Mice and a Terrible bad day.

[jjeff]

Took my near vintage Ski Doo out checked it over saw a few signs of mice cleaned it up unknowingly the mice got in the insulation between the exhaust pipe and heat shield where I theorize it made a nice flammable nest I just filled up the tank so it's got 10+ gallons of gas. My lesson and experience was check your seasonal stuff again thoroughly. It's the older green one on right before, second is during last is what was left. Thank fully I was operating it and not the kids or wife and the only thing hurt was my pride.

 

[Paystar]

Holy crap! That sucks. Damn mice. Something you really don't think about checking for.

 

[jyoutz]

I hate mice and keep tomcat bait stations in my barn and carports. I see a lot less of them now since I started this practice.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ive had a few mouse nest fires under the tractor hood. Always happens at top speed on a public street, smoke pouring out.
Hate mice.
Sorry about your sled, hope its insured and youre ok.
Get some cats and dont let em get too fat

One thing that may help that takes zero effort: lift your hoods to give your sleds, tractors, zero turns, etc less “shelter” for them. I leave the hoods tilted up on my zero turns and have few problems with mice since trying this.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I used to use poison, but stopped after I read it kills the mice predators as well. I use snap traps very successfully. When we moved to VT, I was sitting enjoying a beer after a long days work trying to save an old saw mill on property. When a weasel or urine came to check us out. He's been taking care of the field mice, only have seen 1, dead in trap. Field were overgrown which I have maintained. They were scattering like, well, mice while cutting field. Now overhead predators and the weasel can see better.

 

[jjeff]

Ive had a few mouse nest fires under the tractor hood. Always happens at top speed on a public street, smoke pouring out.
Hate mice.
Sorry about your sled, hope its insured and youre ok.

Only thing bothersome is pride and frustration with mice plus a case of would've should've could'ves. Unfortunately no insurance on my older sleds 20+ yrs old I have a small fleet of these old s chassis ski doos I used to buy as a hobby to fix up and use for cheap parts, I think the only parts I can salvage on this one are some heat treated bolts and surprisingly the ram mount survived the fire was so hot it even melted the aluminum reverse gear chaincase. lol.

 

[Doughknob]

No place for fire extinguisher on it?

 

[jjeff]

No place for fire extinguisher on it?

Sure but not something I thought of until now it was my first snowmobile fire by the time I finally noticed the fuel tank was close to going, that goes no extinguisher would have helped and it's time to watch. There are a lot of hidden obscure areas under the cowling on one of these.

 

[jjeff]

The point of my post was to help prevent others from my experience and hopefully some may double and triple check seasonal stuff that sits for extended periods, I know I will.

 

[seville009]

Wow....not a good day. Sorry you had that happen.

I've always kind of wondered if the nests would actually start a fire.
I used to flip the hood open just to scan for nests, but I never really looked way down behind stuff. After running the sled for a bit, I could usually smell cooked mice though.