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

[prosty41]

Put your auger on the floor next to your sled, and make your smitty that wide, or a little wider. install some screw eyes  into your risers for a place to hook ratchet straps to. I put screw eyes in the front risers facing the ski's and ran my ropes through the ski tips and tied them on there. I use it on the river here, walking. When out on the bay I have a clam 2 man and the smitty hooked to my snow machine.

Thanks-- I as wondering if building it that wide with that much weight would be an issue- but sounds like maybe not

[DLB]

I'm planning on building a smitty to be pulled by one of my machines....a snowmobile or rzr side by side.  I can't see where pulling the sled by the tips of the skis does anything special.  Ever watch people sking in deep powder snow?  The tips of the skis will always rise up and break thru the snow....its why they are designed the way they are.  Aint no one in front of the skier pulling him by the tips of his skies.  My only concern is the length of the tow bar being too short causing the skies to perhaps hit the back of the snowmobile or the tires on the sxs.   Modifying the tow bar with a suitable length of 1/2 inch conduit should take care of that though. 

[prosty41]

I'm planning on building a smitty to be pulled by one of my machines....a snowmobile or rzr side by side.  I can't see where pulling the sled by the tips of the skis does anything special.  Ever watch people sking in deep powder snow?  The tips of the skis will always rise up and break thru the snow....its why they are designed the way they are.  Aint no one in front of the skier pulling him by the tips of his skies.  My only concern is the length of the tow bar being too short causing the sled to perhaps hit the back of the snowmobile or the tires on the sxs.   Modifying the tow bar with a suitable length of 1/2 inch conduit should take care of that though.

I am with you on that. I already had plans to extend the tow bar. And I agree with your point on the ski tips. I only became concerned while reading through the thread about some issues with the front tips of skis digging. I was thinking if there is ever a concern for this I will be a prime candidate given the overall weight of the set up thats built in my mind

[Uncle Al]

I built mine to track in the ski's of the snowmobile. Also put a piece of plywood across the cross pieces as the clam was sliding off, I would stop to fish and leave the clam on the smitty, more than once the clam slid off as I was sitting in it. Not a fun experience. Now I tow it behind a dog sled.

[Ice Scratcher]

I read through your other post. Thank you. When you say use two bolts do you mean similar to the sled pictured a few posts above my questions post? Also forgive my ignorance but what is "counter sunk" exactly

When I use the word bolt, I'm talking about a fastener that has machine threads and will accept a nut.. VS a screw that just makes its own threads..

Counter sunk= not protruding, flush, or lower than the surface they are being driven into..

Good luck!

<°)))>{

[DLB]

I am with you on that. I already had plans to extend the tow bar. And I agree with your point on the ski tips. I only became concerned while reading through the thread about some issues with the front tips of skis digging. I was thinking if there is ever a concern for this I will be a prime candidate given the overall weight of the set up thats built in my mind

IMO the point where people go wrong is placing cross member supports way to close to the tips of the skis.  If there is too much weight forward, they can't do what they're supposed to properly.  Look at the sled Ice Scratcher built and the way he centered his support on the skies.  The bulk of the weight of the shanty will be over the center allowing the skis to flex, never bogging down.  I know people think my shanty base is long and heavy so I have to spread the supports out but they don't as long as they don't make the spread too short.  If you take the length of the base, divide it in half then divide that in half and center them over the middle of the skis (where the bindings would be), that is where you can put your supports.  That should allow the skis to flex.  Think of it as a really heavy person on the skis...they'll do what they are supposed to no matter his weight.

[prosty41]

When I use the word bolt, I'm talking about a fastener that has machine threads and will accept a nut.. VS a screw that just makes its own threads..

Counter sunk= not protruding, flush, or lower than the surface they are being driven into..

Good luck!

<°)))>{

I know what a bolt is. That's not what I was asking. However, thanks for the other tips.

[prosty41]

IMO the point where people go wrong is placing cross member supports way to close to the tips of the skis.  If there is too much weight forward, they can't do what they're supposed to properly.  Look at the sled Ice Scratcher built and the way he centered his support on the skies.  The bulk of the weight of the shanty will be over the center allowing the skis to flex, never bogging down.  I know people think my shanty base is long and heavy so I have to spread the supports out but they don't as long as they don't make the spread too short.  If you take the length of the base, divide it in half then divide that in half and center them over the middle of the skis (where the bindings would be), that is where you can put your supports.  That should allow the skis to flex.  Think of it as a really heavy person on the skis...they'll do what they are supposed to no matter his weight.

That makes good sense . I will follow that logic. Thanks!

[calgarygringo]

I did a different take on my Otter/Smitty sled. I added handle to push instead of pulling and makes it a lot easier. I tell people do you push or pull your buggy in the grocery store. Friends that have tried mine also agree that it it is a lot easier especially when you take a full load out like I do.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/calgarygringo/Smitty%20Sled/Smitty%20Sled_zpswtknpiix.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v605/calgarygringo/Smitty%20Sled/20151222_100739_zpszhpnu8ct.jpg

I have looked at every page of this thread. I have not read every post but I have looked at every photo and screen shoted several builds. Two buddies and I are meeting this weekend to make plans to build 3 smitty sleds.

I have a few questions and hope I can get input on each. My sled is big! Its the otter XL pro (see photos of size you can see the 1 inch auger and fat fish inside the sled to give perspective). I have already built a rod rack on the back that is fairly light but the entire sled when packed down with hut, auger, and gear is too heavy to pull by myself. I basically take my wheeler every trip just to pull it. This is an ok situation but I suspect it is something I will need to consider when building a smitty.

#1: Is there a reason (other than storage) that most guys have built the smitty with the plastic sled tied down to the smitty as opposed to bolted to the lumber? I am inclined to bolt mine as I already have holes in my sled from hyfax runners. I dont anticipate needing to take it off as long as it works well.

#2 Concerning weight and the width of the skis, Ideally, I would like to build the smitty wider than my sled so that I can build an auger rack to the the side of the sled. For those of you with wide smitty sleds and or heavy sleds. Will this be an issue for pulling it? will my sled be a pain in the ass?

#3 I see most guys have drilled holes in the tips of the ski for rope. Since my sled is wheeler only, I like to use a tow bar. Once the smitty is build, will I have issues attaching a tow bar to the sled itself rather than the front of the skis? I am wondering if I will have issues with he front of the skis digging in if I dont pull from the ski tips?

[prosty41]

Looks good! If it weren't for a wheeler, I'd never even try to take so much stuff

[Uncle Al]

prosty41, this isn't my smitty but a pic I took off another post someone else made, you can get an idea of how your sled would fit where the flipover is, and the auger next to it, hope it helps.

[prosty41]

Thanks! That is similar to the sled I am thinking of building in my mind. I plan to reinforce mine a little more than that one. Also, I would like the auger to sit down at an angle with the motor a bit higher than the auger bit. I have been kicking around the "auger stand" but I guess I am just going to build notches in the wood.

[Uncle Al]

don't notch the sled any more than adding the cross pieces, I'm not sure if it will weaken it or not. In that pic if there wasn't something holding the auger so it sits level, it would be sitting on an angle with the motor a bit higher.

[prosty41]

Most everyone has the base boards (attached to the skis) cut at and angle as opposed to a rectangle-esk shape. Any reason why?

[hardwater diehard]

Most everyone has the base boards (attached to the skis) cut at and angle as opposed to a rectangle-esk shape. Any reason why?

Cut down on weight ...I also used 2"x3" as my cross braces to  cut down some weight also.

[Uncle Al]

aerodynamics maybe? Smitty's originals also have been cut on an angle. Don't mess with something that works. JK

[COLD-AS-ICE]

prosty41, this isn't my smitty but a pic I took off another post someone else made, you can get an idea of how your sled would fit where the flipover is, and the auger next to it, hope it helps.

(Image removed from quote.)

Ha that's my smitty sled. Made it last fall. Works great and plenty strong enough for me to sit in the shack while it is on the sled. And as I am tall that makes it just the right height for me!

[SirCranksalot]

SUZIE'S SMITTY SLED...
Well, today I helped my friend Suzie build her Smitty Sled. These aren't the greatest closeup photos; but it's made pretty much like Smitty's Original Sled on page 1 of this thread. If you're like us, you've looked at all the pictures for ideas. So there is nothing new here. I had a good day with an old friend doing this and she is thrilled to have her own Smitty Sled. I don't ice fish any more; but now I want to build one for myself...lmao, just because they're soo kool! Thanks Smitty for such a great and simple design! ><{{{{;>
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Just a detail question: how do you cut the vertical pieces so that the X-bars sit flush?

[Ice Scratcher]

Just a detail question: how do you cut the vertical pieces so that the X-bars sit flush?

There are a dozen ways, the quick, easy way would be make two cuts and knock the chunk out with a hammer. Helps to score the break with a knife before knocking it out..

<°)))>{

[Uncle Al]

how did you cut to get where you are now? just need to cut alittle deeper

[prosty41]

***Looking for Criticism***

Here is a rough sketch of the smitty I am planning to build this weekend. I am looking for criticism as I am not 100% sure its the best design.

As I have mentioned in the past, the sled I use is huge. Its the otter pro extra large. its very heavy when packed down with gear as seen here:


Ideas I have that I am seeking feedback/criticism:

I will be pulling this sled via a 4 wheeler because even without a smitty, the sled and gear weigh too much to pull by hand. One thing I have noticed in the past is that the sled does not always pull even due to hills, snow tracks, etc. My concern is that if I use a 2x8 directly attached to the ski, all that weight, speed, and uneven ground will put a lot of torque on the 2 inches of lumber attached to the ski. My solution is to actually use 2 pieces of 4x4 to achieve desired height but also have a much more structure support on the lumber and more real estate to attach with screws. The downside is obviously the overall weight but the set up is so heavy, im not sure it even matters anymore.

Next up you can see that I have 6 pieces of 2x4 attacked to the bottom of the sled. Again, my idea is extra support for weight and speed.

Finally, because I want my skis to follow in the wheeler tracks, I cant build an auger stand on the side like I wanted to because I dont want the smitty to be that wide. My idea was to use 4x4s and build the auger caddy across the top of the sled and sideways so that the auger crosses and  hovers over the sled. Therefore 4x4's would protrude up on both sides of the sled.


Where and why am I wrong?
 

[Uncle Al]

Use the 6 2x4's for a rack on the quad for your auger, front or back it don't matter. or put the auger in the sled. Your sled isn't that full yet, get a cover for it, bungee the auger down on top, and head for the ice.

[SirCranksalot]

There are a dozen ways, the quick, easy way would be make two cuts and knock the chunk out with a hammer. Helps to score the break with a knife before knocking it out..

<°)))>{

Thx---that's my level of wood butchery. I thought maybe there was a slicker way of doing it.

[SirCranksalot]

IMO the point where people go wrong is placing cross member supports way to close to the tips of the skis.  If there is too much weight forward, they can't do what they're supposed to properly.  Look at the sled Ice Scratcher built and the way he centered his support on the skies.  The bulk of the weight of the shanty will be over the center allowing the skis to flex, never bogging down.  I know people think my shanty base is long and heavy so I have to spread the supports out but they don't as long as they don't make the spread too short.  If you take the length of the base, divide it in half then divide that in half and center them over the middle of the skis (where the bindings would be), that is where you can put your supports.  That should allow the skis to flex.  Think of it as a really heavy person on the skis...they'll do what they are supposed to no matter his weight.

So, as I understand it you are saying to divide the ski length by 4 to determine how far apart the supports should be, then center the supports on the spot wher the bindings go?

[cwavs1982]

Thx---that's my level of wood butchery. I thought maybe there was a slicker way of doing it.

If you have an electric saw, set the depth to 1.5".  You can make multiple passes with a saw, taking bites of about 1/4" at a time.  Then take a chisel and pry the pieces out.  Use the chisel to clean up the knockouts and your 2x4 should lay flush with the top of your riser.

[SirCranksalot]

OK, thx--- I will try something along those lines.

[DLB]

So, as I understand it you are saying to divide the ski length by 4 to determine how far apart the supports should be, then center the supports on the spot wher the bindings go?

Yes.  Look at the picture of susies smitty sled you quoted.  That should give you an idea as to how much room the skis have to flex.  Then look at the picture of Uncle Al's design immediately above your post.  Not saying his won't work because it will but without the skis ability to flex properly, he may have a harder time pulling it thru heavy, deeper snow.  Many people put their supports at the very end of their tubs and it doesn't need to be like that. All of this is just my opinion but to me, its obvious when watching people skiing as to how skis are designed to work.  I must admit though, after many attempts at learning first hand how skis work, I was never able to learn how to ski.   After severely damaging my right knee, I threw in the towel.

[SirCranksalot]

DLB,

I see what you are saying and tend to agree with you up to a point. I think that, rather than center the supports around the binding location, I would offset them towards the rear. I don't see any disadvantage of having a support near the rear of the ski. Your thoughts?

[Uncle Al]

Smitty, help these guys out, tell them is aint rocket science

[smitty0312]

Smitty, help these guys out, tell them is aint rocket science

Fasten your risers off center towards back of skis.......this will keep the weight towards back and help keep ski tips up........