Living in the North has its pros and cons. Definately the pros out weigh the cons. Endless trails, no traffic, beautiful country, and amazing people are but a few of the reasons we live up here. In any equipment you may have be it a snowmobile, ATV, motorcycle or even boat you will have a battery that you rely on to get it started. Unfortunately our cold winters are very hard on this item. The batteries in most of these pieces of equpment are considerably smaller than that of a car or truck, because of their size they are more prone to freezing. Once frozen there is a good chance the battery will be permanently damaged and useless. If you will be storing any recreational equipment for the winter it is a good idea to remove the battery and keep it stored in a warm dry place. Also make sure it is on a non-conductive surface, so the battery won't discharge over time. Check the fluid level as well, if it is low in any cells in the battery, top them up with distilled water to the proper level. The best thing we have found for maintianing your battery over the winter is a " Battery Tender". This is a battery charger that monitors your battery's strength, and will automatically turn its self on and off, keeping your battery fully charged for when ever you will need it again. There are many versions of the"Battery Tender" and we keep a stock of these always. Since we started selling them it has greatly reduced the amount of batteries failing. We used to have to explain over and over again that batteries are not a warranty item because of the harsh environment we live in. With the advancemnets in technology there is more and more demand on the battery in your equipment, digital displays, fuel injection, and even your winch opperating your plow, are all heavy draws on the battery. A lot of times the machine gets used and put away with the battery weak and more susseptable to freezing. Plow kits on ATV's are probably the biggest culprit. The winch is in and out, lifting and lowering the blade. The plowing gets done and the machine gets put away, but the battery is run down, because the machine hasen't had enough time to recharge it [idleing for 15min doesn't cut it]. So its your choice about $60 for a battery tender, or $200 or even more for a new battery plus disposal, and the hassel of not having the machine when you need or want it.