F7Firecat

Well I have a had two Cats. the first a 2000 ZL 700 which is very similiar to the ZR except more of a trail sled and my current 03 F7. I dont know if you know too much about sleds but here goes. Forgive me if you do. It may need jackshaft bearings and drive bearings. they are hard hard to check when looking at a sled. They may last 1000 miles, 500 miles or 20 miles all depends. They are not too bad to replace but you have to like to wrench on them a dealer will soak you big time. Look at the idler wheels in the skid, are they all chewed up, spin the wheels .... do they spin smooth or rough. Some wheels may need new bearings if they are rough. Not a big deal to replace, about 10 bucks each. Look at the track, any rips or tears, any lugs missing? A torn track is a bad thing. $500 to fix you doing the work yourself. Is the track studded, if so what do the studs look like, any missing, any broken, any bent. Look at the underside of the sled, under the skid plate. Is it all banged up, smashed? Not good if it is, shows it had been riden rough. Look at the carbides, are they worn or in good shape, always can replace not a big deal. Take it for a run, does it run good? You could do a compression check but it has been recently rebuilt but never say never. All above being said, I drive the crap out of my sled, they do and always will need fixing. Depends if you like to wrench or take it to the dealer. The dealer gets expensive, you can find out how to fix anything on a sled on the sled sites and save yourself a ton of money. Not cheap machines to run but fun as heck to ride! If he redid the crank 500 miles ago it should be good for a while. Did he do the top end also? that should have been done with the crank. As far as it being a lemon, the ZRs were rock solid. If it looks alright I wouldnt hesitate to buy it. Great handling machine! The cross country has a shock package, it should ride good. Shocks can be a maintenance issue also. But I know of a good guy who can rebuild them if necessary....... Cats rule. LOL Bryan

BINGO! THE NAIL WAS HIT ON THE HEAD Alot of people get into bad predicaments because they are so tight they squeak. As a self emplyed contractor I think I do excellent work for reasonable prices. When I run across someone who is being cheap with me I walk the other way. They are a waste of my time, wont call them back, wont even give them a price. SEE YA! Find someone else! I will agree however there are guys out there who do shotty work who shouldnt be in the contracting business. MH goes overboard because the skies the limit on labour and material. Put him into the real world without all the sponsors and you may see a different story. I'm all for good workmanship and materials but the industry will only take so much. BB

i dont watch the leaves When they are on TV I just turn them off. MLSE is waste of time and until leaf fans realize this they will get nothing but the same they have got for the last 40 years. Sell out another one, MLSE just loves it and doesnt care to put a team on the ice.

awesome picture nothing better for the kids

I have been looking at new boats for about 4 months now. SHould have bought when the dollar was good but who knew where it would go so quickly. You are right about mercury. The have their own monopoly on about 80% of the boat manufacturers. It really sucks how the industry has become this way, I am by no means a mercury fan. There are some deals out there on boats that were brought in around par with the us dollar but with my eperience looking around the dealers know what a new boat is costing now with the dollar the way it is and "most" of them arent giving you much for a deal regardless of what they brought it in under. One dealer did say it will be interesting at the boat show because there maybe some dealers with boats brought in around par and wanting to move them with good pricing and other dealers very ticked that they cannot compete because of the dollar now. Bryan

Well if you guys are still driving those ancient tanks no wonder your afraid of falling through, darn thing wouldnt take you out of a worm hole gotta get your head out of the ice. The ancient tanks are sweet for the shows but running one these days is like committing suicide. The thing would never get you out of any trouble, you better have your floater suit on LMAO You guys are ice fisherman and not sledders LOL hauling out 150 lbs in gear Id be afraid of falling through in my sled to at 5 mph LMAO just think how much more you weigh when you got a bucket full of perch comin back to the minivan.................... BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP im outta here at 130 mph now just got my 900cc 175 hp kit installed do ya feel my windchilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP

Snowmobiling is like musky fishing its not an addiction it is a SICKNESS!!! I think I ride very responsibly, I am no 18 year old kid.................... I dont ride alone on lakes, I very rarley go off the staked lake trails. I have 2 floater suits I use for musky fishing but I wouldnt be caught dead on a sled with one, Id freeze my ass off for one and would be limited for movement on the sled. Now they do however make floater sled suits but I must say like my Goretex. You could buy 4 floater suits for what my Goretex suit is worth, belive me I thought about it. Like I said, you are not going through at 60-70-80+ mph, and if you do you are riding open water which i do not do. GCD ever been on a sled?? BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPP

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LOL ya think so ehhhhhhhhh

GCD, Pretty hard to go under doing 120 mph across the lake. Thats why I dont need a floater suit. I gave up ice fishing long ago, not my style..............boring actually. So you take your floater suit and go freeze your ass off looking for a some little perch, I'll be sure to suit up in my goretex and fly by you at 120mph and creat some wind chill for you in your cardboard floater suit. LOL And before the good ole boys from OFC gang up and cut me up Im outta here at 120 mph Bring it on boyz!! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Depends if your fishing go with the floater if your sledding go with a good snowmobile suit. I have a Riema Goretex suit and I wouldnt trade it for anything. -30 across the lake at 100 mph and I am toasty warm. Floaters get hard with limited movement in the winter also. just my opinion Bryan

pocorn anyone??? the show is just starting..........

here we go im cooking the popcorn, anyone want some...................because this is gonna bring the bottomfeeders owt!

They are there, its like fishing a needle in a haystack. Probably spend all their time chasing baitfish around the lake, the odd one being caught in BOQ, no doubt they are there.

we got a 43 incher on the bay sunday season is not over yet!

Heres some vintage Probert I especially like the one where Wendell is hugging his leg lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCZEMSsGWYU

PROBERT nuf said

Anyone know where I can get moon phases and the major and minor. My GPS only shows mr and ms. I would like to have the major and minors. Thanks Bryan

LOL na na na na na na na na HEY HEY GOODBYE HABS RULE!

Im in the market for a new baot and Im thinking is going to be an Alumacraft. Also looking at the Trpohy but probably a 185 Went to Bay City and it will take 6 weeks delivery. Might wait until the boat show to buy though.

Dax, get new bearings and just do them, napa or carquest will have whatever you need. heck only takes a half hour to do one. Better than sitting on the side of the 407 Pop the bearing buddy off pullthe cotter pin unscrew the nut pull the tire off clean the grease out and outside bearing pop the seal at the back out with a screw driver pop the back bearing out pop the races out with a screw driver (this is the hardest part) reassemble with new in reverse order. I just did this while i was at the cottage on my vacation. Not worth breaking down. Bryan

went to look for some muskie rods, got there at 9:05 Not one in site, stayed about 5 minutes and left. Everything was pretty much picked through. Bryan

Dont screw around with oil, use what it specifies to use. If you use the wrong oil you could be up the creek without a motor. Bryan

I would reccomend a coleman excursion tent(i dont know if they still make them). Spent a night in a huge storm on the moon 75 km/hr winds and rain and was as dry as could be. Nice low profile, fly that covers 100% and a vestibule and you are rockin. Bryan