Riding On Grass/dirt/mud - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

tommac · 05-16-2008, 11:58 PM

Hi,

I going sleding tomorrow on my 96 Ski Doo Touring E LT, I'm going to have to sled for about 2 miles on grass, mud, dirt etc before I get full snow cover. Is this going to damage my sled? Whats your opinions on riding on foreign surfaces?
Cheers
Tom Mac

lrnnorth · 05-17-2008, 01:34 AM

Is it a liquid or fan cooled. A fan would be fine as far as overheating but a liquid you would have to find a couple puddles to run through. You might find you get alot more grip in mud. I found this out the hard way the other day by almost flipping my skidoo over backwards. But i was being dumb. Just watch out for rocks.

tommac · 05-17-2008, 03:04 AM

I don't even know what my cooling system is, I better find out. I've got the manual here somewhere. Thanls for your reply...
Cheers

lrnnorth · 05-17-2008, 03:11 AM

just look at your engine. Does it have plastic around it with a big fan on the side or does it have hoses going to and from the motor.

BC_Dan · 05-17-2008, 05:10 AM

Running in dirt will eat your hifax and wear out the track clips very prematurely as well. Sleds aren't sealed very well against dirt.

**RJ Gleason** · 05-17-2008, 05:39 PM

I'm fairly certain that the E LT is a fan cooled engine.
It would be better is you can avoid running through the dirt and mud as much as possible. Grass is not so hard on the sled as it has some moisture of it's own and will act as a lubricant, especially if it is wet.

Better to get as close as possible to the snow before unloading.

tommac · 05-19-2008, 04:37 AM

So, I went sleding, it was way muddy and quite steep so the sled was not really getting traction on the steeper hills, it's also only a 380. My belt was also slipping quite a bit and smoking so I called it quits, Proper snowfall is only around the corner so I'll wait untill then before I go out again. My poor sled got soooo muddy. I cleaned it the best I could by hosing it thoroughly. Just an update!!

**smallengineguy** · 05-19-2008, 06:20 AM

You'll have snow there soon enough! Replace the belt and wait for the good stuff to come!

tommac · 05-19-2008, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallengineguy

You'll have snow there soon enough! Replace the belt and wait for the good stuff to come!

Will I really have to replace the belt? It still seems in really good condition. I have 2 spare belts but I would rather save them untill I really need them.

**RJ Gleason** · 05-19-2008, 04:48 PM

If you smoked the belt, there is now a ) ( in it and that will cause a thumping. (very annoying) And, now that belt is worn down so that it will not give good power transfer to the rest of the drive train, and will cause loss of top speed and power.