Sled trailer shanties

[keithm87]

A word of warning to those who build hardsides on sled trailers, I got an expensive lesson yesterday. Sno-pro brand trailers are friggen garbage! I bought one brand new in early 2017, built a shanty on it that fall. Used it all last winter no issues towing around the state. This winter it has again gone around the state to different lakes.

Yesterday as we were pulling it off of maquam bay, 1/2 miles from shore I heard a terrible noise. Stopped and apon inspection found that the toungue had snapped from the frame. There were cracks in the frame in multiple spots. I know that ice shanty is not the designed use, but a 2200lb capacity trailer shouldn’t break in 2 years. On a scale the shack/trailer weighs 1980, and it can be moved by hand at the toungue so that’s not an issue. When on the ice it is always supported on all 4 corners with jacks. I am very disappointed, and want to warn others so they don’t make a similar mistake.

Also if anyone knows of a 101x12 galv  trailer for sale I may be in the market.

[Light liner]

2200 gvw. Thats the weight of the cargo and the trailer. Almost every shanty Ive ever seen built on a sled trailer breaks. Too much tongue weight and top heavy.
Sucks it happened to you, landscape style trailer works very well.
Nobody got hurt thats good.

[keithm87]

Yeah the place I store the shack has a scale I cross it every time I leave. It’s always right around the 2200 marker. Rarely more than 100lb over that (though when I crossed it Friday before heading to the lake I was 2340)it’s not meant to have a shanty on it I’m sure of that but my only shack on a 2nd hand rusty steel sled trailer broke axles and blew tires when it was overloaded. It’s insane that the frame is the weak spot on these, and imo super unsafe. I have read up since it happened and this is apparently a common failure of aluminum frame trailers in general. I’m not sure how they are safe to go down the road when the toungue can break free from the rest of the unit.

[FREEP82]

A word of warning to those who build hardsides on sled trailers, I got an expensive lesson yesterday. Sno-pro brand trailers are friggen garbage! I bought one brand new in early 2017, built a shanty on it that fall. Used it all last winter no issues towing around the state. This winter it has again gone around the state to different lakes.

Yesterday as we were pulling it off of maquam bay, 1/2 miles from shore I heard a terrible noise. Stopped and apon inspection found that the toungue had snapped from the frame. There were cracks in the frame in multiple spots. I know that ice shanty is not the designed use, but a 2200lb capacity trailer shouldn’t break in 2 years. On a scale the shack/trailer weighs 1980, and it can be moved by hand at the toungue so that’s not an issue. When on the ice it is always supported on all 4 corners with jacks. I am very disappointed, and want to warn others so they don’t make a similar mistake.

Also if anyone knows of a 101x12 galv  trailer for sale I may be in the market.

Is the Shanty Brown? I may have talked to you a couple of weeks ago.

[keithm87]

No big green shack.