in regards to engine re-builds. I had a upper end work done, I had lower seals replaced, I had new pistons installed. Is this some sort of flaw in the brand? As I can tell just about ever 1 in 3 used sled ads in the AC brand shows some sort of engine re-build. I am getting concerned that I need to look elsewhere in the Polaris or Skid-Doo brands for a sled, cuz I don’t see every 1 0f 3 ads showing engine work done to these brand of sleds. Is their something wrong with the engines that the AC brand has in the sleds? It almost seems like it is FORD (found on road dead) or the other Dodge problems they were having in the 80’. I know there is argument about the type of rider that could have beat up their sled, or the type of maintenance they had performed on it. But what I have seen throught the Internet in used sled ads, it looks like AC has engine trouble. Maybe the AC rider is just hard on their sled cuz they go so fast, I don’t know it is just worrying me. These 2-cycle engines in sleds sure take a beating, they don’t get a rest at all, always up in the RPM’s not like a motorcycle or ATV that shifts gears and lets the engine get a break on torque and RPMs…. anyway I am sure this is a wide open topic, and a heated one based on brand sleds, but I was just wondering.

Thanks

Kirk

**RJ Gleason** · 01-17-2008, 09:00 AM

It usually depends on the owner, but I have found that the ones that have been rebuilt tend to be from the wannabe snocross or xc racers who are very hard on their sleds and tend to modify them at every opportunity whether they know what they are doing or not.
Avoid these one like the plague (in any brand).
Look for the ones that have a proven service record that is verifiable. I have had my '93 for several years and have no engine problems due to good maintenance and yet I know several guys who have had newer sleds (any brand) who have blown engines due to no maintenance or not giving sufficient warm up time to a cold engine.