Today I think I received the final parts to start putting the battery and GPS on my sled. Now all I need to do is get the sled out of storage and start working on it. This pic is of the battery, harness with Cat plug, and the Polaris oil caddy I bought to put the battery in.

There's still room enough in the caddy for me to actually carry a quart of oil....what a concept! Hopefully, having the Polaris name under my hood won't slow me down too much :p Just joking Poo guys!!

The harness coming from the battery will lead to a 3 way adaptor Cat plug. I will solder a Cat plug to the GPS wires and plug it directly to the 3 way, with an inline fuse. I will probably also do like RWS and put a single handwarmer in the GPS cradle, which I will also plug into the 3 way. That leaves me one more plug on the 3 way, which I will either use to plug a dash-mount 12v plug to, or see if I can safely wire my Collett communicator to the plug, allowing me to forget about the Collett battery pack.

I will post pics as I progress.

:thumbsup: hey jim, is there anyway the engine can charge your batteries or will you have to just replace it when it's dead. ? the worst part is cold air is awful for battries.. looks like you have a nice setup there. you are a true shrine to the sport!!

Build me one while your at it Jim, it'd match my sled better! :D

Just hook up a float charger, you'll be set.

Jim... you better put some tape or paint over that Polaris logo!! How could you do that to a CAT!! lol

Jim, put a switch of some sort in the line for the warmer. It's a great idea for extreme weather but I've had my eTrex Vista in -12F temps for several hours w/o a display problem. The backlight was on, so maybe that helped. But I think the dash area is always a bit warmer than ambient with the hood vents that are there.

Good deal Jim,

First off, I have an extra heat strip for behind the GPS to keep it warm. WHen I bought mine, i had to buy 2. ONly thing is that I couldn't get my GPS to fit in there and snap securely with it in there. We can address this later on, perhaps use sandpaper and take a little off the cradle so it'd fit.

anyway, I had a dream last night that you, jon and the Breese sledders, the Holzhauer group, and our little St. Libory group all got together at one of our farms and were all just grass riding up and down field roads.

Even though it sucked waking up and still going outside to another 100 degree day, it was still nice to hear the sleds screaming down the road in my dream.

:p

:D You guys are funny!!

I have a charger that plugs into the wall for the battery. It will be very easy to remove the battery when needed to take it inside for a charge. I will have a large patch of velcro on two sides of the battery and in the respective areas inside the oil caddy, instead of some kind of straps, to secure it while bouncing down the trail. Will also try to mount it as close to the exhaust system as possible, to address the cold issue. I didn't want to try to charge it with the sleds system for the fear of me really screwing something up :D .

Joel, let's make that dream a reality as soon as it cools down a little bit!!! I'll take you up on that warmer too, if you're not going to need it. Hey, did you get my email about the Mapsource discs?

The Collett charger says it's input is 120v ac 60Hz @ 4w, and output is 9v dc 100mA.....can I hook the communicator directly to this 12v battery, or will I fry the communicator?

Jim

Jim, do you have any links for GPS systems and parts online??

ZR Rider, here you go for the Garmin GPS that Jim and I each have.

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap176C/

here's a pic of my installation....

Thanks Joel... love the setup you have there!!




Greg

Originally posted by WoodyCam@Aug 22 2003, 09:41 AM
ZR Rider, here you go for the Garmin GPS that Jim and I each have.

http://www.garmin.com/products/gpsmap176C/

here's a pic of my installation....
You can also go to GPS city (http://www.gpscity.com), and they have all kinds of goodies.


On another note, has anyone used the RAM cradle (for the Garmin 176) that is sold on GPS city.com? I would like another cradle, but Garmin doesn't sell theirs seperately, have to buy the whole marine mount for $39. The RAM brand is a little different, but a deal at $10....just wondering how it holds up.

Jim, when it comes to which mount for the sled, I'd use the Garmin one on your sled since you can "lock" the release button, this way it wont fall off when you're gettin air or hitting the rough stuff hard.

Just a thought. ALso, you'll want to eliminate as many swivel points which can loosen while riding. That's why I went with the simple set up I have. I also have it against the handlebar pad to assorb or dampen any vibrations.

Did you mount yours already? Gettin ready to?

another

Joel, that's pretty much how I'm expecting to mount mine, using the bar pad for some support and cushion. The reason I'm thinking of another cradle, is I want it to be easy to move the GPS from sled to sled, and from sled to truck. I bought the Garmin auto mount base (http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/1858.3.10035187450222785739/autobase.html) for the truck and it works great. I noticed the RAM cradle does not have that locking feature, and that's why I contacted Garmin, and they said they do not sell the cradle by itself. I can use the disk-base that came with the marine mount on my sled, then I only have to remove the round knob/screw at the bottom of the mount to go from truck to sled. This will make more sense when I can post a few pics. It looks like you have 3 bolts holding yours down, making it a little difficult to remove, unless you have another mounting method for your truck. I guess I will just buy another Garmin marine mount and be done with it.

Hopefully I will get to start on it this weekend.

Along with a handwarmer heater between the cradle and gps I (my wife) made up a windproof cover to keep the heat from dissipating.

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/sled/gpsheater.jpg

Thanks for posting that again RWS, I was trying to remember how you did that. I guess on another note, having that heated case would also extend the life span of AA batteries if a guy still wanted to use them. Wonder how long they would last if they were wrapped in that case all the time.

The handwarmer will keep the AA's nice and warm so they should last just as long as in the summer.

I run my heater on the sleds AC side using the switch that came with it so I have high-low temp control....also running on AC I don't have to remember to turn the heater on or off and worry about running the sleds battery dead when parked. I have the GPS wired directly to the sleds battery for always on using a Marinco plug/rec. The Marinco locks so you won't have disconnects from vibration as you will have from regular cig plugs.

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/misc/Marinco12v.jpg

:D Hey jim i made a special answer for you and duanes-z, in my poll.

The plans with the Pol oil caddy had to be scratched...I wanted to put the caddy under the ex. cannister, but I would not have been able to easily remove the battery for charging. However, there is a perfect spot in the box frame just under the pipes. After cutting and bending some L-shaped alluminum, I was able to make a bracket and install a pin to hold it in place.

nice work jim.... now for the mount and wiring :)

A pic with the cover removed. The hardest part is done now. All I need to do is get a 7"x3" mounting plate to attach the GPS to the handlebars.

This is the final position and installation of the battery...just happened to have enough room for everything. The leads run from the battery, under the pipe....

...to this 2-prong plug. This makes it easy to remove for charging. I also put this type of plug on the charger itself. The wires then run under the upper rail of the side panel, past the clutches to....

...this 3-way plug, located under the hood, right in front of my left knee. I'll run the wires from the gps to this plug, along with the wire for the heating element (like rws used). I'll have one plug left for something else, which I'll prob use for a cig. style plug and run it up to the dash.

And voila!!!! Houston, we have contact. I was a little concerned, because the positive lead did accidentally touch ground once or twice, so I wasn't sure if I fried the battery or not. But all things look good, as the voltage meter on the gps is reading 13 volts. :thumbsup: A buddy cut the mounting plate for the gps handlebar mount for me this past weekend, so I should pick that up tomorrow. Then this weekend I should be done with the whole thing.

Looks real good Jim, I think you'll be happier with this setup than a rectifier. And the heat of the pipes should keep the battery nice and toasty.

Very nice work there JF.

I'm sure you will be very happy witht that setup.

jim i have to tell you thats a great job you did on this gps unit and instulation......just to figure out your lost and cant get there from here.... :D

Originally posted by mxz800@Sep 3 2003, 10:13 AM
jim i have to tell you thats a great job you did on this gps unit and instulation......just to figure out your lost and cant get there from here.... :D
Yeah Dave, just gotta tinker. With my luck, I'll lose reception due to the forests, and it'll all be for nothing!! :p

A $2 compass helped me out last year under a heavy tree canopy. I still make sure I have one and an up-to-date map. But once you master the GPS it's more valuable than having Magellan himself with you. Especially once you start saving past routes for future use.

I have a Garmin Etrex Legend. Last year, I just used velcro to mount to my dash & I ran off batteries. It worked, but I had to change batteries daily & the GPS would come loose after awhile.

I plan on redoing it for this year. My plan is to put in a cigarette lighter for power. I'll be using a marine mount to hold it. Garmin makes a carrying case that has a clear vinyl lens and holes for operating buttons. I'm hoping this will help it stay warm.

I used my GPS last year in very cold temps & I never had any problems. If I did have to put a warmer in, is there any concern of it getting too hot?

ZR, I can't find a case for the 176 series anywhere. So before I actually put a warmer on it, I want to make an enclosed case for it. My hope is that with it being enclosed, the heat from the screen and lighted buttons will provide enough warmth to keep the screen happy. Unless someone has a better idea, I'm going to start out with some sort of zippered cosmetic or pencil bag...most of them have at least one clear side to them.

Jim,

The next time you're at a computer store (or look around your office) look for an oversized mouse pad that is thin in material. I have one at home I got from Metrix Computers years ago. It is thin enough to fold up and sew I'm thinking. I just don't know how to sew. ALso, you'll have the rubber and other material like a scuba suit.

It can be sewed just like RWS did his.

It's not screwed down yet in this pic, so it will be moved forward a little so it will be flush with the edge of the plate.

The final shot. I wanted to place the unit in front of my handlebars, but with the 3" bar risers, I would not have been able to see my gauges. Plus, this position allows me to touch the buttons w/out having to lean forward. This way also gives the unit protection from the windshield and the handlebars. I just need to cut a little slit in the handlebars cover so I can slide it over the plate.

looks good Jim... the only thing I can see wrong, is one of the sucker tuners or a snowbank/curb that the sled gets caught on and you go forward hard!! That thing would hurt the chest! Just a thought that's all!

I would love one of those setups, but I think I would put mine on the other side of the bars!

Looks good Jim, now you have me thinking that the screen on my Vista is too small . . .

Originally posted by ZR Rider@Sep 5 2003, 10:02 AM
looks good Jim... the only thing I can see wrong, is one of the sucker tuners or a snowbank/curb that the sled gets caught on and you go forward hard!! That thing would hurt the chest! Just a thought that's all!

I would love one of those setups, but I think I would put mine on the other side of the bars!
I thought about that for a while ZR, but it would have blocked my view of the gauges. But that wouldn't be all bad since the gps has a speedometer on it, I would just have to be able to glance at the tach once in a while. On the other hand, I couldn't remember ever hitting the bars myself, not to say it won't happen in the future. I even tried to have it under the bars, but the bars would have blocked the antenna. If anyone has other ideas, throw 'em at me.

I agree with ZR, I'd be scared to have it mounted there. What about mounting the screen horizontal right on top of the bars so when you look down you'd be looking right at it, and just trip your handlebar pad right around it? Don't know if it would fit in there, or if you'd be able to see it since you have a riser on.

Looks good Jim,

My GPS blocks my view of the tach when I'm tucked down at high speeds. Although at high speeds, I no longer had to look at the speedo since it records the "fastest speed" as well. Could you mount it below your handlebar riser block and have it in front of your handlebars? That's my only thought.

You have plenty of time to play with different scenarios. Take a look at mine when you come over some time. I may try to remove all the ski slides tomorrow/tonight and scrub the inside out. Then let it dry and paint later next week. That won't take long at all. I'll need help puting everything back in though.

Oh, yeah, I never lost reception when riding in forest river bottoms last year. I did though in my fishing boat this summer in small coves. Odd....

Catcha later

I could go to the bottom of the risers on the current side of the bars, and see if I lose reception. It may work, becasue I can set the unit in the cupholder of the center console of my Yukon and it will keep reception 90% of the time....being inside of a vehicle would be worse I think for reception than being tucked under or behind the bars. If I go lower, on the other side of the bars, I wouldn't be able to see the gps unless I leaned way forward, which would be uncomfortable and dangerous. I'll prob end up with it lower than it is now, or same height, just other side of bars and deal with not being able to see the gauges at a glance.

Originally posted by zr580cat@Sep 3 2003, 11:14 AM

I used my GPS last year in very cold temps & I never had any problems. If I did have to put a warmer in, is there any concern of it getting too hot?
Yes it does get hot...I distorted the battery cover on my 176 running on high heat when it wasn't that cold out.

What I learned using this bag/heater setup from last season: off until screen starts to fade which happens at about 0 to 10 degrees, then flip it on low which will hold till about - 15, then flip it on high.

RWS, I got the same heater pads you recommended, but the fit of the GPS in the mount is too tight to get a heater pad in there. Do I need to use sand paper and give it some room?

I still think your wife should sell those gps wraps. I'd consider one for $25.

This is how it would look at the bottom of the bars. This is prob the best place for it....antenna should still receive a signal, much less chance of hurting myself if I hit the bars, and the unit is protected if I happen to roll the sled over.

This would be the side view.

Frontal view.

looks great Jim.

Originally posted by WoodyCam@Sep 8 2003, 08:21 AM
RWS, I got the same heater pads you recommended, but the fit of the GPS in the mount is too tight to get a heater pad in there. Do I need to use sand paper and give it some room?

I still think your wife should sell those gps wraps. I'd consider one for $25.
Woody, I think you should make the case/cover big enough to slip over the cradle too. That way you can put the heating element on the inside back panel of the case, and it will still keep the gps warm.

Originally posted by WoodyCam@Sep 8 2003, 08:21 AM
RWS, I got the same heater pads you recommended, but the fit of the GPS in the mount is too tight to get a heater pad in there. Do I need to use sand paper and give it some room?

I still think your wife should sell those gps wraps. I'd consider one for $25.
The heater pad fits right in there...it is snug though. Make sure it all the way over towards the latch so the curved protrusion on the gps can fit down into the cradle and have room for the wires to come out.

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/sled/gpsheater2.jpg

http://polar.polarcomm.com/~rspoonla/sled/gpsheater3.jpg

Originally posted by JIM FRITCH@Sep 8 2003, 09:45 AM
Woody, I think you should make the case/cover big enough to slip over the cradle too. That way you can put the heating element on the inside back panel of the case, and it will still keep the gps warm.
Jim

You could try putting the heating pad in the back of the case, but I wonder if it would produce enough heat if it is not in direct contact with gps. Like the heated hand grips on your sled they are hot when you have your hand clenched over them, but lift your hand just a little off them and you don't feel much heat.

well jim i think you out did your self ,,,thats a good looking job you did there ...only one question ??? whats that green blob its mounted too???? :p

Originally posted by mxz800@Sep 9 2003, 07:02 AM
...only one question ??? whats that green blob its mounted too???? :p
Ha, ha Dave :D Maybe in Feb you will be lucky enough to find out, if you can stay at the head of the pack :p (you're not allowed to bring the race sled :( )


This is how it looks mounted in front of the bars. I guess I will go with this position and see how it works.

Brwosing through here I realized I must have never posted a pic of the final mounting position of my gps. This was the best option for me...keeps the unit out of harms way, easy to view and access buttons, and leaves clear view of dash gauges. I cut the bracket out of 1/4" steel and drilled holes so it would slide over the bolts of the riser block. I didn't have to drill any holes in the dash or console.

This is the 4-pin mic plug that I decided to use for the power lead. I liked the ability to screw the plugs together. It never rattled loose once last year.

Side view of final installation.

This is the plate that I used. I ended up putting it at the bottom of the riser, instead of on top as pictured here.

Originally posted by JIM FRITCH@Oct 27 2004, 02:05 PM
This is the 4-pin mic plug that I decided to use for the power lead.* I liked the ability to screw the plugs together.* It never rattled loose once last year.
357386


Could you give some more info on that 4 pin plug set up, looks better than most hookups I've seen. Is that something that you made yourself or can you buy it??

Originally posted by JasonF@Oct 27 2004, 07:48 PM
Could you give some more info on that 4 pin plug set up, looks better than most hookups I've seen.* Is that something that you made yourself or can you buy it??
357615



Jason, it's just a standard 4-pin microphone plug. They can be found at Radio Shack, or any store that sells/repairs sound systems used for stages, etc.

Jim, Did you just cut off the cigarette plug and splice the new one on, or did you buy it as single piece? My Garmin Legend has a unique power lead so I think anything I do like yours would have to be spliced in.

Originally posted by JasonF@Oct 28 2004, 08:58 PM
Jim, Did you just cut off the cigarette plug and splice the new one on, or did you buy it as single piece?* My Garmin Legend has a unique power lead so I think anything I do like yours would have to be spliced in.
358075



Actually Jason, mine came with two power cords. One had the cigarette plug like you're talking about. The other one just had raw wires on the end, so I used that one. I soldered the positive and neg wires to the plug.

Jim, can you help post some dimensions for the mounting plate if it's not too much bother. I would like to duplicate it for my Tcat.

Hi, I'm a little new here & a little late to post to this thread.

But I need some help on this subject.
I like the idea of a battery added to the sled, but was wondering if I could use
without it (wired into sleds output)
I'm going to be running a PDA that needs 5.4 volts / 2410 mA

Also, If I go with the extra battery, I was thinking of using a solar charger.
Has anyone done this?
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002SP5M8.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg

Hi, I'm a little new here & a little late to post to this thread.

But I need some help on this subject.
I like the idea of a battery added to the sled, but was wondering if I could use
without it (wired into sleds output)
I'm going to be running a PDA that needs 5.4 volts / 2410 mA

Also, If I go with the extra battery, I was thinking of using a solar charger.
Has anyone done this?
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002SP5M8.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg
[/b]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. But the battery I used is not wired to the sled in any way. The only wires from the battery are the ones that run to my accessories.

Do you really want to use that solar charger? Looks a little cumbersome and where would it mount on the sled? The battery I use has lasted for 2 straight days of riding w/out a recharge. I mounted it so that I can remove it from the sled in 10 seconds and take it in the cabin and charge it overnite. It has worked great for a couple years now.

Good luck.

Thanks Jim. Now seeing your setup, I'm thinking of going with the Garmin 276C.
Your battery will power that 176C & the warmer for a whole weekend, Cool!!!!
How do you like the 176C?

I went with a 12v 12Ah 20 deep cycle, do think that's enough pwer, even at -20?

Here's the set up with the Garmin I have now
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/skidoof600/snowparts/100_4300.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v378/skidoof600/snowparts/gps3.jpg

Thanks in advance

I really like the 176c. It has all the options I've needed so far. A bigger screen wouldn't hurt, but I really think the unit might be too big at that point to mount neatly on the sled. I'm glad my buddy talked me into going with the color screen. Being able to mark waypoints out on the trails is priceless, especially if you have to leave someone's sled behind.

I ended up not using the warmer. The little jacket I made for it holds in enough heat from the screen and backlit buttons to keep the gps warm enough to avoid fading.

Looks like your battery should do well. Was that a tight fit under the clutches? Can you remove it easily for charging?

The battery just fits between the clutch & the side of the sled, but I can get it right out.
Thanks for the idea too. The SRX's electrical system is so voltage sensitive I didn't want to
put anymore draw on it then I already have. This is a great alternative & beats using 4 or 5 sets of AA batteries a weekend, in the Garmin I have now

On your 176C, did you encounter any glitches? They discontinued making that one & replaced it with 276C. I can still get a 176C for a lot less money (used) and was wondering
if you had any info on the 176 Vs 276 or what they changed?

Thanks in advance

The battery just fits between the clutch & the side of the sled, but I can get it right out.
Thanks for the idea too. The SRX's electrical system is so voltage sensitive I didn't want to
put anymore draw on it then I already have. This is a great alternative & beats using 4 or 5 sets of AA batteries a weekend, in the Garmin I have now

On your 176C, did you encounter any glitches? They discontinued making that one & replaced it with 276C. I can still get a 176C for a lot less money (used) and was wondering
if you had any info on the 176 Vs 276 or what they changed?

Thanks in advance
[/b]

I haven't really had any problems with my gps. The only thing I dislike, is the mapping is off a little sometimes. New roads and such are not updated enough. For example, when I pull in to my subdivision, the map is about 300 feet off from my tracks. Also, there was a thoroughfare/road created in my town about 4 years ago, and it still does not show up on my gps. And there are always some roads on the gps that don't exist anymore. I guess these issues have more to do with Mapsource, I'm not sure. I've done all the current updates, and these items still exist. Other than that, I can't knock the product. I don't know anything about the 276c...really haven't had a need to shop the newer items. I will tell you that when I was shopping for mine, I got it on ebay for about $300 less than what it was going for in the local retailers...you may want to check that out.

Jim, how easy is it for you to remove the unit? I don't imagine you's want to leave your sled unattended w/ that "goodie" still on the the sled.

Kris, it's actually pretty easy. Just unzip the case, reach in and unlock the cradle, disconnect the cable, and pop the gps out. Would be nice if I could just leave it there when we stop for a warm up, but just can't do it in today's world.