My 15yr old son is looking at buying used machine. He is looking at a sno pro, pro x or an mxzx that have been converted to trail sled. All are 440's, 01 or 02 for pro x, snow pro and 03 or 04 for mxzx. Some have been re-built. What are are the pros and cons of buying either one of these. Thanks for your thoughts.

They both are pretty good handling machines. I owuld probably lean towards the Ski-Doo as a better all around sled in those models.

All of them are going to be very picky about jetting. A Holtzman Tempa-Flow Will pretty much fix that. The suspension will be very stiff on all of them, unless the shocks have been revalved., so they won't be very comfortable if he is planning on trail riding. They require alot more maintenance than a trail sled. Small parts such as bushings are going to need to be replaced more often. Great sleds if he is an agressive rider and he (or you) like to do a little wrenching.. They are meant to be ridden standing up. Just my 2 cents.

If I am wrong correct me on this. I believe your sleds listed are aircooled and it can get a little warm here in minnesota to ride an air cooled sled if he is lookin to get a light sled just get a little 500xc (polaris) they have great holeshot and thier made here in minnesota which is great for parts and service if needed.

just my 02 cents

No they are not fan cooled sleds. I would steer him twards a 660 MXZX or Sno Pro. They will be just as fast and much more reliable. The 440s arnt really designed for alot of miles they are olny ment to last a couple races. If you get the same HP out of 440cc as 600cc which do you think is working harder to make that HP?

I bought a 02' 440 sno pro crosscountry. (raced one season)
I use it for ditch riding. It is water cooled but not all of them are. Mine has a oil pump as well. Not all do and then you must add an oil pump or mix your fuel w/oil. They are set up to run a 50/50 mix of 110 and 92 octane mixture. I would'nt recommend it for a new rider. It is meant to be ridin aggressively. After rejetting and a neddle adjustment I can run straight 92 octane. The clutching is not set up for the trail unless you keep the rpm's up. I think the clutch engages at 4500 rpm. Great sled if you like a good work out and some big air. But not so good for puttin around. Also more maintenance, for example the exhaust valves need to be cleaned every 500 miles vs every 2000-3000 for a non-race sled.

The Haydays swap meet coming up early next month is a good place to look for sleds.

I have to mix fuel in mine to just not as strong it runs on 95 oct (Im guessing) smells like alcohol buring I love that smell

After having a bro in law and a friend buy snowcross sleds to use on the trails, I'd say NO WAY. Nothing but problems. I wouldn't recommended it to anyone that isn't thinking about racing.

Clutching problems, Jetting problems, Suspension, etc

They never seemed to be "stable" Something always needed to be tweeked or fixed.

i have an 06 machz 1000 for sale

Perfect sled for a 15yo!!

What are you replacing it with? There are supercharger kits for the Yamaha Apex that will pump out 350 hp.

I gotta say I was in the same postion as your son. I was 15 years old when my folks bought me a MXZX that had been raced. And if I were you I'd stay away from it. The main reason is they take mixed gas which is a pain. Next reason is their high maintenance you have to adjust the crab alot, among other things. Oh and once your son gets a little older hes going to want something bigger, sure its fast for 440 but its still just a 440. I'd say get a 600. On a plus side they can really take a beating and are good for an aggessive rider that likes to stand up and ride, hit jumps, mogals. But if I had to do it all over again I'd get a MXZ 600 or bigger.

Well, he has been bugging me for months about getting a sled. I told him I didn't want him buying it and he insisted on it. He called me at work and was bugging the [PoorWordUsage] out of me, so I said "buy the dang thing"-I'm sick of listening to it. It is a 2002, ProX, completely converted to a trail sled. It still burns mixed gas, which is a pain in the arse. Hopefully, it won't be too much upkeep. More importantly, hopefully he won't kill himself on it! I sold my sled several years ago and don't want another one. I only allowed him to buy a sled if he agreed that an adult was with him when he is riding it.

Wow you could not be more wrong. I have a 04 440 mxzx in the garage with 8000 miles on it. They last just as long as any other sled IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.