Rattletrap2

Welcome Amie!

I hear you! I didn't bother going this year for those exact reasons. Meeting up with the OFC crowd would have been nice and the seminars are always interesting, but as for looking at new products or equipment, I think these shows fall way short! I will try to make the Sportsmans show in Toronto though because it is a new venue and might be interesting. The very first year of the show at the International Center was great. Every year since has been a disappointment. The Show at BPS is better for me anyways, and is coming in March.

I don't want to get into a union versus non-union thing with anyone as there are indeed pros and cons to both scenarios. I will tell you that for an apprentice, the training a union offers is far superior to the training a non-union environment offers in the HVAC/R trade. Notice that I'm not talking carpentry or any of the other non-mechanical trades. I teach both union (98%) and non-union (2%) apprentices in our facility and treat everyone equally. The non-union guys are here because they KNOW the training we offer is far and above the training they would receive at the colleges. We fill our spots with union apprentices first, but take the others to fill seats as requested by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MTCU). The non-union guys tell me that their Bosses were trained by union shops and schooling and insist that their guys attend our program if at all possible. Because we do night school training as well for the first 4 years, these guys are seeing how far ahead the union apprentices are getting. This is their opinion, not mine. I just wish their employers would sign agreements and help support the programs we offer. They just don't want to fork over the money out of their bottom lines, which is sad because they are acknowledging the value of these programs. I guess I can understand the ones operating in places like Parry Sound, but not the ones operating in the GTA or other major markets. BTW, our local is Province wide here in Ontario. Just my $0.02 worth.

Hey Pure! Dan C has some solid advice and a lifetime of experience to back it up! I'm sending you a PM, but I also spent the past 28 years working in the HVAC/R trade and am now teaching apprentices. If you happen to go union (and I highly recommend it) you could end up doing your schooling with us in Brampton at UA Local 787 JTAC. Of course Mohawk in Hamilton also runs a good program. If you are looking for something part - time, I would suggest trying to get on with a HVAC/R company as a shop guy or driver delivering parts. Even a wholesaler would be good to start making contacts and getting some knowledge of what the trade is like. Good luck!

Looks good Boss! Loads of good reading in there!

Beautiful work by a skilled Craftsman! Very nice!

Some solid advice from HeadHunter there! I also could not follow the original post Vinny! What type of work is this?

Nice pics Wayne! I think the only thing more annoying than the jets and rain would have been running into Saul Korman down there! LOL

Congratulations botbot!!! Way to go!

I can't see why this would be a problem Cliff. You are just providing an information service. With this whole new industry opening in the Kawartha Lakes, it will be a while before we find out about all the new businesses opening up. Thanks for the info!

Archie, This reply might not be of much help to you in your quest for "high end" equipment, but this info might be valuable to anyone reading this post and thinking about giving this sport a try! My wife and I bought each other a pair of snowshoes from Costco this year because this is something I have been wanting to try for a couple of years now. they are "Snow Mountain" brand by Faber, which is a Canadian company from Quebec. They are made in Canada by a company with 135 years of experience! The shoes seem to be decent enough quality for beginners and are warranted for 3 years. They are aluminum frame with adjustable ratchet bindings. They have Crampons for traction and are rated for "On Trail" and also "Off Trail". I had a chance to try mine out last week-end for a bit and it was a lot of fun. Although we have about a foot of snow on the ground, it is kind of crusty. We need some fresh powder to give them a true test. Oh, and the best part..........they were $130.00 per pair. Not bad to try something out! Just thought I would throw this out there for anyone interested. An interesting thread all the same!

Congrats to the entire family Brian!

Just a side note for you ATV guys. I had problems last year with the cheapo contactor that controls the Polaris cheapo winch. The dealers want over $100.00 for these, and they are still cheapo! I found a place called KFI Products on an ATV website. They are in Minnesota, but were a pleasure to deal with! The replacement contactor was $22.00 through them! http://www.kfiproducts.com If you need anything to do with winches or controls, they are worth a look!

High efficiency furnaces are great........while they work. Unfortunately, to get this increase in efficiency, the furnace has become more complex and has a great number of parts that can fail associated with it. They can be finicky! There are combustion blowers, ignitors, pressure switches, circuit boards, ECM motors, secondary heat exchangers, roll-out switches, limit switches, and many other components. Unfortunately, the trusty old thermocouple and standing pilot are a thing of the past these days and along with them, went reliability! I work with this stuff every day, and am hesitant myself to upgrade my own furnace!!! I know all the benefits, but unfortunately, knowing there is still a good chance that my furnace will be operating while I am away, means more than cost savings from higher efficiency. Just being able to repair the thing myself does not make me feel any more comfortable when I go away for a few days! Make sure that if you do go high efficiency, the venting is located in a place that snow cannot drift up against and block them. I would also want to remote monitor the cottage temperature with a phone dialer if there is a risk of freeze-up and have someone nearby that is able to check on things for you. I'm sure the Salesman will be all hyped on these higher efficiency furnaces, but make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for. Get a service plan with them that covers parts and labour. If they really believe in the products, they will back them.

Joe, My Father in Law had a 1965 Mercury truck at one time. They are rare. "Old Ford's" and "Canada" don't go well together. They tended to rust away! LOL Yours is a beauty just the same though!

Interesting. My 07 500X2 is EFI and so far has started in any weather. Cold or hot. I mainly use it in the winter, so starting easily was a big factor in the choice to go EFI.

Great read Spiel! Thanks, I enjoyed that!

Very cool. I'm not a big hockey fan, but remember being a kid and meeting Mr. Howe at a lodge we went to in the summers called Bonnyview. I think they had a training camp near there and left there families there during the week. Johnny Bower was also there along with a few others.

Glad to hear the good news Dan! Enjoy the holidays and Merry Christmas to you all!

You are right Lew. I think the "magic" that our parents worked so hard to create is what did it for us and makes us want to duplicate that magic and keep it alive. Our kids are grown now too, but that has never stopped the magic of Santa in our house! We still leave out the snacks and hang our stockings on the fireplace. I remember a couple of special Christmases from a long time ago. I wanted a toy tow truck that did all sorts of neat things. It was called "A Big Bruiser". They were real popular that year and I now know that Santa had to really stretch things and go out of his way to make that happen. I'll never forget the magic that came over me when I saw that gleaming beauty sitting under the tree that Christmas morning! We always had relatives that dropped in Christmas eve and Christmas morning after our gifts were open. Those people are all long gone now....but will never be forgotten. It really is about the magic! Whether it was a shiny new bike or just something special that we wanted, Santa never disappointed us. We were so fortunate to have parents and Santa in our lives. Yeah, we might get caught up in a bit of commercialism these days, but my Wife and I have not forgotten that magic. It is so special and important to both of us. We do everything we can to keep it alive for our Children (and us!). There is a light snow falling this morning and the birds are at the feeders. Life is good! Soon it will be off to do some shopping! I guess Grandchildren some day will make it even more special!

I plow snow with a Polaris 500 cc machine. It has enough power and weight to do the job.Of course me sitting on it helps out in the weight department as well! I went for fuel injected and it really makes it nice to start in cold weather. I don't think you really need anything bigger in power anyways. Try to find something that was used around a farm by someone a bit older. Young guys like to beat these things up pretty good! LOL

Hey John! I hear you. Christmas has always been a big event for my wife and I. We are actually just a pair of big kids at heart. This will be the first Christmas that we will not all be together. My middle Daughter was here yesterday, but went on a Caribbean cruise today. She is 22 years old and had an opportunity. As for the other two girls 18 and 26, they will be here for Christmas morning and We will have a new Son-in-Law joining us as well. Although we are really looking forward to the big day, we are far from prepared! I finished work on Friday, so tomorrow, I will be shopping with my Daughters. that always helps get me in the mood. I have also been building a winter/Christmas scene on a large folding table for the last several years but could not make it happen since we moved due to lack of space. well, I have it set up this year bigger than ever! In answer to your questions: 1) Favourite movie would be Christmas Vacation or a Christmas Story. ( We all went to see the live stage version of A Christmas Story this afternoon here in Oville) 2) Favourite tune I like to hear these days is ``Driving Home for Christmas`` by Chris Rea 3) Concerts at the kids school were always great, but unfortunately are a thing of the past. I`ll always remember standing outside at the kids public school singing carols around a lit up Spruce tree. The Principal told me he was really walking on thin ice by doing this, but since he was due to retire, said what the heck!!! Sad isn`t it that he had to take us outside of the school building to sing these songs!, and also risked disciplinary actions from the board. Ah well, he sure gained my respect! I guess the theater today was the next best thing! 4) We definitely decorate our home inside and out. 5) Church is not something we regularly attend, but who knows, the Minister that married our oldest Daughter this past Fall is a wonderful person and we would like to give it a go. 6) I certainly do try to wish everyone I meet a very Merry Christmas! John, we need to get together and fish this year! I wish you and yours the very best of the season and a very Merry Christmas! I hope you catch the spirit very, very soon!

Congrats Lew! Looks like an amazing property and well, that "Man Cave" would have most of us drooling! LOL We made the move to the country about 2 1/2 years ago and love it. It is definitely a lot more work, but it is an enjoyable kind of work. Make sure Dianne knows that the snowblower, chainsaws, gas trimmers, and ATV, are TOOLS or IMPLEMENTS.....not toys! LOL I made sure they were allowed for in the budget as well and tried to buy the best I could afford. So far, so good. I use both an Ariens snowblower and a Polaris ATV/Plow to take care of the snow. I have a heavy duty Cub Cadet Garden tractor (not the HD specials either) for the green stuff. A blower attachment might work on an ATV, but Garden Tractors would struggle with snow. Even with wheel weights and chains. I'm really glad to see you getting the rewards that you both have worked for all your lives! Enjoy! Any thoughts on selling the trailer? We still have ours for now...but who knows? I just don't have the same desire to get up there now. Home is so peaceful! Take your time with that decision.

Nice try you impostor! Now get that generously proportioned back in the picture with that wonderful family! Seriously Steve, congratulations on pretty much everything! Have a Great Christmas! What????? efef= GP?

LOL "ATV or Lamborghini"......I think you are at opposite ends of a spectrum there!