Snowmobile Arctic Cat (2004 year). Manual - part 122
9-4
NOTE: It has been our experience that a tight
front arm works well under only two conditions:
sticky snow conditions in the spring of the year
and in hill climbing on hard packed snow.
It has also been our experience with AFS models that
with the front arm adjusted too soft, the spring may
come off the roller. There haven't been any other prob-
lems in handling caused by a soft front arm.
REAR ARM SPRING TENSION
The rear spring tension is adjusted for the weight of
the driver. There are three possible adjustments.
1st block position - set for up to 150 lb
2nd block position - set for 150 to 200 lb
3rd block position - set for over 200 lb
727-720A
738-229A
REAR ARM MOUNTING POSITION
(Between Rails)
There are several mounting holes found in the rails for
installing the rear arm.
The holes have been added to the suspension to pro-
vide adjustment to fine-tune the suspension to driving
styles.
If the ride is too soft, moving the rear arm back
between the rails will stiffen the ride. By moving the
rear arm forward, it will collapse quicker and allow
more transfer of weight to the back of the suspension.
This will also affect the handling by providing a softer
ride and also easier steering.
The drawbacks of moving the rear arm forward are
that the suspension may bottom out quicker and some
travel is lost.
NOTE: When making any changes to the front or
rear suspension, the change should be made at
both ends to keep the suspension balanced. For
example, installing stiffer springs in front may
require installing the next step stiffer spring in
back to keep everything in balance.
ADJUSTING REAR ARM COUPLER
NOTE: The couplers are installed in the 2-groove
position at production.
The rear arm coupler provides advantages over the
standard suspension.
First, with the coupler system, ski lift under accelera-
tion is greatly reduced which provides improved han-
dling. Second, when riding through rough terrain, the
rear suspension arm receives some needed assistance
from the front arm shock and spring. This happens as
the rear arm is fully collapsed and locked up by the
coupler blocks. The front arm then starts to collapse
the shocks and spring which assist the rear springs.
The result is a smoother ride for the operator.
Each of the coupler blocks has four positions (notched
grooves on the outside surface of the block). When
changing the block position, change both to the same
groove number. To make coupler adjustment, follow
the procedure below.
1. Using a 9/16-in. wrench, loosen the two cap
screws that secure the coupler blocks to the inside
of the suspension rails.
2. Rotate the coupler blocks to the desired position
making sure both are set the same.