RIDING THE VEHICLE
certain amount of comfort, while at the
same time keeps the body loose and
capable of vehicle control. Beware of
hidden rocks or tree stumps partially
hidden by a recent snowfall.
Deep Snow
In deep “powder” snow, your vehicle
could begin to “bog” down. If this oc-
curs,turninaswideanarcaspossible
and look for a firmer base. If you do get
“bogged”, and it happens to everyone,
do not spin your track as this makes the
vehicle sink deeper. Instead, turn the
engine off, get off and move the back
of the vehicle onto new snow. Then
tramp a clear path ahead of the vehi-
cle. A few feet will generally suffice.
Restarttheengine. Assume the stand-
ing position and rock the vehicle gently
as you steadily and slowly apply the
throttle. Depending on whether the
front or rear end of the vehicle is sink-
ing, your feet should be placed on the
opposing end of the running boards.
Never place foreig n material beneath
the track for support. Do not allow any-
one to stand in front of, or to the rear
of, the snowmobile with the engine
running. Stay away from the track.
Personal injury will result if contact is
made with the revolving track.
Frozen Water
Traveling frozen lakes and rivers can be
fatal. Avoid waterways. If you are in
an unfamiliar area, ask the local author
-
ities or resid ents a bout th e ice condi-
tion, inlets, outlets, springs, fast mov-
ing currents or other hazards. Ne
ver
attempt to operate your snowmobile
on ice that may be too weak to sup-
port you and the vehicle. Opera
ting
a s nowmobile on ice or icy surfaces
can be very dangerous if you do not
observe certain precaut
ions. The very
nature of ice is foreign to good con-
trol of a s nowmobile or an y v ehicle.
Traction fo r starting
, turning or stop-
ping is much less than that on snow.
Thus, these d istances can be multi-
plied manyfold. Steering is minimal,
and u ncontrolled spins are an ever
present danger. When operating on
ice, drive slowly with caution . Allo w
yourself plenty of room for stopping
and turning. This is especially true at
night.
Hard Packed Snow
Don't underestimate hard packed
snow. It can be difficult to negotiate
as both skis and track do not have as
much traction. Best advice is to slow
down and avoid rapid acceleration,
turning or b raking.
Uph ill
There are two types o f h ills yo u ca n en-
counter — the open hill on which there
are few trees, cliffs or other obstacles,
and a hill that can only be climbed di-
rectly. On a n open hill, th e app roach is
to climb it by side hilling or slaloming.
Approachat an angle. Adopt a kneeling
position. Keep your weight on the up-
hill side at all times. Maintain a steady,
safe speed. Continue as far as you can
in this directio n, then switch to a n op-
posite hill angle and riding position.
A direct climb c ou ld presen t problems.
Choose the standing position, acceler-
ate before you start the climb and then
reduce throttle pressure to prevent
track slippage.
In either case, vehicle speed should be
as fast as the incline demands. Always
slow down as you reach the crest. If
you cannot proceed further, don't spin
your track. Turn the engine off, free the
skis by pulling them out and downhill,
place the rear of the snowmobile uph
ill
restart the engine and ease it out w ith
slow even thro ttle pressure . Position
yourself to avoid tipping over, t
hen de-
scend.
Downhill
Downhill driving requires that you have
full con trol of yo ur vehicle a
talltimes.
On stee per hills, keep your cente r of
16
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SAFETY I
NFORMATION
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