My thoughts on sledding and hi fuel costs
- Thread starter Hardass
- Start date
I've turned off my cable tv and land phone line. I've decommissioned one of my collector trucks. I will NOT be reducing my riding.
Hmm...what's next? Hybrid sleds???? hehehe
I'll ride as long as the mortgage is paid and there is gas to burn.
I'll ride as long as the mortgage is paid and there is gas to burn.
My riding this year really took a hit. I used to hit the road EVERy weekend for long road trips and follow the snow and the company. This year I got stuck heading north to ride with Hardass and his crew!! 
Kiddin Hardass... truthfully though, it did. I had some dream rides i wanted to hit back home and I just couldn't make it back nearly as much as I wanted to. I made it to Island Park once but to justify it the whole family was invited and we spent family time out there (which meant no hard riding). One of my BEST riding buddies lives on the other side of the state and I've gotten to ride with her three times this season; so sad!! I bought a new rig and although I'm glad I got the gas rig now with the price of diesel, I'm still kicking myself for going with the bigger truck. Why couldn't I swallow my pride and fix the little things that came up with my smaller one that would chug-a-lug up the hills but got MUCH better gas mileage around town.
I think it's good though. We use too many resources to have our fun. This will make us think a little bit and be creative. Like parking the big rigs closer to where you ride, great idea, buying more fuel efficient sleds, limiting your resource use in other areas so you can save for the sleddin time -like bike to work so you save that gas money for your sled... I also think the market is alittle outrageous. it kinda blows me away that i'm willing to go out and drop more money on a sled than some people can put into a car!! i dunno... just seems crazy... don't get me wrong though... i'm lookin at droppin more money into my motor this summer to make it less fuel effiecient and to get me up those chutes! I'm as bad as the next person!! But, i did plant a HUGE garden this weekend so that I can grow some of my own food and limit my trips to the store... does that count?
Kiddin Hardass... truthfully though, it did. I had some dream rides i wanted to hit back home and I just couldn't make it back nearly as much as I wanted to. I made it to Island Park once but to justify it the whole family was invited and we spent family time out there (which meant no hard riding). One of my BEST riding buddies lives on the other side of the state and I've gotten to ride with her three times this season; so sad!! I bought a new rig and although I'm glad I got the gas rig now with the price of diesel, I'm still kicking myself for going with the bigger truck. Why couldn't I swallow my pride and fix the little things that came up with my smaller one that would chug-a-lug up the hills but got MUCH better gas mileage around town.I think it's good though. We use too many resources to have our fun. This will make us think a little bit and be creative. Like parking the big rigs closer to where you ride, great idea, buying more fuel efficient sleds, limiting your resource use in other areas so you can save for the sleddin time -like bike to work so you save that gas money for your sled... I also think the market is alittle outrageous. it kinda blows me away that i'm willing to go out and drop more money on a sled than some people can put into a car!! i dunno... just seems crazy... don't get me wrong though... i'm lookin at droppin more money into my motor this summer to make it less fuel effiecient and to get me up those chutes! I'm as bad as the next person!! But, i did plant a HUGE garden this weekend so that I can grow some of my own food and limit my trips to the store... does that count?
It won't stop me unless all my friends stop first. Some are already talking about skipping a trip or two witch sux, I plan to ride as much as I can depending on the snow. It does make me wonder what things will be like if the prices don't slow down soon. The only bright side is there will be less people out there I guess witch is not good for the sport but on a selfish level is good.
Didnt we say this when it hit $2.00???
Hey Scott, you been snoopin around my shop?
I will keep the sleds I have, no new ones in the near future, might as well keep them you probably couldn't give them away. Probably try to save some money for next winters gas and maybe instead of riding every weekend we will cut back to every other or maybe just go when there is fresh powder. Something has to change or this could get real ugly for everyone. It could be worse, I could own a boat and sled dealership, they must be sh-tting bricks wondering what to do.
Some of you must not have been around in the late 70's and early 80's or never have read about it. Things were dire back then with fuel and low snow and people still found ways to ride and enjoy recreation. The strong will survive and that goes for manufactures as well as riders. It's a never ending battle with the fuel. When you look at the average ride on a weekend, how much more does it really cost you? $50.00-$100.00. That's not deal breaking on a trip basis it simply gets people to think more about what they are doing. Instead of taking two vehicles with 2 people in each, people will start taking only 1 vehicle with 4 people to help defray the cost. There is ways around all this if people allow their standards to simply change a bit. Not saying drop your standards to a lower level but simply make better use of the dollar each person in the group has. Stuff 4-5 people in the cabins instead of just 3, bring your own food so it's cheaper that way. I know of a few things that could cut our expenses quite a bit per trip if we simply just do them.
I know the long western trips will get cut back from our groups stand point, instead of two trips it will probably be one long trip. That way your fuel costs right from the start are 1/2 what they would be if you took two trips. Also people will always need a avenue to do something other then simply going to work, coming home, and doing it all over again. People won't stop living, they will simply make sacrafices here and there to try and keep doing what they like doing.
I know the long western trips will get cut back from our groups stand point, instead of two trips it will probably be one long trip. That way your fuel costs right from the start are 1/2 what they would be if you took two trips. Also people will always need a avenue to do something other then simply going to work, coming home, and doing it all over again. People won't stop living, they will simply make sacrafices here and there to try and keep doing what they like doing.
RJ,
You probably described the majority of sledders but there will be a percentage of folks bail out of this sport. Guessing 10% to 12%. It won't take a lot of them to drive the sled market down hard for a while. I think we are currently seeing it in the swap meet right now.
You probably described the majority of sledders but there will be a percentage of folks bail out of this sport. Guessing 10% to 12%. It won't take a lot of them to drive the sled market down hard for a while. I think we are currently seeing it in the swap meet right now.
Gas prices suck, and they are going to get worse and stay that way. It is not going to stop me from riding---I will probably ride closer to home on the weekends rather than going to different areas in the state like I have in the past. My son and I have a 2 week trip planned next winter--oregon, idaho, montana, and back to washington, and we are going regardless of gas prices. We will adapt by cutting costs in other areas, but this is something we enjoy too much to give it up. Every time there is a rise in gas prices, there is panic and gloom and doom----we modify the way we do things and go on---park the half ton truck during the week, pull an lightweight open trailer, whatever. I am not going to stop riding, and yes I've got a new sled coming and I can hardly wait to get it.
I
INDEEP
Well-known member
I'm riding my home area and that's it. Southern Oregon is a great place to ride but I always like to see new areas. Been to Priest Lake, Wallace, Winthrop, and Revy but with the chances of driving 8 hrs to be socked in isn't worth it anymore. Used to be it didn't matter. Still want to see McCall. Maybe I'm getting older but I'll blame it on gas prices. Still a nice day and I'd never hold back even at $8 a gallon God forbid. Makes me wonder about the Midwest boys that consistently drive distance to ride the mountains???? Like some have said before our lifestyle is about to change.
gas is one thing...
how you gonna feed yourself and your family when a loaf of bread is $10 and a slab of meat is $20
how you gonna get your buzz on when a 12'r of your favorite cheap beer is $15?
my grocery costs from last yr to this yr to feed my family have gone up 30 to 40% already..
i'll be riding still but its gonna be tight.. i am saving over summer and fall to pay for gas as well.. and shoot, i'm not buying a season pass for lift serviced board riding next yr either..
how you gonna feed yourself and your family when a loaf of bread is $10 and a slab of meat is $20
how you gonna get your buzz on when a 12'r of your favorite cheap beer is $15?
my grocery costs from last yr to this yr to feed my family have gone up 30 to 40% already..
i'll be riding still but its gonna be tight.. i am saving over summer and fall to pay for gas as well.. and shoot, i'm not buying a season pass for lift serviced board riding next yr either..
C
CBX
Well-known member
there are definetly changes coming in most americans lifestyles.... thats for sure. who knows, even the trust fund kids might have to make changes too.........
i'm already preparing for next year. ditching trailers for the most part. getting a sled deck instead. much better economy and still gives the option to use a trailer still. enclosed trailers are sure nice. but, it seems like 95% of the time i'm flying solo to meet up with other riders or only one other guy with me. if what i've been told holds up, a truck with 2 sleds and a sled deck will do better mileage wise than towing a 2 place trailer unloaded. my truck gets about 14-17.5 mpg towing my open 4 place unloaded depending if i'm going 65mph or 80mph. 65 is the sweet spot. anything above 70 mph mileage suffers big time. if i can get 17+ mpg with the sled deck i think it will be well worth it. can almost save enough to pay for the gas in my sled.
i've done some mods to my 05' dodge diesel and i'm yeilding about 22-23mpg unloaded mixed city and highway driving now (running a special muffler and a 2 deg base time advance with stock fueling.) which is really good considereing its a 1 ton. trick is driving like you've got an egg under your foot. with the 2 deg advance it really increases the driveablility in the 1000-1600 rpm range while using very little throttle and still drive with the normal pace of traffic. for anyone interested in the cummins stuff check out www.rokktech.com . works as advertised. only downside is that in cold weather with the cranksensor in the advance position, it takes forever and a day to warm up. like double the drive time. no a big deal if you dont mind it. it also sounds more like a 99-02 24 valver. not as loud at all, just more like it sound wise.
some guys have posted gas prices up in canada.......man i really feel for you guys. i have family in qubec. from what they tell me (he used to own a truck dealership) pretty well half of what you guys make goes to the government..........man that sucks big time...
the cure for high prices is more high prices... but most people are going to have to tighten up their spending habits. no doubt... i really think this will all turn around. the question is when. there's lots of foregin money pouring in investment wise right now. dues to the favorable exchange rate.
thats part of whats driving this commodites bubble. interesting bit of info i found this week. part of the reason for the surge in diesel prices in the last year or so is because the chinese cant get their power infrastructure (coal fire) up fast enough.........so they are using lots and lots of diesel generators right now....
one big looming question i have is will all of these presidential canidates really follow through with all of their carbon emmissions cap and trade rhetoric....thats the big question... is it just empty talk to get the libs to vote for them? or are they really serious? (democrat house and senate with any of the 3 canidates could mean green light for lots of crappy legislation.) cause if that actually happens it could really cause alot of problems... i can honestly see a very big chunk of manufacturing just going to other countries ( eh hem........china, mexico..) that dont have any real emissions regs..... anyone looked at photos of china lately.... i can only imagine how them distance runners in the olymics will feel.......cough cough.....weez....
i just have a hard time beliving all of these liberal politicans would really want a socalist like system because they themselves would have to pay much higher tax rates....... seems like everyone pays half their salary or more in those countries....
your gonna see lots of guys carpooling and making cuts elsewhere. people are going to buy less stuff. plain and simple..........its ridiculous how many new cars and trucks are just not moving at the dealerships here. words out on all the new Tier III garbage and how fuel economy is a good 20-30% less than the equivelent non tier III diesel truck. i really feel bad for my buddies who run 8-11 mpg duramax's. one friend of mine already sold his. and glad he did. he traded it for a 6.0 chev gasser......... crazy enough that 6.0 gets better mileage towing............although slower..... i was surprised when he said that the gasser got better economy than the diesel.... the dmax get 9-10 towing. the 6.0 gets 10-12 he said.
the hardcore crowd will still ride regularly. eveyone else wont go as much. a few will probably sell their sleds for big loss.
i do have one request of the snowest crowd...... take you subsitity stimulus check and go buy a gun. prefereably a pistol or an ar-15.......that'll pizz of the libs........ i wonder if were gonna look back in twenty years and think of the next president with the same cross eyed feeling i get when i think about jimmy carter........wonder if we'll say the same about george w.....
i'm already preparing for next year. ditching trailers for the most part. getting a sled deck instead. much better economy and still gives the option to use a trailer still. enclosed trailers are sure nice. but, it seems like 95% of the time i'm flying solo to meet up with other riders or only one other guy with me. if what i've been told holds up, a truck with 2 sleds and a sled deck will do better mileage wise than towing a 2 place trailer unloaded. my truck gets about 14-17.5 mpg towing my open 4 place unloaded depending if i'm going 65mph or 80mph. 65 is the sweet spot. anything above 70 mph mileage suffers big time. if i can get 17+ mpg with the sled deck i think it will be well worth it. can almost save enough to pay for the gas in my sled.
i've done some mods to my 05' dodge diesel and i'm yeilding about 22-23mpg unloaded mixed city and highway driving now (running a special muffler and a 2 deg base time advance with stock fueling.) which is really good considereing its a 1 ton. trick is driving like you've got an egg under your foot. with the 2 deg advance it really increases the driveablility in the 1000-1600 rpm range while using very little throttle and still drive with the normal pace of traffic. for anyone interested in the cummins stuff check out www.rokktech.com . works as advertised. only downside is that in cold weather with the cranksensor in the advance position, it takes forever and a day to warm up. like double the drive time. no a big deal if you dont mind it. it also sounds more like a 99-02 24 valver. not as loud at all, just more like it sound wise.
some guys have posted gas prices up in canada.......man i really feel for you guys. i have family in qubec. from what they tell me (he used to own a truck dealership) pretty well half of what you guys make goes to the government..........man that sucks big time...
the cure for high prices is more high prices... but most people are going to have to tighten up their spending habits. no doubt... i really think this will all turn around. the question is when. there's lots of foregin money pouring in investment wise right now. dues to the favorable exchange rate.
thats part of whats driving this commodites bubble. interesting bit of info i found this week. part of the reason for the surge in diesel prices in the last year or so is because the chinese cant get their power infrastructure (coal fire) up fast enough.........so they are using lots and lots of diesel generators right now....
one big looming question i have is will all of these presidential canidates really follow through with all of their carbon emmissions cap and trade rhetoric....thats the big question... is it just empty talk to get the libs to vote for them? or are they really serious? (democrat house and senate with any of the 3 canidates could mean green light for lots of crappy legislation.) cause if that actually happens it could really cause alot of problems... i can honestly see a very big chunk of manufacturing just going to other countries ( eh hem........china, mexico..) that dont have any real emissions regs..... anyone looked at photos of china lately....
i can only imagine how them distance runners in the olymics will feel.......cough cough.....weez.... i just have a hard time beliving all of these liberal politicans would really want a socalist like system because they themselves would have to pay much higher tax rates....... seems like everyone pays half their salary or more in those countries....
your gonna see lots of guys carpooling and making cuts elsewhere. people are going to buy less stuff. plain and simple..........its ridiculous how many new cars and trucks are just not moving at the dealerships here. words out on all the new Tier III garbage and how fuel economy is a good 20-30% less than the equivelent non tier III diesel truck. i really feel bad for my buddies who run 8-11 mpg duramax's. one friend of mine already sold his. and glad he did.
he traded it for a 6.0 chev gasser......... crazy enough that 6.0 gets better mileage towing............although slower..... i was surprised when he said that the gasser got better economy than the diesel.... the dmax get 9-10 towing. the 6.0 gets 10-12 he said. the hardcore crowd will still ride regularly. eveyone else wont go as much. a few will probably sell their sleds for big loss.
i do have one request of the snowest crowd...... take you subsitity stimulus check and go buy a gun. prefereably a pistol or an ar-15.......that'll pizz of the libs........
i wonder if were gonna look back in twenty years and think of the next president with the same cross eyed feeling i get when i think about jimmy carter........wonder if we'll say the same about george w.....almost $5 galon for diesel, ($4 for gas) here..
$200+ for 2 people in 2 days is F'in BS
the best snodepths in years, and i only went riding about half as much
(compared to last year)
and,,, it sure would be nice to spend some $$ on my sled instead of burning it up as fuel...
$200+ for 2 people in 2 days is F'in BS
the best snodepths in years, and i only went riding about half as much
(compared to last year)
and,,, it sure would be nice to spend some $$ on my sled instead of burning it up as fuel...
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One shot says it, it;s not going to be just the gas it;s every thing related to oil From grocerys to tires.So many of our products and i mean alot of them are derived from oil. wages for the masses have and never will keep up with this kind of inflation. And i know some would say just get a better paying job, but you just do;nt go out and get a job that pays high dollar just like that,plus good jobs are scarce and getting more so all the time.
Very good points by all. I've already altered my driving habits and have picked up 2-3mpg around town by driving like a sissy. The duramax that used to cost me 55.00 to fill up now costs 90. And it's not worth jack sht on a trade to something smaller. I hate to say it, but snowmobiling is turning into a rich man's sport. I'm not saying people can't or won't make ways to afford it, but things are going to get much worse before they get better.
The thing that gets me the most is that people sit and b!tch about gas is too expensive, gas prices rise again, lead story on the nightly news is gas prices rise...but my argument is this...Fuel prices *obviously* are not high enough yet as I still see people driving 75-80+ mph down the highway. And people are pissed because it costs them more to fill up. Go figure.
The thing that gets me the most is that people sit and b!tch about gas is too expensive, gas prices rise again, lead story on the nightly news is gas prices rise...but my argument is this...Fuel prices *obviously* are not high enough yet as I still see people driving 75-80+ mph down the highway. And people are pissed because it costs them more to fill up. Go figure.
we will still be going west. may not mod out the new sled as i'd like just to save a few dollars for fuel. instead of four of us in a four door truck we'll take five, it'll help some. maybe out to buy a suburban or excursion(sp?) and take six or seven?
when fuel hits $10 then we may re-think our plans. but until then fuel prices won't slow us down.
when fuel hits $10 then we may re-think our plans. but until then fuel prices won't slow us down.
Ha! Domestic beer at day prices here in Saskatchewan are $21 something a dozen. Like one guy from Washington that I rode with this winter asked me, "how do you guys afford to sin up there?"
Adjusted priorities and work harder, is all I can say.
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