Snowmobiles are designed for snow, but sometimes you need to cross pavement or other surfaces. Ski wheel kits offer a practical solution for these situations, improving handling and protecting your equipment.
Riding in areas like northern New Hampshire, New Brunswick, and Canada often involves encountering gas stops, parking lots, and bridges. These scenarios present unique challenges that ski wheel kits can address.
Consider gas stops: When you pull off the trail onto pavement, steering becomes difficult. The sled tends to go straight, requiring you to get off, disconnect your heated shield cord, and manually drag the sled. This process expends unnecessary energy.
Road bridges also pose difficulties. On a trip across Canada, one rider and their friend crossed numerous road bridges, some quite long, with heavy log trucks passing by. Drop-down ski wheels made these crossings manageable, saving approximately $200 in carbide wear on that one trip.
Unloading at parking lots and accessing trailheads can also be problematic, especially when there is a significant distance of road to cover before reaching the trail.
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Snowmobiles can ride pavement better than most people realize. But without a wheel kit on your skis your sled will steer like a barge. Worse, riding pavement will flatten the skegs (AKA carbides) under the skis, and without those your steering on snow will be as bad as on pavement.
If you live and snowmobile in a place where you never have to ride without snow, then good for you. Here in Colorado we get to do plenty of dry running, especially in the spring on roads such as Maroon Creek for access to the Elk Mountains.
Last spring I got a wheel kit from Sure Grip. Their dollies worked well for short jaunts from garage to trailer, but on rougher ground they tended to flip up sideways off the skis, and the system of cables holding them wore into our aluminum suspension components, and were too slack to secure the dolly from sliding forward and backward in a way that let the ski tilt to the ground and catch on things. So I welded an extension on each side of the dollies so the ski slot is taller, then rigged it so the assembly is held by a rubber sleeved rod that inserts through the suspension component. It takes a couple more minutes longer to install our modified dollies, but they’re solid and reliable on rougher ground. We’re still using the solid rubber wheels of the Sure Grip, which are not rated for long distance or speeds over 5mph, but they seem to hold up fine if we keep things mellow. Even so, I could see upgrading this system with better wheels and bearings. Or building something from scratch.
Meanwhile, it snowed last night here in Carbondale, and the high country looks caked.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering.
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Are you tired of looking at your snowmobile investment just sitting in your garage and your kids just can’t wait until the snow flies? With this great product from NEMI your kids can be riding their snowmobiles in summer and winter! This specially designed wheel kit attaches quick and easy. All you do is remove one bolt from your skis and attach the spindle and wheels and your sled is ready to go! These wheel kits fit a variety of smaller sleds including Polaris XC 120, XCR 120, Dragon 120, 120 Assault, 120 Indy, Arctic Cat Z120, Yamaha Snow Scoot and have been tested thru many race circuits and have come out winners. Order yours today!
ICEAGE Big Wheel Kit Install
Qualipieces Rollerski: A Detailed Look
Qualipieces Rollerski snowmobile wheels offer a solution to these problems. The wheel itself is fairly large compared to the old setup, allowing Rollerski to bridge holes and seams much better. After having the wheels, we could not imagine riding without them. They are that good. All my riding partners swear by them and wonder how they got along without. We’ve had no mechanical issues to date. No busted return springs, chunked wheels, or broken hardware.
For those riders out there wondering what the weight of the ski wheels are, they come in at 11 pounds per pair. Admittedly these wheels aren’t cheap, but you get what you pay for. They are well engineered with beefy components and well-thought-out details. In my unofficial poll while riding in Canada, most riders that have wheels are on Rollerski. So do yourself a favor and get a set of Rollerskis!
Time to rally! We’ll, not quite…
Installation Process
When opening the package, you'll find one bracket and attached wheel for each ski. Scanning the QR code provides access to the component list and instructions. A YouTube video would have been most helpful. Whether you like it or not, QR codes and online instructions are the way the society rolls now, so get used to it. Gone are the days of written instructions included in the box. which is just another thing to throw in the trash.
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Rather than repeat the details, I’ll just briefly explain the areas I found trouble with and share some tips for an easier installation experience. A sled lift is helpful but not required. Do your back and knees a favor and get one.
Lining up the large plated shoulder nut (1-1/8 inch) to screw into the wheel bracket can be tricky. Patience is key here. Do not tighten the large nut until you have drilled the hole for the through-bolt and mocked up that part of the process. Make sure all parts play nicely together.
I had to grind off some material on the aluminum backer plate inside the ski bracket so the nut for the through-bolt would seat properly. Make sure the ski rubber is all the way in its slots and underneath both ski spacers.
Prepare to install the ski. Slide the spindle bolt through the outside hole.
Using the Wheels
You have now bought and installed the wheels, how are they used? Simply come to a complete stop, go around the front of the machine and while lifting the ski loop press down with your foot on the stud that protrudes from the wheel. Both motions together will deploy the wheels downward into a cutout in the ski wheel bracket. You are now ready to pound the pavement with Qualipieces Rollerski snowmobile wheels. To be clear you don’t need to be the Incredible Hulk to push down on the wheels, it’s a very smooth transition. The wheels stay deployed until they either hit the snow or you gently rock the machine side-to-side while standing.
One word of caution here, the fastest recommended speed is 12 mph. While most folks don’t look at the speedo while riding, once accustomed to the wheels just glance down at the needle.
Additional Benefits of Big Wheel Kits
Reduced track drag, increased wheelie control, and easier reversing in soft snow. All the benefits of 9" wheels - now without the icing and track wear issues traditionally associated with full billet aluminum wheels.
Large rear idler wheels means less rolling resistance, easier backing up and increased top end track speed.
Our wheels and axle are simple, strong and ready for any abuse you can throw at it. All Big Wheels Kits come with our HELLFIRE 9" wheels.
Our wheels are made out of high-strength aluminum for maximum durability and bearing support, but are equipped with a user-replaceable UHMW plastic outer ring to eliminate icing issues common with full-billet wheels. Our offset axle offers exceptional strength while maintaining a competitive weight to stock.
The combination of a high quality CNC aluminum part and thoroughly tested axle makes this strong yet trim piece run 9" wheels without hesitation. We did not cut any corners on strength but worked to remove any unnecessary material to keep the weight down.
Kit comes in 2 offset sizes. HELLFIRE wheels are the choice for riders looking for the ultimate in strength, and the larger 9" sizes can allow your skid to run with less drag on the track, allowing higher track speeds more quickly.
Summary of Benefits
Ski wheel kits offer numerous benefits for snowmobile riders. These include:
- Easier navigation on pavement and other surfaces
- Protection of carbides (skegs) from wear
- Improved steering control
- Reduced strain during gas stops and parking
- Enhanced overall riding experience
By investing in a quality ski wheel kit, you can extend the life of your snowmobile's components and enjoy a smoother, more versatile riding experience.
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