coolbane

I rode 190 km in HF yesterday. Definitely not recommending for the fair weather sledders. Fortunately I’m not in that group yet, so I had a great ride. More than half the trails were fairly rough; either mild washboard or rutted from sled/quad traffic during the +10 last week. A fair amount of exposed rocks and bare spots, but most of these could be ridden around. Not many water cuts, and were easy to cross. I had my old carbides/ski on, I probably would be less happy if I had the 2024 carbides installed it was icy, I had the scratcher down pretty much all day. Any time I put it away, the engine temp immediately jumped from 70C to 90. Some trails were bad and some were good, unfortunately I do t remember the names of the bad one. A great ride, glad I got out.

Thanks Stonehaven, that's' the info I needed. Your feedback sounds consistent with the video. Looking forward to hitting snow/ice/snirt/rocks/dirt. At worst, its just a waste of time and money, LOL.

They are open

Thanks for the video., my buddy ZR had already mentioned that video. Given that I want to ride, the base looks pretty decent in that video, LOL However, it would be good to hear from someone who has actually ridden in there. I'll probably go there tomorrow regardless. If anyone wants to come along, let me know.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge regarding trail conditions in the forest, from yesterday and today? Thanks

Does anyone have any info regarding when this section of C101D is likely to reopen? I've read elsewhere on here that they are repairing a large washout. Any info appreciated.

Launched from Port S on Monday, headed to Port Loring via Spricedale, Magnetawan, Sunridge. Trails mostly ok, some still awaiting grooming after week end. North to Spricedale was good. Magnetawan seemed to be a bit thin and the 105 to Loring was rough. Several Water cuts east of Magnetawan and on 105. Launched from Port Loring on a blizzard this morning then Restoule, Nipissing, down 110 and D to Kearney, and on to Port Sydney. Trails were mostly in good to excellent shape.

Wondering if anyone on here has recent firsthand knowledge of trail conditions in this area. Thanks for any info

When I was using an Indy as my main sled a few years ago, I replaced the stock seat with a slightly firmer seat from another Poo model. For me, the firmer seat turned out not to be good for all-day groomed trail riding; The backside starts to hurt in the afternoon. I went back to the stock seat.

Ox, does your buddy who mixed the rubber know what is the recommended service life of the rubber used in these suspensions? It would be interesting to know how the rubber properties change with time and exposure to the elements? Thanks.

As the OP, some comments on how this story ended: I removed the old torsion axle (2010 vintage) from the Easton 101" wide clamshell trailer. The axle had an incredible amount of exterior rust but still seemed to be structurally sound. The torsion suspension rubber was not seized but it definitely was 2-3 times stiffer than the new axle (even though they had the same load rating). I guess it should not be surprising that the rubber suspension would loose some elastic after 12 years out in the elements. The rubber pad isolator which was originally installed to separate the steel axle from the aluminum frame rail did work fairly well to minimize electrolytic corrosion. The big failing was that Easton made no effort to prevent electrolytic corrosion where the steel nut/washer is at the top of frame rail. Two of the four washers at the top of frame rail had corroded completely through the aluminum frame rail. I purchased a new unused Dexter torsion axle on Marketplace ($400, lucky) In future, I will make a point of washing the axle thoroughly at end of season and spray with Rustcheck. Torsion axles are not maintenance-free.

It is an Easton clamshell. Does anyone know if Easton have their own specs for axle or can I get one from Cerka or Princess Auto? I have not had a chance to measure the hub to hub and SC as yet because I'm still working to save the existing axle.

Thanks guys, I took the wheels off the trailer today, sprayed penetrating oil at the crack where the torsion arm enters the square axle tube and started levering the torsion arm downwards with a 4ft crowbar. Initially there was no movement but after a period of levering I see there is very slight rotation between the torsion arm and the axle. That said, it still seems very stiff and has very little motion. On a 2200 LB axle, I would have thought I should be able to rotate the torsion arm pretty easily with the crowbar? Any thoughts? Does anyone know how much these sled trailers are designed to lower (due to suspension compression) when they are fully loaded?

Checking the clamshell trailer yesterday and find there is absolutely no movement in the swing arm of the torsion suspension. The arm seems to be seized solid in the axle. It is a Easton of about 2011 vintage. Anyone come across this before and have a solution. A new axle assembly is about $800 so I'd rather not go there!! I thought these torsion suspensions were supposed to be bulletproof and maintenance free😟

Ya, sounds like a frustrating outing. That said, I would also have tried the same gig and been happy I did. It proves you squeezed the last drop of life out of the season!!! Carbides are consumables.

Hey ZR. Good to hear from you. Are you jumping back in?? I’ve decided not to drive up there to ride tomorrow, even though I know the conditions would have been acceptable with a nice sunny day in the forecast. Now I get to spend the next few months regretting having caved.

Thanks the additional info Stonehaven. Tough call. If there is a forum manager on OC, can you please ban this Motorhead. He always has negative unhelpful comments and I hear he is not a snowmobiler anymore, more an ice fisherman now (i.e. he only uses a snowmobile to get from one beer stop to the next).

Thanks Stonehaven. A few more questions for you, or you buddy: By 'isn't great but not terrible', do you think your buddy mean: many bare spots, or exposed stones thru the base, or water cuts in low spots? If there are still some flurries coming, sounds like there should still be enough loose snow for decent cooling? Do you know if there is enough ice base to ride from the basecamp parking lot to the trails without too much grinding? Just trying to figure if it is worth dragging my buddy on the 3 hour drive or whether I should just pack it in!! Thanks again for any additional info.

Has anyone ridden the Hali trails over the weekend or past few days? The website states open/poor. Would appreciate any recent info on trail conditions. Thinking of heading there on Tuesday. Thanks.

We have ridden up to Whitney and down B to Hali yesterday. Trails were awesome. Question: I noticed the E110 from Cardiff into Bancroft has been lost for the past few years. Just wondering if anyone knows what caused the loss of this main trail? Just interested.

Anyone on here ridden these trails today or yesterday? Also the B from Whitney to Hali. Any info appreciated. Thanks

I rode 270 km between Oro and Gravenhurst yesterday. Apart from the unfortunately large amount of road running on my chosen route, the trails were mostly fine. As Yukon, I generally don't trust a trail review from someone driving by on the road, especially if they are on their way to Cochrane, LOL.

What the heck does that mean??

Some trails have opened today between Barrie and Orillia. Has anyone on here ridden them today? Any conditions report would be awesome. Thanks.

Is there any possibility that some trails in Barrie Midland Orillia area may reopen on Friday or the weekend? Thanks.