Mountain Riding - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

tommac · 05-20-2008, 07:44 PM

Hi,
I've got a 96 380 Touring E LT, I wan't to go into the mountains a couple of times this winter, no major mountains but it will be powder snow. I need to know how to find out how long my track is. I know its 15 inch wide with a 1 inch lug.
Also am I dreaming because I'm only on a 380.
Your opinions will be greatly appreciated,
Cheers
Tom Mac

lrnnorth · 05-20-2008, 11:17 PM

I think your going to have a hard time trying to climb or ride in powder little alone at the same time. Ive seen a 380 do some little hills but it had to stay in trails i had already broke.

**smallengineguy** · 05-21-2008, 06:11 AM

That sled won't really have the power to do much powder or climbing.

gredwood · 08-26-2008, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommac

Hi,
I've got a 96 380 Touring E LT, I wan't to go into the mountains a couple of times this winter, no major mountains but it will be powder snow. I need to know how to find out how long my track is. I know its 15 inch wide with a 1 inch lug.
Also am I dreaming because I'm only on a 380.
Your opinions will be greatly appreciated,
Cheers
Tom Mac

your under powered you got a short track with 1 inch lugs take a shovel

**BC_Dan** · 08-27-2008, 12:13 AM

Most trail machines, especially something as small as a 380, came with a 121" track. As was said earlier, an engine that small driving a track that small will be very frustrating in the powder. On a day that the snow is set up, you may be able to have a blast, but on those endless powder days where you step off the sled and sink to your chest, you will be digging out until you are sick of digging. It won't be fun, and all your friends will pretend they don't see you because they will tire easily of helping you out of one hole after another. Been there, on both ends of that.

**RJ Gleason** · 08-27-2008, 07:29 AM

His picture shows a two up seat. That means that most likely he has a 135" track.
OK for sorta deep snow, just not deep powder with a 380 engine. If you had a 5 or 600cc engine, then maybe you'd be ok.

700summitguy · 09-28-2008, 08:48 PM

My wife had the same machine you have.We took it out into the Rocky Mountains once.It had the 136x3/4 track on it.It could only maintain a speed of 15 mph climbing the hills,and that was "poaching" in other machines tracks.It could not climb at all without getting stuck in the untracked powder.Mind you,where we go gets 30-40 feet of snow every winter.On the trails,it's a fine machine,but it's not suited for the hills.JMHO.

formulaIII800 · 10-07-2008, 10:50 AM

sorry to say but i think your dreaming. Your not going to be able to ride in deep powder with that sled....

Bravo250 · 11-03-2008, 05:01 PM

Yeah I think you are dreaming, but what you could do is drop in a 500f motor and lower the gearing a little bit, then you might be able to get somewhere, not really high up but alot better than a 380, lol, hey, its a touring machine, just sell it and but a summit 500f or a Mountain Lite or something along those lines

mtsnowcat · 11-22-2008, 11:47 AM

climing my not be terrible if sled is set up right (clutches, carbs) I live in the rockies and took my kids yamaha inviter, single cyclinder, really short track with something like 1/4 inch nubs and climed the back of Big Mountain with a second person (6 year old) riding it with me!! Turn more heads with this sled than any of the other four I have (much newer, faster, shinier, etc.) That being said much more than 6-8 inches of snow and half throttle and she's done. Experience in riding is what really shines in powder with a sled other than a mountain specific sled.

Gmiller · 11-25-2008, 08:34 PM

Well even what everyone says, There is one way to really find out, Try it, when i was younger i had a 80's Polaris Apollo 340, with nothing special done to it and i rode in 2-3feet of power, granted i was only 140lbs, the snowmobile did get stuck ALOT, but heck it was fun, sometimes it pushed more snow then it drove over!