My Homemade $15 Sled! AKA The "Smitty Sled"

[Baetis62]

i havent waxed since i built it and the skis were from 1989...still just fine


I aint buying my wife an iron scratcher

[Ice Scratcher]

Something to consider with waxing and the need for...

Some guys can just about pull a standard car sideways on bare ice, if they have cleats...

Many might not ever need wax on skis, most snow, and bare ice, skis without wax are total perfect..

But... BUT!

When the temps are in a certain range, and your skis aren't cold enough to skiff, and aren't warm enough to glide, and you got a foot of snow packing on the bottom of your skis.. You'll think really hard, and if your memory serves you proper, you'll come back here for a re-read...

Good luck!!

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[missoulafish]

tried candle wax...using p-tex material next time.

[pmmpete]

tried candle wax...using p-tex material next time.

I melted paraffin onto the bottom of the skis on my Smitty Sled with an old electric iron.  It makes them slide well in a variety of conditions.

[pmmpete]

I recently made the Smitty Sled shown below.  Click on the thumbnail to enlarge it. It's real easy to pull in low snow conditions, and it turns easily because I bent the skis to a slight negative camber.  In other words, the center of each ski is a little lower than its tip and tail, instead of being higher than its tip and tail as it was before I mounted it on the sled.

However, I don't know how well it will work in deep snow and slush.  It's possible that the skis will cut down through the snow into the slush and get iced up. I have been carrying a scraper so I can scrape off the ice if that happens.  An advantage of a Smitty Sled is that it's easier to scrape ice off the bottom of skis than it is to scrape ice off the high and low strips on the bottom of a sled.  I suspect that by the weekend we will have the deep snow and slush conditions which I'm worried about.  I'll give you a report on how it works.
 




I designed the Smitty sled so when transporting it I can turn it upside down and set my Otter sled between the skis.

[drewbop]

So when I originally made the sled, I was hoping to put two bolts in each location.  That didn't work out very well as I had a ton of difficulty putting it together and disassembling.  Hence why you see a thousand holes in the risers from the skis.

I am thinking to cut the risers down about 2", putting in new, larger diameter 1/2" bolts (previously had 1/4" bolts) into the 2x4"s, and trying to get a more snug fit for the cross members fit into the risers.

[missoulafish]

I melted paraffin onto the bottom of the skis on my Smitty Sled with an old electric iron.  It makes them slide well in a variety of conditions.

I should of said I used paraffin too, not a candle. It definitely helped but its not real durable on anything other than snow. It sounds like the p-tex is supposed to be way more durable.

[Rugburn]

 P-tex is used to fill in gouges on the bottom of skis. Ski shops use this before waxing. Not a lubricant.

[missoulafish]

well there you go, I guess I will not use p-tex to lube the skis  Thanks for the clarification Rugburn.

[Ice Scratcher]

and trying to get a more snug fit for the cross members fit into the risers.

I've seen a lot of struggling and dissatisfaction on builds regarding those notches, being lose, and or wobbly..

A little more involved, but here is a way to get rid of those issues, before or even after building it. Obviously this isn't a "Smitty" by design, but it might help some... Angle iron was cut from a bed frame.. Forces everything to be straight..









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[jbird68]

I've seen a lot of struggling and dissatisfaction on builds regarding those notches, being lose, and or wobbly..

A little more involved, but here is a way to get rid of those issues, before or even after building it. Obviously this isn't a "Smitty" by design, but it might help some... Angle iron was cut from a bed frame.. Forces everything to be straight..









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I like the plywood design. Has to be lighter than using a 2x6 for your upright. I actually snapped off one side of the notch on mine and ended up putting an angle pracket in it's place. Ovbiously it's too thin to just use screws from the bottom to fasten the plywood to the skis. The angle bracket actually stiffens the side-to-side play in the cross beams. I've also been wanting to build a new sled with the front skis steerable. Just haven't figured it out yet. I just find that while pulling the front of the sled to get you pointed where you want to go the sides of the skis will drag or catch. Also don't want the rear skis to be going in one direction while I am steering the front skis in another.

[Ice Scratcher]

I like the plywood design. Has to be lighter than using a 2x6 for your upright. I actually snapped off one side of the notch on mine

Thanks..

Those notches snapping off is almost inevitable the way the grain runs.. Many make them way to small, with just nub that'll pop off...

More pictures here..

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=350282.msg3734384#msg3734384

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[Ice Scratcher]

I like the plywood design. Has to be lighter than using a 2x6 for your upright.

Thanks again, FYI, I just looked back through some threads...

Mine weighs at 17lbs even...

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[alaska mike]

First off I want to thank everybody for all the ideas and pictures that have been posted in this thread. I built a smitty sled about a year ago and have one season with it.  It has worked out great and is holding up as tight as when I built it. What I did for the 2x uprights to keep the notches from breaking off was glue and stapled 1/4" ply on both sides of the upright 2x.  That way the notches will never break from dropping or from the crossbars flexing. It will add some weight but 1/4" ply is minimal for the benefit you get.  I also glued in two steel pins per each end on the 2x uprights. On the 2x4 crossbars I glued in two steel bushings per end to keep the hole from enlarging. I believe the pin and bushing combo really helps to lock the crossbars 90 degrees to the skis.
I will see if I can figure out how to post up some pictures to show you what I did for my version of the smitty sled.

[jbird68]

Spent a little time trying to design my sled that will steer. This is what I have so far. It's gonna take a little more thinking to get everything just right. The cups on the back skis are PVC end caps where my Auger Rack presses in to. I haven't added the angle brackets for the uprights or the cross beams yet. 



This is where I got my inspiration.

[Ice Scratcher]

Spent a little time trying to design my sled that will steer. This is what I have so far. It's gonna take a little more thinking to get everything just right. The cups on the back skis are PVC end caps where my Auger Rack presses in to. I haven't added the angle brackets for the uprights or the cross beams yet. 

(Image removed from quote.)

This is where I got my inspiration.
(Image removed from quote.)

Looking very cool!!

Looks like the front skis are closer together than the back. I highly suggest the front skis are followed by the back skis, otherwise, you are cutting four paths when going straight..

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[jbird68]

Looking very cool!!

Looks like the front skis are closer together than the back. I highly suggest the front skis are followed by the back skis, otherwise, you are cutting four paths when going straight..

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Good point. I didn't think of that. I was just thinking about it being easier to turn if the skis were closer together.Kinda like a 3-wheeler. But I wanted them apart for stability.

[alaska mike]

I want to thank everybody for all the pictures and ideas on their sleds.  A lot of the lakes around here won't allow four wheelers or vehicles on the water.  But with this sled I am able to tow all the gear out, even thought I am an old boy. So I thought I would post some pictures to maybe get somebody else inspired to build one.



I put the wheels on so I don't have to make multiple trips from the road to the ice.



The blue pad on the platform is for the dog to get her up off the ice.

[Ice Scratcher]

Awesome job Alaska Mike!

Those wheel brackets are nice, been thinking about something similar for mine..

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[alaska mike]

If I did it again, I would go with aluminum instead of the steel plates to save some weight.  I live out in the sticks and the steel plate is what I had to work with.

[Ice Scratcher]

If I did it again, I would go with aluminum instead of the steel plates to save some weight.  I live out in the sticks and the steel plate is what I had to work with.

Nothing wrong with steel but.. Shoot, just keep your eye out for the right free piece of aluminum, you already have templates..

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[Rugburn]

 Nice build Alaska Mike! Good and solid, this will hold up well.     Enjoy!

[alaska mike]

Thanks.  I only got to go out a few times last year, but I hope to hit it harder this year.  I really like the concept of the smitty sled.  Makes for an easy way to move some gear.

[P Meyette]

very nice

[FishDoc_1]

Nice.  I like what you did with the pull rope.

[alaska mike]

I cut the pull rope in half and used a dog clasp to join the two ropes together under the pvc tube.  That way I can split the rope and wrap around each individual ski for storage.  I thought it would be stronger to anchor the pull rope on the 2x riser, instead of just tying to the ski tip.  This way I still have pretty decent steering by running the line through the ski tip.

[Uncle Al]

I have my rope through the ski tips and tied to a big screw eye on the front riser. Works good, alaska mike. Your smitty looks good.

[SirCranksalot]

On the 2x4 crossbars I glued in two steel bushings per end to keep the hole from enlarging. I believe the pin and bushing combo really helps to lock the crossbars 90 degrees to the skis.

Bushings sound like a good idea but where/how did you find bushings to fit?

[alaska mike]

I just went to ace hardware, about all we have for a hardware store, grabbed a chunk of steel rod, and went back to the plumbing section and bought a long nipple.  There is always a burr ridge on the inside withblack iron pipe.  But I cut them to 1 1/2" long, and used a dremel to smooth out the inside.  Then on the steel rod I cut it to length, 3", chucked it in a portable drill, and with the drill running put it on a grinder to thin it down to fit for the first 1 1/2".  (poor mans mill)  That way I could get just the fit between rod and bushing that I wanted.  It worked out good, got the fit snug but can remove by hand with no hammer or tools.

[Idahogator]

Well done A Mike.     

There's more than one way to duplicate the result of a big Bridgeport.