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GEEZ! I didn’t see that guy climbing that Frozen Waterfall til just a few minutes ago, That’s plum NUTS!!

I thought of you when I saw that picture Lew.

Another 5" last night. Then the snow blower lost all forward and reverse power unless on flat ground with zero resistance from snow or incline....and I have both. Replaced the drive wheel, the belts, and cleaned the drive disc and nothing. No sheared pins anywhere and the chain drive is engaging so I finally threw in the towel on this 20 year old machine and Ma and I went shopping. Spent a thousand bucks today but stepped up an engine size and will have 60-70 foot of throwing distance instead of 30-40. What snow is in our driveway in front of the garage I can now put in the park behind the yard. The new machine gets delivered Monday. A week ago, the day after the big dumping we had that shut life off here, the dealer we bought from sold 38 units identical to the one we just bought in ONE day and he has been averaging ten sales a day since that rush on them.
 
I thought of you when I saw that picture Lew.

Another 5" last night. Then the snow blower lost all forward and reverse power unless on flat ground with zero resistance from snow or incline....and I have both. Replaced the drive wheel, the belts, and cleaned the drive disc and nothing. No sheared pins anywhere and the chain drive is engaging so I finally threw in the towel on this 20 year old machine and Ma and I went shopping. Spent a thousand bucks today but stepped up an engine size and will have 60-70 foot of throwing distance instead of 30-40. What snow is in our driveway in front of the garage I can now put in the park behind the yard. The new machine gets delivered Monday. A week ago, the day after the big dumping we had that shut life off here, the dealer we bought from sold 38 units identical to the one we just bought in ONE day and he has been averaging ten sales a day since that rush on them.
What did ya get Tom?

We've been using an old JD 1032 for 20yrs ourselves, with very little money in any types of repair. However, many tons of snow later, we decided on another new machine and ended up with an Ariens Deluxe 30. We did not go with the EFI model, especially after we talked to the service tech. That Ariens will throw some snow!
 
We went Ariens again. 12.5/24. Runs at about 8.5 hp....a half a horse over the old one. Ours is carbureted too. That electronic garbage isn't for me.
 
Those Ariana are good machines. Should get many years of service. I normally enjoying pushing snow. I did it commercially for 18 years. This is my 3rd winter now not having a night full of plow accounts and I honestly miss it. Get to play all night with cool toys (trucks, skids, front end loaders), like being a kid in a sandbox but the toys just got bigger. Now I just get to spend time on my own drive.
 
I skipped Ariens and went Polaris :D This thing feels like I’m Cheating :p

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I skipped Ariens and went Polaris :D This thing feels like I’m Cheating :p

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Now you need to go to the steel yard, Alro Steel around these parts, and pick up a wear bar that's worth having. Pick up a piece of 1/2" thick, 4" wide and your length (60"??). They'll cut it to length for you. Drill the holes in the center (2") and mount the new bar. TRUST ME...…. It'll cost you a 1/4 of what a Polaris bar will cost and last for years. If you ever wear one side down, just unbolt it and turn it over to use the other side. My last short bar was on my Polaris 800EFI Sportsman 4 years and I never had to turn it over. I think it cost me $30.
A deep and heavy wet snow, will stop that quad. Not the wheels from turning LOL
Gollie.…. you need the heated grips and knuckle saver/mirrors ;) Adding a reverse override switch does wonders when plowing and eliminates having to use the override button to back up to maintain 4x4.

I sold my 800 Sportsman last summer and replaced it with a Polaris XP1000 Ranger with EPS and a 72" plow. I use that for the long stretches of driveway, the landing area and the trails, then the wife uses the Ariens to blow it away from the drive. Even with the Ranger, we still need a snow blower, as I run out of places to pile it.

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When you can't plow it.....

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I do have the Heated Handle Grips, they work STELLAR :lewis:

Having a good Wear Bar made Sounds Really Good! But I am gonna bet this one will last MANY MANY years tho, I am plowing a Small City Driveway, I am done in 10 mins MAX (Takes longer For the ATV to Warm up :D) I know I’m not Plowing more than 2,000 Square feet, Probably 1,500, I shove it out in the Rd, and the City Plow Truck Driver (Friend of mine :lewis:) takes it away. I am running my Skids as low as they will go, This leaves about 1-2” of Snow, Keeps me from Scraping the Wear Bar, In fact my Wear Bar doesn’t have a Single Scratch in the New Paint Yet, and i have Plowed with it all Winter.

I REALLY REALLY like this Synthetic Rope Winch, and Auto Stop. AWESOME Feature!!
 
I do have the Heated Handle Grips, they work STELLAR :lewis:

Having a good Wear Bar made Sounds Really Good! But I am gonna bet this one will last MANY MANY years tho, I am plowing a Small City Driveway, I am done in 10 mins MAX (Takes longer For the ATV to Warm up :D) I know I’m not Plowing more than 2,000 Square feet, Probably 1,500, I shove it out in the Rd, and the City Plow Truck Driver (Friend of mine :lewis:) takes it away. I am running my Skids as low as they will go, This leaves about 1-2” of Snow, Keeps me from Scraping the Wear Bar, In fact my Wear Bar doesn’t have a Single Scratch in the New Paint Yet, and i have Plowed with it all Winter.

I REALLY REALLY like this Synthetic Rope Winch, and Auto Stop. AWESOME Feature!!

Ha....... city living ;)
I've got probably +/- 15,000sqft I plow on just blacktop drive and landing areas. A LOT of area and that's not counting the lane to get to the bird feeders. We can't plow into the road in MI or they'll ticket you. Some have received tickets for plowing across the road into the ditch.
Don't let one of those skids hanging down catch on something, which will bend things up while likely spinning you around. Been there....
Yeah, the synthetic rope with auto stop is outstanding. I have the 4,500# winch with the auto stop on the XP. It sure beats breaking cables, then dragging the blade back to the garage and tape it up to grind off the cable end and reinstall with a new clamp. With the synthetic rope, if you brake it or it wears, cut it and tie a knot in it and just keep going.
 
It’s the exact same way here, They send out News letters stating that you are Not suppose to push your Snow out in the Rd, and Not suppose to Cross a Main rd and Shove it in a Ditch, But EVERYBODY here does it anyway. I have yet to hear of a Ticket written over it? It would be a Total waste of paper, as Nobody here would Pay it! :D Thats No Joke! Idaho is FULL of Rebellious Folks! For me, it helps that i am Personal Friends with the Plow Driver, i am out working with them guy’s at 3-4 Am on Snow Days
 
This would have been a Nice morning to Shoot, No worries of getting to Warm! But it was Windy Here so i stayed home. I talked to my Folks this morning, It was -12 at the Sandpit where i shoot, and Windy.

This was here in Town
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Too cold for me :(

I agree Ed! It is pretty miserable when it gets 0, and Below, I have been in -20, I ice fished in -10 1 time, Notice i said 1 time? :eek: I Had 5 Tip ups Set out, I had to go to my Truck and Get my Falling Axe to Chop them out of the Ice when i got ready to leave, I thought about leaving them For someone else to Have :D My hands were FREEZING Cold, Trying to Chop them Darn things out, Then getting my hands wet Reeling them in, Ice formed Immediately on the Braided line.

Some people can take Cold WAY better than others, I seen a Guy show up on that Lake 1 time Ice fishing in a Pair of regular Blue Jeans, Regular looking Boot/hiking shoes, and a Denim looking Levi Jacket. Most all of us Guy’s Wore Big Heavy Wool Coveralls, Heavily insulated Boots, i even use Heat packs! We Visited with that Guy a few minutes as he walked by, I could see his Skin Through a Hole in the Knee of his Pant leg, He didn’t even have Long johns on!!! It was 10-15 Degrees that Day, and a Little Wind to boot. When that guy walked off, A few of us Chuckled and bet that he wouldn’t last long, We figured 1 Hr MAX? That Guy stayed all day, til Dark with the Rest of us!! We are NOT all Created Equal in some Sense! :D There is NO WAY i could have did that!!
 
Bitter cold just plain sucks anymore. My last trip north of Carrot River Saskatchewan hunting deer, it never got above -5° for the six days I was there. I went to the "bush camp" on the third day, which was basically nothing more than a heated tent. The guide had the stove almost glowing red to keep it bearable. Thank goodness for a top quality sleeping bag! I scored on a giant whitetail on the 4th day and it was frozen harder than a rock before we got it back to camp.
I'll take the snow before the bitter cold.
 
Lew, I only went ice fishing one time in New York. It was minus 6 that day. It was so cold I had to heat my jelly & penut butter sandwich on a Coleman stove so I could eat it. That was enough for me! :D
 
Bitter cold just plain sucks anymore. My last trip north of Carrot River Saskatchewan hunting deer, it never got above -5° for the six days I was there. I went to the "bush camp" on the third day, which was basically nothing more than a heated tent. The guide had the stove almost glowing red to keep it bearable. Thank goodness for a top quality sleeping bag! I scored on a giant whitetail on the 4th day and it was frozen harder than a rock before we got it back to camp.
I'll take the snow before the bitter cold.

Hunting for a GIANT Whitetail Buck is a time i would LOVE to get suited up and Hang out in the Fridgid Cold, I bought a suit for that Style of Hunting, Cabelas “Stand Hunter Extreme” i bought it thinking i would need it here for Stand/Sit hunting Whitetail? But i have yet to wear the Darn thing, stil has the Tags attached to it. I’m glad to have it, There might come a time that I really need it, and I’ll have it :lewis:

Saskatchewan Whitetail would be a DREAM hunt to me!
 
Hunting for a GIANT Whitetail Buck is a time i would LOVE to get suited up and Hang out in the Fridgid Cold, I bought a suit for that Style of Hunting, Cabelas “Stand Hunter Extreme” i bought it thinking i would need it here for Stand/Sit hunting Whitetail? But i have yet to wear the Darn thing, stil has the Tags attached to it. I’m glad to have it, There might come a time that I really need it, and I’ll have it :lewis:

Saskatchewan Whitetail would be a DREAM hunt to me!

Be glad you grabbed one when you did. I was eyeing one of those for about 4 years. Last fall I finally decided I was going to get one this winter so I had it for next year. Went to grab one and they were out in stores. Looked online and BPS discontinued them. Not sure what I'm going to get now. I definitely need to get some better cold weather gear though.

I'm completely done with winter here. Not even kind of fun anymore. We heat the farm exclusively with an outdoor boiler and we're pretty much out of wood and the snow is to deep for me to get out to cut anything. We haven't needed a snowmobile in years. Wish I had one now.
 
Hunting for a GIANT Whitetail Buck is a time i would LOVE to get suited up and Hang out in the Fridgid Cold, I bought a suit for that Style of Hunting, Cabelas “Stand Hunter Extreme” i bought it thinking i would need it here for Stand/Sit hunting Whitetail? But i have yet to wear the Darn thing, stil has the Tags attached to it. I’m glad to have it, There might come a time that I really need it, and I’ll have it :lewis:

Saskatchewan Whitetail would be a DREAM hunt to me!

Everyone should experience a Saskatchewan hunt just once if at all possible. What I will say is this, I've never seen the constant COLD and so BITTER cold with winds as I did there. Its extremely hard on equipment too. I had a beautiful 8pt MONSTER in the morning, walk past me at around 45yds in a cut. When I brought the rifle up, the scope was completely iced over. I worked like a mad man trying to clear that scope, but ended up watching him walk down the cut for 300yds and never took the safety off. That was truly a buck of a lifetime and he walked. I took a 9pt later that forenoon which ended up on the scales at 285# dressed. It was -25° all day with a wind of 20-25mph. COLD I tell you!
I will say that if you have a good outfitter, they really know how to help teach you to stay warm on the stand. First immediate warning... "Do not lace your boots tight! Leave the laces loose! And don't shoot the first buck you see. You guys from down below see the size of these deer and can't tell body size from antler size." I think that most of them now want hunters to have a Heater Body Suit, if that's the correct name.
I know we ***** about the snow and cold, but my heart goes out to those folks down south which had such devastation and loss of life yesterday. Weather affects us all in some way or another.
 
Be glad you grabbed one when you did. I was eyeing one of those for about 4 years. Last fall I finally decided I was going to get one this winter so I had it for next year. Went to grab one and they were out in stores. Looked online and BPS discontinued them. Not sure what I'm going to get now. I definitely need to get some better cold weather gear though.

I'm completely done with winter here. Not even kind of fun anymore. We heat the farm exclusively with an outdoor boiler and we're pretty much out of wood and the snow is to deep for me to get out to cut anything. We haven't needed a snowmobile in years. Wish I had one now.

I bought mine before Bass Pro/Cabelas Deal. I had been watching them for about a Year hoping they would go on Sale, They did, and I bought 1 immediately! I paid 200 less than Full price :lewis: The Tag that is stil in mine say’s a WHOLE lot more than i paid. I also bought their Whole line of Wooltimate Gear (Same Material as Stand Hunter Extreme) 2 Pairs of Wooltimate Pants, Pair of the Bibs, A Coat, and The Extreme Mitts. I can’t live long enough to wear all of this Stuff out :D But I’m sure glad i Bought it!
 
I guess it all depends where and how you hunt. I don't have the temperament to stand hunt so I either track or still hunt. I naturally dress a lot lighter doing this than I would if I were hunting from a stand. An old (I guess he was as old as I am now) Maine Guide gave me a few tips on staying warm on a stand. He would first gather some spruce boughs to put under his feet. It really helps a lot. He also said he could remain on stand from daylight to dark without leaving. He did it by wrapping an old wool Army blanket around himself while sitting on a 5 gallon bucket. He would put a kerosene lamp inside the bucket for heat.
I had to use a scope because my eyesight caused the front sight to blur since I was about 40 yrs. old. For years I dealt with the issues of using a scope and still hunting or tracking. The scope upsets the balance of the rifle and it tries to twist in your hand. It adds about a pound to the weight of the rifle. I find I carry the rifle a lot more than I shoot it, so the weight savings is appreciated. In inclement weather it is either fogging up or filling with snow. The scope certainly would be helpful for a long shot in a clear cut or down a twitch road, but these type of shots never seemed to materialize for me. My typical shots here in the NE are 50 yards or less (often a lot less). So I was pleasantly surprised when my eyesight at 75 changed so that the front sight was now clear. So off came the Trijicon 3x9 with its large moisture catching objective lens. I plan to get a newer inline muzzleloader to replace my TC Firehawk this summer and equip it with a receiver sight rather than the 2x7 Leupold that sits on my present ML. Of course all this is personal preference based on how and where I like to hunt.
 
The new snowblower was delivered this morning so I had to try it out. I decided to blow a path in some 30" of snow on flat ground to get to my bird feeders a little easier than wading. When they said it would blow snow 70 feet they were not kidding in the least. Man, this new pup has power. I love it. After the feeder path I cleaned the edges of the drive up and I was putting snow well into the park land behind us.
 
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