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AC+YA

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Everything posted by AC+YA

  1. Noticed the Adventure series only comes with the older Cleanfire 800 motor. Maybe next year they will drop the 800 and move to the 850?
  2. Perfect road conditions we can get to Searchmont in just under 7 hours. Last year in two different storms we spent a night along the way and kept going the 2nd time for an 11 hour trip time. We then unloaded the trailers as we pulled a 2 place and also pulled 3 sleds from our base trailer. Then we left as it became dark & went straight to Chapleau to get dinner and stay at Valentine's. OPP had all the roads shut down leaving Chapleau. Deep snow all the way from Searchmont to Chapleau.
  3. Bought the app for my phone and was checking to see if any routes had been updated closer to the actual trail routes. Noticed that the map used is old and misleading by showing the “no longer” Ker-Lin’s General Store with a fuel pump in Searchmont. Hope nobody counts on that.
  4. I gave up on fuel doors since very few stations have long hoses anymore. Seems most have long enough distance between trailer and the truck for tailgates, however the type of jack and where it is attached causes the issues of tailgates not being able to open fully. When you get into bigger trailers, the swing jacks go away and the placement of the fixed jacks is the issue. I hate it when the tailgate cannot be opened fully while attached. I have also added receiver extensions when pulling a hybrid 2 place so that the additional sled can be placed in the bed. Safety chain extensions become necessary along with wiring extensions. Pay attention to the jacks or you may end up not liking the trailer. My NEO came with rear jack slides because it is so light that if not coupled to a tow vehicle a single sled can raise the front.
  5. When parking along a snowbank, the ramp door does not work to reload or the man door is against the bank. When I leave my trailer as a garage in Searchmont at The Driftwood for months. I am forced to place it along an edge of the parking area. I need to point the V-Nose Door toward the plowed side to reload at then end of the trip. If you are leaving with the trailer, you can move it, but I never hook to it until the end of the season and sometimes bring another trailer to move sleds or bring guests along. I will not use the man door if I need to scale a mountain of snow to get to it, so at that point the trailer has a back door and V-Nose Door only. It is my (fixed) mobile garage. It usually takes hours to make it ready to drive at the end of the season as a couple ladders and shovels get the top cleared off after digging it out to get access to both sides. Last year it was about 2 feet of snow/ice. (3)axles 7x33' Box plus V-Nose. Keep 4 sleds in Canada so no trailering in normal seasons. The season is already over for us. Maybe ???? some base riding in Michigan since only takeout food and no bars which means that most of the gas & warmup stops on trails will not be open. Our 5K to 6K miles per season will not happen this year unless all the our local lakes freeze and stay frozen like back in the 1960's and 1970's and I ride from home. Not counting on that either.
  6. Right side man door is nice if you stop on a road shoulder and can enter without being in the traffic lane. I have had trailers with the V-nose door on both sides, but like both the man door and the v-nose door on the same side so that when parking along the edge of a parking area against snowbanks, both can be easy access. This is a bigger deal when the trailer stays in one place and snow is plowed only on the one side. My NEO has doors on opposite sides and there is actually a special bounce plate which needs to be installed to stop sleds from hitting the man door when loading from the front. I like my R&R which are both on the same side so no issues.
  7. I had 6 Cats with Diamond Drives and never an issue with any bearings in the drives or brake side double bearings on the shaft. Those doubles were big bearings and doubled up. I pulled the drive shaft on an M8 once because the shield had been torn up by fence wire on the drive side. (Not sure how it got wrapped around there.) Those bearings were like new at 8K miles. Had two Crossfire 700's go over 30K miles & no issues. The motors were also bullet proof 2-strokes. The newer China bearings Cat buys & I have had no luck with in Cats since 2016 are all single bearings and many have failed and failed again the next season. I have always made it back from rides, but barely sometimes. I check all in the undercarriage after each season and many are not running smooth. I have found that some are the same size as those on the Doos. My dealer carries all brands and the Doo bearings are better and some actually made in the USA. I just re-grease the good ones and none of the ones I have switched over have failed yet. The Yamaha and Cat China Bearings seem to have poor quality and life.
  8. I so wish to be able to get back up there also. Paige just said to me last evening that she hasn’t missed a sled trip in Dubreuilville since she was 7 years old. She could make it to Hornepayne awake, but after eating at the 4 Steven’s she was always asleep by the Kabinakagami River and her helmet hit the kill switch at least once on the way back. She is 27 now.....
  9. When we can come back in 2022, this should be a good upgrade for those long open road stretches of trail. Looking forward to seeing you all in Dub after this missing season is well past. Hoping like with SxS's, dirt bikes, and 4 wheeler bikes this 2021 sledding season can be a good one in Ontario so that the food and gas stops/lodges are all still there in 2022. I am wondering what will happen in Michigan this 2021 sled season and if it will be positive for the sport. With no indoor dining/bars, not sure what riding can be done. Hoping Michigan will open back up this season so that some riding can be done on this side of the closed border. Stay safe Ontario.
  10. Ox, these pics are at the same spot where the portage comes out looking southwest on Manitowik Lake. Like Ski says, you can cut off part way down into a bay and grab a winding unmarked trail linking to the D trail or run all the way down to the trail which is groomed to the lake from Hawk Lake rail crossing D trail. That trail is shown as Wawa14 on the ITG. There is a water/creek/lake/swamp connection to Dog Lake to the north, but unfit for making it between lakes. We sometimes make a loop from Dubreuilville to Dog Lake and then stop in Hawk Junction. Then we take Wawa6 and jump onto Josephine Creek which hooks back onto the Magpie and back to Dub via the old Iris Lake Trail. All these routes are best done later in the season so the ice is good. Once water is dropped a whole new world of potential dangers can be part of these dammed river/lakes. Very beautiful but someone like ski guiding is a good idea if you are not familiar with the unmarked. WhiteDragon and crew are with Paige and I in the picture.
  11. It was premium that I got in Hornepayne. It mixed with the fuel from Dub which is not. I try to get premium when possible, but many times only regular is available. That was the day I saw Dennis and Matt where the trail turns at Hwy11. I had to work at not playing too much with the throttle and that was hard, but I wanted to see if I could do it. I had a fuel warning for the last 30 miles, but it never stopped. Paige stopped and I even went back to see why. We dumped a couple gallons in hers, but she still had a Suzuki Motor back then. With the head sets we have now, the backtracking would not have happened. I think it runs better on premium.
  12. I ran all the way from Hornepayne to Longloc on a tank in my 2018 800 2-stroke Cat. Had spare gas incase, but never added. It was good hard trails. I think you should not have any issues unless snow is deeper and unpacked.
  13. One year I brought home twins. They were a set of CrossFire 700's. The shocks were put on opposite directions from the dealer. I asked why and they said no reason, but if you want them the same, they would change them. Never did and never seemed to matter. When air shocks were stiff enough to not squat in turns, they kicked hard all the way back to the bars. Hate air shocks for trails. Lighter the better in deep snow and the snow is the shock absorber.
  14. Totally agree with the air shocks being a terrible ride on hard trails. I will never have them again. I had several sets over the years and added additional air chambers and changed as much as possible.
  15. Hi Dan, Be sure to say hi from Paige and I when you see Jean and Don. Love the pictures. We still talk about the day you showed us the way from Elliot Lake to Black Creek without using any OFSC trails. Never knew there were trapper trails connecting so many lakes like canoe portages. Scott
  16. So true. I think it would have to be re-routed using unmaintained roads and even some more of the Hwy 129 edge as was done near Flame Lake in the past. Just keeping the D201F open so that Elliot Lake is connected to the north is proving to be tough. This area has far more sleds using it when it has been opened and kept open the entire season. Weather related issues like last year and the washouts from the past have kept the maps from showing it was good to plan on using it until late season because it seems to be too remote. It happens last since it is groomed by the Soo, but only routes most sleds around and past the Soo with almost no economic impact on the Soo except to cut the Soo out of the touring sleds on most big loops. This is also partly due to the lack of fuel in Searchmont for many years now.
  17. Thanks Dan, Paige and I will be following you from the other side of the border this season. Missing it already...………..
  18. Good System...…… The Dexter E-Z Lub Axles are center drilled and the cross drill is actually past the inner bearing so grease is pumped between the inner bearing and the inner hub seal. That way it is forced back through the inner bearing and completely back through the center of the hub and finally through the outer bearing all around the axle. Then you have to remove all the extra grease inside the hub cap and replace the rubber plug. This action cleans out any "contaminated" grease whether synthetic or not as it purges. The worry is that the grease viscosity is compatible with the ability of the inner seal to contain the grease. This is why the tire/drum/hub/axle needs to be jacked up and able to be rotated as grease is pumped "slowly" through the hubs. Not desirable……… "Bearing Buddies" are basically hub caps with spring loaded plungers to push grease toward the outer bearing only and never clean out the contaminated grease. NOT OK.... There are some with nothing more that a Zerk fitting in the hub cap which is almost guaranteed to blow the inner seals out.
  19. Years ago I had a F-250 which I had switched into 4WD and found out the hard way that the hubs were not engaged due to a vacuum hose leak. All was good until the surprise when I got stuck on a hill and had to back down the hill. Ford dealer said it was common back then. Nice not to have to lock the hubs when it worked.
  20. There was a wind blown snow to ice patch night coming down 127 when the wind kicked my trailer across into the other lane and it tried to pass me. It was like pulling the rip cord on a parachute when I slid the trailer brake lever all the way over and it all straightened out behind me. I did not want to wait to see if it was going to pass me and accelerating on ice was not an option so braking from the trailer only was my choice. There were already a number of guys down in the ditch and worse that night.
  21. I have put my trailer brakes on separately in a couple situations over the years and they helped to save me. I usually have been pulling a big trailer and it almost helps to keep me stable on icy conditions. You can't do it with surge brakes and I am pretty sure surge brakes won't do as much good on ice. It needs the tow vehicle to work against which does not happen on ice. I would never want that situation towing any amount of weight. You need to use the brakes every day or they quickly corrode if run in salt. I need to take them apart every season and I spray them with oil to keep them working through each winter. I find some of them seized every year and sometimes can just loosen them, but often buy a complete kit from E-Trailer and replace. I spray new ones before closing them up. My sled trailers have #3500 torsion axles. The bigger trailers we have use #7000 axles. Try to never run those in salt! Last much longer.
  22. I have seen two versions of the routing of these new lines and one ran through the park while the one I last pulled up looked to avoid the shorter route and run up very near White River before jumping over Hwy17 and then following the existing power lines to the west. It may only be parallel with the existing power lines, but the trail does follow parts of the old lines.
  23. I still remember my wife telling me you had stopped while Paige and I went over to Henry's on Hwy 17 that day. We had to cut trees and break the trail since it was around Christmas / New Years 2012. We made it to Ernie's too that week through the park as Dog Lake wasn't ready yet. We also broke trail up to Hornepayne by ourselves. We were the first to cross the Kaby River and break through to the road. Good times. This was before the motel was re-opened.
  24. Yes, a big mine which has been there for many years. Like in Defiance, many foundries found it cheaper to pile sand & slag than have it hauled to dumps. We recycle a great % now and finally send what is left to a landfill. In some cases it has been approved to be used in construction of bridges and road projects. Most of the slag is pulverized and the iron removed and recycled while the rest is mixed into asphalt or used in place of crushed rock for driveways. No active piles near any of my companies locations. One old mountain does exist near a foundry we acquired, but it looks natural as trees and vegetation have now overgrown it.
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