mikeexplorer

Its hard for me to see the impact of the tax change because I changed from hourly to salary, and now I get paid every 2 weeks. My 401k and other retirement plans have been doing awesome. Mike

I had to leave my old company back in 2016 because of downsizing and the writing was on the wall it was closing. Had 25 years in there and 4 weeks vacation. Sucked to start over, but now this March, the place is closing up, so I got out of there at a good time. I did luck out for being at the new place for only a year and to score a nice promotion. It will be some time before I get more vacation time so just have to deal with it for now. Mike

I do my work in the spring to get ready for riding season. I don't leave anything broken, spring is the time I inspect the machines and replace the spark plug, check bushings/bearings and so forth. Sometimes ill take the winch out and clean it out. I bought her a new machine last year so it shouldn't need anything yet. Her old quad was overhauled last year and since its a spare, it has little miles so it won't need much. Mike

Still riding, not so much in the winter as I ski, so the quad only gets used for plowing. We set ourselves up for a hopefully more camping and riding trips this year, first I bought her a new 2017 Arctic Cat Alterra 400 and made her old quad a backup and plowing machine. Then I bought a Jumping Jack trailer. This one holds two machines and opens up to a nice large tent. I posted pictures on the camping section. Most recently I replaced the towing vehicle with a 2018 Chevy Tahoe. Was having too many issues and reliability with the old SUV. Two weeks ago I got promoted at work, but since Ive only been with the company a year, Vacation time is limited so I probably won't get to do all the trips I want to this year. Still too young to retire yet. 😀 That is my goal, then I won't have to worry about vacation time ✌️ Mike

An 18 volt reading is too high, normal is around 15 volts. Most likely cause is the regulator is bad. Charging the battery at that voltage will damage it Mike

Good point, I forgot some year machines had issues with the magnets coming loose. That would cause it not to send a signal to fire the plug. Mike

Skiing pictures I would figure would be off topic . Mike

I use the OEM cargo boxes from Arctic Cat for my machine. Her Alterra does not have speedracks so I bought a deluxe ATV bag from Rocky Mountain ATV. Mike

Won't be until the spring. Ski season for me now, go back to quadding in the spring. Mike

Agreed with that, typically wires short out by the steering column or where the wire harness crosses on the frame. Since you have blown a few fuses, a small burn mark in the harness should be seen. Mike

Just picked up a new 2018 Chevy Tahoe to haul the Jumping Jack and quads. The Trailblazer was starting to get too many problems with it and it was time. Looking around at late model used, the prices were still up there so I figure just go for it and buy new. More then enough towing capacity for our needs and more cargo room for camping gear

Next step would be the coil. I attached the diagram, it is #10 I would also check #16, if you look at the diagram there is a sensor that sends a signal to the CDI to tell it to fire the spark plug. Pull the connectors apart, check for corrosion. Clean with electric clean and grease with diaelectric grease before plugging back in. Mike

Is it getting spark? sometimes the plug will go bad and have spark outside the engine, but won't fire under pressure. Mike

I use regular 87 gas, during the riding season, every two or three tanks Ill add a dash of seafoam. Winter time, my girl does not ride at all, so then I add sta-bil for the winter in all our machines. Mike

Good to hear it was an easy fix. Schematic diagrams and service manuals are available for free if you need it in the future Mike

So far it looks like Textron isn't making any major changes to the Arctic Cat line. Mike

Being from the East, I would call that good snow cover Mike

I am not a Honda person but the only advice I can give is concerning bearings to avoid all-balls at all cost. They are cheap and do not last very long. Best bearings I use are made by Koyo, I don't know if they make the size for Honda. Mike

nice video, looks like there is a good snow cover

Merry Christmas

I did forget to add the phone charger, tow strap and flashlight. I am amazed at how many people I see riding that carry nothing. Mike

Air compressor, plug kit, valve stem kit, tow strap, Set of sockets and wrench. multi-tool, electrical tape, zip ties, spare fuses jumper cables (quad style, not automotive), spare spark plug. Thats what I carry, probably missed a few things. Mike

Nice video and a great "How-To" for others who want to install tracks. One comment, I noticed in the start of the video you have your machine suspended by the winch. This is not a good idea in case the winch brake gives out. I have had to use my winch to suspend my machine to work on it, but once winched, I use a few straps to hold it up and not rely on the winch to hold it up. Mike

Merry Christmas!

Yeah social media has devastated forum and message boards. Im still old school and prefer forum boards. Social media tends to have too much B.S. on it, forum boards stay on topic. Mike