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Aklogcabin
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2019 11:05am
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Man am I having trouble with not getting enough cabin time. Got to spend a month for moose season and a couple 2-3 day trips with the sno go to haul in supplies and hang out. But, work has me pinned down and I’ve been away from home for a bit. So besides missing family I could be doing cabin stuff. I’ve got beds , insulation , lumber of all sorts, other building materials, propane, gasoline, trapping stuff, rebuilt cleaned up Coleman lamps, stuff to build a lift chair for my beautiful wife so she doesn’t have to use the steps . And projects to finish up to get out there. Got my Honda 185 , 3 wheeler running good, have a new carb and a complete service to do yet and 2 sno gos to convert to wheeler gos . Remove skis and put atv tires on them . Always better ways to make the sno gos better. I’m putting a winch on the back of my polaris wide track and making compartments in nmy toughguard tote that carries emergency supplies so they don’t get banged around. Also making a jack out of old car bumper jacks. A piece of tubing or square stock can be used as a sleeve coupler. If you have ever gotten a sno go stuck you know why. Also good for warming up machines. The parts fit under my seat.
This is what happens when I’m away from home. I can think up more work or for me more fun.
The cabin life is a great way for me to spend my time. Dreaming up more ways to hang with friends and family.
Easter Sunday, a special day
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My summer freight sled
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Cool Birch tree
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Cool birch tree
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fiftyfifty
Member
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2019 11:15am
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It's the classic problem-never enough time at the cabin. I feel your anxiety. It is fun to plan projects, though.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 24 Jun 2021 11:05pm
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I'm headed to mine tomorrow early, pull out at 4AM. This is ham radio field day weekend, I host a large gathering, 9th year for it, all sited filled, campers with radio gear and antennas strung everywhere.
What is field day?
I'll share a few pictures when I get back. A few members are already there.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 24 Jun 2021 11:10pm
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We get to feed the monster pretty easliy....ours is only 45min away but it is a different world 'up there' 
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 07:30am
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We go a week from today for 4th of July weekend. My brother is coming with his family in their camper. Last trip I put in a 50 amp breaker and outlet so he can run his ac. Also this weekend I am making a new cover for the septic with a 4†access for the camper waste line. I will bring that with me and swap it out when I get there.
I have been thinking of this trip every day since the last one in may. I need to figure out home to install irrigation systems remotely from my cabin so I never have to leave.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 09:00am
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We live at the cabin 9-10 months of the year and I guess our problem is the opposite except we also have the big list of projects. Seems like we are always busy on one project or another all the time, very little down time. We used to hike and backpack 3 weeks out of the month from early spring through late fall.... now we work around the cabin and once in awhile get a hike in. The projects never seem to end...
We are determined this year to get back on the Colorado Trail. We have completed 252 miles of the 485 and we want to get at least another 100+ done this year. We have been scrambling to complete needed projects and have resigned to the fact, especially with lumber prices that some things on the list just aren't going to get done! I have went fishing twice... no fish but just getting away for a good part of a day was nice! Crazy but find ourselves sometimes longing for times we didn't have the cabin....
Well better get after it! Let's see, today is more weed eating, try to chase downnan elusive intermittent electrical short in the Tracker, get my new water pump filled with oil and gas and possibly haul a load of water.... and maybe, just maybe take off about 3pm and meet a friend at Platoro lake where he has invited me to go troll for fish!
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 10:19am
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Nobs, what do you do for mail and laundry? Those are the two main things I return to the city dwelling for.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 01:08pm
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We go to town once a week where we have a post office box. There is an Amish metal roofing manufacturer right where our dirt road hits the pavement (23 miles from the cabin) that let's all of us up here have packages dropped off for us. For laundry we have a small Panda brand Chinese washing machine that does a good job on most cloths and a fair job cleaning work cloths.
BTW started raining so I'm sitting on my butt contemplating how to figure out my electrical short in the Tracker... still feel stressed. Gotta get calmed down.... fixing that rig would go a long way on that front!
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 05:11pm
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Hey Aklogcabin,
I feel your pain LOL. Now that I've semi-retired, my mantra is "don't forget to enjoy the journey". I may never get it finished, but it always looks a bit better when I leave.
BTW - Still love your place!
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 25 Jun 2021 07:43pm
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Quoting: bushbunkie my mantra is "don't forget to enjoy the journey". I may never get it finished, but it always looks a bit better when I leave. BTW - Still
Man I have to remember this! Wise!
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bushbunkie
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# Posted: 26 Jun 2021 08:50am
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Nobadays...As my wife gently reminded me..."honey, expand your idea of what you've built to include the memories you've made for us, the kids and our friends"...that's more priceless than wood and steel. Now that made me think!
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jun 2021 09:05am
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Bushbunkie, you are a fortunate man, your missus has a damned good handle on it all.
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bushbunkie
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jun 2021 10:53am
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That I am, Steve. Cheers and hope all is good with you in your peace of heaven.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 26 Jun 2021 09:45pm
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I second that!
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Aklogcabin
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jun 2021 10:21am
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Thanks bush. I 3rd it. There's some good people here. Hey paulz did you find that short in your tracker? Did you check for a bad grounds?
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jun 2021 10:51am - Edited by: paulz
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I 4th it and it's not me with the Tracker, it's Nobadays. My yard truck is this old Datsun. No computer, no fuel injection..
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 27 Jun 2021 04:03pm
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AK.... not yet Kind of off topic here but I guarantee its causing me anxiety! I need this fixed before winter! I have traced harnesses and unplugged components on that circuit until I'm blue in the face but no love... Sometimes it will go 20 miles and a week without blowing and other times one after another. Have had 2 instances now that it was a dead short, blew a fuse every time. The first time I unplugged every component on the circuit, replaced the fuse then plugged them back in one by one trying it each time. Got to the last component and it didn't blow the fuse and started right up. The last time it dead shorted I unplugged one component at a time and put a fuse in and blew each fuse until I ran out of fuses... not components. It sat overnight, put a fuse in, no problem started right up! Beginning to think something is heating.... coil seemed hot, or maybe the fuel pump relay or main relay, or could be in the distributor. Except, i had towed it about 50 yards so did that jiggle something? 
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Meliisa
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 02:50pm - Edited by: Meliisa
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Thanks, that helped a lot.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 05:32pm
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Quoting: Irrigation Guy I need to figure out home to install irrigation systems remotely from my cabin so I never have to leave.
Dude, they have the internet accessible units, add the WiFi module to a rainbird and you are golden.
You'll have to come back to mow.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 05:42pm
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Quoting: Nobadays Have had 2 instances now that it was a dead short, blew a fuse every time. The first time I unplugged every component on the circuit, replaced the fuse then plugged them back in one by one trying it each time. Got to the last component and it didn't blow the fuse and started right up.
What fuse is it blowing and I assume the "check eng" light wont illuminate when it does?
OK, with the dead short happening all the time, I would install a circuit auto reset circuit breaker and wire in a small 12 lamp across the terminals, so it will light up when the fuse blows. Now we have this thing called a short finder, it detects the styrong magnetic field around a wire with lots of current flow, you can run this along the wire watching the mag field. You don't have to even expose the wire, will work just over trim above wire. Do the mag feild check anytime the bulb is lit (circuit open/fuse popped) and do assume a component is shorted, you may have a harness that has chaffed on a metal area. You can tug on the harness and if ti stops, you were close.
Also, a last ditch effort, install no fuse and short will blow itself open. This is a last ditch effort and short together unfused for only a short amount of time.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 06:14pm
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Those are one of lifes truly great helpers ! Mine has saved me from restringing all new wires more than once.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 08:31pm
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No, no check engine light, and it also supplies power to the main relay that powers the ECU so no codes. It is a 15 amp fuse that powers way too many circuits/components. Guys on the Geo Tracker forum tell me it is the worst possible fuse/circuit to have a short in.
Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech wire in a small 12 lamp across the terminals, so it will light up when the fuse blows.
This right at the fuse block? I guess I don't understand how you would wire this light in.
Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Now we have this thing called a short finder, it detects the styrong magnetic field around a wire with lots of current flow, you can run this along the wire watching the mag field.
Can you provide a link to one... an affordable one. I see some on Amazon but not sure they are any good.
Thanks for the help... this is our winter rig that we put tracks on, the log puller, quazi tractor, plus the rock crawling go anywhere rig. I really want it back dependable!
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 09:16pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Quoting: Nobadays Can you provide a link to one... an affordable one. I see some on Amazon but not sure they are any good.
This is what we use, simple, effective. The auto reset circuit breaker is built into the small black cylinder
Now the 2 wires going to the circuit breaker
Lamp Socket
This is just a lamp socket for the 194 bulb, wire this to the circuit breaker, one wire on each side. This is nice as it lets you know when the circuit breaker is popped (lights up) and this is when you look for the short. Circuit breaker will reset (light will go off) but will come back on as soon as it resets and pops again. The link is just the socket, you need the bulb too (194) The lamp is just an option I added, makes it much simpler. The circuit breaker plugs into the problem fuse socket
That 15A EFI fuse is also responsible for the O2 sensor heater circuits, if a wire is melted into an exhaust pipe, it will pop that fuse too.
This is optional, but makes hooking in circuit breaker a breeze
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 10:31pm
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Thanks! I ordered the circuit tester. I ordered a 15 amp blade type circuit breaker as well. My neighbor used to be a telecommunications tech so he has a toner as well that I can borrow. I understand that I could hook this to the wire then trace it to where the tone stops.
Yes the O2 sensor is on that circuit as well... no burned wire. The rig is running now but I want you go drive it until it stops and have all the tools I need to try to trace it out when it does.
Thanks again!
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Irrigation Guy
Member
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# Posted: 28 Jun 2021 10:40pm
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Dude, they have the internet accessible units, add the WiFi module to a rainbird and you are golden. You'll have to come back to mow.
Yes I know all about those. My bread and butter is installing complete new systems on peoples property which is hard to do while at my cabin. Although I am grooming a guy to do it so I can get longer weekends
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:52am
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Quoting: Irrigation Guy My bread and butter is installing complete new systems on peoples property
I figured that by your username. ;D
Can you get that guy to mow your lawn too? Then you woudl be golden, spend all time at cabin. 
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jun 2021 07:58am
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Quoting: Nobadays Thanks! I ordered the circuit tester. I ordered a 15 amp blade type circuit breaker as well.
Yes, I have the tone too. I do have thwe automotive version and tel comm. My dad was tel comm all his life and retired and went into biz for himself for another 30+ years.
OK, on your Tracker, I wouldnt expect to find a component causing the problem, but more likely a shorted wite to ground. Also look for an engine room harness laying on an EGR pipe (small hot pipe) and also engine room harness laying on metal. The Toyota trucks with EFI and 22RE had a harness that laid across the fuel rain and would chaffe and short to ground a wire from the O2 sensor heater circuit and pop that EFI fuse.
Good you are familiarizing yourself which components relies on that 15A fuse. No check Eng light, no running. You know its a short, just need to find where. Email me directly ay my username here at yahoo dot com and I'll check it then give you a more used email for direct comms is you need.
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 29 Jun 2021 08:41am
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech I wouldnt expect to find a component causing the problem, but more likely a shorted wite to ground. Also look for an engine room harness laying on an EGR pipe (small hot pipe) and also engine room harness laying on metal.
Likely, but dang I have been over the harnesses pretty well.... but it wouldn't take much! It always blows going up hill in 4wd on rough road, has never failed on flat or downhill.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 29 Jun 2021 03:39pm
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Quoting: Nobadays It always blows going up hill in 4wd on rough road, has never failed on flat or downhill.
So uphill, engine is torqueing or moving in one direction, this is moving a harness. Don't overlook grabbing a harness with your hand and simulate movement that the engine or rough roads would produce. Also, get a small mirror on a stick, look at harness from underside, not topside, this is where you will find your short I bet.
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ICC
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# Posted: 29 Jun 2021 03:56pm - Edited by: ICC
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Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Don't overlook grabbing a harness with your hand and simulate movement that the engine or rough roads would produce
Excellent advice. I once had a VW bus that developed a problem of stopping dead for no apparent reason. I could not find a fault. I took it to a local VW Guru. He opened the engine hatch and had me start it. Then he began pulling on the various harnesses. Most of those were about impossible to see where they connected to thru bulkhead connectors. The engine stopped. He then told me to be very quiet and pushed and pulled some more on the last part. There was a slight click as it locked into place. I had replaced the clutch a few months before and I guess did not get that one pushed in just right. Good enough to run for many miles, but not good enough to not give trouble.
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