Author Topic: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow  (Read 3623 times)

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« on: Oct 03, 2018, 08:12 PM »
I need some advice on pulling my Clam Kenai Pro quick flip sled though snow. Everyone who has walked through 4 or more inches of snow while pulling a heavy quick flip, knows how much work that is. I have an idea to convert a car top cargo basket into a carrier on snow skis. Basically, I would take a cargo basket and mount it to snow skis. There would be blocks of wood between the feet on the basket and the snow skis, to give it some height. That way the basket would be above the top of the snow. I would place my sled in the basket then take it out when I get to my fishing spot on the ice. My concern is that the combination of the sled, my gear and the carrier on skis would be a combined weight of over 100 pounds. I am not sure how easy it will be to pull through the snow. I would hate to go through the trouble to create this thing, just to find out that it’s still a heavy pull. Any helpful input and shared experiences would be appreciated.


Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #1 on: Oct 03, 2018, 08:45 PM »
Scheu, I suggest you visit the Illinois forum/broad here on Ice Shanty,stickied to the top of this forum is a thread entitled The "Original" Smitty sled  started by my Smitty 0312 (aka Smitty) . He came up with a portable sled to help solve  the problem you having pulling a heavy sled in deeper snow. His design is now trade marked as the "Smitty Sled" the nice feature of his design is that the sled breaks down for easy transport and off season storage yet quickly assembles once needed for transporting your shelter.
Steve

Offline lunkerslayer

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 248
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #2 on: Oct 03, 2018, 09:41 PM »
You really need to put a hyfax runner kit on the bottom of that sled I have a full thermal Voyager sled I put a runner kit on and it was night and day difference has to how well it was easy to pull

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #3 on: Oct 04, 2018, 09:00 PM »
To Mr. Clean - thanks for the info on the smitty sled. That will definitely be an option to seriously consider.

To Lunkerslayer — thanks for the suggestion. I did install hyfax runners on my quick flip sled, last winter. You are right, that did make it a lot easier to pull, until we got the deeper snow that was over 8”. Then it was a heavy pull again, because the sled started to plow through the snow instead of ride on top of it. That is why I thought getting the sled up above the snow would be the answer.

Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #4 on: Oct 05, 2018, 07:06 PM »
Scheu happy to be of some help. just remember if snow is deep and your shelter heavily loaded the Smitty sled will sink into snow and bog down. Think of a Flexible Flyer style sled you may have used as a child not the best style to get down a hill in deep powdery snow. This is easy to say but harder to do look through you gear and start leaving things that see limited usage at home will lighten the load a little bit. Have a great ice fishing season.
 Steve

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #5 on: Oct 08, 2018, 11:24 AM »
Mr. Clean,

What if I were to create more clearance between the Smitty Sled wood cross supports and the ground?
Make the blocks of wood that mount to the skis, taller.

Offline hardwater diehard

  • Iceshanty Militia
  • Team IceshantyInsanity
  • *
  • Posts: 12,477
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #6 on: Oct 08, 2018, 11:57 AM »
Mr. Clean,

What if I were to create more clearance between the Smitty Sled wood cross supports and the ground?
Make the blocks of wood that mount to the skis, taller.

I have made 3 Smitty sleds ...all my risers are 2x6s....you could go 2x8s.. just keep in mind you may have to go a little wider on you cross braces the higher you go ...they can get tippy. Smitty sleds shine in less then a foot of snow ...after that they can sink to the "belly" of the shelter ...can still be a better drag then w/o the Smitty. Couple notes for your build..14 to 16 foot pulling rope ...attached to the skis so your pulling up upon dragging...down hill skis work best as the are wider....keep the weight of the shelter/contents to the rear of the shelter and position of the Smitty.
Give a man a fish he eats for a day .Teach a man to ice fish he has an obsession for a lifetime

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #7 on: Oct 08, 2018, 05:16 PM »
mr. clean,

Thank you for sharing all of this information. Your insight to this situation has been more than I could have hoped for.
I think I have a game plan now. I will post a picture of this creation, when it is completed.

Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #8 on: Oct 08, 2018, 06:41 PM »
I believe you want to thank Hardwater Diehard . Hardwater diehard thank you for your insight good information. Scheu will keep a look out for any photos you post of your Smitty sled or other creation.
Steve

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #9 on: Oct 08, 2018, 07:02 PM »
Sorry about that hardwater diehard. I read through the latest post too fast, and did not realize that a new person joined the conversation. Your insight is much appreciated.

Offline hardwater diehard

  • Iceshanty Militia
  • Team IceshantyInsanity
  • *
  • Posts: 12,477
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #10 on: Oct 09, 2018, 03:32 AM »
Sorry about that hardwater diehard. I read through the latest post too fast, and did not realize that a new person joined the conversation. Your insight is much appreciated.

Your welcome...before I built mine I read through the Smitty sled threads...I posted the biggest takeaways from that extensive read. I also made my cross braces about 2 inches longer so they hang over the risers ..my thinking was should my shelter slide back the straps would be stopped by the over hanging brace ..adding eye bots to the risers as well as cam buckle straps finished my build.. good luck and post some pictures.


https://i.postimg.cc/k5Tyf82N/smitty.jpg
Give a man a fish he eats for a day .Teach a man to ice fish he has an obsession for a lifetime

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #11 on: Oct 10, 2018, 04:44 PM »
Thanks again hardwater diehard. And thanks again to mr. clean and lunkerslayer too. I will post some pics, when I complete the project.

Offline Fishful Thinkin

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 53
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #12 on: Oct 19, 2018, 09:34 AM »


Here's what I did to my Frabill Recon.  After pic was taken, added a used set of kids skis bought at Play it Again Sports for $20.
Can pull through a foot of snow with 1 finger.

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #13 on: Oct 20, 2018, 09:02 PM »
Thanks for sharing the photo Fishful Thinkin. Nice design you have there. Those thin and light runners would definitely do the job. I have the same idea about the height of the sled. It needs to be kept above the snow to eliminate most of the resistance while pulling it through deeper snow. You have confirmed my theory. Thanks again.

Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #14 on: Oct 20, 2018, 09:31 PM »
Fishful Thinkin thank you for your post and photo gives Scheu another option to consider. a couple questions for you have you noticed any sagging on the bottom of your sled/shelter from your photo it appears  there are no cross pieces supporting the bottom of the sled/shelter. Depending on how heavy a load you transport I can see plastic on bottom of sled /shelter sagging and possibly cracking over time. Also due you have any problems with sled tipping due to height especially when changing direction of travel.
Steve

Offline Fishful Thinkin

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 53
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #15 on: Oct 25, 2018, 08:38 AM »
Haven't had any problems with tip over at all, even when dropping off the sea wall at Maxi academy bay.
I don't carry a ton of weight, but it carrries my drill/auger, rods, vexilar, spud and a minnow bucket with no sagging or cracking.  I've been using it about 5 years this way so far.
By the way...you just pull the bottom pins on the runners, and the skis fold out to the side so the bottom sits on the ice for use.  Thanks for the comments!

Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #16 on: Oct 25, 2018, 09:53 AM »
Fishful Thinkin thank you for your reply and explanation, clever design feature with the skis definitely another option for Scheu and others to consider.
Steve

Offline MisterIzzo

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 118
  • Ruining Everybody's Good Time
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #17 on: Oct 25, 2018, 08:57 PM »
Here's what I did to my Frabill Recon.  After pic was taken, added a used set of kids skis bought at Play it Again Sports for $20.
Can pull through a foot of snow with 1 finger.

Very clever design.  The only reason I've never done a smitty sled is that I don't want the extra piece of equipment.  I'm going to give this a shot.
Check out the Great Lakes Goofers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knttuPRpZbk

Offline wax_worm

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 4,975
  • Right out of my ice hole!
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #18 on: Nov 11, 2018, 09:33 PM »

Here's what I did to my Frabill Recon.  After pic was taken, added a used set of kids skis bought at Play it Again Sports for $20.
Can pull through a foot of snow with 1 finger.

Where did you find the brackets that are attached to the sled that the conduit runner clip into?  Did you buy them or fabricate them yourself.  Also is there a 'spacer' between the lower part of the bracket and side of the sled that the bolt is running through?

Offline musky8it

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,650
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #19 on: Nov 14, 2018, 06:15 PM »
Scheu happy to be of some help. just remember if snow is deep and your shelter heavily loaded the Smitty sled will sink into snow and bog down................

That's why I made mine with conduit runners. If you look on page 8(bottom of page) on smittys thread you will see several more photos of mine, here's Smitty's  thread.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=103927.210

Heavy loads can be a problem, my conduit runners cut thru snow and ride on the ice. The height of the runners will determine how much snow you can go thru, mine will go thru about 10-11" before it hits the wood frame. Now if there is a hard crust on the snow you can have some problems, that's where the ski runner type are probably better. The conduit runners are removable for eash storage, they just pull out of the holes.









FRANK SINATRA, The Hangover Survival Guide

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."

Offline Fishful Thinkin

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 53
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #20 on: Nov 15, 2018, 10:10 AM »
Where did you find the brackets that are attached to the sled that the conduit runner clip into?  Did you buy them or fabricate them yourself.  Also is there a 'spacer' between the lower part of the bracket and side of the sled that the bolt is running through?
Yes, I just made the brackets.  Yes, there is a spacer on the bottom of the bracket to compensate for "step" and narrowing of the Frabill sled.  Just made those out of an old piece of aluminum tubing I had laying around.

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #21 on: Jan 15, 2019, 07:15 PM »
Finished making a Smitty Sled and I said that I would post images when it was done.
I tested it in my yard in the 3 inches of snow that we got last weekend. Seems like it will be alot easier to pull.
With the upcoming snow storm, this should be a good winter to have one of these.

url=https://postimg.cc/YjgZkZ7r][/url]





Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #22 on: Jan 15, 2019, 08:32 PM »
Scheu, thanks for posting an update and photos of your completed Smitty sled. One suggestion I would purchase eye bolts and some washers and proper size nuts for the eye bolts in stainless steel if possible. Put the eye bolts in the holes in ski tips and attach tow rope to the eye bolts with your present design of passing the tow rope through the ski tips over time you may wear away part of the rope from it robbing against the side of holes in the skis if you do not notice this your tow rope may break. Overall congratulations good looking build. You may want to apply wax to ski bottoms If you are near any ski resorts I think there is a general wax you can purchase and apply this wax is supposed to be good for a wide range of temperatures and snow conditions think they call it Glide Wax believe you apply it same way as you would wax your car.

May the Smitty sled make things easier for you this ice fishing season.
Steve

Offline Scheu

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 115
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #23 on: Jan 17, 2019, 05:10 PM »
Thanks for the suggestions. I was already concerned about the rope wear. I have since put some locking carabiners on the tips of the skis.
I will look into waxing the skis.

Have a safe season,

From Another Steve

Offline mr.clean

  • Team IceShantyholic
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,381
  • new windsor,ny.
Re: Heavy Quick Flip Sleds And Snow
« Reply #24 on: Jan 17, 2019, 07:51 PM »
Scheu/Steve , the carabiners should solve the wear problem. If you can not find the Glide wax i mentioned try LLBean or other retailers that sell cross country skies. I think wax used for cars will improve glide to some degree I've even heard of folks using candles and pouring melted wax onto skies and spreading it out over the bottoms.

Steve

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.