The trip that wasn't

**wicklundrh** · 02-10-2018, 06:46 PM

I had high hopes to get to my favorite winter crappie spot today. As it is nearly two miles, I'm not walking!

I had reservation about the Kawasaki mule as I have had bad luck on the ice with it before. Nothing that wasn't rectifiable but I was playing with fire.

Brian and I deflated the tires, put on the chains, loaded the trailer, grabbed the gear, got down the clam and fixed my favorite lantern. Dad picked up the ORV sticker.

4 dozen minnows, some drinks, 4x4 down a crappy road, turn to a worse road, then to a two track and we are there.

The old mule took us across the lake albeit slow as there was a lot of snow. Cross hatched a bunch of holes until I found the deepest part right along the weeds.

Now whether this was good luck or bad, I don't know but I decided to move the mule over by the spot we would set up for the evening. That is when the problem starts. Basically, that was the only thing that starts! Turn the key, no power. No starter, no lights, no marker sensors. Not the battery as I have a direct light in the back that works fine.

So, ignition fuse you say. After dismantling half the machine with a gerber military knife (don't say they never gave me anything) and some rag tag tools, I found the ignition pack, two fuses that nobody in their right mind would have, and some wires.

Being smart, I decide to bypass the ignition and jump the solenoid. I disconnected the two wire harness (broke the clip) and arc the thing with my free knife (well not free, I gave 4 years for that thing). And... bendic spins but doesn't engage. Now I have two issues.

Fortunately, Mr. Bob Walker was out riding on the lake with his sled and offered a hand. If not for him, I'm pretty certain I would have doused the whole works in lantern fuel and torched it!

It was a tough pull but he was able to get me, my nagging mule, and my stolen knife back to the truck.

Dad and Brian got a ride on the next round. Dad was actually laying on the sled. I assumed death and was upset that I would then have to make room on the trailer to haul a body (no one wants to ride with a corpse).

Had we not decided to be lazy and move the gear by machine, we would still be fishing and probably not know of the issue until 9pm. By then however, I would have used my ascertain knife to fillet crappies while attempting to fry them on my blazing mule inferno.

I will pay Mr Walker back with a walleye fishing trip. In the mean time, I guess the mule will dry out and probably start. Afterall, they are known to be temperamental. If not, my guess is a funky ignition fuse, ignition coil, power pack, and probably a starter. Or a blazing inferno. I'll remove my knife first.

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**"G"** · 02-10-2018, 07:02 PM

Sorry for the bad luck....it has been raining here all last night and today....with rain in the next 3 days forcast....so after being bored all day.....your story was entertaining.

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**Just Steve** · 02-11-2018, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by "G"

so after being bored all day.....your story was entertaining.

We are getting so bored with cabin fever any story is entertaining!

**OneidaEagle** · 02-11-2018, 09:52 AM

Corpse?

You had a “Day Walker” right?

Can’t he use his “Day Walker” powers to speak corpse to corpse?

**wicklundrh** · 02-11-2018, 08:33 PM

So, at 6:30pm (after my Sunday nap) I decided to go and provide some possible veterinary medicine to the mule. Either I get it fixed or I have to put it down.

I did try to see if the gods were shinning down but that was wishful thinking. I put the turbo heat to her and started removing side panels for better access.

Using my test light, I started from the solenoid and worked towards the battery.

I had plans to check resistance in two separate big round fuses along with the voltage regulator and cdi box but the battery was dead in my tester.

In a stroke of genius, I decided to check the glass fuse off the positive battery side. The fuse looked fine (exactly the same as it did on the ice). The test light however showed otherwise.

In the end, a 3.2amp fuse shut down the operation yesterday. A fuse that has never gone bad and one that didn't appear bad. I'm not one to throw a bunch of parts at something to try and fix it but, man I wish I would have changed it out and tried it.

For now, I don't need to light it on fire, my stolen knife still has a home, and I have one of my most useful tools back. I'll put it back together tomorrow night and put her back in the garage. She doesn't like the barn. Not used to all the boats, quads, and the tractor making fun of her for not working.

Thank the lord I can work on my own equipment.

Sent from my SM-J320V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

**flytier** · 02-15-2018, 07:31 PM

I had a issue with a fuse with the same issue, glad you guys got home safe.

**Retired2Fish** · 02-15-2018, 07:45 PM

Sorry that you did not get to fish but it is a good story!

**wicklundrh** · 02-16-2018, 09:11 AM

You know, the best part of the story was meeting Mr. Bob!

I'm the type of person that would give the shirt off from my back and help other people. Years ago, I used to say I had a ton of friends. Unfortunately, as time grew on, I learned that many of these so called "Friends" would not reciprocate the same things that I would. Eventually, they became people I know. Over the last few years, the vast majority of people I consider "Friends" have in fact come from Crappie Dot Com. We are like minded individuals who usually don't have to ask one another for help. We are usually the ones that hear someone say "I need to put a new porch on my house" and we don't wait for them to ask for help... We OFFER to help!

It is a rare opportunity for me to meet someone out in my normal day that I would ever want to put in my boat for 8 hours at a time! I cannot wait to Pay Mr. Bob back for his generosity. We had a good long conversation at my trailer and, although we had never met, we knew a lot of the same people. He doesn't consider himself a fisherman but likes to do it from time to time and loves to fish. I cannot think of a better way to pay someone back.

**BG12** · 02-16-2018, 09:29 AM

Great story!

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