Polaris 550 WT LX ?

Anyone know anything about this machine? Reliability, deep snow etc? I've never owned anything Polaris. Didnt know this machine even existed until I saw one on a truck the other day. Might have to replace my VK540, its just so hard to handle. Worst machine that way that Ive ever had.

The Grandparents have two of them, they are very nice machines. I would like to get one, they are not hard to handle and good in deep snow. The 550 wide track lx has lots of pulling power.
They last a long time, it is hard to find used ones for sale. My grandparents machines are over 20 years old and going strong.

EAH..... I'd guess your Grandparents have the Polaris WT LX with the 500 liquid cooled machines with is actually a 488 cc machine. I believe they started making the WT with the 550 fan cooled around 2015 or 16.

yukon254... a friend had the 550 and liked everything but the fuel economy. He said it handled like the old Polaris WT's. Typical utility sleds.

Dave, do you not like BRP?

Jim, I do like them, I just dont trust them. I had a WT with the 600 ACE. Loved the machine until I started having issues with it. I found that they are impossible for me to work on/diagnose in the bush. I know a lot of trappers here that run them, and they have had a lot of electrical issues. Some left them stranded. My son was up the Dempster late last fall with a couple of trapper friends hunting caribou. He runs a VK540 like mine. The other two guys were running the 900 brp skandics. Before the hunt was over he ended up pulling both those sleds back to camp. Both had electrical issues. I think thats the biggest problem with them. I talked to a dealer when they brought the VK540 back and he told me that was the reason Yamaha brought it back, the Russians were having so many issues with the four strokes that couldnt be fixed in the bush. I have to travel so far and am almost always alone, I need something that I can work on or at least diagnose. Now even the throttle on the new ones is electrical. I wish some of the other companies would follow Yamahas lead on the heated carb they put on the new VK540s. It does wonders for fuel economy. We are getting very close to the same milage that the 900 BRP is getting. What I dont like is the how the VK handles. Takes a lot of room to turn around, and you have to really ride it in deep snow, its always diving one way or the other. Very hard to steer too.

I ran a Polaris 500 WT for a solid 10 years was a good machine in it’s day.
Before that l had a Yamaha Bravo LT for 12 years at least.
Both machines did me well but technology pasted them by.
Running a BRP Skandic 900 ACE WT so far l have not had a single issue with it and would not go back to either a Polaris or Yamaha.
Both Polaris and Yamaha were good machines.
I love the 4 stroke and the mileage that l get out of it.
I went from $25 a day to $10 when l made the switch to 4 stroke.
Would not go back.

Glad you're not having any problems Jim. My milage is really good with the new VK540 as well. Just the handling issues. The electrical issues that the guys I now have had has made the milage a non issue because they have to take the machines to the shop to get fixed. One poor fellow had to have his lifted out via chopper. I ran into a guy in town last spring that had a 600 ace. He was out bison hunting and it got cold. The machine started up fine, but soon developed problems. Luckily he had a guy with him so they towed it in. He took it to the shop and found out the oil pump had cratered. They wouldnt fix it under warranty because he had started it without plugging it in. He wasnt happy as it cost him over 4k to fix. Im sure they are like anything mechanical, good points and bad. I've been running two strokes for so long that I understand them, and knock on wood, have never had to walk yet! I have had them apart right on the trail, but was always able to get them home. Im sure my day is coming though!

I had a 93 and 94 and they aren’t a super wide track but went anywhere I needed to go. Never any trouble. They made a change later on that I can’t remember what it was and went back to bpr.

JMO........Since I started trapping with a 1969 Olympic and have had Elans, Skandics, Tundras, Polaris and several 4 strokes. I came to the conclusion that the older SIMPLE machines were more reliable than the new electronic 4 strokes. I currently have a Bearcat 570, simple. I also am willing to use more gas for peace of mind. No mind monsters that the won't go light comes on! LOL

I'm surprised that Qualipieces hasn't come out with a widening kit for the skis on the VK540s. Like they have for the new Tundras and Skandics

They had 4 stroke motors way before they had sno-gos. Putting a 4stroke in a sno-go is not an advancement.

JR you are correct, I got the two of them mixed up. The only trouble they have with their machines is wet running boards, and in March and April pulling heavy sleds to the cabin on a hard trail they would have to keep bumping the edge of the trail to keep cool.
The funny part of this thread is that I spent most of the day yesterday looking for either the 500 or 550 here in Alaska.

Did you find one?

Ice scratchers will solve the overheating.

I did find one,a 98 with 5,263 miles for $2,700 here in sterling. And Oh Snap you are right, scratchers would be the first thing to be put on for sure.

I never ran ice scratchers on mine but did pull over and throw snow on the running boards and in the undercarriage whenever I could on shallow snow years. I had 15,000 miles on my 97 WT LX when I gave it to my buddy. Don't remember how many miles I had on my 03 WT LX when I switched over to Skidoo in 2011. I ran a window fan under the hood of mine and that helped tremendously with cooling in the spring. The only reason I switched to Skidoo and the 4-strokes is that I was tired of re-jetting all the time because of elevation and temperature. Never walked home once in 20 years with that Polaris hence the name... Trusty Steed.... Here's a picture of the fan under the hood

Oh.... and the Hotdoggers... miss those hot pockets...

2 2017 Polaris wide tracks came up for sale 3 days ago. Posted on Craigslist and FB marketplace. 7600 each, less than 700 miles. Sold in less than 24 hours. Fairbanks area. Thinking the same person bought both. 550 motors.
I was going to check them out but was at work for the day and they sold before I could get there!

My buddy bought both of those 2017 Polaris WT LX with the 550's. Like new. He is selling one of them. I think he said $6500. Give Aaron a call if interested. 605-645-7828

Be nice if Honda built a snowmachine.

They do Boco. Pioneer 700 or 1000 with tracks!

I'm too old to re cut all my trails double wide,lol.

Wide, slow, and talk about gas guzzling. Oh and I suspect Boco puts quite a few miles on. If you are running tracks and putting many miles on figure on replacing all ball joints, wheel bearings,and tie rod ends every year.

JR. did those machines have the polaris 550? Looks like a liquid cooled ?

There was a liquid cooled 500 in some and a fan cooled 550 in some. Not sure which years had which motor or if there were years when you had the option to choose which motor. Assuming he was using the 500, no idea why you would put ice scratchers on a fan cooled machine.

I've said that same thing for years.

Only reason is if you are traveling on glare ice, or hard snow. It can help lubricate the sliders.

I’m about ready to sell everything and raise 12 dogs