Snowmobile Weight Matters

We stormed into three snowmobile dealerships in the greater Minneapolis, Minnesota, metro area and weighed sleds on their showfloors. Every machine that was hoisted onto our scales was fully assembled and fluid levels were ready for the trail except for fuel and injection oil. Four-stroke engines were filled to factory levels.

We weigh the machines and report their weights without fuel and injection oil because capacities vary between make and model. Chaincase oil, engine coolant and shock and brake fluid capacities vary, too, but unlike gas and oil, those components must be filled to the manufacturer’s specification in order for the sled to go down a trail. Manufacturers deduct these fluid weights to arrive at their estimated dry weight spec, but the number in the brochure means little when a rider climbs aboard.

Most two-stroke-powered sleds are shipped from factories with just enough oil in the reservoir to prime the oil injection pump. Most of the tanks in the sleds we weighed contained less than a pint of oil. At just 1.784 pounds per quart, the effect on a sled’s weight is negligible and was not used to determine a corrected weight.

All fuel tanks were empty except for the Polaris 600 HO CFI IQ and FST IQ at Pro Power Sports and Marine in Ramsey. Since we didn’t know how much gas was in the tanks in order to factor an accurate deduction, we filled each fuel cell to the bottom of its filler neck, then put it on the scales.

We multiplied Polaris ’ listed fuel capacity (11.7 gallons 600 CFI IQ; 10.2 gallons FST IQ) by 6.133 pounds per gallon of fuel and subtracted that amount from the figures recorded from the scales (569; 662 pounds) to get the corrected weights (497; 599 pounds).

ARCTIC CAT

2007 F6 LXR
Observed Weight: 558 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 522 pounds
Fudge Factor: 36 pounds

2007 Crossfire 1000
Observed Weight: 540 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 530 pounds
Fudge Factor: 10 pounds

2007 F1000 LXR
Observed Weight: 584 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 542 pounds
Fudge Factor: 42 pounds

2006 ZR 900 EFI
Observed Weight: 523 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 506 pounds
Fudge Factor: 17 pounds

Average discrepancy between listed weight and fudge factor: 26.25 pounds

POLARIS

2007 600 H.O. CFI SwitchBack
Observed Weight: 498 pounds
Corrected Weight: N/A
Listed Dry Weight: 493 pounds
Fudge Factor: 5 pounds

2007 600 H.O. CFI IQ
Observed Weight: 569 pounds (full fuel)
Corrected Weight: 497 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 485 pounds
Fudge Factor: 12 pounds

2007 FST IQ
Observed Weight: 662 pounds
Corrected Weight: 599 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 583 pounds
Fudge Factor: 16 pounds

Average discrepancy between listed weight and fudge factor: 11 pounds

SKI-DOO

2007 Freestyle Session 550
Observed Weight: 424 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 410 pounds
Fudge Factor: 14 pounds

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2007 MX Z 800 H.O. Blizzard w/electric start
Observed Weight: 504 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: N/A
Fudge Factor: N/A

2007 Mini Z
Observed Weight: 162 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 154 pounds
Fudge Factor: 8 pounds

2006 MX Z 600 H.O. SDI
Observed Weight: 492 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 474 pounds
Fudge Factor: 18 pounds

Average discrepancy between listed weight and fudge factor: 13.33 pounds

YAMAHA

2007 RS Vector ER
Observed Weight: 573 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 544 pounds
Fudge Factor: 29 pounds

2007 Apex GT
Observed Weight: 588 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 554 pounds
Fudge Factor: 34 pounds

2007 Attak GT
Observed Weight: 607 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: N/A
Fudge Factor: N/A

2007 Phazer FX
Observed Weight: 509 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 487 pounds
Fudge Factor: 22 pounds

2007 Apex Mountain SE
Observed Weight: 628 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: N/A
Fudge Factor: N/A

2006 Nytro ER
Observed Weight: 571 pounds
Listed Dry Weight: 542 pounds
Fudge Factor: 29 pounds

Average discrepancy between listed dry weight and fudge factor: 28.5 pounds

• Smallest discrepancy between “listed” and “observed” figures: Polaris SwitchBack 600 HO CFI, 5 pounds

• Biggest discrepancy between “listed” and “observed” figures: Arctic Cat F1000 LXR, 42 pounds

Other stuff we weighed:
• Used 2006 F7 Sno Pro: Observed weight: 522 pounds with roughly one-quarter tank of fuel and three-quarter tank of injection oil

• 1 gallon Amsoil HP injector oil: 8 pounds

• Apex Mountain owner Troy Mansfield in Riverview Sports and Marine: 336 pounds

• Suzuki TT-R50 dirtbike: 121 pounds

• Suzuki RM-Z450 dirtbike: 236 pounds

• Crossfire 1000 with windshield bag, tank bag and Pro Power Sports Finance Manager Dan Istel: 747 pounds

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