Quiet here, winter time?

[Fishsizzle]

It’s is always quieter on here during the winter?

[ADQ K9]

Well think I spend more time here when I am off work for 3 weeks at a time. It's a balmy -6F right now so keyboard camping it is. April is when I plan to break out the Tumbleweed again. We are West coast so it is still early for me

[JRTJH]

Active participation varies day to day, week to week, month to month and season to season. Right now, many people are just returning home from the holidays, trying to get kids back in school, returning to work, etc. For those of us who are retired, we're planning upcoming trips to warmer climates, on the road or soon to be, since the holidays are behind us.

It's a "time of flux" for most. I'd suspect that in the next couple of weeks, you'll see an increase in the number of members online at any given time....

That said, if you look at the "home page" for the forum, toward the bottom is a section titled, "What's Going On" and the first section within that is: "Currently Active Users". If you look at the "Members/Guests" you'll see that there are, at any given time, about 10-20 times more "unidentified guests" as there are "registered members" Right now: 20 members/428 guests.... Those "guests" have multiple purposes for being on the forum. Some are "Google Spiders" that mine information about what members are doing and saying, links that we post, etc. Some are legitimate "guests" who are looking for information or possibly considering membership, but some are using the site to obtain information for "less than honorable reasons". There are IP addresses that originate in China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Africa, South America, India (just to name a few). So, while "member activity is in a lull" you can be assured that the "guest activity" is still very busy, checking everything you do, every link you click on, every word you post and every comment you make.....

Not to "instill fear" but your site team regularly checks every post on the forum. You'd be amazed at the number of people who post their home address, phone number, private email address for anyone to see, then, a couple of posts later, will announce that they're going on a trip, give the dates that their home will be vacant and how far they'll be from home. An "open invitation" for anyone to use that information for "other than good"...

So, while there may be a lull in activity from members, the forum is still "very busy" and "very active".....

[CrazyCain]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Active participation varies day to day, week to week, month to month and season to season. Right now, many people are just returning home from the holidays, trying to get kids back in school, returning to work, etc. For those of us who are retired, we're planning upcoming trips to warmer climates, on the road or soon to be, since the holidays are behind us.

It's a "time of flux" for most. I'd suspect that in the next couple of weeks, you'll see an increase in the number of members online at any given time....

That said, if you look at the "home page" for the forum, toward the bottom is a section titled, "What's Going On" and the first section within that is: "Currently Active Users". If you look at the "Members/Guests" you'll see that there are, at any given time, about 10-20 times more "unidentified guests" as there are "registered members" Right now: 20 members/428 guests.... Those "guests" have multiple purposes for being on the forum. Some are "Google Spiders" that mine information about what members are doing and saying, links that we post, etc. Some are legitimate "guests" who are looking for information or possibly considering membership, but some are using the site to obtain information for "less than honorable reasons". There are IP addresses that originate in China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Africa, South America, India (just to name a few). So, while "member activity is in a lull" you can be assured that the "guest activity" is still very busy, checking everything you do, every link you click on, every word you post and every comment you make.....

Not to "instill fear" but your site team regularly checks every post on the forum. You'd be amazed at the number of people who post their home address, phone number, private email address for anyone to see, then, a couple of posts later, will announce that they're going on a trip, give the dates that their home will be vacant and how far they'll be from home. An "open invitation" for anyone to use that information for "other than good"...

So, while there may be a lull in activity from members, the forum is still "very busy" and "very active".....

Thanks for the tip John, that made me check my profile to make sure i do not have that type of info on my profile. We are back to going up to East TAwas every other weekend now, they finally finished the upgrade to 50amp in the park, so our "cabin" on wheels is accessible once again.Just in time for PerchVille...How is the snow fall in your parts?

[flybouy]

Using common sense on ANY social media, forum, or any site, especially one's openly available to the public. Always speak in the "past tense" in regards to your whereabouts, i.e. "just returned from a trip" not "we are at" or we are "headed to" comments.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by CrazyCain

Thanks for the tip John, that made me check my profile to make sure i do not have that type of info on my profile. We are back to going up to East TAwas every other weekend now, they finally finished the upgrade to 50amp in the park, so our "cabin" on wheels is accessible once again.Just in time for PerchVille...How is the snow fall in your parts?

We've had (according to the weather service) 57" of snow so far this year. You couldn't tell it by what's currently on the ground. Ironically, our lake has "rotten ice" on it and I'd be reluctant to even consider walking on it. Yet, there are "braver than me" people out there with ice shanties, tip-ups and even ATV's/UTV's... Not mine !!!!!

Currently we've only got about 6-8" of snow base, so the other 4+ feet has melted and mostly soaked into the ground. I'm guessing that sooner or later, "All hell will break loose" but the 10 day forecast calls for more of the same. I'm not sure what we're going to do this winter. I've got several "irons in the fire" and right now I'm waiting for a new front mount snowblower for my tractor as well as waiting for a couple of parts to do some mods on the SlingShot. So, we're staying close to home, at least for the foreseeable future.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

We've had (according to the weather service) 57" of snow so far this year. You couldn't tell it by what's currently on the ground. Ironically, our lake has "rotten ice" on it and I'd be reluctant to even consider walking on it. Yet, there are "braver than me" people out there with ice shanties, tip-ups and even ATV's/UTV's... Not mine !!!!!

Currently we've only got about 6-8" of snow base, so the other 4+ feet has melted and mostly soaked into the ground. I'm guessing that sooner or later, "All hell will break loose" but the 10 day forecast calls for more of the same. I'm not sure what we're going to do this winter. I've got several "irons in the fire" and right now I'm waiting for a new front mount snowblower for my tractor as well as waiting for a couple of parts to do some mods on the SlingShot. So, we're staying close to home, at least for the foreseeable future.

John, "new front mount snowblower" as in never had one or a replacement? I've never used one but my neighbor in the mountains had one on his tractor, had to plow the 3/4 mile from his house to the highway right down our road and like to do it so we got great benefit from it. By the time he got 1/2 way done he looked like a completely frozen ice brick; he had bushy eyebrows and a bushy beard and he looked like something you would see in the comedies; eyebrows, hat, beard (all facial hair) totally frozen in glistening ice crystals and his cheeks like little red balls. I would stand outside and have him a hot cup of coffee as he went back and forth and he was having a blast!
All that just to make you aware, if you haven't used one, that the snow blown out of the chute has a tendency to come back at you and "stick".

[JRTJH]

Danny,

I've got a 60" "rear 3 point" snowblower that I've used for the past 5 or 6 years. It works, but I'm getting tired of "going backwards" to get where I need to be... It's getting uncomfortable to always be "turned around in the seat" for hours on end. So, the solution is a front mount blower and sell the rear mount one. Anyway, it's due in soon.

As for "glistening snow blowing back on me"... BTDT many times.... I have a "home manufactured shield" mounted to the ROPS on my tractor that blocks most of the blowback. I'm considering a similar adaptation to the front of the tractor, but I want to wait and see if I even need it. A few guys with open tractors tell me I won't need anything if I watch the chute direction. If that doesn't work, I'm considering a cab for the tractor, but that means more work, taking it off, storing it for the summer and putting it back on in the fall. I can't do what I need to do with the tractor in summer with a cab on it. Way too much glass to use it cutting trees, clearing brush, etc...

So, Yeah, I've got a bit of "wet, frozen experience" with big snowblowers and have the clothing/goggles to make it as comfortable as possible....

One guy a few miles from me has a rear blower and a cab. He's always getting out of the tractor to scrape his rear window, the wiper can't keep up, so even the "best option" has some issues at times.....

I just hope it gets here before the heavy snows LOL

[Fishsizzle]

I always wanted to run a front mount blower on a skid steer (bobcat) to see how it would chew through snow. We don’t get that much, so never had to buy one. I have 2 walk behinds, short drive and small lot at work.

John, you have a slingshot! Buddy had one as he hit “loose gravel” too many times and he was bound to be flat on the road if he kept up with his Harley. How do you like it?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Fishsizzle

I always wanted to run a front mount blower on a skid steer (bobcat) to see how it would chew through snow. We don’t get that much, so never had to buy one. I have 2 walk behinds, short drive and small lot at work.

John, you have a slingshot! Buddy had one as he hit “loose gravel” too many times and he was bound to be flat on the road if he kept up with his Harley. How do you like it?

With my rear mount 60" blower I can chew through 4' of snow with 5' drifts without slowing down. It takes me about 20 minutes to clear the road from our house to the main road (private gravel road) and it's about 500 yards and 25' wide. That's 6 passes to finish and if it's 4' deep, probably 200 tons of snow total. I've got a "skid steer type mount" on the front of my tractor (quick change bucket) but elected to get a "dedicated mount snow blower rather than a bucket type. I wanted a little more rigidity than the front loader would give me. They ain't cheap, but moving 3' of fresh drifted snow calls for some pretty "heroic actions" LOL I've got a 72" plow for the RZR and a 28" Airens walk behind blower for up close to the house. I suppose you could call me "lazy about shoveling snow" or maybe "blower poor" from all the investment.... Anyway, I like to stay ready for whatever gets dumped on us and at times, it's more than a comfortable amount.

As for the SlingShot, it's a blast. My DW doesn't like riding a cycle. She's never managed to figure out that when she leans opposite me, well, good things happen slower and sometimes bad things happen. We've gone through fences, across ditches, failed to make curves on snowmobile trails, all because she wants to "lean the wrong way" <sigh> Anyway, after a couple of "harrowing events" over in Turkey (when we were first married and stupid) I've not put her on the back of a cycle. The SlingShot gives us the same "outdoors experience" without the need for her to lean or me to worry about if she does lean.... So, we like it.

It's not a cycle and doesn't have the "bike acceleration" but will keep up with nearly any "sanely driven cycle" and will corner better than most. I describe it as a "adult go cart" because it sticks to the road and has just about the same road clearance. It's much more comfortable on road trips than a cycle and you don't have to put your feet down to keep from falling over in a puddle.... LOL

Here's the Welcome to Colorado sign just north of 4 corners and at Valley of Fire State Park (east of Las Vegas) on our trip last May. We didn't ride it to the Grand Canyon, it rained every day we were there, so we took the train and drank champagne on the way back to the campground. LOL