I talked to Doug Edgerton today and ordered the parts for the rollers. He was unsure whether he had the air spring toggle handles since they haven’t used them for some time. We may need to make some or more likely come up with a better scheme.
I also asked about the stuck actuator on the Ginzu tracksetter. He pointed out that when you let the actuator run to the end and let the stepper motor pulse, the effect is like using an impact wrench on a nut and bolt (ex: mounting a tire). When there is plenty of grease on the contact surfaces, they will likely come back apart, but they can seize. He says the best way to get them to release is to pound on one end while using the stepper to try and back off. With the tracksetter, it would probably be best to pull the bolt on the pan end, put a pin thru the eye to counter the torque of the drive motor and pound on the eye while running the actuator toward extend. When (and if) it breaks loose then we should grease the actuator while extended and then - this is most important - never leave an actuator at either end of travel. Jog it a short distance so that the internal drive nut is not locked against a stop (“never leave the lug nuts tight”). Makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Finally I asked him what snowmachine he would recommend for grooming with Ginzus. Turned out to be a timely question, since he just ordered an Arctic Cat Bearcat special groomer edition. It has an oversized cooling system and deeper treads. It also has a built in winch, pre-wiring for implement controls, and a rear light bar. It also costs about 15 grand. I’m not sure it is appropriate for Moulton this grant cycle, but someday it might be a nice addition to the fleet at Mt. Haggin.
We’ll be back from IF on Saturday. Merry Christmas and good luck grooming!
