For long-time western snowmobilers, the concept of ice scratchers historically just didn’t have any relevance. After all, we ride deep powder, not frozen lakes.
However, two trends occurred during the past decade that changed things. First, track lengths vaulted from the 140s to the 150s and on up to the 170s. Longer tracks meant more friction for the hyfaxes.
The other trend was with weather patterns—less snow coupled with swings in extreme temperatures, led to more riding in hardpack conditions.
Out of necessity, ice scratchers were critical for both hyfax lubrication and engine cooling.
The challenge, though, was to remember when to use the scratchers and when to put them away. Remember, historically most snowmobilers never gave much thought to the need to creating snow dust.
The problem was, scratchers were designed for “one directional” application. And as long as you went forward, they worked great. The trouble was when you slipped your sled into reverse and forgot your scratchers, which were then “re-designed” with a big bend in the middle. And where metal just isn’t that flexible, if they hadn’t already broken, you knew the metal was weakened and they would eventually break at the bend.
It always seemed as though we were bending just one side … and it was the same side. Yet, you would need to purchase a set to replace one side. Eventually, we had four extra left-side scratchers since we were always breaking the right side.
Then we discovered the Waycool Reversible Scratcher from RSI Racing. Since these scratchers were made from a metal cable rather than metal rod, they were not side specific. The cable was also flexible so the scratcher would function regardless of the direction you were moving.
The Waycool Scratchers are designed to universally fit on any snowmobile. Installation was easy (either using an existing hole on the slide rail or drill a new hole). It only required one bolt to attach the scratcher to the rail.
Once we installed the Waycool Scratchers, it didn’t matter if we were forgetful or careless with the scratchers. They are designed to withstand a lot of abuse.
The Waycool Scratchers retail for $59.95 per set. RSI also offers conventional scratchers and ski-attach scratchers. For more information, contact http://www.rsiracing.com.