Snowdog or not to Snowdog?

[MACMAN]

So how did you get your dog stopped?  Was it the throttle stuck wide open because of moisture freezing on the slides?  I had that issue on an older snowmobile with aluminum slides in the carburetor.. They changed to chome plated steel in the newer ones, I think to avoid that problem... Was really glad for a kill switch when I had my issue... Glad no one got hurt too bad with yours... Power toys are always a risk you sure have to be careful with...

Lucky was the key word that day. We were at Rockport parked on one side of the ramp. There were trucks on the opposite side. When it came out it veered uphill and shot across the ramp just missed the last truck parked. It hit the snow bank the parks had created plowing the ramp. It flipped on its side flooding out and killed. I had the kill switch tether on and it pulled, did not cut off the motor- see my jankey assembly comment. I’ve since got the kill switch operational. I was standing inside the rungs of the ramp when it took off, barely jumped in time for my legs to clear the ramps and it took me out. I had to watch it fly across the ramp hoping it didn’t crush into the truck it was heading for. Kinda sounds funny now, but I assure you I wasn’t amused then. 

Now for the cause as I understand it…I’m hoping there’s a small engine mechanic on here that can confirm, deny or educate if there’s something I can do to guarantee it won’t happen again. Sorry this will be long.  I maintain my cables, linkages and throttle body- those were not the cause. As I understand it (through google mostly), is Snowdog uses a multi purpose Briggs motor. The engine has a magnetic governor wheel inside the crank that has a linkage that will add throttle we the motor bogs down. Think of a set throttle use such as a lawn mower hitting thick grass, as the motor slows it automatically accelerates to accommodate the bogging down. Apparently, this linkage freezes up inside the engine. There is very little movement in the linkage but supposedly if you verify that linkage has the 1/16” movement, it won’t start at full throttle. I cannot verify that is the solution, but I check that every time I start it now- for sure. I have read that you cannot just disconnect the spring on that linkage, which I thought would cure the issue. Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure of the cause, therefore the fear of it happening again still exists. Why Snowdog uses an engine that is built for set throttle use is beyond me. One of the issues that would be resolved if a major manufacturer get on board and builds one. My start up routine is to attach kill switch tether, check for free movement in throttle system, check for movement in governor and aim the machine in a safe direction. Still a little nervous. BTW- I’ve never heard of a carb slide…I guess I have more research to do.