Cool! Still got lots of snow there? It's getting pretty soft up here with milder temps during the day. Step off the trail into the deep stuff and you sink right to the bottom.
Went out today to pick up the BR160 and bring it back to store for the summer in our garage. It spent the winter based 100 miles away taking care of a remote section of trail connecting two towns. When I went out to fire it up, it would barely turn over. Didn't have any cables with me so had to head back to town and pick up a booster pack and some cables.
It was plugged in but I suspect that the block heater wasn't working as even with the cables hooked up to boost it, it still took some convincin to fire up. Finally got it running and let it sit for a bit to warm up before I took off.
So I get going down the trail about a mile or so then the engine starts chugging and dies. I figure she's probably froze up so I add 1/4 of a jug of 911 deisel fuel de-icer to the tank. I turned it over for a few seconds, then let it sit for a few minutes to let the de-icer do it's trick. Tried it again and got it running. Headed another few miles down the trail then it died again. I figure......screw it.......I'll just add the rest of the jug of de-icer to the tank. It worked. Got it running again and made it another few miles. I go to make a sharper turn with it and hear a banging sound against the back deck. I get out to check and guess what........broken cleet. I get back in the cab and find a note from the previous operator shoved between the seat and the center console saying that he had to change 6 broken cleets once he got in the other day. I guess he missed the seventh one. So, I had a spare cleet in the toolbox and decided to change it right there on the trail. Got it changed.
Finally made it to the neighbouring town 30 miles away then had to walk it down the shoulder of the highway for 4 miles to where our part of the trail starts. I get going on our section of trail and notice that the drag keeps shooting off to the left and is going down the trail sideways behind the machine. I get out to inspect the drag and discover that whatever the previous operator had went over to break the cleets had also flipped one of the springloaded knives on the drag completely over causing it to dig right into the trail which causes the drag to keep shooting sideways. This happens occassionally but a large hammer or axe is required to bang the hell out of it so it pops back but I had neither with me at the time.
Everything else went alright today aside from the fact that what was only supposed to take a few hours to do ended up taking most of the day. Always an adventure! Oh well, the only snowcatting left for me this season is to bring the Lamtrac the 7miles back out to our clubhouse/garage for the summer.
Thanks for the link Bob!!
