Homemade sled pullers

[JiggingIowa]

I’ve actually considered getting one of those “fat tire” mountain bikes and putting studded tires on it. The gears wouldn’t make it too terrible. However, quality isn’t cheap and my boots do just fine. For now, it’s an 8’ foot rope attached to my Jet Sled, a galvanized carabiner, and a backpack with chest/waist straps I use as a harness and extra storage for dry wares. Clip the carabiner to the rope and the backpacks carry handle and away I go.

I’ve also had visions of putting tracks on my HHR....

A little off subject, but it’s always tough to hear when people strap themselves to their sleds. If god forbid you break thru they quickly can become an anchor. Happen to a local guy who was an ice fishing regular, wasn’t found until the morning.. just a little psa

[Ice Scratcher]

A little off subject, but it’s always tough to hear when people strap themselves to their sleds. If god forbid you break thru they quickly can become an anchor. Happen to a local guy who was an ice fishing regular, wasn’t found until the morning.. just a little psa

Interestingly enough, I've often thought about my sled as a resource if I were to go through (not that I'd be "strapped" to it) with items that might help...

Also I've thought about an anchor system for emergency.. Say you're pulling your sled, walking well in front of it.. If you happened to fall through? Just think, if your tow rope, had another emergency rope loosely attached along with it? What if when you pull that line, it drops an angled spike, which anchors your sled, that you can pull yourself out with?

<°)))>{

[32footsteps]

When it comes to using an old snowmobile a Massey Ferguson Ski Whiz is hard to beat. Those things could pull tree stumps out.

In regards to strapping yourself in..true story here. A former girlfriend of mine was from south Florida. She had never seen snow let alone had any concept of the fact that an entire lake could freeze over until she came to Wisconsin for a visit. I had to run some stuff out to a buddy who was fishing. As I’m driving onto a lake heading for his shack I unbuckle my seat belt and tell her to take hers off too. She did it without asking why...then as she’s looking at a mass of permanent shacks chimes in with: “I feel bad for your friend. This is some pretty low income housing that he lives in.” I didn’t quite grasp why she said that. So we get to his shack, hang out for a bit and he has a tip up go up. We all head over to it and he pulls out a pike. It was at that very moment that she realized that 1) lakes freeze 2) lakes freeze enough to drive on 3) she wasn’t in a low income housing project 4) I was an inconsiderate a-hole for putting her in harms way 5) She was going to make me sleep on the couch during her visit.

[Mountain Maggot]

For those of us who still pull our sled I found something that I think is better than a harnesss.  I bought a $10 water ski rope from Wally World.  I cut the rope to find a comfortable length from my sled rope.

The horizontal bar is foam padded and as a result I can move up steep slopes to the truck and long excursions across snow covered ice.  No more pinched hand or digging my feet in the snow. 

[Stickhick86]

For those of us who still pull our said I found something that I think is better than a harnesss.  I bought a $10 water ski rope from Wally World.  I cut the rope to find a comfortable length from my sled rope.

The horizontal bar is foam padded and as a result I can move up steep slopes to the truck and long excursions across snow covered ice.  No more pinched hand or digging my feet in the snow.

I did something like this with some 550 cord and a piece of SCH 40 PVC. Have the 550 attached to the smitty sled with carabineers and long enough to double as a throw rope.

[tentwiststhick]

Hmmmm! My definition of a puller has been your kids. I've never been married and have no children. You don't know how many times I wished I had a couple of pullers(kids), still do. I still see Fathers who have pullers these days. Somehow I know some of those pullers will be the ice fishermen of the future too. If you fish in a state like PA, having a puller is a dream come true. I'm to old for that now. If I want a motorized puller, I'll have to take a trip to a state where it's allowed for ice fishing, otherwise I do all of the pulling.

[mboss13]

Hmmmm! My definition of a puller has been your kids. I've never been married and have no children. You don't know how many times I wished I had a couple of pullers(kids), still do. I still see Fathers who have pullers these days. Somehow I know some of those pullers will be the ice fishermen of the future too. If you fish in a state like PA, having a puller is a dream come true. I'm to old for that now. If I want a motorized puller, I'll have to take a trip to a state where it's allowed for ice fishing, otherwise I do all of the pulling.

Hey, you need to put some pressure on your legislature. There is no reason why they couldn't allow small motorized machines on the ice. Heck if they charge for stickers on them every year it'd be a money maker.

[WYIfish]

For those of us who still pull our sled I found something that I think is better than a harnesss.  I bought a $10 water ski rope from Wally World.  I cut the rope to find a comfortable length from my sled rope.

The horizontal bar is foam padded and as a result I can move up steep slopes to the truck and long excursions across snow covered ice.  No more pinched hand or digging my feet in the snow.

I bought some 3/8's inch old fashioned hemp rope about 30 feet long and put a loop in the end for my shoulder. The advantage is that the rope has some stretch in it so when I step the rope absorbs some of the tug on my shoulder.  Works a lot better than nylon rope.

[mboss13]

Anybody build a motorized dogsled?