20" wide snowmobile track - difficult to steer?

Wolverine Boy · #1 01-05-2011, 04:20 PM

I need some advice please and I know there are plenty of guys / girls on this forum who have tons of experience with snowmobiles.

I am taking a serious look at buying a 2011 Ski-Doo Skandic WT E-TEC 600 H.O. I will almost always be carrying a passenger, I'm driving mostly bush cutlines and not groomed trails and it needs to be able to pull. I like this particular machine but have never driven one and nobody seems to have a demo to take out. This particular model was just introduced in 2011.

It appears to fit the bill very well for what I need it to do but I was advised by a friend, who does tons of snowmobiling, that it's 20" wide track could / would be very hard to steer. One of the other Skandic models has a 24" wide track but that's not the one I was looking at.

Does anybody have one of these machines and / or any experience riding one that could offer their opinion on the difficulty in handling with that wide a track?

HunterDave · #2 01-05-2011, 04:41 PM

I can't comment on that specific model but I sled regularly with a buddy that has a 2002 Skandic. It's a fairly heavy machine that is designed for use on trails and not the best choice for ditch banging (although he does it anyway). He has a wide turning radius in comparison to my old AC Powder Special, but I don't know if it has anything to do with the track width.

When we drive through a field he looks very comfortable and kind of plows through the drifts while I'm getting thrown around a bit and bouncing over top of them. I suppose that I'd compare his sled to a cadillac with a smooth ride but wide turning radius.

HunterDave · #3 01-05-2011, 04:47 PM

Here's a better place to find info:

http://www.dootalk.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

Sooner · #4 01-05-2011, 05:37 PM

It will have reverse so if you need to turn around in a tight spot it can be done. Deep snow will be tougher to do but we do it with 800 mountain sleds, that wide track should float on top no problem. I never rode one either but I bet it would work just fine for what you want out of it. Send a pm to Brian Bildson, he writes for AO and is on here, I think he rides one.

KegRiver · #5 01-05-2011, 05:58 PM

If you need a heavy hauler the Scandic is as good as there is these days.

It's a bit on the heavy side for bush work but that wide track can make quiet a difference.

I have a couple of neighbors that used them for trapping machines. They could go almost anywhere my twin tracks can go and they are a whole lot more maneuverable then a twin track.

The best trapping machines are the smaller rigs, things like the Bravo or Elan.
But heavy haulers they are not.

The best advice I can give you is, avoid the wide ski stance machines.
Skis that run outside the machine will give you a ton of grief in the bush.

wsmman · #6 01-05-2011, 08:27 PM

burnt around on some brand new ones at new year. they were skandic and a tundra both were 500 or 550 fan cooled. they actually had quite a bit of snap down low, would work great for towing. i pulled around a bunch of kids and i never did spin out. One thing i'll tell you is the owner of these sleds said the two fan cooled sleds cost about an 1/8 of the maintenance of his liquid cooled sleds, he was saying somethin like $4600.00 so far on the high powered sleds in maintance. he did have his eye on the 600sdi and thought it was going to work real good.

The two i ran had regular width tracks one 136 the other 146" i think.

dgl1948 · #7 01-05-2011, 09:14 PM

I cannot comment on the SkiDoo but I have used an Arctic Cat Bearcat that has the long wide track. Our local sled club use it for signing and other jobs. When signing it pulls a sled with 3 barrels of signs. It also pulls a small groomer that was made for it from time to time. They will take the deep snow and they will pull. Riding with a passenger is no problem as well. Are they harder to steer, no they are not. Do they take more room to corner, yes, they are a lot heavier machine. If you are looking for a workhorse you are looking at the right type of machine. If you want trail preformance, no it is not what you would buy. If you are looking for a 2 up family machine, no, it is not what you would by.

Tundra Monkey · #8 01-05-2011, 10:24 PM

Absolutley not Wolverine Boy,

If anything with the the Skandic is that you will find it kind of tippy. I believe the ski stance is 34" or something crazy like that and you sit up rather high. I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner rider but it is awesome at what it's for. Not sure if which engine your looking at but the smaller of the two gets some crazy mileage.....and the bigger one (believe it's the Tundra Extreme) is actually pretty sporty and a nice compromise between work and play.

I'm not a big guy and can pick up the front of these machines to my waist and throw it around.....crazy. Love em'

tm

edit...kinda re-read your post. I think you should have a look at the Tundra as opposed to the Skandic. Save a few bucks and get all the same work done.

chubbdarter · #9 01-05-2011, 11:03 PM

steering is more influnced by the track length...long track montain sleds like a 163 or greater will push into corners. even though we spend thousands to mod them lighter the track length still pushes the corners

blackonblackfx4 · #10 01-05-2011, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolverine Boy

I need some advice please and I know there are plenty of guys / girls on this forum who have tons of experience with snowmobiles.

Does anybody have one of these machines and / or any experience riding one that could offer their opinion on the difficulty in handling with that wide a track?

Carve it around corners with deep snow, throw your body completely off the sled into the corner except 1 foot untill the machine begins to tip then add throttle. It will corner with 1 ski in the air and have a very small Turing radius.

And yes scandics can carve, I have on them.

HunterDave · #11 01-05-2011, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackonblackfx4

Carve it around corners with deep snow, throw your body completely off the sled into the corner except 1 foot untill the machine begins to tip then add throttle. It will corner with 1 ski in the air and have a very small Turing radius.

And yes scandics can carve, I have on them.

Anyone can do one ski in the air! Last week I threw my body completely off the sled at full throttle and had both skis in the air!

blackonblackfx4 · #12 01-05-2011, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Anyone can do one ski in the air! Last week I threw my body completely off the sled at full throttle and had both skis in the air!

Ha

bb356 · #13 01-06-2011, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterDave

Anyone can do one ski in the air! Last week I threw my body completely off the sled at full throttle and had both skis in the air!

HD..................your a hoot !!!!

Ken07AOVette · #14 01-06-2011, 01:12 AM

You should have bought my sled, was in here for sale for quite a while

Most new sleds turn fine, the have lowered the engine and moved it forward, putting more weight on the skis at at low speed reducing push

jack88 · #15 01-06-2011, 01:26 AM

I am also looking to get into a utility/sport type of sled. Something for ice fishing and cruising down cutlines. I was looking at the base model beatcat 570's that are one clearout at some dealerships. Any other suggetions?

600twin · #16 01-06-2011, 07:36 AM

I cannot comment on the Skandic but i do have a widetrack Yamaha VK Pro and a friend rides a Bearcat Widetrack . If you have never ridden a widetrack i would suggest you spend some time on a widetrack before spending the money. As Tundra monkey stated you may find it quite tippy i know i do and once it starts its happens real quick . I was going to talk about the weight but i just checked and the Skandic is over 200 pounds lighter than mine. I would suggest checking out a Bearcat 570 as an all around machine. I have ridden with a few bearcats and they were excellent off trail riding. Ride before you buy widtracks aren't for everybody.

Tundra Monkey · #17 01-06-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack88

I am also looking to get into a utility/sport type of sled. Something for ice fishing and cruising down cutlines. I was looking at the base model beatcat 570's that are one clearout at some dealerships. Any other suggetions?

Hey Jack....Can't believe I'm gonna recommend doo-doo's but I'm in the market for one as well. I'm going to go with the Tundra for pure work and mileage. For a true crossover machine I'd look at the Tundra Extreme. Still gets good mileage and a HP jump that keeps it a little more sporty.

tm

Wolverine Boy · #18 01-06-2011, 07:27 PM

Thanks very much to all who took the time to reply..........lots of great info as always!

rookiemoosehunter · #19 01-06-2011, 08:53 PM

I have a 2008 skandic 550 fan cooled and I pull a trappers sleigh filled with all my ice fishing equiptment with it and it pulls like a horse with a passenger.
Its defienetly not a speed demon but I am sure the 600 motor will have a bit more punch than mine.
Tundra Monkey is correct about the skandic being tippy but I am usually not going fast enough to worry about it.
The track I have is the 16" and it does the job for me, Unless your gonna be pulling some scerious heavy loads in deep snow, a 16" track will do.

I looked at the wider track units and bigger motors but I couldn't justify the cost for a hunting and fishing sled.

ubi26 · #20 01-19-2012, 06:37 PM

Hi there! After hunting Caribou up north in the baie james area i definitly say that the widetrack is an awsome ski doo. I did one day over 170 km through the woods and swamps passing over little trees and and heavy snow with no problem!! on lakes going over a 100 km an hr and no sweat... the upright position is very relaxing compared to other models previosly owned i would not hesitate to buy, try also the new tundra very good as well :-) by the way the guys who guided us hunting only swore by them and use them way more than anyone i know ...they say that there lives r in good hands with that type of ski-doo and would not choose any other..they've seen them all...

traderal · #21 01-19-2012, 07:45 PM

I've used widetracks in the past. Can't sink them in deep snow but if they start to tilt in deep snow they are hard to keep upright as they are heavy. They can also pull a big load. In the bush you can't make sharp corners at high speed but thats why you have reverse. Fan motors are preferred if you are going slow on hardpack. I like the older Valemont Skidoo twin tracks but they are not as comfortable or fast as the newer widetracks. I've also had the Elan and Bravo units and they can float over any snow and easy to handle but can't pull heavy loads and are not comfortable for long days in the saddle.If you are in an area with months of deep snow and you have to cover many miles you will appreciate a widetrack. Just get one with power steering if they have them as an option. That's what I am waiting for.