morrirk

Has anyone installed these running boards which is essentially cutting out a portion of your OEM running boards and replacing with this insert to help with traction and help prevent snow and ice build up on the running boards?

I am wondering if any dealer could perfrom this work and how hard it is to really mess up the sled. Also how it looks from below as the cuts would show. On the top they would be covered by the plate but would show on the bottom. Worried if cut sloppily it would look bad from down below. Anyone have any experience with this.

Thanks for any advice!

Bob

kccats

Do it yourself and do a nice job!

yamadad4

i have installed a few sets. neat cuts help but near impossible given the location of the cuts.

yes, the cuts are visible from under, but whos looking there. paint matching the raw edges hides alot of imperfections. powder coating the inserts reduces snow sticking.

BC_Dan

I have a set of Snow Eliminators waiting to go on my 700, the stock holes that Polaris put on just don't get rid of the snow. My running boards are constantly packed with ice/snow, which has caused me to end up on the snow instead of on my sled on more than one occasion! That's not very dignified for an old fart, ya know

Edited to add:
Mine were Better Boards, not Snow Eliminators, sorry for the confusion!!

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

xTapouTx

Hey BC_Dan, what made you decide to go with Snow Eliminators instead of other brands. I know you always do your research so I'm interested to see why you went with them.

Secondly did you get them on there yet?

rgoers

There are a few companies that locally advertise die-cutting your existing running boards. They somehow roll the edges for strength, and leave a kicked-up edge on one edge for boot grip. They look nice when done, but I wonder how much strength they take away.

__________________
2004 Polaris Trail RMK 136
1997 Ski Doo Summit 500
2000 Arctic Cat ZL550 ESR (in NY)
2000 Arctic Cat 440 Panther (sold)
1980 Arctic Cat Jag 3000 F/C (in NY)

"If it ain't broke, take it apart and find out why!"

BC_Dan

I got them with my 700 when I bought it, the guy tossed 'em in to sweeten the deal. I put them on Sunday. Talk about nervous! Crikey! You make a mistake, you are toast!

I used a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade and they turned out great! I am going to order another pair for the 2008 600. These things REALLY help get rid of the snow. I took some pics, if that's of value I can post 'em up tomorrow.

I did a lot of reading about Better Boards vs. Snow Eliminaters vs. a few other brands, and I have read of very few problems with the Better Boards. Nice quality, a lot thicker metal than the aluminum the tunnel is made of. Now we have to get a bit of snow so I can go out and see how they work!

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php

xTapouTx

I must agree with BC Dan, I got the BetterBoards in today and the quality is a bit better than snow eliminators.

I have yet to install them, that's tomorrows project. I'll keep you all updated.

mattmoose

hey BC where are the pics dude haha

xTapouTx

He's emailing them to me now. Once I get them I'll re-size and post.

Big thanks to BC Dan for these and his time on this!

harmfulAdam

Does anyone have some dimensions for these for the 05-06 RMKs? I was thinking of just making my own.

yamadad4

measure your footboards, i think the ones i adapted to my yamaha were from that era polaris. 24" long, apprx 5.5" at the front and tapering to apprx 3.5" at the rear. see if that corresponds with your sled and i can do some more details. mine are snow eliminators.

harmfulAdam

thanks, that helps. Do you know the approximate sheet thickness?

yamadad4

that sled went back in the trailer yesterday, but off the top of my head i would guess .100 or .125.

i opted to go with the snow eliminators due to the fact i needing a custom set and the response and service was better received than the efforts from better boards.

harmfulAdam

Yeah that's what I figured. I work at a fabrication shop so I'll just be bending it here, saving about $160 from the store prices. I'll try to post a pic of the finished product.

gbousum

I installed a pair of better boards on my 2007 m8 and came across this thread while searching for install tips. So I thought I would add some pictures and a little advice,
I used a saws-all with metal blade to cut the holes and a grinder wheel to clean up the rough spots. The first side took me 2+ hours because I was too conservative while cutting (for obvious reasons) and had to spend a lot of time cleaning the edges and removing excess aluminum. The second side took me about an hour, made a much cleaner cut. The arctic cats (as do many sleds I’m sure) have little foot cleats that stick up around the edges of your cut and need to be ground down so the better board sits nice and flush on the running board when it is riveted down. A few helpful tips.... Don’t mount too close to the tunnel or its hard to get the holes drilled and rivets in, clean up your rivet holes on top and bottom ot ensure a snug rivet, clean up the bottom of the cuts so there isn’t sharp metal sticking out to rip your gloves on while digging out. The directions I had suggested using a grinder and cut off wheel to make the holes. After trying that, I quickly went to the saws-all and had much greater success. The grinder was slow and its very easy to make a mistake with the grinder but it was useful for clean up after the original cut was made. Here are some pictures, showing the outline of the cut to be made, after the cut, after installation as well as a view from below. They look a little sloppy from below but on top they look great. Can’t wait to try them out now!!!!

Attached Thumbnails

         

joshkidner

Those are cool! On the cheeper, easier side could i drill 1/2-3/4 in holes evenly spaced in my running boards or would anyone suggest not doung that?

Sent from my YP-GS1 using Snowmobile.com App

__________________
1987 chasis with 1985 597cc under the hood. Xtra-10, fox shocks, and a whole lotta speed!

gbousum

I would not attempt that, it would weaken your running boards and probably wouldnt even work well enough to prevent snow build up....
For a cheaper easier alternative...Some company (I forget the name) is selling some non-stick spray on stuff that supposedly keeps snow from sticking to your boards. It was like $70 a can though!

jordandakota

Has anybody tried the roll-on bedliner like line-x or rhino lining on their running boards? Maybe with that stuff you could spray them with cooking spray and still maintain traction for your feet?

__________________
1974 Arctic Cat Cheetah 340
Gonna be set up for ice fishing. Should be good for it's purpose!


Most snowmobile problems are caused by a loose nut connecting the handlebars to the seat.

BC_Dan

Polaris put 1" holes in the 07 running boards. They suck. You need much bigger openings to get the snow off. Better Boards work well for that.

I'm thinking that putting line-x on the running boards then spraying it to keep the snow off will be a fun thing to watch. Kind of like putting armor-all on the seat. Sounds like a good idea, but in reality, not so much

__________________
2007 Dragon RMK 700 155", 2008 RMK 600 155", 2006 RMK 600 144", 95 Prowler 550 2-up, 1990 Indy 650, Really OLD AC Cheetah

http://www.avalanche.org/accidents.php