My Christmas Gift

[Fishing-Around]

It's now @ 10:00 pm Christmas eve, the kids are going to bed and the house has been picked up from the FEAST that my lovely wife made and the gifts that were shared. I just came in from the garage and thought I may need alittle help from my FM family. My wife got me a carry over 2003 Artic Cat 600 EFI Pantera 2 up for Christmas and it just struck me that "this is my first sled and I dont have a clue?".

I spend alot of time ice fishing out of my Otter Lodge and always walked it out but she figured this would alot more fun to get to our "spots" with. You see, she and I fish together alot and I think she's just tired of walking .

I'm very excited to get going with the new addition but I also dont want to hurt it in any way, it is very very nice and has alot of cool stuff. I am just looking for any advice on sleding and the machines themselves. I dont want to look like a complete dork out there on the trail or lake and I also dont want to wreck it either..

I hope you all had a great Christmas also

[wally-eye]

Hey fishing-around. I see you are from BP. Are you a member of the Borough Riders snowmobile club? Great if you are, or if not, come up to one of our meetings. We meet the 1st Tuesday of the month at the golf course. We'll try to answer any questions you might have, plus we can use the support of fellow snowmobilers.

[Fishing-Around]

Thanks for the info on the club. Are you guys meeting next week or are the holidays changing that? Also, what time up at the course? It would be great to stop in and check it out!!

Carmon

[wally-eye]

Sorry I forgot to post the time. We meet at 7pm and we are planning to meet next week. I hope to see you there. Bring your friends & neighbors. The weather report sounds good for snow tomorrow. Mark

[Surface Tension]

Fishing-Around, Your a lucky guy. Get you and your wife a nice set of helmets and take her out for a trail ride. Let her drive too.

I'll just throw out a few tips.

Get a tow bar and a cover for the Otter and get a spare drive belt your your sled.

If you have deep snow loop around and come back onto your packed trail before you stop and fish. By the time your done fishing the snow will have setup. Thats going to help tremendously if your area starts to slush up from drilling holes.

Get a shop manual and follow the break in procedures. Theres going to be a maintenance schedual in the shop manual(probably in the owners manual too)that'll address some issues that can't be ignored. To name a few, the heads are going to be re-torqued, track tension and allingment, gear case levels and drive tension. Read the manuals and get an understanding of your sleds operation. Knowing where the electrical systems fuse and its replacement are located is a must. Your going to find a lot of info on your rear and fount suspension in that manual too.

Keep a spare set of spark plugs, there should a special holder for them on your sled.

This may seem so simple but I can't tell you how many people I've met on the trails that couldn't get their sled started because the red kill button on the right side handle bar got bumped. Go ahead and use that kill switch to get in the habit of knowing its there but you should get in the habit of turning your key off. You guys familiar with points know where I'm coming from.

If you've been parked for a few hours or longer, break your skis loose from the snow. If you can lift the fount of the sled up, move it off to either side a few inches. Trying to take off from with sticky skis will ruin a drive belt in a matter of seconds. Believe me I've smoked a belt $60 belt and knew better. The sled I'm riding now has over 4000 miles on the original belt and its still like new.

Lets talk about that rider. The second seat on all two-ups is elevated. That higher seat is going to effect the handling of your sled. I'll ask that rider to stay centered and not lean at all. If that rider can't see over my helmet then I want them to poke their heads off to the high side of a slop which is usually plenty.

As far as gas. I'll use the oxygenated gas as long as I know its not going to be sitting in my tank for over a couple weeks. If you know ahead of time you won't be using that gas up go ahead and stabilize it before the end of your ride. If you do choose to use oxygenated gas don't add any products like Heat, for one its not nessesary because it already contains alcohol.

Wear rods: your sled probably can with a mils steel rod.

Those will wear fast. Go ahead and run them till but check the wear frequently. When Its time to replace then and its probably going to be this season, get yourself a set of carbide wear rods. Your options are going to be 3" of carbide and up. I'd stay with 3" of carbide. That 3" will be right under your pivot point and the tips and tail of the rods will have flat carbides as well. Your going to notice your turning radius is greatly improved and when you get onto paved surfaces they are going to carve a a path.

Theres a lot more but these suggestions will help some.

One more thing to add if you take that lady trail riding and stop at the local watering hole your going to need a hat.

[Fishing-Around]

Surface Tension,

Thanks for the tips, I am a mechanic by trade and the extra belt and plugs are already in place. My "Fun Factor" and I are very excited about the sled and are planning a trip up to Kab as we speak. I spend alot of time up there from opener threw mid November but have never seen it with the beauty (sp ?) of snow!!

Your right , I am very lucky, she loves to fish as much as I do and she's even started to go out bird hunting with me and my GSP. The guys at work rub me on the whole "spending so much time with the DA" but we'll see where they are in 10 or 15 years with there's and where her and I are.

In the few miles that I've put on, the turn radious is awfull but the whole carbide thing makes sence. I've been playing with the rear suspension setup (6 adjustment settings per side), wow what a difference a turn can make! It is a liquid cooled unit but no radiator as a mechanic I dont get that, but it must work and I'll have to adapt. Thanks for the replies and we'll see you on the ice. I'm ordering my FM sticker for the windshield of the sled and then I'll put my "FISING-AROUND" on as well' so if anyone see's us out there knock on the Otter and say HI......

Carmon

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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It is a liquid cooled unit but no radiator

as a mechanic I dont get that,

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Your sled uses heat exchangers to dissipate heat the coolant passes through the exchangers located under your tunnel and above your track it's then cooled by the snow from your track.