Snowmobiling blues...

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Into old sleds? Remember when I was a young teenager, my father purchased a used Artic Cat Panther 303, a wankel engine sled. A good size for a couple of kids and living in a New Hampshire small town, was good for breaking trails and also good on hills. Not to fast across the fields, about 55 mph, but was great fun for us kids.
when I look at some of the old sleds my aunts and uncles used to ride me around on in the early 70s it's pretty amazing.
 
when I look at some of the old sleds my aunts and uncles used to ride me around on in the early 70s it's pretty amazing.
My grandfather had one of these back in the early 70s. He used to ride it to get to the service station he owned back in Derry NH.

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My grandfather had one of these back in the early 70s. He used to ride it to get to the service station he owned back in Derry NH.

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I remember my grandpa had one that had two tracks on it and you would get inside of it? I'll have to look it up on the internet to see if I can find a picture of something like that.
 
I remember my grandpa had one that had two tracks on it and you would get inside of it? I'll have to look it up on the internet to see if I can find a picture of something like that.
Sounds like a Ridge Runner...

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We had a bad season last year and literally only went on one trail ride. We're very much chomping at the bit now.
Well, what's your excuse this year, get going, I believe there is plenty of snow, at least there is on our hills.
Tis the season to be jolly, and jolly j par needs to go sledding.
 
just did some looking and theres and electric sled supposed to hit the market pretty soon ,they gave Parks Canada and Whistler ski resort some demo units last winter to test and are supposed to hit the market early 2019 . 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds , 60 miles on a charge {probably on groomed trails not deep powder and mountain terrain eh } , DC quick charger charges em to 80% in 20 minutes , 120 ac plug in gives em a full charge in 2 hours . They're supposed to out-perform the 850 models out now for about the same price . Clean and reasonably quiet , some of us will have to get a Hemi recording on a loop to play from a boom box while we ride .
 
I also remember these from back then too. I always thought how cool it must be to get picked up for school by one of these instead of a bus.

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Well, what's your excuse this year, get going, I believe there is plenty of snow, at least there is on our hills.
Tis the season to be jolly, and jolly j par needs to go sledding.
$$$$!!! That's why. if I can do a one and a half hour each way day trip for a Shakedown run that's doable. The getting a hotel and a dog sitter for a dog that needs an insulin shot and all that that cost money and the three and a half to five and a half hour each way trip cost a lot of money in gas and that's also usually a hotel. So trying to avoid all that for an initial Shakedown run and just go somewhere an hour to an hour and a half away. I'm ready!!!
 
We had a bad season last year and literally only went on one trail ride. We're very much chomping at the bit now.
when I sold mine about 3 years ago (this winter will be the 4th I believe), the riding around here has been next to nothing. I guess I picked a good time to sell.
 
when I sold mine about 3 years ago (this winter will be the 4th I believe), the riding around here has been next to nothing. I guess I picked a good time to sell.
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Anytime you can find a sucker to buy a snowmobile from you is a good time to sell
 
when I sold mine about 3 years ago (this winter will be the 4th I believe), the riding around here has been next to nothing. I guess I picked a good time to sell.
2 years ago we were able to ride around the neighborhood. But that's not normal. We always have to travel to sled.
 
It's rare to profit on snowmobiles.
Actually, some years back I used to do it for side money. I sold quite a few sleds out of my front yard.
If you buy new, or fairly new, it's a loss financially. Like new cars....
 
You can find older machines around here for $500 or less. Usually they've sat around and the carbs have gummed up and they can't get them started. Then they just want to get rid of them.
 
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If you hook a fish, reel it in.
I'm glad you were able to unload your snowmoble.
I plan to get back into down the road. I'm just pinched for projects and hobbies. Something had to give, so the sleds got the least use and they went bye bye....
  • I was going to race my Ski Doo at the drag strip, just to see what it would do.
 
You can find older machines around here for $500 or less. Usually they've sat around and the carbs have gummed up and they can't get them started. Then they just want to get rid of them.
i'd get them for 200 bucks, sometimes "free to remove". I'd get them running good and they'd sell like hot cakes in October/November... :D
 
I was given an old snowmobile years ago. I spent days stripping it down to nothing. When I got done the main frame or pan or whatever you want to call, it was all aluminum and clean and I sold it for scrap. It brought $2.50. Boy was I ticked.
 
There's just not as many sleds here as there is Back East for that kind of stuff. Again you have to be willing to trailer unless you live in eastern Oregon so it's not something you see so often here locally. Of course where there's a will there's a way. Of course that's how I started. I bought that 485 Phazer 2 for $800 and bought a Yamaha 340 electric start for $560 and a ride on ride off trailer who are $500 well done for a couple years and sold it as a package deal for 2500. But mostly but $400 Rigs and sold them for 300 after riding them for some time. After that I started stair stepping up. We made the leap a few years ago and bought new. The idea was we were riding 20 year old junk and would like to hope to be able to ride for another 20. The only way to profit from these current sleds is to ride in luxury for another 17 years and have 20 years of great riding. I'm ready!
 
Will try to get some photos of the relics when they come into town in feb for the relic run.
Snowmobiling is huge in these parts.
 
A couple guys have elites.
The old apines are cool sleds too.
In the 60’s and 70’s there were tons of manufacturers making snowmobiles. Now theres 3.
Alouette
Johnson
Mercury
Rupp
Evinrude
Eskimo
Just to name a few.
 
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