Getting Winter Ready | A Step by Step guide on preparing your Snowmobile or Side-by-Side for winter

  This step by step guide will show you how to set up your snowmobile or side-by-side for the winter months.   

     Northern Ontario offers plenty of the white stuff that your typical sled enthusiast prays for during the winter months. However, before the snow hits the ground, its important to ensure your Snowmobile, Side by Side or ATV is properly maintained for the hard riding that comes with that blanket of snow we're all waiting for. Safety and maintenance is what is going to get you through these winters, so let's look at what is necessary to ensure your machine is ready to go. We'll start with snowmobiles, any additional steps that pertain to side by sides and ATV will be highlighted afterwards.

Oil filter, Engine Oil and Chain Case Oil

The life blood of your machine, oil keeps all moving parts lubricated and working properly. Its important to change this at the beginning or end of the season. This will help ensure you’ll make it through the winter. Draining and replacing your oil is a fairly easy task. If you need parts or advise, Bracebridge Yamaha have you covered.

Drive System/Brakes

Here we have to look at the clutches, belts, transmission and jack shaft. We're looking for excessive wear, proper operation and excessive noise. Your belt can usually be inspected visually for cracking and wear but it's always nice to have your track in the air in order to see if your clutches are engaging, the belt is not slipping and the track isn't skipping on acceleration. Have a look at the jack shaft to make sure there isn't excessive wear or play in the shaft. Lastly, let's make sure your brakes are fully operational and there is plenty of material left on both the pads and rotor. If you need to replace these, feel free to call us.

Lube all the gears, drive shaft, suspension

Just like the oil in your engine, all moving suspension parts need to be lubricated in order for every suspension component to continue doing the job its designed to do. This step will require a grease gun and a little bit of detective work. Grease nipples can be tough to find at times but make sure you track them all down.

Check your track tension

Improper track tension can negatively affect your drive components when the set up is wrong. If too loose, your track can skip. If too tight, you can wear out your sliders prematurely. Track tension should typically run between 1 – 1 ½ inches but this can vary depending on your specific model, we recommend always referring to your owners manual before setting your track tension.

Lube Cables and leavers as well as your sliders wear indicators

This step is often missed or skipped but we can't stress how important it is to make sure that all your cables are working and sliding smoothly. The absolute last thing you want is to have a sticky cable and your throttle is stuck wide open due to improper maintenance. Make sure all your cables slide smoothly and there are no catches. Let's also look at your sliders. If there is excessive wear (past the wear indicator) or damage, it's important to change these.

Skis and carbides

Handling and control of your machine is of the utmost importance on the trails. When your carbides wear down, you'll have significantly less turning ability on hard packed surfaces and ice. It's important to make sure the carbides don't have excessive wear. Additionally, let's go ahead and look for any damage on your skis. How is your ski loop? If this is damaged or missing, it important to replace because this helps stiffen the toe and prevent any debris from accidentally traveling upwards and damaging suspension parts.

Electrical Systems

This can range from easy, such as changing a bulb to more complicated in the case of heated seats if you find failed electrical components but its important to make sure these systems are fully operational prior to hitting the trails.

Let's check on all of these systems.

• Heated seats

• Heated handlebars

• Ignition

• Lights

• Backup Alarm

Side by Sides/ ATV's

While there are a number differences between Sleds and SXS/ATV's, there are very few differences in the maintenance necessary for the winter months. You're obviously not looking at skis and carbides, instead lets look at the following.

Suspension and Drive Train

Side by Sides and ATV's take a lot more punishment on the trails. We have 4 individual systems that can take a beating rather than the single drive system on a snowmobile. Have a look at the CV boots on each half shaft. Are there any tears? It's important to make sure your CV joint is covered and properly lubricated. Having one break apart while riding will make for a long push home. Lets also make sure your tie rod ends and ball joints don't have play and your tires are inflated properly.

Undercarriage / Skid Plate

Because you're driving on terrain rather than sliding above it, make sure your skid plate is intact. The last thing you want is to find a rogue tree branch that had found it's way into your cooling system or knocked off your oil filter. You may want to consider upgrading to an aluminum skid plate which is significantly stronger and longer lasting to protect your delicate engine components.

Riding with Tracks

A lot of riders are now mounting tracks on their machines for winter use. The tracks we sell here are specifically designed for each model of SXS/ATV to ensure proper operation during the winter months. These tracks however, require maintenance similar to what was noted above in the snowmobile section.

At the end of the day and depending on your technical ability, this pre-winter checklist can be a daunting task. We want to make sure you're not stuck at the side of the trail rather than enjoying the upcoming sledding season. Make sure you go over everything that we've covered here and if you need parts, a helping hand or even advise, please call us at Bracebridge Yamaha. We'd be happy to help you out.