Snowmobile Polaris Trail RMK (2010 year). Manual - part 4

17

SAFETY

Operator Safety

Driving in Hilly Terrain

WARNING! Climbing a hill or crossing the face of a slope may result in loss of 

balance and machine roll-over, causing serious injury or death. Use caution and 

good judgement when driving in hilly terrain.

Operating in hilly terrain requires extreme caution to maintain balance 

and avoid roll-over. If climbing a hill is unavoidable, keep all your 

weight low and forward.
If you must cross the face of a slope, keep your weight on the uphill side 

of the machine to maintain proper balance and avoid possible roll-over.
Slow down when reaching the crest of a hill. Be prepared to react to 

obstacles, sharp drops, or other people or vehicles that may be on the 

other side of the hill.
If you’re unable to continue up a hill, turn the machine downhill before 

it loses momentum. If this isn’t possible, spin the track just enough to 

dig in to prevent it from rolling back down the hill. Stop the engine and 

set the parking brake (if equipped). Keeping away from the downhill 

side of the machine, pull the rear of the snowmobile around and point 

the front end and skis downhill. Remount the machine, restart the 

engine, release the parking brake, and descend the hill carefully.

18

SAFETY

Operator Safety

Driving Downhill

When riding downhill, shift your weight to the rear of the machine and 

reduce your speed to a minimum. Apply just enough throttle to keep the 

clutch engaged, allowing the engine’s compression to help slow the 

machine and keep it from rolling freely downhill.

WARNING! When driving on long downhill stretches, pump the brakes. Riding 

the brakes may cause the brake system to overheat, which may result in brake 

failure. Excessive or repetitive use of the brakes for high speed stops will also 

cause an overheated brake system. This condition may lead to a sudden loss of 

brakes and/or fire and may result in serious injury or death.

Clutch Guard

Do not operate the engine with the clutch guard removed.
The clutch guard is designed to protect the operator from metal parts if 

the clutch should fail. Although the chance of failure is extremely 

remote, don’t defeat the purpose of the guard by removing it. It’s pro-

vided for your safety.

Drive Belt

Do not operate the engine with the drive belt removed.
Any servicing that requires operation without a belt must be performed 

by your dealer. Operation of the engine with the belt removed may result 

in personal injury or damage to the engine.

19

SAFETY

Operator Safety

Intake Silencer

Do not operate the engine with the intake silencer or filter removed.
Damage to the engine may occur if the intake silencer or filter are 

removed.

Clutches

Do not attempt to service the clutches.
All clutch service must be performed by your dealer. The clutch is a 

complex mechanism that rotates at high speeds. Each clutch is dynami-

cally balanced before installation. Any tampering may disrupt this preci-

sion balancing and create an unstable condition.

Cold Weather Drive-Away

Whenever your snowmobile has been parked for a length of time, espe-

cially overnight, always make sure the skis and track are loosened from 

ice and snow before attempting to drive. Apply the throttle with enough 

authority to put the machine into motion, but always operate within 

safety limits. See Starting the Engine on page 49.

Maneuverability

Control and maneuverability comes not only through the steering and 

skis, maximum control is achieved by shifting of body weight. Maneu-

verability will change for lighter operators or machines designed to 

carry a load.

20

SAFETY

Operator Safety

Inadequate Snow Conditions

Since snow provides the only lubrication for the power slide suspension 

and, on liquid cooled models, cooling for the engine, adequate snow 

cover is a requirement for operation of your machine. 

NOTICE: Driving in too little snow will result in excessive wear and damage to 

the slide rail, track and/or engine. Do not drive for prolonged periods 

on blacktop, gravel, or ice. If frequently operating in low cooling condi-

tions, see your dealer for an optional wheel kit that will reduce the 

wear from overheating.

Operating in Deep Snow

If the machine becomes stuck in snow, clear the running board area of 

snow, then step down the snow in front of the machine so that when the 

throttle is opened, the snowmobile will be able to climb up and over the 

snow.