Snowmobiling Season 2020/2021
- Thread starter PANDA
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yeah i mean november/december is always a crapshoot i feel...
definitely more years i can remember of "heh, no snow up north still" than TRAILS LOOK GORGEOUS.
i remember like 2012?/13? going around westfield trail opening day as they just got like 20"
3 weeks later across new years it was 62* and raining
definitely more years i can remember of "heh, no snow up north still" than TRAILS LOOK GORGEOUS.
i remember like 2012?/13? going around westfield trail opening day as they just got like 20"
3 weeks later across new years it was 62* and raining
Yeah in the last decade its been a coin toss even for the weekend. Great base and fresh pow turning to slush as you're in the truck on the way up. I can't recall ever getting burned on Christmas to New Years in the early to mid 00's but its been awhile. Still miss that VMax-4 too.
for sure. i remember early 2000's being awesome. fuck. back then around here ski hills would all open around now... now it's like we're pumped granite peak is opening today.
last year there was snow but a lot of shit hadn't frozen by then. like swamps and shit. my boss told me about some dude with a tow truck operation just sitting near a swamp in the UP fishing sleds out that got stuck for a grand a pop right at the start of december. you were fucked basically and dude just had you by the nuts.
Heading up to MN myself this year. Covered most of the Yupper last three seasons including the epic trip last year, covering 721 miles in 48hrs. That rental guy is still pissed! If snow depth is weak in MN, the only part of the Yupper I haven't covered is the East side. Basically everything east from Pictured Rocks to Paradise, and south of that needs to be covered still. But want to go to MN this year.
Looking at this place: Voyagaire Lodge
Want to cover the area mapped below. Either the red or the blue. Not sure yet. The red includes the northern most point in the continental U.S. which is cool. I have been to the southern most point in Key West a few times now. Would be cool to get them both.
Looking at this place: Voyagaire Lodge
Want to cover the area mapped below. Either the red or the blue. Not sure yet. The red includes the northern most point in the continental U.S. which is cool. I have been to the southern most point in Key West a few times now. Would be cool to get them both.
I never said swaps were good.
Nothing really froze the entire season LOL. I remember up in Land O Lakes day after Christmas 2019. Group was staying on Lac Vieux Desert. We just got there, it was night, and we were gonna head into Canover for dinner. Our options were ride the lake to the trail or take the road. The road had snow it it but would take much longer. We didnt see any sleds out on the lake but it we could see it was marked when it was still light out and we were unloading. We sent the "craziest" guy out to check out the conditions. He went for a rip for a few min and came back and said it was OK. We went out on the lake and made our way to the trail. Got probably quarter mile from the cabin and sit slush. Ended up riding through some sketchy shit for probably two miles. Sleds and our gear were covered in water. Felt like I was on a damn waverunner. We were by the barrels and everything. Needless to say took the road home that night. I don't think we would have fell through but if someone had a problem or blew a belt or something it be hard to get them out of there.
If you bored follow Bulldog offroad recovery on FB. Guy is out of Rhinelander and pulls out sleds, atvs, trucks etc all winter. Looked like he did a hell of a business last season. The lakes just never froze as good as they usually do. I stayed off them for the most part. But if I had to get on a lake I would stay by the barrels. The snow being packed down by sleds made the conditions better.
for sure. i remember early 2000's being awesome. fuck. back then around here ski hills would all open around now... now it's like we're pumped granite peak is opening today.
last year there was snow but a lot of shit hadn't frozen by then. like swamps and shit. my boss told me about some dude with a tow truck operation just sitting near a swamp in the UP fishing sleds out that got stuck for a grand a pop right at the start of december. you were fucked basically and dude just had you by the nuts.
Nothing really froze the entire season LOL. I remember up in Land O Lakes day after Christmas 2019. Group was staying on Lac Vieux Desert. We just got there, it was night, and we were gonna head into Canover for dinner. Our options were ride the lake to the trail or take the road. The road had snow it it but would take much longer. We didnt see any sleds out on the lake but it we could see it was marked when it was still light out and we were unloading. We sent the "craziest" guy out to check out the conditions. He went for a rip for a few min and came back and said it was OK. We went out on the lake and made our way to the trail. Got probably quarter mile from the cabin and sit slush. Ended up riding through some sketchy shit for probably two miles. Sleds and our gear were covered in water. Felt like I was on a damn waverunner. We were by the barrels and everything. Needless to say took the road home that night. I don't think we would have fell through but if someone had a problem or blew a belt or something it be hard to get them out of there.
If you bored follow Bulldog offroad recovery on FB. Guy is out of Rhinelander and pulls out sleds, atvs, trucks etc all winter. Looked like he did a hell of a business last season. The lakes just never froze as good as they usually do. I stayed off them for the most part. But if I had to get on a lake I would stay by the barrels. The snow being packed down by sleds made the conditions better.
I never rode MN. I would like too. Finding new places to stay and areas to ride is alot of research but I should put some time into it. M&M Polaris guys we camp next to at Haydays Invited my group to ride in MN last year. We never made it up that way.
Rented a Polaris Indy 600 from Schroder's in Rhinelander last season. Did 240 miles in about 12 hours. I returned the sled and the guy laughed and said we had a good ride.
Took care of some preseason maintenance on the Apex last night since it was warm out.
- Carbides - Season 3 of them. They look OK but felt like needed replacement.
- Front control arm bushing - Found a crack.
- Battery - 3 years old. I usually replace them every 2-3 years in these sleds. Not a real trail friendly replacement, and no pullstart kind of leaves you fucked if it dies.
- Plugs - Not needed every year on a 4stroke but I do it anyway.
-Oil change - every season
-Chain case oil change - every season
-Chain tensioner adjustment - every season
As usual you need to take apart half the sleds to get to the oil filter. Plugs only a few things. For my maintenance I had to:
Remove Hood
remove side panels
Remove ignition panel
unplug key and DC plug
Remove headlight pod
Remove headlight bracket
Move wire harness
Move coolant overflow tank
Remove airbox
Unplug IAT sensor
Unplug hoses
Remove relay box
Move wires
Remove battery tray
Remove battery and shit
Remove lower right side panel
Remove plastic under oil plug.
After that its pretty easy. Drain oil from tank and motor. Refill. The airbox and battery tray are a pain in the ass to put back on. Like I said in the other thread its nice not adding expensive oil every trip. But unless you can do this yourself with the $35 oil change kit you are probably spending $300 at the dealer. So unless you are a high mileage rider. 2-stroke probably costs less. I should probably call a dealer and see what they charge for a oil change. Nice that its done and I should have todo a single thing to the sled all season.
- Carbides - Season 3 of them. They look OK but felt like needed replacement.
- Front control arm bushing - Found a crack.
- Battery - 3 years old. I usually replace them every 2-3 years in these sleds. Not a real trail friendly replacement, and no pullstart kind of leaves you fucked if it dies.
- Plugs - Not needed every year on a 4stroke but I do it anyway.
-Oil change - every season
-Chain case oil change - every season
-Chain tensioner adjustment - every season
As usual you need to take apart half the sleds to get to the oil filter. Plugs only a few things. For my maintenance I had to:
Remove Hood
remove side panels
Remove ignition panel
unplug key and DC plug
Remove headlight pod
Remove headlight bracket
Move wire harness
Move coolant overflow tank
Remove airbox
Unplug IAT sensor
Unplug hoses
Remove relay box
Move wires
Remove battery tray
Remove battery and shit
Remove lower right side panel
Remove plastic under oil plug.
After that its pretty easy. Drain oil from tank and motor. Refill. The airbox and battery tray are a pain in the ass to put back on. Like I said in the other thread its nice not adding expensive oil every trip. But unless you can do this yourself with the $35 oil change kit you are probably spending $300 at the dealer. So unless you are a high mileage rider. 2-stroke probably costs less. I should probably call a dealer and see what they charge for a oil change. Nice that its done and I should have todo a single thing to the sled all season.
Slow start to the season. Minimal snow almost everywhere in the northwoods and UP. Sayner County northwest to Keweenaw seems like the most but still only 12 to 16 inches at most. Looks like the new years dumping is moving south. Would have been nice for some real snow. I feel Hurley area is going to be rode HARD over new years.
On the bright side the temps have been cold and it sounds like lakes and swaps are freezing up amazing with no snow.
I’ll let you know. Heading up to the cabin in Winter tomorrow. Then chasing snow from there.
yeah the lack of precipitation rround these parts has helped everything freeze pretty solid.
when it was -30* a few years back my channel didn't freeze but it is now
blows my mind. fox had less ice at -30 than it did on sunday.yeah the lack of precipitation rround these parts has helped everything freeze pretty solid.
when it was -30* a few years back my channel didn't freeze but it is now
current is so important for this equation, it's nuts. i wonder how you could even factor that in to an ice prediction.
i mean fuck i saw dudes on lake catherine on saturday
So the New Years Trip was a success and a disaster all in one.
Drove up the afternoon/evening of 12/29 through a pretty solid snowstorm the last 100mi or so. Visibility was absolutely terrible.
Went out that evening however and trails were decent, we caught first tracks on most trail and even some freshly staked lakes on the flowage.
Wednesday morning, swapped out a primary on a 2016 Polaris 800 Switchback Adventure that suffered damage last year in ways I've never seen.
Rode Wednesday night, buddy had his 2021 Matryx out and caught a rock in the first 30mi he put on the machine.
Got out thursday for NYE, the masses showed up. The traffic in Sawyer Co was some of the heaviest I've seen in recent years.
Got about 4mi of trail from the Cabin and another rock claimed a victim, this time a lower A-arm on a 2020 Indy XC 800. Limped it home and inspected the next day. A-arm was completely mangled and cracked in two spots but no other damage up front. Started looking at everyones tracks and all the newer machines had bent or broken studs, all the old machines survived unscathed.
TL;DR: mid week was good, tons of people by the holiday, they need snow. gfy.
Drove up the afternoon/evening of 12/29 through a pretty solid snowstorm the last 100mi or so. Visibility was absolutely terrible.
Went out that evening however and trails were decent, we caught first tracks on most trail and even some freshly staked lakes on the flowage.
Wednesday morning, swapped out a primary on a 2016 Polaris 800 Switchback Adventure that suffered damage last year in ways I've never seen.
Rode Wednesday night, buddy had his 2021 Matryx out and caught a rock in the first 30mi he put on the machine.
Got out thursday for NYE, the masses showed up. The traffic in Sawyer Co was some of the heaviest I've seen in recent years.
Got about 4mi of trail from the Cabin and another rock claimed a victim, this time a lower A-arm on a 2020 Indy XC 800. Limped it home and inspected the next day. A-arm was completely mangled and cracked in two spots but no other damage up front. Started looking at everyones tracks and all the newer machines had bent or broken studs, all the old machines survived unscathed.
TL;DR: mid week was good, tons of people by the holiday, they need snow. gfy.
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