What are you doing today? [Part II]

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Into my third day watching the snow melt :sadcry:
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Ok so I got my bogies all buttoned up. Was not hard, just took some figuring out and a couple bolts did not want to align that easy. Greased everything up and away we went. I think this spring I will rip them all down, grease them and look at new sealed bearings. Not that they are trashed but why not be proactive.

Anyway, conditions were not great, the snow had a nasty crust but we made the most of it. The girls were so pumped to have the Evinrude back in action!!! We even saw a couple of Moose milling about.
 

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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Well, packing up and heading west with the sled. Going to a friend's cottage in the Haliburton area where the trails are still open. He says they were junk on the weekend so hopefully grooming will fix that. If not, then we'll load up the sleds on the trailer and head to North Bay.
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Well last day off and woke up a bit sick this morning. Tested positive for covid which was no surprise as the kids are getting over it. So far I've been tired for a few days and now have a mild head cold. Big deal thankfully.

Cracked out the Evinrude to tow the tobaggan for chores today. Had some fun with that and now got a few days off work. Life is rough.......
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,267
Brighton, CO
Lots of catching up to do..

Got the taxes and plates renewed, still need to apply all the stickers.

Major mix up going on at the company, still going to be out for a while longer.

Upgraded my wives all in one computer. It had a Pentium G3220T. Upgraded it to a I7 4785T. Upgraded the memory from 2g to 8g (max). And upgraded the 1tb mechanical to a 500g SSD. Its actually a completely different computer now. But all those upgrades for less than 80 bucks.. much cheaper than a new computer. She doesnt do anything with it other than business stuff.

Will be getting a new laptop latter in the year when I go to the Safety Meets in Memphis.

Replaced a door seal, and door speaker on my XUV. Installed a new USASpec BT45-GM15.

Lots of other stuff, but I dont have a lot of time at the moment.
 

Matt

Member
Dec 2, 2011
4,040
Wives for plural.
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,771
Tampa Bay Area, FL
I've got an intermittent internet connectivity issue going on at the house. Started Sunday night during the super bowl, signal cuts out. Since I stream everything now, that's a problem. Look at the router, internet light is orange instead of green. Modem looks normal. Reboot the router, no change. Reboot the modem, signal comes back. Few hours later, did it again. Same problem off and on Monday, Tuesday get tech support involved, "Swap your modem for a new one" Picked up a new one last night, and just before bed, same thing. :mad: Left it in the disconnected state, got tech support on chat this morning, and they confirmed they can't see the status of the modem from their end. Confirming the problem isn't inside my house. I asked them if they think it could be the lines, and they told me they can't troubleshoot further until I'm at home.

Well you can't very well check the lines without someone looking at them, so I guess I'll have to do that myself too. I know the junction box where the other cable lines come in, isn't perfectly sealed. When I switched providers and had to swap the connections last time, there were 3 wasp nests in there. I'm hoping something nibbled on the cable and that's the issue. I know when I signed up, they came out and laid down a new wire to the house. The tech was beyond lazy and "buried" it by kicking dirt on top of it, so there were some exposed areas leading to the house. So at least I know if the problem isn't in my box, it won't take much effort to uncover the rest of the line going out to the street box to check those.

I dont have a lot of time at the moment

We can understand why! 😏
 

mrrsm

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Oct 22, 2015
8,273
Tampa Bay Area
@Blckshdw ... Recently, I went through a similar, nearly insolvent problem of having Total Cable Modem Signal Drop-Outs and after replacing all of the Type "F" Cable Couplers on each and every end, I was replacing the 5 Way Co-Axial Signal Splitter with a Commercial Quality versions at the outside mate-up to the Service Cable Line near the Foundation Cinder Block and accidentally discovered that ONE COAX Terminator Cap was Missing.

I was just getting ready to do a complete HQ Cable re-route over the Roof again when I found this out. But after purchasing a Fresh Pack of them and installing one to shunt that dormant cable line along with that Signal Splitter... Magically... the Signal Loss caused by the absence of that Little "Plug" stopped and I was able to finally connect to the Service .. Without Further Ado. Imagine that Damned Little Thing causing all that Fuss and replacing it is What Did The Trick. :>)

 
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BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
So being a little sick but not bad, to hell with it. My wife (singular) took my oldest to basketball so my youngest and I took the sleds out. Now she is 11 and while she is smart and has the skills to ride, she just doesn't have the confidence. So I had her riding solo the other day and we put on 4 or 5 miles today. Did some tight turns, narrow trails and a few drifts. She did great and really impressed me. I love seeing my kids learn, grow and succeed.

Might take her out again tomorrow if the wind isn't bad.
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,771
Tampa Bay Area, FL
@MRRSM You may be onto something. I had a similar plan when I bought the house, replaced the 3 way splitter with a 6 way, the 2 additional lines went to my media closet, and I added a new outlet by the fireplace for the TV. Had a spare one with future plans to run a line out to the shed, and use MoCa adapters to sent my internet signal for another camera to cover the back yard.

I did buy some of those terminator caps for use in the house, as the previous owner rewired some of the rooms and left the disconnected outlets in place, so I capped them to avoid confusion. I didn't cap that remaining port on the splitter though. :undecided: For the life of me can't find the bag of spares, so pulled one from a front room and popped it in.

Prior to that, moved the modem to the living room, to rule out the previous length of cable. If I don't lose signal before the morning, I'll put the modem back, and see if the solution was that cap. 🤞
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Well, I did some sledding. Yesterday, did a loop with a first leg through Algonquin Park, about 100km. We were gonna stop at a restaurant there called The Mad Musher but the one day they were closed was yesterday :mad: . No big deal. We had a big breakfast and not too hungry yet so we did our second leg, another 100km, to Bancroft. There we ate at The Granite and they were right off the trail with plenty of sled parking. After a nice meal, went on our third leg back to his cottage. It was getting late, sun setting, and my friend, who has MS, was getting really tired and irritable. Another 120km, we were back at the cottage. Man I was sore but I could just imagine my friend. He just went straight to bed.

Today, we were still sore so we decided to do just a short trip (~35km) to a town for a quick bite and go back. total 70km and we were sore. The trails were nice and well groomed prior to the rain tonight. I loaded my sled onto the trailer and decided that I would head to North Bay tomorrow during the rain here. They're getting snow up there and can visit my son and granddaughter at the same time. Think I'll snow tour up to Temiscaming stay there overnight and sled back to North Bay. Never done that before. Stay tuned.
 

Redbeard

Member
Jan 26, 2013
3,615
Well, I did some sledding. Yesterday, did a loop with a first leg through Algonquin Park, about 100km
Hey Mooseman,
I was just wondering about how long or far can the "average" sled travel on a tank of fuel. I suspect there aren't many convenience stores or fuel stops along many runs one might take while sledding, so I was just curious.
 

Matt

Member
Dec 2, 2011
4,040
Took today and tomorrow off because it's my birthday,so today I'm going to put another batch of beer down.
Well, plans changed. My new dentist (old one retired right before my appointment) called and they were able to get me in this morning instead of waiting 6 months, so beer brewing is Saturday.
Happy Birthday Matt!

and it sounds like with taking today and tomorrow off you have a FOUR DAY weekend too :celebrate:
Thanks mate. I get 5 days because I'm a lazy government worker and we have this Monday off.
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Put on 5 leisurely miles on the sleds today. My oldest came for a burn after school. The storm broke so the weather was nice.

Redbeard, while I won't answer for Moose, my old vintage girls are somewhat fuel inefficient. 437cc engine, 20L tanks and I think I can do 10 miles on 4 to 5 litres on ungroomed not very deep powder. I think that equates to about 25L per 100km, which is about 9mpg. Thats not great considering the slower speeds we usually do, 15mph.

If we were running groomed trails, it would get better.... but these are also 49 year old sleds that are built out of steel and weigh over 500 pounds. They also have a thick wide track, which takes a pile of power to spin. Then there is the skis, which are steel and and less efficient to slide across the snow as newer plastic ones.

Mind you I could rip off and rebuild my carb on the trail if I was so inclined. Simpler but inefficient.

20220217_163822.jpg20220217_162401.jpg
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Hey Mooseman,
I was just wondering about how long or far can the "average" sled travel on a tank of fuel. I suspect there aren't many convenience stores or fuel stops along many runs one might take while sledding, so I was just curious.
On my 2010 Yamaha RS Venture GT fuel injected 1050cc 3 cyl motor, I can do about 160km on about 30L of fuel and I find it to be a pig on gas. Most of the trails I ride there's amenities available. Food, fuel, accommodations are no problem. Some trails can have sparse services available so you carry extra fuel then.

Leaving this morning was a chore. I couldn't get the truck with the trailer up the hill from my friend's cottage after all the rain. Everything turned to slush. While I was trying to get it up the hill at one point, the 10L80E in my Sierra wouldn't work anymore. Put it in D it wouldn't move and putting it in R, it would just flash! WTF? Like anything else electronic, when in doubt, reboot. Restarted the engine and the tranny was back. I was really afraid I blew it up. Anyway, I wound up unloading the sled from the trailer, unhitching it, repositioning it for the straightest attack line and re-hitched it empty. Got it to the top, reloaded the sled and off I went.

Drive was uneventful, unloaded and unhitched the trailer at my son's place, went shopping for a few things, fueled up the truck, had dinner and checked into my motel room. It's a cheap little motel near my son's. First time staying there. It's a nice place however they left the heat low and was freezing when I got in. Took a while to warm up while I was settling in.

Then went on the trail mapping and the trails here are CLOSED! They were open this morning so they did it while I was driving up. So unless I trailer further north, I can't ride from here. Checked some of the hotels up there and they are expensive and will likely be booked for the weekend with the southerners coming here since their trails are closed. Decided I'll just pack up again tomorrow and head home. Back home they're getting a dump of snow so maybe they will reopen.

Oh well, at least I got to do a quick visit with my granddaughter.
 

flyboy2610

Member
Aug 24, 2021
544
Lincoln, Ne.
Ordered some Tahoe Z71 springs for the back of the TB, along with some RC shocks for back there. Also ordered some Moog 81114 springs for the front. Gonna get some new front struts, maybe Bilstein 4600's, and put a BDS suspension lift on it.
Last June I installed a ReadyLift spacer leveling kit, and it does OK, but I want to get a bit more 'serious' about my TB. Also want to put a Harbor Freight Badlands Apex 12,000 winch on it, so need to beef up the front end a bit.
I just don't know when to leave well enough alone!
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Moose, I still can't wrap my head around having some authority opening and closing a trail system. We have clubs that will post signage, maintain warmup shacks and groom areas but never heard of control over their use.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
It's a system to control trails that have yet to open before the season and to close them during the season when the conditions are either dangerous, unridable or can cause damage to the property or if an issue has arisen with the land owner. I'm sure you can appreciate that when the snow is gone, you wouldn't want sleds tearing up your fields or lawn. Yeah, people are that stupid. Sometimes it's to protect the trail base after a thaw so sleds don't tear it up before the freeze and more snow comes back. The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) and the Quebec FCMQ have been doing this forever. When the trails are marked closed on the site, it essentially revokes trails permits on those trails and could be charged with trespassing although I have never heard of that happening except for those freeloaders truly without permits.

The Ontario trail system map is located here.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,378
WNY
Pretty much the same here in NY. All you have to do is piss off one landowner and you've got a big chunk out of the trail system.
They close it at the first sign of dirt...
 
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BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Wow, quite the system but I can appreciate the system, although we would never see that amount of traffic. We are just too small.

We recently switched to a reverse onus, if you can call it that in regards to our tresspass laws. For as long as I remember if you are not posted for hunting or signage for standing crop, there was implied consent onto the land.

This year the tougher regs were enacted that unless you have verbal or written consent, there is no permission to enter for hunting or sledding. It was announced a few years ago but finally came to law this year.

So far no issues but it was never really for hunting or sledding, it was another way to touch up those damn meth head copper theives who like to dig around where they don't belong.
 
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Reprise

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Jul 22, 2015
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The Ontario trail system map is located here.
After getting through the legalese (I thought *we* were bad!), I looked at a map with green, yellow & red lines (no legend, but I think I can work it out... lol)

What struck me was that, except for a small section at the N. end of Lake Superior, one could theoretically ride across the entire province, from near the Quebec border to Manitoba? Surreal, if true, and I'm guessing someone's done it, at least in years past, when gas was relatively cheap.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
What struck me was that, except for a small section at the N. end of Lake Superior, one could theoretically ride across the entire province, from near the Quebec border to Manitoba? Surreal, if true, and I'm guessing someone's done it, at least in years past, when gas was relatively cheap.
There used to be a trail that connected that empty space but IIRC, the club folded due to the long expanse and few club members as the trail permit fees are distributed according to the number of members of each club. Being such an "empty" area, the funds were just not there. I'd have to check but I believe there is a service that will trailer you and your sled across that area.

I do have on my bucket list to do the RAP ('Round Algonquin Park) tour. That is a 3-4 day trip and supposedly quite spectacular. Problem is finding a riding buddy. Another problem, as you saw, is the weather. It just takes one thaw event and you could be stranded in the middle of a closed trail system. Some guys got caught in the middle of a tour in 2020 when everything was shut down.

Today, drove back home with the trailer in tow. Man this Sierra sips on diesel fuel. Only used a little less than half a tank (~40L) for a 390KM drive. Also helps to follow the speed limit. On the first tank, I averaged about 17mpg. That's the same as the TB unloaded.

Get home and I'm greeted with the TB's headlights that don't work (likely the relay) and a broken snowblower (broken clutch cable). At least most of the driveway was done before it broke.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,378
WNY
but these are also 49 year old sleds that are built out of steel and weigh over 500 pounds. They also have a thick wide track
Yes, when you get these buried , you come back in spring to retrieve, you've pretty much have a piano stuck in the snow....don't ask me how I know..:duh:
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Well northcreek, I carry the cord because it was on hand, free and won't snap. I had a buddy eat this cord in a snowblower and rather toss it that splice it back. I was going to splice it but it fit the bill for a tow rope.

So today we had some warm weather. Its above freezing but dropping to -20c tonight. We got 4 days of close to -30 again. So we put on a few miles, checked out some old yard sites and the area in general. The Ghost was starting to act up, powering down and nearly stalling a few times. I just feathered the throttle and worked through it. Not sure the issue but I am not tearing it down until the snow melts.

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Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,771
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Pretty productive day. Had received the replacement nozzle bodies for my tank sprayer, and an additional T nozzle body, I swapped out the parts on the boom, and converted it from a 2 nozzle to 3 nozzle sprayer. I had also picked up some higher flow nozzles to apply more product in a heavier pattern.

This morning was cloudy, so took advantage of everything being wet and decided to apply some Tenacity to the yard. Didn't realize how low I was, so only had enough for one 15 gallon load. Attached the sprayer to the mower, backed it up to the filling station. Dropped the hose into the tank and let it start filling while I added the herbicide and surfactant. Quick pressure test to make sure there were no leaks and I was on my way. Got the front and side yards done, and a little bit right behind the house.

Got a couple of minor issues with the mower that need to be addressed. Sometimes the cutting deck doesn't engage when I pull the switch. That started last summer. Now sometimes the drive motor doesn't engage when I hit the pedal. :eek: Toggling the drive switch or the blade switch will usually bring them back, but it's annoying. Preliminary web searching points to the motor controllers, but there's also a possibility of some control boards.

Saw some posts referencing a technical troubleshooting guide that gives details on what to test, and what values to look for with a meter. PERFECT!! But the only one I could find was the one for the zero turn model. Tried contacting Ryobi email support to send it to me, but they were pretty useless. Their phone number goes to general support, who told me on Friday evening that I have to call the lawn and garden support. :rolleyes: Will leave that for Monday...
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Was able to ride the past couple of days. On Sunday, we trailered to a trail that was open in a nearby town. Riding 2up with Mrs. Moose and my son with his GF on her sled, we rode an old railway bed trail to another town and we had a nice afternoon lunch at a truck stop that is right off the trail. After my son gassed up their sled (I was only down 1 bar on the gauge, theirs was under half) we rode back to the truck and trailer. Total about 100km. Not a super long ride but just enough to make for an enjoyable ride despite the wicked wind that tossed us around at times.

Yesterday, to my surprise, the trails opened around my house. Did a quick 30 minute loop around my town to survey the trail conditions, which were surprisingly good with mostly good loose snow with some bare spots, some slush and frozen areas. Coaxed Mrs. Moose again to come on another ride and we did a quick 45 minute loop down to a nearby town and back home. A good run just to get us out for a bit.

Today, I'm paying for it with a sore lower back and knees. Riding 2up pushes me more forward so my knees are more bent and puts more pressure on my back. So drugs for me today however I have to go to Costco to fill my cans with premium gas (~$0.20/Liter cheaper than anywhere else) and some other supplies. Trails will likely close again as they're calling for freezing rain and rain today and tonight.
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,378
WNY
Went to Wally World to get oil and filter for the Nox. Only 1 jug of Mobil 1 (5w-30) left on the shelf and passed over the filter a few times before realizing that they changed the box. Gee I wonder where they are made now ...:undecided:
100_1820.JPG
 
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Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
26,128
Ottawa, ON
Today, I'm paying for it with a sore lower back and knees. ... So drugs for me today however I have to go to Costco to fill my cans with premium gas (~$0.20/Liter cheaper than anywhere else) and some other supplies.
Well that didn't work out. Picked up a couple of jugs of DEF on sale at Cambodian Tire and my back completely seized up. Put in that jug in the truck (painful) and then went to fuel it up. Just that was painful enough so went back home as I can't even walk. My wife said I looked like an old man :frown: . So more drugs and heat today.
 

BrianF

Member
Jul 24, 2013
1,265
West central Sask.
Well Moose, I know the feeling. Even a little riding and my back is sore. A few times it caused my SI to seize up. Its amazing how something so simple can cripple a guy.

No riding for us yesterday and today. Cold spell rolled in. -35 last night and tonight. She be cold. The one nice thing was it was clear skies and the lights were out in force. 20220222_014924.jpg
 

northcreek

Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,378
WNY
Must be bad back weather because mine has been killing me too. I'm wanting to get started on my deck replacement as soon as the weather breaks and now wondering if my back will be a problem. What kind of drugs are we talking about besides Motrin ?
 
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TJBaker57

Lifetime VIP Donor
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Aug 16, 2015
3,329
Colorado
All this talk of back pains makes me question my plans for the year.

From late March to early May I will be in New Mexico at the Mexican border hauling water for long distance backpackers starting their walk to Canada on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. This involves lifting 100 pounds of water at a time and lugging that up to about 125 meters into the desert to the cache boxes. This will be my 8th season doing this. When I get older I may need a hand truck or a little water wagon!!

After that endeavor I am off northeast Georgia to begin another hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, currently about 2200 miles or 3450 kilometers.

I may discover I'm getting too old for this!! Hope not though.
 

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