Re: [MBZ] OT snowmobiles
Pretty neat. We've been to http://www.nhsnowmobilemuseum.com/ which I think is, or at least was, the only state funded snowmobile museum in the US. -Curt On Monday, March 1, 2021, 5:33:47 PM EST, Randy Bennell via Mercedes wrote: https://www.snowmobilemuseum.com/index.php?page=Home ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
[MBZ] OT snowmobiles
https://www.snowmobilemuseum.com/index.php?page=Home ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
On 20/02/2014 5:07 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: The heavy sleds of yesteryear are still pretty svelt compared to the heavyweight machines today. The big difference is that the new machines have wy more suspension which makes them way harder to get stuck. When you're stuck you're screwed though, you've got to lift the ass end high enough to get the track out of the snow. The machine I'm going to look at Saturday is probably 400#, my old Ski-Doo was around 250# but had maybe 1 of rear suspension travel the new one has I think 8 or so, the machine that replaced it (the next year) has more like 12. -Curt If you travel on a lake and encounter slush it is difficult to get a machine out - especially if it is cold out and you get your feet wet trying to get it loose. If the track fills with slush the machine becomes very heavy. The newer machines likely do much better than the ones that I had way back when. The tracks on the old ones did not have the paddles that the new ones have so they would just spin without moving the sled when in a situation like that. They were also more likely to get bogged down if one encountered slush. I never had one of the Artic Cats or Polaris with the cleated track. My father had the 1970 12HP Skidoo - brand new for $700. I had the similar model with the 18HP and the retractable headlight a couple of years later - used and a bit abused. I do not recall the exact year but it would have been early 70's. I also had a Polaris 400cc twin with the drift skipper suspension. Long leaf springs - rode well but they had some issues with the body cracking. Mine was used when I got it and had been reinforced so I had no problems. It was a good machine except for not having the cleated track which did not make it much of a trail breaker. I also had a 400cc Mercury - the only one I bought new. It was similar to the Skidoos and the Polaris in the sense that it did not have much ability to break trail. It would go like a banshee on hard packed snow but bog down terribly as soon as it hit deep snow. It had some sort of 2 speed clutch that would act like an overdrive on hard pack but it really lacked torque when the going got difficult. The next model from Mercury was so much better. The 440 had slider suspension and the reed valve engine so it had much better torque. It did not seem to care if there was deep snow or not. Hit the throttle and go 70 mph no matter what. I never had one of those but I did test drive one and I wanted it. About that time, I moved to the city to go back to university - 1975 - and I sold my snowmobile. We still had the 12HP Skidoo in 1983 when my father died and my mother sold it a year or two later. I do sort of wish I still had it. It had hardly been used. My dad did not just go out and ride around on it. He had it as more of a tool than a recreation device and it was not used much. My younger son has always wanted a snowmobile and I toy with the idea but it is much more of a pain when living in the city than it was when I lived out in the country and could drive it up to my door and leave it there until I wanted to go out again. Out there, we used to drive them all over the place in the winter. Go to the post office or the curling rink, etc and more often take the sled than the truck. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
The old Ski-Doos had like a 1/4 lug on the track. I bought a modern replacement for mine which has a 1/2 lug and its a whole different machine. You live in big snow country, we've got 3' of snow right now (falling fast with some rain) and everybody is going bananas for how deep it is. Where you are I'd bet most folks run 1 track at least, here 1/2 is most common with some guys going to 3/4 if they travel north a lot. I'm going to look at a '91 Arctic Cat Jag 440 tomorrow, I want something lighter than the big Ski-Doo. I'm thinking to put wide skis on it and I'm going to price a 3/4 lug track. If I do both it'll be a good powder machine. We'd like to go to our cabin in Maine maybe at New Years and would have to ride in, the Jag would be a good trailbreaker. -Curt Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 11:03:42 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles Message-ID: 530786ee.5000...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed snip The newer machines likely do much better than the ones that I had way back when. The tracks on the old ones did not have the paddles that the new ones have so they would just spin without moving the sled when in a situation like that. They were also more likely to get bogged down if one encountered slush. I never had one of the Artic Cats or Polaris with the cleated track. My father had the 1970 12HP Skidoo - brand new for $700. I had the similar model with the 18HP and the retractable headlight a couple of years later - used and a bit abused. I do not recall the exact year but it would have been early 70's. I also had a Polaris 400cc twin with the drift skipper suspension. Long leaf snip Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
On 21/02/2014 3:56 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: The old Ski-Doos had like a 1/4 lug on the track. I bought a modern replacement for mine which has a 1/2 lug and its a whole different machine. You live in big snow country, we've got 3' of snow right now (falling fast with some rain) and everybody is going bananas for how deep it is. Where you are I'd bet most folks run 1 track at least, here 1/2 is most common with some guys going to 3/4 if they travel north a lot. I'm going to look at a '91 Arctic Cat Jag 440 tomorrow, I want something lighter than the big Ski-Doo. I'm thinking to put wide skis on it and I'm going to price a 3/4 lug track. If I do both it'll be a good powder machine. We'd like to go to our cabin in Maine maybe at New Years and would have to ride in, the Jag would be a good trailbreaker. -Curt I hope it pans out for you. I have never had one but I like the Arctic Cats. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
slightly before that date, but we had a Skidoo Olympic that was 12HP. The bigger ones then were 18HP. I guess there likely were bigger twin engine models around but the majority back then were single cylinder Rotax engines. On the other hand, my former brother-in-law had a King Cat. Randy On 19/02/2014 6:13 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: Especially when you consider that in 1975 50HP was a big big machine and 3 made it a long travel suspension. My '95 Ski-Doo has 90HP and 15 of rear suspension travel, 8 up front. Thats only a 670cc, they make 1000cc... -Curt Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 17:04:24 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: neighborhood Message-ID: 53053878.3010...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed On 19/02/2014 4:55 PM, WILTON wrote: In March, '75, friend and I were snowmobiling in woods west of The Soo, MI, on a Saturday morning. At 50 MPH, I broke out of the woods onto an expanse of white; noticed that surface under me seemed to be undulating slightly; suddenly realized that US Coast Guard ice breaker 200 to 300 yards in front of me was cutting a channel in Lake Superior and that I was on the lake with 'em and the undulation I was feeling was likely wave action. I maintained full throttle and did a skidding 180 to get back on solid ground. Wilton Sounds like darned fine piloting there Wilton. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
I've got a 1970 Ski-Doo Olympique 12/3 which is 12hp 300cc (well 299cc really). They made up to a 399cc twin in the Olympique bubblenose, I think they put a 440 in the later ones. In that same time period (say pre-'74) they made some monstrous displacement engines, up to 775cc that I know of for Ski-Doo although even that only made like 60hp I think. Today a 440cc fan cooled engine would do around 50hp. The King Cat wasn't particularly powerful. IIRC the big 4 cyl was 800cc, maybe 65hp. They were fast in a straight line but didn't handle well at all. A real muscle machine. -Curt Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 10:30:45 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles Message-ID: 53062db5.4010...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed slightly before that date, but we had a Skidoo Olympic that was 12HP. The bigger ones then were 18HP. I guess there likely were bigger twin engine models around but the majority back then were single cylinder Rotax engines. On the other hand, my former brother-in-law had a King Cat. Randy On 19/02/2014 6:13 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: Especially when you consider that in 1975 50HP was a big big machine and 3 made it a long travel suspension. My '95 Ski-Doo has 90HP and 15 of rear suspension travel, 8 up front. Thats only a 670cc, they make 1000cc... -Curt ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
On 20/02/2014 1:06 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: I've got a 1970 Ski-Doo Olympique 12/3 which is 12hp 300cc (well 299cc really). They made up to a 399cc twin in the Olympique bubblenose, I think they put a 440 in the later ones. In that same time period (say pre-'74) they made some monstrous displacement engines, up to 775cc that I know of for Ski-Doo although even that only made like 60hp I think. Today a 440cc fan cooled engine would do around 50hp. The King Cat wasn't particularly powerful. IIRC the big 4 cyl was 800cc, maybe 65hp. They were fast in a straight line but didn't handle well at all. A real muscle machine. -Curt The big machines back then weighed so much you did not want to get them stuck. Maybe they still do? I cannot recall the last time I was on a snowmobile. The winters are too fickle. Sometimes lots of snow and sometimes almost none. Sometimes so cold you don't want to go out to snowmobile and sometimes so warm that the machine overheats. Combine that with the cost of insurance and licence and the need to have somewhere to store the darned things and I just gave up. The King Cat had quite a sound. 4 tuned pipes. Hard to keep them running well with 4 carbs to tune. Lean one out and you need a new piston. My former brother-in-law was just a kid when his parents bought him the silly thing and he was not very good at the tuning so it was seldom in running condition., Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
The heavy sleds of yesteryear are still pretty svelt compared to the heavyweight machines today. The big difference is that the new machines have wy more suspension which makes them way harder to get stuck. When you're stuck you're screwed though, you've got to lift the ass end high enough to get the track out of the snow. The machine I'm going to look at Saturday is probably 400#, my old Ski-Doo was around 250# but had maybe 1 of rear suspension travel the new one has I think 8 or so, the machine that replaced it (the next year) has more like 12. -Curt Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 14:46:26 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles Message-ID: 530669a2.7000...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed The big machines back then weighed so much you did not want to get them stuck. Maybe they still do? I cannot recall the last time I was on a snowmobile. The winters are too fickle. Sometimes lots of snow and sometimes almost none. Sometimes so cold you don't want to go out to snowmobile and sometimes so warm that the machine overheats. Combine that with the cost of insurance and licence and the need to have somewhere to store the darned things and I just gave up. The King Cat had quite a sound. 4 tuned pipes. Hard to keep them running well with 4 carbs to tune. Lean one out and you need a new piston. My former brother-in-law was just a kid when his parents bought him the silly thing and he was not very good at the tuning so it was seldom in running condition., Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles
Worse it had 4 Tillotson carbs, thats what my old Ski-Doo has and it needs to be tweaked constantly, especially if the temperature changes. Today they use Mikuni carbs with replaceable jets that don't require anywhere near as much farting around. I had a Polaris triple at one point and I never touched the carbs the 3 or 4 years I owned it. -Curt Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 14:46:26 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT: snowmobiles Message-ID: 530669a2.7000...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed The King Cat had quite a sound. 4 tuned pipes. Hard to keep them running well with 4 carbs to tune. Lean one out and you need a new piston. My former brother-in-law was just a kid when his parents bought him the silly thing and he was not very good at the tuning so it was seldom in running condition., Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles and Jets
Itz da bombe! Fred Moir Lynn MA Diesel preferred. http://www.dragtimes.com/video-viewer.php?v=nPaRlmcoqd8feature ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
[MBZ] OT Snowmobiles and Jets
Loud, dangerous, could blow up -- what's not to like? http://hackaday.com/2013/02/15/pulse-jet-snowmobile-or-what-swedes-do-during-hibernation/ --R ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles and Jets
Throw a couple of wings on and fly over the Channel! -- Jim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles and Jets
Itz da bombe! Fred Moir Lynn MA Diesel preferred. From: Jim Cathey j...@windwireless.net To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles and Jets Throw a couple of wings on and fly over the Channel! -- Jim ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles
I think the Snoman pass is somewhere around that but then it would also require registration and insurance. Not sure what those run these days. In addition, I would likely want 2 machines so it does get a bit expensive for the basic annual costs even if one buys antique machines. My father bought the 1970 Ski-doo brand new for about $700. It had pretty light use and my mother sold it sometime after my father passed away in 1983. At the time I really did not care but now I wish we still had it. Randy On 11/02/2013 6:15 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: Looks like its $105 for yearly registration and trail pass which for here would be a lot but you've got a longer season than we do and more mileage of trails. A snowmobile chaincase is really simple, the reversing gear is just a gear on a sliding shaft. What happens is people don't wait for the engine to spin down before they shift and they eat either the reversing gear or the gear it mates to. The worst thing is all the junk you need to get out of the way to get to the chaincase, the exhaust at the very least but usually some coolant plumbing too, some Polaris machines have a liquid cooled brake disk there as well. I've got a 1970 Olympique 12/3 (12hp, 300cc) which is one of my favorite machines. I've had mine since 2001, I rebuilt the engine once but it probably needs it again as I really didn't know what I was doing last time. It still runs but is down on compression. I put a modern replacement track on mine, the 3/4 lugs are much better than stock. My Panther has a cleated track which is good in deep snow but awful on ice, you'd think the cleats would grab the ice but you'd be completely wrong. They make picks that go in the cleats and help but a lot of machines get converted to rubber tracks instead as the picks can eat the tunnel if you're not careful. Plus the rubber track is lighter. -Curt Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:09:15 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles Message-ID: 51194feb.9010...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed You can no doubt ride on private property here as well. I don't have that luxury. Cannot think of anyone I know that has more than maybe 8 to 10 acres. There are long trails accross country here but pretty expensive to join the club so one has the licence to ride on the trails. Not sure how the rest of it works. Have a friend who has 2 machines so should ask him. He has one that is broken and we have promised to help him fix it. I believe it is a fairly late model Arctic Cat and it won't shift into gear or some such issue. (I think it has reverse so one can back it up). When I had snowmobiles, they did not have gears. I had 3 different ones but all in the period from about 1970 to 1975, so long time ago now. I had a Ski-doo Olympic 18 HP single cylinder Rotax, and a 400CC twin cylinder Polaris and then a 400CC twin cylinder Mercury. My father had a 12HP Ski-doo Olympic single cylinder Rotax. It was probably the best of the bunch. Not super fast but light weight so easy to shift around. I could load it on the pickup by myself. The fuel tank was up front so the back was light. I could lift the back end up onto the edge of the tailgate and then go to the front and lift the front end by the skiis and just push it backwards. Those old machines did not have much in terms of lugs on the tracks so they would not do all that well in deep snow unless one could keep some forward momentum. Climbing hills was not all that great unless one was in a really open area and could keep the speed up. Friends had some of the machines with the steel bars accross the tracks and they could practically climb trees with them. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles
The Snoman pass I referenced includes like a quarter million dollars of insurance. How much could registration possibly be? Maintenance is nothing, drain the gas at the end of the season, grease it and stick it in a corner... -Curt Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:59:22 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles Message-ID: 511a74ea.1090...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I think the Snoman pass is somewhere around that but then it would also require registration and insurance. Not sure what those run these days. In addition, I would likely want 2 machines so it does get a bit expensive for the basic annual costs even if one buys antique machines. My father bought the 1970 Ski-doo brand new for about $700. It had pretty light use and my mother sold it sometime after my father passed away in 1983. At the time I really did not care but now I wish we still had it. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles
Now you bring up another issue - - - - - I am severely lacking in corners big enough to stick a snowmobile into! Randy who has trouble finding room to store another screwdriver On 12/02/2013 3:14 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: The Snoman pass I referenced includes like a quarter million dollars of insurance. How much could registration possibly be? Maintenance is nothing, drain the gas at the end of the season, grease it and stick it in a corner... -Curt Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:59:22 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles Message-ID: 511a74ea.1090...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed I think the Snoman pass is somewhere around that but then it would also require registration and insurance. Not sure what those run these days. In addition, I would likely want 2 machines so it does get a bit expensive for the basic annual costs even if one buys antique machines. My father bought the 1970 Ski-doo brand new for about $700. It had pretty light use and my mother sold it sometime after my father passed away in 1983. At the time I really did not care but now I wish we still had it. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles
On 11/02/2013 1:07 PM, Curt Raymond wrote: It depends what you want to do. For the amount I'll ride the Wankel Panther specifically I don't bother. NH, VT and ME have antique snowmobile registrations where you pay a one time fee to ride for life. The idea is with these old classics with no suspension you're not going to ride a million miles a year. For a newer sled like my '78 I'll register, its like $40/yr plus my club membership (another $40 or so) which pays for grooming the trails and maintaining the bridges and whatnot. I didn't register last year because of no snow, same thing this year, its too late now, we won't be riding for more than a month now... We can ride on private property with no registration, I know some people so I've got some places I can ride to satisfy my need to get out. -Curt You can no doubt ride on private property here as well. I don't have that luxury. Cannot think of anyone I know that has more than maybe 8 to 10 acres. There are long trails accross country here but pretty expensive to join the club so one has the licence to ride on the trails. Not sure how the rest of it works. Have a friend who has 2 machines so should ask him. He has one that is broken and we have promised to help him fix it. I believe it is a fairly late model Arctic Cat and it won't shift into gear or some such issue. (I think it has reverse so one can back it up). When I had snowmobiles, they did not have gears. I had 3 different ones but all in the period from about 1970 to 1975, so long time ago now. I had a Ski-doo Olympic 18 HP single cylinder Rotax, and a 400CC twin cylinder Polaris and then a 400CC twin cylinder Mercury. My father had a 12HP Ski-doo Olympic single cylinder Rotax. It was probably the best of the bunch. Not super fast but light weight so easy to shift around. I could load it on the pickup by myself. The fuel tank was up front so the back was light. I could lift the back end up onto the edge of the tailgate and then go to the front and lift the front end by the skiis and just push it backwards. Those old machines did not have much in terms of lugs on the tracks so they would not do all that well in deep snow unless one could keep some forward momentum. Climbing hills was not all that great unless one was in a really open area and could keep the speed up. Friends had some of the machines with the steel bars accross the tracks and they could practically climb trees with them. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles
Looks like its $105 for yearly registration and trail pass which for here would be a lot but you've got a longer season than we do and more mileage of trails. A snowmobile chaincase is really simple, the reversing gear is just a gear on a sliding shaft. What happens is people don't wait for the engine to spin down before they shift and they eat either the reversing gear or the gear it mates to. The worst thing is all the junk you need to get out of the way to get to the chaincase, the exhaust at the very least but usually some coolant plumbing too, some Polaris machines have a liquid cooled brake disk there as well. I've got a 1970 Olympique 12/3 (12hp, 300cc) which is one of my favorite machines. I've had mine since 2001, I rebuilt the engine once but it probably needs it again as I really didn't know what I was doing last time. It still runs but is down on compression. I put a modern replacement track on mine, the 3/4 lugs are much better than stock. My Panther has a cleated track which is good in deep snow but awful on ice, you'd think the cleats would grab the ice but you'd be completely wrong. They make picks that go in the cleats and help but a lot of machines get converted to rubber tracks instead as the picks can eat the tunnel if you're not careful. Plus the rubber track is lighter. -Curt Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:09:15 -0600 From: Randy Bennell rbenn...@bennell.ca To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT Snowmobiles Message-ID: 51194feb.9010...@bennell.ca Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed You can no doubt ride on private property here as well. I don't have that luxury. Cannot think of anyone I know that has more than maybe 8 to 10 acres. There are long trails accross country here but pretty expensive to join the club so one has the licence to ride on the trails. Not sure how the rest of it works. Have a friend who has 2 machines so should ask him. He has one that is broken and we have promised to help him fix it. I believe it is a fairly late model Arctic Cat and it won't shift into gear or some such issue. (I think it has reverse so one can back it up). When I had snowmobiles, they did not have gears. I had 3 different ones but all in the period from about 1970 to 1975, so long time ago now. I had a Ski-doo Olympic 18 HP single cylinder Rotax, and a 400CC twin cylinder Polaris and then a 400CC twin cylinder Mercury. My father had a 12HP Ski-doo Olympic single cylinder Rotax. It was probably the best of the bunch. Not super fast but light weight so easy to shift around. I could load it on the pickup by myself. The fuel tank was up front so the back was light. I could lift the back end up onto the edge of the tailgate and then go to the front and lift the front end by the skiis and just push it backwards. Those old machines did not have much in terms of lugs on the tracks so they would not do all that well in deep snow unless one could keep some forward momentum. Climbing hills was not all that great unless one was in a really open area and could keep the speed up. Friends had some of the machines with the steel bars accross the tracks and they could practically climb trees with them. Randy ___ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
