GETTING READY FOR NEXT SEASON

Now that the season is behind us, there is still some work to do on our sleds so they can be in great shape when we take them out next season. Dave Jones, the owner of Jackman Power Sports in Jackman, shares some advice.

"The No. 1 thing to do is to fog the engine with fogging oil and stabilize the gas with some kind of fuel stabilizer," Jones said."If you don't do this, the gas will separate and dry up in the gas tank or in the carburetors, and you will have fuel issues the next fall. The fogging oil will coat the inside of the engine and stop bearings from rusting – that is the worst thing." Also, you should place something under the rear bumper of the sled so that the tracks don't have pressure on them and above all else, keep the sled out of the sun." That is because the sun will dry-rot everything during the course of the storage.

Under the best circumstances, the sled should be stored in a climate-controlled environment with as little temperature change as possible – or at the very least, stored under a tarp. If you don't have the room or ability to do this, a storage company could help you out.

Another piece of advice: Degrease the engine, remove the drive belt and spray WD-40 on the clutches, engine and all metal components to keep them from rusting or oxidizing. Your owner's manual should have recommendations on how to best protect your sled while it's in storage.

Also, do some final checks on the mechanical parts so that your sled is ready to go when the first substantial snowstorm hits next season. Make sure that every nut and bolt is on tightly. Make note of any missing or broken parts and replace or repair them before storing your sled.

Remove spark plugs and add a very small amount of two-cycle engine oil in the empty spark plug cylinders to avoid rusting. You can also use a rag to plug up pipes to prevent condensation from forming on the inside.

One last suggestion is to remove the snowmobile seat to keep rodents and other critters from moving in while the sled is in storage and out of sight.

"We love snowmobiling and ATV'ing – that is all we do. I like working on the sleds, and I like meeting snowmobilers. Most of the time, they are in a good mood as long as it wasn't a big repair and they aren't broke," said Jones. "Business was very good this year. In fact, given the downturn in the economy, it was better than expected."

Writen by By CATHY GENTHNER;
Portland Press Herald

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