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Joined: Jan 2012
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
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Overflow can be a royal pain-in-the-ass. I've gone through a few times. One time ended up thigh-deep in the stuff at -40 something. Wasn't fun. I was a long way from the cabin. It's a risky business. Fortunately it was only as deep as my boots, so wet feet and socks. But man, that nice light tundra get's aweful heavy when the track is packed full of slush. My boy managed to get across the overflow and into nice deep wet snow before getting stuck the second time. He saw some open water and wisely shut the machine down. After walking through the overflow and digging the snow I was able to get the nose and tracked moved enough to climb out of the hole he parked it in and powered back across the overflow. He got to walk back I found a good thread on what to do when dealing with a stuck in overflow situation: http://www.dootalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=448197I need to add a few items into the don't leave the trailhead without it kit. I know how heavy those things can be. I always bring a come-along and a length of stout nylon in the tarpaulin-covered sled behind the machine. One time on a spring bear hunt, a client stuck the Bearcat in overflow and that was miserable. The both of us ended up being wet from head to toe trying to get that one out. Just another day at the "office".
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
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Must be an older model ZX chassis Summit. Sounds like you got her all figured out, good luck and have fun on those sleds!
That's ok, I'll ass shoot a dink.
Steelhead
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Joined: Dec 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2005
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That was actually a pretty cool link Paul. Most important thing you can bring with you is another rider or two... that one gets a lot of people.
If you haven't tried a snow bungee, I'll lend you one.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317 |
Older still, S-2000 chassis.
As to the overflow on Friday I was running from the N-fork Eagle River trail head. It starts off on a side channel and I headed up river, but went across enough overlow that I figured I'd head back. Then I decided to go down river. I got to a section that was too narrow to turn around and decided I'd keep going down river. This is warning #2 after all the overflow up river, I should have just gotten off and moved the sled around and called it a day.
I headed out over thin ice over overflow and could feel the sled going slower and slower. I did manage to get across it. Then I figured I'd turn it around by heading up a bank. I was suprised that it would go through waste deep powder, not fast and the engine was really working, but it did make it. I thought when I headed back down the bank I was on good ice as there was a layer of snow over it. Turns out it was snow over overflow and I wasn't going that fast coming down from the bank.
So many lessons learned, mainly riding solo on a river is a bad idea no matter how short the ride, that warming trends cause overflow, and that you should always bring a shovel and other gear to get unstuck.
Even a light sled is fricken heavy when you're the only idiot on the trail.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,378
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,378 |
Best wood line sled I ever had was a Polaris 440 transport w/rev,141� track 1.25 paddle��faster, better on gas than the tundra (85 and a 92 tundra!) then there was the 550lq bearcat 20x159�.it would stay on top of the deepest snow�guy would trench in and I�d pull along side leaving just paddle and stud marks in the snow.i rode that 550cat for a few years and ....THEN one day at articman 2005 my kid had to go back to town for the day��.. so I took his mod�ed out 700cc x151� rmk out to the back side of the tit�.that was it wo- ho ! good time !!!! Sold my sled the week I got back and picked up a /the new-used 800 with 175 miles on it..and now I never look back as I will run into something up front!! lol
I work harder than a ugly stripper....
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,378
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,378 |
That was actually a pretty cool link Paul. Most important thing you can bring with you is another rider or two... that one gets a lot of people.
If you haven't tried a snow bungee, I'll lend you one. Remember �when in dought throttle out� i have some good picks of water skiping....(i had to as there was 75' between me and a beer at pikes landing )
I work harder than a ugly stripper....
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,864
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
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Just being honest. I've seen awesome riding from the likes of others, and I don't measure up.
Thoroughly enjoying Alaska since 2001.
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Joined: Jan 2012
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
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Older still, S-2000 chassis.
As to the overflow on Friday I was running from the N-fork Eagle River trail head. It starts off on a side channel and I headed up river, but went across enough overlow that I figured I'd head back. Then I decided to go down river. I got to a section that was too narrow to turn around and decided I'd keep going down river. This is warning #2 after all the overflow up river, I should have just gotten off and moved the sled around and called it a day.
I headed out over thin ice over overflow and could feel the sled going slower and slower. I did manage to get across it. Then I figured I'd turn it around by heading up a bank. I was suprised that it would go through waste deep powder, not fast and the engine was really working, but it did make it. I thought when I headed back down the bank I was on good ice as there was a layer of snow over it. Turns out it was snow over overflow and I wasn't going that fast coming down from the bank.
So many lessons learned, mainly riding solo on a river is a bad idea no matter how short the ride, that warming trends cause overflow, and that you should always bring a shovel and other gear to get unstuck.
Even a light sled is fricken heavy when you're the only idiot on the trail.
Keep in mind that overflow occurs during extremely cold temperatures, too. It doesn't need to be a warming trend to cause overflow and as a matter of fact, extremely cold temperatures usually cause more overflow than warm temperatures - for the simple fact that water doesn't have anywhere to go as the ice presses against the stream bed, except to go up and out through the surface cracks.
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
I thought when I headed back down the bank I was on good ice as there was a layer of snow over it. Turns out it was snow over overflow and I wasn't going that fast coming down from the bank. That's the worst kind of overflow, and common on some rivers/some years. Can't see it and you can get hundreds of yards into it before you realize if you aren't really paying attention; gotta listen to and 'feel' what the machine is telling you in that 'nice, smooth' powder, and don't tailgate.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 20,554 |
We should do an "Alaskan section" forum ride someday, i'm always looking for someone to ride with and teach me new riding techniques.
That's ok, I'll ass shoot a dink.
Steelhead
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,119 Likes: 2
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,119 Likes: 2 |
If you are gonna be stupid, ya gotta be tuff. I ride a Yamaha Bravo up here. I also get laughed at a lot ("Hey, that thing is only firing on one cylinder!"). But I also didn't pay 12K for it back in '94, either. Seth Kantner (my landlord) is right- it's like riding a tool box, but it gets me there as fast as I wish to go (under 40mph). My chiropractor is adding a wing.... If I was to buy a new one (why????), I'd get something with some suspension and high gas milage. Maybe a Skidoo Renegade. I can certify, however, that one can get an entire field-butchered out caribou on the back cargo rack, with cortage. I have pics, but they aren't on photobucket yet.
Last edited by las; 02/16/12.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718 |
Nice looking sleds you're pulling behind your machines.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
Thanks. Sled-making is a craft which seems to be dying out in favor of plastics. But nothing pulls as nice as a well-made wood sled. And they'll take a lot more abuse than many people realize. I traded cabinet-making woodworking for sled building quite a few years back...with no regrets.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,973
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,973 |
Thanks. Sled-making is a craft which seems to be dying out in favor of plastics. But nothing pulls as nice as a well-made wood sled. And they'll take a lot more abuse than many people realize. I traded cabinet-making woodworking for sled building quite a few years back...with no regrets. Yes, it seems that functional sled-crafting has become a thing of the past. As mentioned, nowadays everything seems to be going plastic. The problem with plastic toboggans is that they have a tendency to roll. Of course that's an aggravating feature. Over the years I've had great luck with a self-fabricated aluminum-frame sled, which is then completely covered with heavy canvas that's been treated with a thorough dose of Thompson's Waterseal.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317 |
I seem to keep going backwards. 96 skandic, 91 tundra, and last night I picked up this yamaha It was advertised as a 340 enticer, which is what the hood says. But looking at pics of oldy yammies, the handlebars and stripes on the tunnel, I think it's a 340 exciter. Doesn't really matter, for $100 I wasn't going to argue. He said it quite on him and the local shop diagnosed it as the stator going out. Based on some google fu I should be able to swap out the coils in the stator and have it running again fairly cheaply. Oh, also missing the throttle? I'll probably just order the cheapest throttle I can find off of flea bay.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718 |
How hard is it to find parts for those older machines? Do good dealers still stock them or is it strictly a fleabay affair? Are certain brands better than others for both longevity and OEM parts support?
I'd really like to own a pair of machines, but am NOT willing to dump $12K+ apiece on 'em. I just want reliable back country transportation, and as fast as they depreciate, the used market likely holds some bargains if I know what to look for.
Ideally, I'd like a skid-doo Tundra, but they're pretty rare down here.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 17,491 |
This machine is 10 years or less overall. It's a machine that began locally as only the chassis. It was a project I built with students a couple of years ago with all other parts from eBay. It is not color coordinated, but it is a sound machine in every way. The cost was somewhere between $1000-2000. It was 200 miles from home in this pic on a caribou hunting expedition last spring.
Sometimes, the air you 'let in'matters less than the air you 'let out'.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317 |
Snowmachine junkyards, fleabay and craigslist. I'd say on the early 90's and newer machines parts aren't too hard to find. 80's vintage a bit tougher, and the 70's sleds are more of a restoration deal than something I'd want for remote travel. You should be able to find an older sled in good condtion for under $2k. How hard is it to find parts for those older machines? Do good dealers still stock them or is it strictly a fleabay affair? Are certain brands better than others for both longevity and OEM parts support?
I'd really like to own a pair of machines, but am NOT willing to dump $12K+ apiece on 'em. I just want reliable back country transportation, and as fast as they depreciate, the used market likely holds some bargains if I know what to look for.
Ideally, I'd like a skid-doo Tundra, but they're pretty rare down here.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718 |
Thanks for the replies. I'll start poking around the internet, learning about options and availability.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. --Winston Churchill
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