I like the garden hose idea, only I cant turn mine on in the real cold or itll freeze (the valve is way under the house, too risky to turn it on for that long). I always check the fan and the cv area, but it still scares me. Well i'll keep riding in the snow, and if something happens, I'll know what to watch out for.

EDIT: Also, I dont know about spraying it with water. I am talking real cold here, its been below zero for like a week. Just seems like a bad idea to me. Quadsicle lol

 

Hey Tyler 711,

I would not worry about it too much. I ride mine all winter and it gets freakin cold here in Alberta Canada....Im talkin -35c or -25F for you yanks. They were made to run and function in the cold weather, once they heat up you are good to go.

If it does not currently start, I would just tarp it and leave it until the weather warms up. Happend to me one year with my old quad...freak storm froze it solid and could not get it running. Once things warmed up it was just fine.

DO NOT TAKE THE HOSE TO IT - not only will you make it more frozen but you will also burst the pipes coming into the house!!!! If you are really worried about it, take it to your grandfathers heated garage....let it sit overnight and I'll bet you will have it running in no time. Honestly if it was me, I would just tarp it and not worry about till spring.

 

Well it has been cold here, it was -25F during the night for like a week. But I just got home from school today, and stuff is MELTING! Which means it is above freezing, it hasnt been this warm out for along time. If my quad wasnt in the trailer right now, I would park it in the sun to let it thaw. But it is still in the trailer from when I got home late last weekend. And I do not feel like getting changed, hitching it up, unloading, and then parking the trailer again. I do have a barn I keep the toys in, so i dont need a tarp, but its colder in there than it is outside for a long time after it gets warm. (Quite refreshing on the first real hot day of the year, by the end of the summer it stays at like 90 in there.) And last week I chipped my way throught the ice to look at the cv boots, and I saw no grease, so a relief there. I did break my footwell while chiseling the ice off of it though [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]. They had packed snow on them, which froze in a slope away from the atv, making standing up impossible (your legs slip off and you do a gastank split [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]).

Hey, does anyone know what would cause a very cold quad to not start in two ways: 1) the starter doesnt do anything except clunk once when you hit it, as if it is just being held back, even when jumpstarted (something frozen?) and 2) the pullstart just pulls all the way out, never catches. I am hoping there is just some water in the pullstart that froze or something, now that its is finally above freezing maybe i'll leave it outside for a day and try it. Any ideas?

Thanks.
Tyler

 

I have never had a problem washing my quad to get rid of the snow, just use your head. I hope no one would be stupid enough to wash your quad outside with a garden hose in -25 to -35 degree weather. The water would freeze instantly to the quad and build up and yes you could burst a water pipe. If its really cold either I don't ride or I take it to work after and wash it inside the garage bay. Its all nice and heated and the water has a chance to drip off it. Then start it to dry off the motor and exhaust. In cold climates such as yours the car washes are usually enclosed but if you feel the water is going to freeze on contact with the quad and not be able to drip off then USE YOUR HEAD and don't do it.
The thin layer of water that may be left on the quad will be only paper thin, this doesn't bother me if it freezes because I have seen how much snow can build up on a quad( see my pictures) and if the snow freezes your asking for trouble.
For added insurance I put on a 1500 watt space heater in my shed where the atv is for a few hours to help heat stuff up( the shed is insulated and has electricity). The only time I use my garden hose in the winter is if the streets are bare and its above freezing that day, most of the time I do it at work.

Just use your brain

Brambles

 

Lol, i think I know some people who would try that. Just picturing what it would look like makes me laugh out loud.

I know you didnt mean to spray it in the real cold Brambles, I understood fine. I think it supposed to be above freezing all weekend (:cool[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] so I think i'll try the hose thing then.

Tyler