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New to sledding


johnsazzr

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Retired early at age 48 and have wanted to get a sled for 20 yrs!..finally doing it (and getting a small fishing boat for summer fun)

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Congrats on retirement & welcome to the forum.

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Welcome to OC John. Lots of information available from lots of colourful characters!

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Congratulations on retirement and welcome to the forum.

I trust you will enjoy your time here and it will provide welcome information.

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Congrats on the retirement John. If you're just getting into sledding you may want to visit the sled and ATV show at the International Centre this Friday to Sunday. Easy shopping all in one place. If you do go check out Rosseau Rd. power sports. They always have some good deals and are huge supporters of the sport as well as this forum.

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Good stuff, its an awesome sport, I got into it in my early 40's and have never looked back.  Started with one sled, now I have three.

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Welcome to the forum, You will have to come out and meet some of us at one of our group rides once the white gold flies...

 

Great group on here and a wealth of knowledge, I know personally we have made some amazing friends through here..

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Welcome to the forum John.  Congrats on your retirement.  There's a lot of great people on this forum and a wealth of knowledge.  I agree with 02sled on the show and Wild Bill.  Nunzio is correct also.  We've met a lot of amazing new friends over the years mainly due to this site. 

 

I can't believe nobody warned you about the MOUSE!!!!  Beware of STG.  I know we're related but that guy is just plain NUTS.   LOL

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3 hours ago, Nunz said:

Welcome to the forum, You will have to come out and meet some of us at one of our group rides once the white gold flies...

 

Great group on here and a wealth of knowledge, I know personally we have made some amazing friends through here..

Yes welcome indeed. 

 

Wife asked me the other day if I still talk to and am I going to sled with the 2 big guys on the Polaris' lol. :blink:

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17 minutes ago, reevester said:

Yes welcome indeed.

 

Wife asked me the other day if I still talk to and am I going to sled with the 2 big guys on the Polaris' lol. :blink:

I effin hope you are Kyle, looking forward to it..did you get your helmet yet?

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16 minutes ago, Nunz said:

I effin hope you are Kyle, looking forward to it..did you get your helmet yet?

Sure did. Put the cold weather kit on it last night, thing is so light. 

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Thanks for all of the replies..looking forward to making some long term connections and hope I love the sport...I do not have room in garage for the sled and could not very well kick my wife's Forester out as she drives all over Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka all yr for her job so I bought a 5x10 cargo with ramp to keep it in and head north to the snow if I need to.

 

Prior to living in Lindsay I worked in Parry Sound and Lively and I grew up in New Liskeard ...always had excuses to not get a sled and always regretted it ....rode bikes instead..

 

Not sure who is more excited for snow to fly...me or my 13 yr old daughter..she is taking the course in Nov at Sledorama...

sled.jpg

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25 minutes ago, johnsazzr said:

Thanks for all of the replies..looking forward to making some long term connections and hope I love the sport...I do not have room in garage for the sled and could not very well kick my wife's Forester out as she drives all over Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka all yr for her job so I bought a 5x10 cargo with ramp to keep it in and head north to the snow if I need to.

 

Prior to living in Lindsay I worked in Parry Sound and Lively and I grew up in New Liskeard ...always had excuses to not get a sled and always regretted it ....rode bikes instead..

 

Not sure who is more excited for snow to fly...me or my 13 yr old daughter..she is taking the course in Nov at Sledorama...

sled.jpg

You have a great dealer looking after you!

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34 minutes ago, johnsazzr said:

Thanks for all of the replies..looking forward to making some long term connections and hope I love the sport...I do not have room in garage for the sled and could not very well kick my wife's Forester out as she drives all over Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka all yr for her job so I bought a 5x10 cargo with ramp to keep it in and head north to the snow if I need to.

 

Prior to living in Lindsay I worked in Parry Sound and Lively and I grew up in New Liskeard ...always had excuses to not get a sled and always regretted it ....rode bikes instead..

 

Not sure who is more excited for snow to fly...me or my 13 yr old daughter..she is taking the course in Nov at Sledorama...

 

 

 

I started out using a 5x10 steel trailer that I still have.  Trailer wasn't bought for the sled but I had it and used it, although I did have to open some slits in it for the skis to fit it in.  Didn't like trailering with it as the sled cover would get full of slush.  Luckily I didn't have to trailer much as we just launch from the cottage and store the sleds with Bill.  

 

Recently bought a hybrid and built a port for it as I do not have a garage at the cottage yet.  Although when I did store them at home, all the cars were kicked out of the garage.  Lol.

 

 

port.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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I ordered the cargo as I can use it for other tasks and will be easy to sell if my daughter gets into it the sport and I decide to buy another sled in the future..then I will be getting a double like yours for sure..

 

Bought 2 sets  of the SuperClamp Pro Glides 2 which are on sale at Princess Auto to use on the ramp and the trailer floor

 

EX_Cargo_RearRamp_Open.jpg

EX_Cargo_SingleAxle.jpg

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2 hours ago, extreme600 said:

Welcome to the forum John.  Congrats on your retirement.  There's a lot of great people on this forum and a wealth of knowledge.  I agree with 02sled on the show and Wild Bill.  Nunzio is correct also.  We've met a lot of amazing new friends over the years mainly due to this site. 

 

I can't believe nobody warned you about the MOUSE!!!!  Beware of STG.  I know we're related but that guy is just plain NUTS.   LOL

 

I thought about warning him about the mouse but didn't want to scare him off on his first visit. The mouse is really harmless though.

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29 minutes ago, johnsazzr said:

I ordered the cargo as I can use it for other tasks and will be easy to sell if my daughter gets into it the sport and I decide to buy another sled in the future..then I will be getting a double like yours for sure..

 

Bought 2 sets  of the SuperClamp Pro Glides 2 which are on sale at Princess Auto to use on the ramp and the trailer floor

 

EX_Cargo_RearRamp_Open.jpg

EX_Cargo_SingleAxle.jpg

 

 

Thought you implied an open style, oops.  That will work just fine.  Nice sled BTW.

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1 hour ago, johnsazzr said:

Thanks for all of the replies..looking forward to making some long term connections and hope I love the sport...I do not have room in garage for the sled and could not very well kick my wife's Forester out as she drives all over Kawartha Lakes and Muskoka all yr for her job so I bought a 5x10 cargo with ramp to keep it in and head north to the snow if I need to.

 

Prior to living in Lindsay I worked in Parry Sound and Lively and I grew up in New Liskeard ...always had excuses to not get a sled and always regretted it ....rode bikes instead..

 

Not sure who is more excited for snow to fly...me or my 13 yr old daughter..she is taking the course in Nov at Sledorama...

sled.jpg

 

Nice sled. My wife and I each have the ZR7000 El Tigre. A couple of things you might want to consider. The stock windshield is low and going to be cold (at least it is for us) You may want to swap it out for a medium or high Cat windshield from your dealer. Mine actually recommended it. The wind tends to come around the cowling and circle back in on your thighs and groin area. Cat also makes wind deflectors that go on the sides of the cowling and supposedly make a big difference. We are picking up two sets at the show tomorrow. Also if you swap out the windshield you may want to add mirrors. I'll never ride a sled without mirrors. The most common use for us is glancing back to see if (1) my wife is still behind me (2) there are other sleds coming up behind that want to pass. The dealer that sold you the sled should give you a break on the accessories.

 

I suspect you'll be out buying your daughter a sled of her own before the season is over.

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41 minutes ago, johnsazzr said:

I ordered the cargo as I can use it for other tasks and will be easy to sell if my daughter gets into it the sport and I decide to buy another sled in the future..then I will be getting a double like yours for sure..

 

Bought 2 sets  of the SuperClamp Pro Glides 2 which are on sale at Princess Auto to use on the ramp and the trailer floor

 

EX_Cargo_RearRamp_Open.jpg

EX_Cargo_SingleAxle.jpg

 

If you go to the TSC store you can buy a stall mat which is nice and thick and easily cut with an exacto knife or either a jig or circular saw. 16 inch wide strips work well for the sled track to grip as you drive up into the trailer. You get three 16 inch wide strips out of one mat which is 4 feet wide. It's the most cost affordable solution for traction mats since your sled track will likely spin on the plywood or if you have studs will chew it up. The only real drawback to a cargo trailer over a sled trailer is the cargo trailer sits closer to the ground and some areas may have some fairly deep snow to drag it through when you pull in. If you go to the sled show you can look for the flip down accessory that goes on the end of your ramp that line up with the ski guides so your carbides don't destroy the leading edge of the ramp where your sled skis first hit. I also found that depending on the angle of the ramp it is sometimes useful to have something to bridge the gap between the ramp and the floor of the trailer. I use a piece of 2 in. black abs plumbing pipe, cheap and easily replaced. Being round the skis and carbides ride up and over without catching the ramp or floor edges.

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1 hour ago, 02Sled said:

 

Nice sled. My wife and I each have the ZR7000 El Tigre. A couple of things you might want to consider. The stock windshield is low and going to be cold (at least it is for us) You may want to swap it out for a medium or high Cat windshield from your dealer. Mine actually recommended it. The wind tends to come around the cowling and circle back in on your thighs and groin area. Cat also makes wind deflectors that go on the sides of the cowling and supposedly make a big difference. We are picking up two sets at the show tomorrow. Also if you swap out the windshield you may want to add mirrors. I'll never ride a sled without mirrors. The most common use for us is glancing back to see if (1) my wife is still behind me (2) there are other sleds coming up behind that want to pass. The dealer that sold you the sled should give you a break on the accessories.

 

I suspect you'll be out buying your daughter a sled of her own before the season is over.

Can you see the picture? It's an lxr windshield which should be fine. 

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22 minutes ago, reevester said:

Can you see the picture? It's an lxr windshield which should be fine. 

 

Yeah... I see the windshield and for me it is still too low. I like being warm over looking cool and being cold. I would still swap it out. It looks just like the size that came with my sled. I'll never understand those that remove the windshield completely, stand up all the time and then complain about being cold.

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1 hour ago, 02Sled said:

 

Nice sled. My wife and I each have the ZR7000 El Tigre. A couple of things you might want to consider. The stock windshield is low and going to be cold (at least it is for us) You may want to swap it out for a medium or high Cat windshield from your dealer. Mine actually recommended it. The wind tends to come around the cowling and circle back in on your thighs and groin area. Cat also makes wind deflectors that go on the sides of the cowling and supposedly make a big difference. We are picking up two sets at the show tomorrow. Also if you swap out the windshield you may want to add mirrors. I'll never ride a sled without mirrors. The most common use for us is glancing back to see if (1) my wife is still behind me (2) there are other sleds coming up behind that want to pass. The dealer that sold you the sled should give you a break on the accessories.

 

I suspect you'll be out buying your daughter a sled of her own before the season is over.

+1 on the screen and mirrors..although the arctic cat site lists the ZR5000 as having the medium I fully expect to end up with a large and add some low profile mirrors..

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17 minutes ago, 02Sled said:

 

Yeah... I see the windshield and for me it is still too low. I like being warm over looking cool and being cold. I would still swap it out. It looks just like the size that came with my sled. I'll never understand those that remove the windshield completely, stand up all the time and then complain about being cold.

Yours came with the mid and this is the lxr which is 3in taller and flares out. And if you have the next size up its only an inch taller. 

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1 hour ago, 02Sled said:

 

If you go to the TSC store you can buy a stall mat which is nice and thick and easily cut with an exacto knife or either a jig or circular saw. 16 inch wide strips work well for the sled track to grip as you drive up into the trailer. You get three 16 inch wide strips out of one mat which is 4 feet wide. It's the most cost affordable solution for traction mats since your sled track will likely spin on the plywood or if you have studs will chew it up. The only real drawback to a cargo trailer over a sled trailer is the cargo trailer sits closer to the ground and some areas may have some fairly deep snow to drag it through when you pull in. If you go to the sled show you can look for the flip down accessory that goes on the end of your ramp that line up with the ski guides so your carbides don't destroy the leading edge of the ramp where your sled skis first hit. I also found that depending on the angle of the ramp it is sometimes useful to have something to bridge the gap between the ramp and the floor of the trailer. I use a piece of 2 in. black abs plumbing pipe, cheap and easily replaced. Being round the skis and carbides ride up and over without catching the ramp or floor edges.

I actually went to TSC and loaded up 2 of those 5x7 mats on sale this week...Damn they are heavy...my back sucks...got halfway home with all windows rolled down and almost choked on the toxic smell of them.....turned around and took them back...the grip glides give me 20 feet so will do great for the carbides for ramp and trailer as well as 18 inches for the track on the ramp...will also help me from falling on my fat arse..not planning to use studs at this point...if I do will be pre-studded and I will add some track mat to the trailer floor..I may need something for the gap for sure..was looking at those offered by Caliber but I like your ABS pipe solution...will keep that in mind..

 

Saw this video a fellow using PVC garage jamb molding for trailer ski glides...2x $15 at Home Depot in the USD...Royal Molding is made in Aurora Ont...found the product at Lowes.ca...$52 in Canada..ouch!!!

81HMdMcqazL._SX522_.jpg

d58b3aa2-8ac5-4824-8393-3fa01c6bc25e_1000.jpg

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22 minutes ago, reevester said:

Yours came with the mid and this is the lxr which is 3in taller and flares out. And if you have the next size up its only an inch taller. 

 

thanks for the clarification..i will stick with it then..should work fine and will add a mirror or 2

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