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Tippy machines: Expedition VS Skandic

9K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  groo 
#1 ·
I have an Expedition LE, that seems it is on it's side way more than should be, many times 210 lbs hanging off of one side is not enough. I admit some of it is self inflicted because of the load on the back/terrain traveled, but that does not account for all of the problem. Is this just the nature of all the XU sleds, or are the Skandic's any better at keeping the skis on the ground because of their front end?
 
#9 ·
Lots of factors & combinations at play here
Snow conditions, if it's crusty and the ski & tub won't sink the snow pushes you over, If the snow is soft not so much. If you have ski skins, they are great in powder but take sidehilling and turning away. This is a give and take, Floatations vs maneuverability. Also the speed you are going matters, if you are creeping along over you go, at higher speeds not so much. The pressure on the skis can also effect this, a shock & spring that load up will push back. The issue is finding the sweet spot for your conditions and change as you go. I'm lazy I have found a good all around spot for the way i ride. Weight & balance also matters, how you ride, where you ride and what you are carrying. On my RMK we do 120 mile trips & haul 5 gal cans. In powder that 40 pounds behind me changes the axis of rotation on my sled. A few times it has made me flop because it did not go where I wanted it to. The rotation was below me rather than slightly forward of me. I see the same on my LE to a lesser degree but the track footprint and overall weight is more so the 5 gal has less effect.
As a rule both of my LE's are less tippy than the SWT was. The one with no skins is less tippy sidhilling but not as good setting a trap line through the trees. All give & take for changing conditions.
 
#10 ·
To answer some questions. The machine is a 600 e-tec that had skins until two weeks ago when I had to take them off because they were trashed, have not seen any difference/improvement in tippyness since their removal (wide Polaris skis on order). The machine is set to the widest ski stance. When it gets tippy is when I am slowly working my way through uneven terrain. As far as snow conditions, soft-hard, they continually vary. I know this sounds like business as usual, but this machine seems worse on the tippy factor than most. Looking to cure the problem, had half expected some would say the pogos were better. I guess I need outriggers.
 
#11 ·
To answer some questions. The machine is a 600 e-tec that had skins until two weeks ago when I had to take them off because they were trashed, have not seen any difference/improvement in tippyness since their removal (wide Polaris skis on order). The machine is set to the widest ski stance. When it gets tippy is when I am slowly working my way through uneven terrain. As far as snow conditions, soft-hard, they continually vary. I know this sounds like business as usual, but this machine seems worse on the tippy factor than most. Looking to cure the problem, had half expected some would say the pogos were better. I guess I need outriggers.
I'm sure you already know this, but slowgoing in uneven terrain you really need to shift your weight. When getting off-camber I'll stop, grab the center strap and yank on it to level the front end of the sled. Without doing that the sled will want to follow the terrain downhill.

A left hand throttle would be a big help too and allow you to better put the weight where it needs to be.
 
#12 ·
To answer some questions. The machine is a 600 e-tec that had skins until two weeks ago when I had to take them off because they were trashed, have not seen any difference/improvement in tippyness since their removal (wide Polaris skis on order). The machine is set to the widest ski stance. When it gets tippy is when I am slowly working my way through uneven terrain. As far as snow conditions, soft-hard, they continually vary. I know this sounds like business as usual, but this machine seems worse on the tippy factor than most. Looking to cure the problem, had half expected some would say the pogos were better. I guess I need outriggers.
If u come from a narrow track sled to a widetrack it takes a lot of getting used to.. they are brutes that require quite a bit of body English to keep them upright on oneven terrain.. purchased my first widetrack in 1990 and wouldn't have anything else. had a couple of vkpros now that was something to keep on its feet on a sidehill, could haul the devil though... some are worst then others and u probably have one of the best with regard to the handling capabilities.. it is a learning curve for sure.. Good luck with it
 
#13 ·
Lots of factors & combinations at play here
Snow conditions, if it's crusty and the ski & tub won't sink the snow pushes you over, If the snow is soft not so much. If you have ski skins, they are great in powder but take sidehilling and turning away. This is a give and take, Floatations vs maneuverability. Also the speed you are going matters, if you are creeping along over you go, at higher speeds not so much. The pressure on the skis can also effect this, a shock & spring that load up will push back. The issue is finding the sweet spot for your conditions and change as you go. I'm lazy I have found a good all around spot for the way i ride. Weight & balance also matters, how you ride, where you ride and what you are carrying. On my RMK we do 120 mile trips & haul 5 gal cans. In powder that 40 pounds behind me changes the axis of rotation on my sled. A few times it has made me flop because it did not go where I wanted it to. The rotation was below me rather than slightly forward of me. I see the same on my LE to a lesser degree but the track footprint and overall weight is more so the 5 gal has less effect.
As a rule both of my LE's are less tippy than the SWT was. The one with no skins is less tippy sidhilling but not as good setting a trap line through the trees. All give & take for changing conditions.
This is all very accurate information IMHO.

The other problem with the issue is the extremely light springs that are factory. Try a set of 1200 front shock springs on your etec. This will help combat the collapse of your front suspension as you get high sided due to the track width leverage.
 
#17 ·
Yeah... it doesn't take much.... The SWTs almost handle the total opposite of a regular sled. With a narrow track sled, the wide ski stance is what follows the terrain and dictates what angle the sled is going to follow. On an SWT, the wide track is what follows the terrain. The narrower ski stance only exacerbates the problem.....
 
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#19 ·
I don't know what you're talking about either....
My son and I started to add up the number townships in which he has flipped his SWT, the 600 Expy Sport and his earlier Tundra. We figured out he's a "well-traveled guy". :D

Yesterday, he flipped the SWT again in some pretty tough going. He placed it perfectly between the rocks so no damage done. I asked him where he landed this time, and he pointed and said " over there, in just about the right spot."
 
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