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what snow machine you use?

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:40 pm
by mefishme1234
Well I got 10 moose booked for this fall to butcher. I want a snowmachine. I been looking at the skidoo safari and the arctic cat mt cat. I am leaning on a 600cc mt cat cause the powder and trail breaking capabilities. I will be using it for hunting with my beagles and hounds and some trail riding. A buddy told me to put a lil winch on the front too. What do all of you use?

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:09 am
by chris lavoie
I use Bombardier sleds along with Bombardier A.T.V.'s. My best is my work horse the 98' Tundra.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:00 pm
by Balsam
Back in the day I had a single cylinder SkiDoo Elan, only weighed around 270 lbs. On fairly level terrain it would go any where in snow no matter how deep. And if you did happen to get bogged down which was rare, just pull the front end around on your back track and go. Not that hard for one man to load and unload in back of a pickup. Set the back end up on the tail gate, lift up the front and walk her back in.

Had sort of a two story dog box that was to the front of the box, behind the cab, with section out in the middle bottom, that the back of the snowmobile slid/fit into.

They quit making them around the mid 1990's ...still see some come up for sale now and then...

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:58 pm
by ferjr
Yamaha Grizzly with Camoplast Tatou 4S tracks. Will go where a snomobile wont go, and during summer you just take off the tracks. I to thought about buying a snowmobile but knowing how tempermental snowmobiles are and dependable 4 wheelers are it was a no brainer. Last thing I want is a break down 20 miles in the back country without anyone in site. Also $4000 is alot cheaper for a set of tracks than the price of a new snowmobile.

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Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 12:49 am
by captd
can-am commander, full cab and mattracks with box for four hounds, 85 hp she will climb.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:48 am
by 44magman
I run a artic cat 660 t panther 4stroke to run the dogs in the winter . It does not have the turbo and seems to have all the power I need I have had two passengers on the snowmobile and pulling the dog sled with six beagles and another guy on the dog sled and it was no problem pulling it all on a trail . The 4 stroke is very quiet but not real fast top speed is 65to 75 mph but for hunting it is a great machine.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:56 am
by BIGBLUES
I run anything that will go. I don't have a bunch of money to through at a fancy tracked machine so I can drive myself to the tree. The cheaper the sled the better. I have had good luck with Bombardier machines like skidoo. Not such great luck with yamaha, arctic cat, and polaris. I have always wanted to get a skidoo tundra but I am too cheap. My buddy has one that I have used in the past and it is a work horse. You can putt along and creep instead of like other machines where you have to get on it a little to get going.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 12:26 pm
by chris lavoie
A few people here used tracks on their atv's an had to take them off as they always bogged down in the deep snow

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 1:11 pm
by ferjr
chris lavoie wrote:A few people here used tracks on their atv's an had to take them off as they always bogged down in the deep snow



Really???? I call BS Chris!!! I have had mine in VERY deep snow and it has NEVER been stuck, I have rode with snowmobiles that have been stuck though. As a matter of fact it is what the search and rescue around here have went to because they do better in the snow than a snowmobile. Think about it, one track versus four.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 1:38 pm
by chris lavoie
They are good in deep snow if it's packed snow. They stopped selling the tracks here, can't find them anywhere. Wide track sleds stay on top of the snow. You might have 4 tracks but they are 4 short narrow tracks!!

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 1:48 pm
by ferjr
chris lavoie wrote:They are good in deep snow if it's packed snow. They stopped selling the tracks here, can't find them anywhere. Wide track sleds stay on top of the snow. You might have 4 tracks but they are 4 short narrow tracks!!



Nope I have broke trail many times in deep powder, like I said it has NEVER been bogged down or stuck, mud or snow, but I have pulled many of sleds out. Everybody I know that has rode mine or a UTV with tracks are selling there sleds now. Like I said, the search and rescue have quit using snowmobiles around here in favor of UTV's and ATV's with tracks for a reason. When they have to go in the back country to rescue broke down and stranded snowmobiliers they need something reliable that will go anywhere, peoples lifes are at stake they are not going to use something that boggs down in the deep snow all the time.

Those four tracks have a wider foot print collectively than any wide track sled. You have four tracks turning at once pulling all the weight versus one track and trying to push the motor and front end.

Have you ever owned a set of tracks?? Or are you just going by what other people that have never owned a set are telling you?

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:46 pm
by mefishme1234
I took a grizzly with tracks and went every where with 4 ft of snow, its slower buts goes anywhere.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2013 11:48 pm
by mefishme1234
I am leaning hard on a powder sled like the mt cat. in a 600 cc

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 12:14 am
by Unreal_tk
Really depends on what you want and like. Tracked machines with cabs are just like hunting out of a truck damn near but suck up the fuel. I use a skidoo 2005 800 summit with a 151 track. Rarely get stuck with it as long as I don't do anything stupid. If its a fresh snow, I'll haul ass to cut a track and can usually hunt more than I could even want to with a truck.

Re: what snow machine you use?

Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2013 12:24 am
by horshur
I have had best luck with bravos...bullet proof..enjoy my VK more though...they were cheap which is why I use them, both early 90's era sleds.... If I had to pick the VK makes more sense for houndsmen who is pulling a trailer with dogs....though I never have just run them in with the sled ......