Who's Building A "Smitty Sled"?

[BackCountry Kyle]

thought mine was light......

Thanks Surf. the wooden Smitty came in at 24.2 lbs, and the UHMW/ aluminum came in at 16.4 lbs. shaved 7.8 lbs and it tightened up the racking . deff.. gonna be my go to Smitty.   

my smitty is 36lbs and feels pretty light. 16lbs! now that's what I'm talking about!!

I scored some free skis last weekend but they are racing cross country skis so they are really light BUT seem kinda skinny to get any flotation in deep snow. Anyone ever use cross country skis on their sled?

Those are probably the worst option beside youth racing/skating x-country skis. Skate skis are as narrow as the come usually. Made for moving fast (Least surface friction) over a groomed trail. I'd see what else you might be able to find first.

[wipike]

I scored some free skis last weekend but they are racing cross country skis so they are really light BUT seem kinda skinny to get any flotation in deep snow. Anyone ever use cross country skis on their sled?

Thanks for the sharing the pics all, they are all looking good!! 

Mine are XC skis - honestly I'd be worried if the downhill's are easier to pull, these XC racers will run me over if I stop.

I've thought about changing them out to downhill skis, but the weight (or lack there of) combined with the how fast they pull and track through the snow was enough for me to not mess with it.   

Maybe when I make a new sled I'll stick DH's on them, but for now the sled is built and working just fine.  Don't overthink it, Francis.   

[Lavman]

OK, thanks for the input, now I am on the fence whether or not I should use them

I'll mount them in such a way that they will be easy to swap out and I will keep my eyes open for some DH skis to use.

Good looking sleds all!!

[masoneddie]

I just got back from the transfer station and was asking my buddy to keep an eye out for a set of skis for me. A young man overheard me and had a pair at his garage sale for $5 that didnt sell. He gave them to me. They're downhill skis, but older wooden. Will they work alright, or should I wait to get a pair of fiberglass?

[ship of fools]

I just got back from the transfer station and was asking my buddy to keep an eye out for a set of skis for me. A young man overheard me and had a pair at his garage sale for $5 that didnt sell. He gave them to me. They're downhill skis, but older wooden. Will they work alright, or should I wait to get a pair of fiberglass?

they r fine 

[surflizard]

How old are they, do they have a P-tex bottom (plastic) ? If you are machine pulling, the old traditional all wooden ski go south pretty quickly ! If you are hand pulling the all wooden ski tend to have more drag then the plastic base ski's too !

[masoneddie]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. They're all wood Surf, no plastic. I'll be pulling by hand more than machine.

[surflizard]

If it were me, I'd try to find skis with a plastic base, rub on some paraffin or candle wax and your back Will Thank you for it !

[masoneddie]

I will certainly do just that. I have nothing to lose as these skis just fell in my lap. Thank you for the advice!

[smitty0312]

Look'n real good boys!!

[wyatt_8]

Finally got around to putting mine together.  Now I just need some ice to try it out.  Nothing fancy but it should do the job

[hickgtx600f4]

looks great. is that rubber or carpet on the cross braces? 

[wyatt_8]

looks great. is that rubber or carpet on the cross braces?

It's a heavy rubber.  I found it in the concrete section of the hardware store, looks like it is used in the expansion joints.  Seems to grip the bottom of my shanty well and has enough give to keep things from rattling. 

[FISHN NIK]

My Smitty sled is 1/2 complete,sorry there are no pics.but it is a basic model that will have wheels.I can't wait to use it!

[ryno]

Here is my 'smitty sled' I built last year.  Has a steel frame with expanded aluminum deck.  The legs are conduit that slips into the square tubing base mounted to the skis.  I can run different length legs depending how deep the snow is.  It breaks down so that the platform can go against tailgate or the cab and the skis next to the fenders.
 

[BackCountry Kyle]

That is beautiful 
I need a welder 

[kb]

Here is my first build with wheels:





But I wanted to be able to put heavier things in it when I wasnt using it on the ice, and I wanted it to collapse smaller for storage:





And off the ice:


The axle passes thru the support blocks to make it more rigid and stronger.  The cross pieces just pop off in the usual way with a tap from underneath.

Hope this helps with some ideas.

[OldSailor]

I like it!! You can get 4 season use out of it!! A great idea that will probably lead to others  modifying or building similar sleds!! 

[kb]

Thanks.  It was pretty cheap to build.  The wheels came from Harbor Freight, $4 each on sale, left over wood from working on the deck, ground rod from construction area for axles, misc pieces from hardware store, and skis from side of the road.

If I put $25 into it, I'd be surprised.

I built it for last year, but never got any ice.  Maybe this year....

[OldSailor]

Thanks.  It was pretty cheap to build.  The wheels came from Harbor Freight, $4 each on sale, left over wood from working on the deck, ground rod from construction area for axles, misc pieces from hardware store, and skis from side of the road.

If I put $25 into it, I'd be surprised.

I built it for last year, but never got any ice.  Maybe this year....

Hopefully we ALL get great ice this year and you can use it without the wheels!!

[kb]

Im hoping so.  Last year was very unusual for us.

Im sure the sled will do just fine on ice, it works great in grass and blacktop!  Ive even ridden it down my driveway when no one was looking.     It goes fast, just wish I could steer it. 

I was playing with the idea of adding a wagon like steering like mechanism to it just for kicks, but thats just getting carried away.....and Id just end up getting hurt playing with it.  Ha ha ha ha

[OldSailor]

Im hoping so.  Last year was very unusual for us.

Im sure the sled will do just fine on ice, it works great in grass and blacktop!  Ive even ridden it down my driveway when no one was looking.     It goes fast, just wish I could steer it. 

I was playing with the idea of adding a wagon like steering like mechanism to it just for kicks, but thats just getting carried away.....and Id just end up getting hurt playing with it.  Ha ha ha ha

You would be the first person in IS history to be put in the hospital by his Smitty sled!!

[kb]

Ha ha ha ha ha 

[IceBalls]

KB .....you gotta spend some more time with me, Topher & "Squid-Boy".   We had a pretty good ice year last year !!!  Found some good solid stuff in Sullivan county & in Pa.

[kb]

Im always on the lookout for more fishing buddies.  Let me know.

[shake]

Like the wheels and beefed up design. Still need to get mine built before I run outta time.

[gearheart]

I like the wheels. Where i fish it can be necessary to park 1/2 mile away from the ice unless you're there at the crack of stupid.  Drag down the road on wheels and then off landing gear and ski onto the ice.  Great idea.

[kb]

Thats why I went for the wheels in the first place.  I have to drag accross some parking lots, and walkways.  It wears the sleds down pretty fast.  My smaller jet sled has holes in it from years of abuse.

If there isnt any snow on the ice, I'll probaly just leave the wheels on as it pulls so easy.

[BigDynamite]

Hey All -

I notice that most, if not everyone, has the pull rope set up so it goes through the tips of the skis.  I am making my sled in a few weeks and wondered what people thought about putting eye hooks into the front uprights and hooking rope there.  Or maybe in front cross brace.  Why not?  Any experience or reasons not too?  I thought it might pull better that way.  Not sure I can tell you why I think that, just sort of a feeling.

[beeverfishing]

Hey All -

I notice that most, if not everyone, has the pull rope set up so it goes through the tips of the skis.  I am making my sled in a few weeks and wondered what people thought about putting eye hooks into the front uprights and hooking rope there.  Or maybe in front cross brace.  Why not?  Any experience or reasons not too?  I thought it might pull better that way.  Not sure I can tell you why I think that, just sort of a feeling.

I have mine fastened to eye hooks into the front uprights...    I'm thinking that it might help keep the ski tips from digging in a bit if they are through the tips of the skis.  But, I haven't had any problems with the way mine is set up..  works great !!