mikeexplorer

If anyone is interested, I documented the Gravity railroad on my website, link here: https://www.nepaview.com/pcc-gravity-railroad.html Planes 10,11, and tunnel are part of the ATV park now. Some of the pictures I took were before it became an ATV park. Mike

We usually attend their events, next one will be the Chicken BBQ which is on July 20th. (Saturday) Friday we ride over to Bloody Skillet and ride that for the day and then hit the sandwich shop for dinner since we gone all day. This is usually about a 75-85 mile ride. Once they get a connection around the closed viaduct (which should be soon) they legalized some roads on the far end of the trail and you will be able to go to Philipsburg where there is a place to eat and get gas. Mike

Lost Trails is only 10 minutes from my house, so I buy the year pass. Part of the trails was once a gravity railroad which is why the tunnel doesn't look like your typical railroad tunnel because no locomotives ran on this line. Cars were pulled up inclines with a stationary steam engine then coasted to the next lifting plane by gravity only. Ruins of two of the engine houses are also along the trails. I have collected quite a few artifacts from the place including several sections of strap rail. The view from "top of the world" I caught a Steamtown excursion heading to Tobyhanna. Mike

I brought back pizza to the campsite. The sandwich shop is only 3 miles down the trail so its easy to deliver to the camp.

Had a good weekend of camping and riding. This time of year the riding is a bit limited because the state trails are not open yet. The rails to trails was having a spaghetti dinner ride to raise money for the trail, so we always like to go down and support them. Was good to get out for the first camping trip of the year.

Looks like you were riding some roads that are not winter maintained. Although the one part was short, it looked like you were riding an old railroad grade. Winter is long gone here in the east.

We have three Arctic Cats 2010 366 SE 2017 Alterra 400 2012 450i

I discovered the site does allow uploading of KMZ attachments, so I will share the calibrated maps I have for some of the riding areas of PA. First are three state trails in the Delaware State Forest. These are smaller riding areas. Information about the state trails are here https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Recreation/WhatToDo/ATVRiding/Pages/default.aspx Burnt Mills.kmz Maple Run.kmz Dixon Miller Trail Map.kmz Next is the AOAA, Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area. http://www.aoaatrails.com/aoaa/ There are two maps, Eastern area, and Western area. The calibration for the west map is off in some areas by about 200 feet, It is the the original map that is the problem, not the calibration. AOAA - East.kmz AOAA - West.kmz Two of the best state trails in PA, Whiskey Springs and Bloody Skillet Bloody Skillet 2016.kmz Whisky Springs 2016.kmz Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County Susquehannock State Forest.kmz

Actually I am incorrect, I can upload KMZ files as attachments.

First, sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. I do most of my prep work in the spring. I check all the bushings, brake pads, bearings, etc. I just follow for miles as far as changing the oil on the machines. Since I use synthetic, it is every 1,000 miles. During the winter we don't ride much, so I make sure to go out there every two weeks and fire them up and let them run for a good 10 minutes to warm them up and get rid of any moisture in the oil and such. They are kept on battery tenders all year when not in use. I also check the air box and other areas to make sure a mouse didn't make a home during the winter. I keep one machine in a canvas shed, so I spray that area with peppermint oil to keep the mice away. This year, my machine is on year 5 of the battery, so I will pull it out and have it load tested, being that this machine is EFI it is sensitive to the battery condition. The other two machines are not EFI so it isn't as big of a deal. I do keep an eye on the bushings because they are a high wear item since we ride in coal country. The coal dust eats the crap out of the bushings. The internal axles when I pull them will be worn out but shiny like it was lapped. Mike

Nice video 👍

The reclamation project only affected one area of Whiskey Springs. There are still other old mining areas to play in. The area was contaminating Kettle Creek. Keep in mind the state trails are closed until the Friday before Memorial day weekend. SSRT is open, but riding is limited. Mike

Got my first quad back in 2007 so I only been riding for 14 years. It was an Arctic Cat.

I have made calibrated maps for several of the state trails in PA and AOAA. I have in my collection Maple Run, Burnt Mills, Bloody Skillet, Whiskey Springs, Susquehannock State trails, Dixon Miller, AOAA (Both East and West sections) I have a GPX file of Snow Shoe Rails to Trails which has all the mile posts so you know where you are relative to the trail. It also includes the legal township roads. They are in KMZ format to upload to a GPS unit and display as a custom map on screen. This website does not allow uploading of KMZ files as attachments. I use a GPS for several hobbies and have software that allows me to calibrate maps to use in the GPS unit. I do have some saved GPX tracks from my rides but I don't know how useful they would be. Tracks I have would be riding these state trails, AOAA, and the Northcentral ATV project area. Mike

The news isn't that recent, but I thought I had posted it already since it is significant. West Virginia posted an economic impact study on their trail system and that opened up a lot of eyes. Some of the state trails DCNR manages are only open to ATV use in the summer. In winter they are sled trails only. The winters here in PA have not been good for snowmobiling like it used to and it has had an impact on snowmobile trails and clubs. One county out in North Central PA (Potter) has been severely impacted by lack of snow. The one hotel that had direct trail access closed for lack of business (They only had business for the summer months when its open to ATV's) Now things are moving towards more ATV riding because weather doesn't matter and it does bring in money to the local communities, as stated in the article about that small town that now has legal ATV access. The economic study that was quoted as well also shows how much more money could be brought into the area. We travel several times a year to northcentral pa because they have the better riding and once this project is fully done, there will be a lot more riding and no doubt we will plan more trips to there. One campground already is adding on a bunch of new sites with the expected impact of more ATV traffic. Mike

Some handheld radios have over a 2 mile range which is probably far more then what the intercoms have and they are not that expensive. Mike

http://www.lockhaven.com/news/local-news/2018/06/atv-trails-to-be-connected-by-2020/ ATV trails to be connected by 2020 Local news Jun 30, 2018 SARAH PAEZ [email protected] New bill could increase tourism in the county LOCK HAVEN — Due to a hard-fought change in the state’s fiscal code, Clinton County will finally have an all-terrain vehicle trail connecting the Whiskey Springs Trail to Bloody Skillet by 2020. State Rep. Mike Hanna (D-Lock Haven) had a hand in pushing the legislation through, said county Commissioner Jeff Snyder, who has been supportive of ATV tourism in the region. Hanna said the project had been in the works since the era of former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who ended his term in 2011. “We just decided it was time to get this,” he said. The bill, an amendment to the fiscal code, says that appropriations for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) must include the agency’s collaboration with PennDOT to “develop, open and maintain an ATV trail connecting the Whiskey Springs ATV Trail to the Bloody Skillet ATV Trail by utilizing existing state roads and state forest roads by April 1, 2020.” The amendment also provides for DCNR and PennDOT to “implement the full Northcentral Pennsylvania ATV Initiative” which would create a network of ATV trails from Clinton County to the New York State border by April 1, 2024. This network would link the Haneyville, Bloody Skillet, Snowshoe Rail Trail, Denton Hills and Whiskey Springs trails. Central Mountains ATV Association President Henry Sorgen IV said his organization has been working on the initiative for the last four years, trying to connect all the ATV trails in northcentral Pennsylvania up to the New York State border. The organization has 1,300 members. Sorgen said Hanna and State Sen. Joseph Scarnati (R-Brockway) were instrumental in making the necessary changes to the fiscal code. But, he said, it wouldn’t have been possible without support from township and borough councils, county government, regular citizens and CMATVA. “It’s always been a team initiative,” he said. CMATVA gave a presentation to the governor’s staff several months ago, which “started that ball rolling,” said Sorgen. “It’s all about tourism…that’s gonna be huge.” PennDOT has a policy that ATV riders cannot use state roads. But state law says the district manager can authorize ATV usage on state roads. So, Sorgen said, the fiscal code amendment is a way to remedy that contradiction. Hanna said the project will rely very little on state roads to connect the trails. DCNR is conducting a study through Larson Design Group to determine the best way to connect the trails without using state roads. One place ATV riders will have to use a state road is the South Renovo Bridge, Hanna said. Hanna was clear that the development of these trails will have no cost to taxpayers. “As far as trail development goes,” he said, it will all be funded by ATV registration fees. Right now, there are around $180,000 in that fund, said Sorgen. “There’s no doubt about it, motorized recreation has a tremendous economic impact,” said Hanna. “The number of trucks, trailers and ATVs (on those trails on a holiday weekend) is phenomenal.” Sorgen said CMATVA wants to make northcentral Pennsylvania’s trail network “the Hatfield McCoy of Pennsylvania.” ATV tourism is a $1 billion industry in West Virginia, and Hatfield McCoy is one of the state’s most popular trails. Sorgen said he is sure ATV tourism will be a boon to local residents in Clinton, Center, Potter, Elk and Cameron counties. In Germania, which is near the Denton Hills ATV Trail, he said, there is a small general store with one gas pump that used to make $1,000 a month in gas sales. After ATV travel was legalized there, the store’s monthly sales skyrocketed to 10 times that. “That’s the potential,” he said. “What’s (ATV tourism) gonna do for little Renovo? It’s gonna boom.” And, according to a study on ATV recreation in Clinton County done in 2015, the average rider spends approximately $1,400 in the county annually. Those surveyed said they would visit about five more times a year (about 12 times total) if connector trails were built between the existing trail systems and the surrounding communities. The study said increased visits would more than double the annual spending per rider. Right now, Sorgen said, there are 1,800 miles of riding trail, and 49 percent of that is open to ATVs, whether that be on roads operated by DCNR, private property owners or township councils. But that is set to change soon, with the new state fiscal code amendment. Sorgen estimated the new law will add 200 miles of viable trail. And, he said, the existing CMATVA map will change once they submit the new map to PennDOT. Hanna said for people who have concerns about motorized recreation, the Larson Group study is taking environmental impact into consideration. “It’s not just “slap a trail on,“” said Hanna. And Sorgen said he fully supports finding an environmentally friendly way to implement ATV trails that would connect the existing ones. He lamented that while “98 percent of us want to follow the rules,” 2 percent of ATV riders don’t respect the land and want to offroad where it’s not allowed. “We don’t want to be in wetlands,” he said. “We don’t want to be in natural areas where we don’t belong.”

You can download the service manual and wiring schematics here: https://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Arctic-Cat-ATV-Repair-and-Service-Manuals/ I would verify first that you do indeed have AUX power, popping that fuse would give you a blank display but it would still light up. Two common issues to look at, one is a broken wire in and around the steering column. The schematics will help you verify which pin does what for the gauge cluster. If it is the gauge itself, try this trick. disconnect both battery wires and connect them together, leave it overnight, then re-connect them, If the gauge isn't fried, this will reset it. My bet would be a broken wire, seems to be a common problem in 2006 - 2009 Cats. I had a 2007 model that had serious harness problems. Was easy enough to fix with the schematics and using some spiral wrap and loom to protect it, never happened again. Mike

The west has gotten hammered with snow this year, will be good for the spring thaw to refill the lakes. Lake Tahoe already has reported the lake is up and the snow has not yet melted. Hopefully this will also bring up Lake Meade a few feet.

Most cans of refrigerant should already have the oil mixed in. It should state that on the can.

You are correct that with this setup, to let the donor machine charge the battery enough to let it start on its own. These connectors cannot withstand the heavy current draw of a starter motor directly. It normally would only take a few minutes to put enough charge on to start the machine. These are good connectors to use for accessories. Arctic Cat machines have two of these, one in the front which is powered only with ignition and used for accessories such as hand warmers and winch. This way you do not have to splice into the wiring harness at all. There is one in the rear which is powered all the time and is a perfect place to attach a battery tender. This connector is used for attaching rear powered accessories such as pull behind mowers and other grading equipment. I use the rear connector for battery tenders. Most battery tenders come with this connector so it makes it simple to connect it up. Looking at your picture, the left lower plug would be connected to the ATV side (positive wire covered) Some battery tender setups will include this connector wired to 2 rings to connect directly to the battery so you have a quick easy place to plug it in. These are commonly referred to as "2 wire trailer connectors" and can be found in most auto part stores.

If your battery is weak, but not dead then it could work as most of the heavy draw would come from the weak battery (because it has the heavier gauge wire) If the battery is mostly depleted, the heavy draw would go through the wires and pop the fuse. A starter motor draw far more then 10 amps.

What your showing would be fine if you want to connect a maintainer or if you want to use an accessory. However the gauge of the wires is too small to use it for jumping a dead battery. A starter would consume far more then 10 amps to crank (the inline fuse would instantly pop) ATV jumper cables are usually a minimum of 10 gauge wires. Mike

I use a water jet, it attaches to the garden hose and gives a more powerful spray then just the hose, but not as much as a pressure washer. As for soap, I have been having good luck with Arctic Cat's "Spray and rinse" cleaner. Mike

The fast cycling of the compressor is because of the low pressure, This is to prevent damage to the compressor. Offhand I don't know what the numbers should be as far as pressure for normal amount of refrigerant, im sure you can look that up. Mike