skandic WT fan or liquid cooled?

[Missionmadness67]

Been looking for a sled to bomb around and ice fish/hunt around the state.  Some co-workers have said stay away from liquid cooled for any weather over 30 degrees which makes sense, but reading reviews online people are saying the fan cooled motors are having trouble...  Just seeing if anyone has an option on what to look for and really what year skandics to stay away from???

[Drifter_016]

Liquid cooled can have issues late in the season or when there is no snow on the lake, but using a good set of ice scratchers fixes that issue.
I run a liquid cooled Yamaha 4 stroke and have only had over heating issues twice in 7 years. Personally I like the liquid cooled sleds and really like the power and fuel efficiency of the 4 strokes.
In this pic I traveled 110 miles on one tank of gas fully loaded pulling 2 sleds.   
That's my sled in the foreground.

[Missionmadness67]

thanks for the info!!

Anyone know/have experience with a 2003 skandic 440f Long track???

[Drifter_016]

If you don't get any responses try posting your question here: http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=175.0

[smelloftrout]

I put a few miles on a sled like your asking about years ago on the slope. Seemed to be a decent sled.

I own two wide tracks and utilize them on my trap line primarily as well as fish.  One of my sleds is a iq 600 widtrack which is liquid cooled and comparing with my skandic 550 fan the Polaris has a lot more power. I've been riding the skidoo though as a got rid of the duct work that comes factory on it to release the heat off the motor out of the hood and now comes out by my feet and the screens/holes in the hood. Makes it a little nicer when it's -20/-30 out. The bad part with the 550 fan is fuel mileage. I know 3 other people with the same sled and after being around other sleds, there pretty thirsty motors. My Polaris does a lot better but really the conditions we ride in are constantly changing.

If I where to look into another sled for my purposes I'd look into a four stroke but not having a recoil backup kind of makes a guy nervous when your alone 50 miles from the closest person. I'd take a close look at Polaris new wide track with the 550 fan in it also but that's just me. I pull a sled or doubles often so that's why I prefer wide tracks.  One down fall to a wide track is they don't do overly well in the hills. There no powder machine. Anyways just a few things to consider so I hope this helps.

[jethro]

Everyone will tell you to only run fan cooled for ice fishing, but I use my sled for both trail touring and ice fishing and I'd much rather have a liquid cooled. In well over a dozen years I have not had an issue. Truth is, the only time it's a problem is when it is glare ice, and when it's glare ice it is easy to walk even while pulling a few hundred lbs of gear.

[Akhardwater]

I run a bearcat 570f xt and use to haul my ice shack.  I have plenty of power and then some to get the job done and with a 17 gallon fuel tank I have the range I need to stay out for a week at a time without filling up.  The main reason I went with a 2 stroke over the 4 is I didn't want to have to worry about the battery freezing and not being able to start my sled when it's 40 below.  I have several friends with 4 strokes and if it's colder than 20 below they have to pull out the battery or run the risk of not being able to start their sled the next day.  This may or may not be a concern for you but it is something to think about.   Also the 2 strokes are generally a lot cheaper than the 4 strokes if you buy one brand new.

[Drifter_016]

I run a bearcat 570f xt and use to haul my ice shack.  I have plenty of power and then some to get the job done and with a 17 gallon fuel tank I have the range I need to stay out for a week at a time without filling up.  The main reason I went with a 2 stroke over the 4 is I didn't want to have to worry about the battery freezing and not being able to start my sled when it's 40 below.  I have several friends with 4 strokes and if it's colder than 20 below they have to pull out the battery or run the risk of not being able to start their sled the next day.  This may or may not be a concern for you but it is something to think about.   Also the 2 strokes are generally a lot cheaper than the 4 strokes if you buy one brand new.

Guys I know that have 4 strokes and go out for extended trips in very cold weather take along a 1kw generator so they can plug in their machines if needed.
The Skidoos with the ACE 600 4 stroke I have heard are very reliable in cold weather and start down to -40 without being plugged in though.
Mine needs to be plugged in below -25 so I'm one of the generator toting crew.   

[jacksmelt71]

i have a '13 skidoo grand touring  600 liquid long track. great riding sled . pulls well. has wider ski stance than the scandic. over heats when the trails are hard packed or glare ice on the lakes. I'm putting scratchers on it but sometimes i miss my '06 expedition 550 fan. never had those issues and never overheated , even in 35f temps. much more power w/ the liquid cooled tho. ill buy a 4 stroke when they put a backup start system on them. not dealing w/ a generator!

[Missionmadness67]

thanks for the input everyone!