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IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: Slabseek3r on Apr 16, 2019, 09:56 AM
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Im Looking to get a vehicle to use on the ice next year, and was wondering the pros and cons of stuff like atvs, tracksleds, 3 wheelers, snowmobiles, etc. On the ice. Iowa ice is either bare or has lots of slush, so it has to be able to go through slush.
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I can get a really good deal on a liquid cooled snowmobile here, if they do very well in slush. Also, could you put tires on the front for summer or bare ice?
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This is an age old question and often has no right or wrong answer. I will tell you my opinion... if I had to choose one vehicle for ice fishing it would be a sled no doubt. The only time a sled isn't practical is when there is zero snow on the ice, and in that condition it's very easy to walk and pull whatever you want. But there are many times where a wheeler is not practical due to too much snow. Bad slush can be a problem for any vehicle including a sled, but for me, an experienced snowmobile rider, I would rather have a sled on slush than a wheeler.
Sleds unfortunately are a big problem in glare ice conditions because the track rides on metal clips that ride on hard plastic runners called hyfax. If there is no snow to lubricate the hyfax then the track clips can heat up due to friction and melt to the hyfax.
Liquid cooled sleds also require the snow to cool the intercooler that is normally affixed to under the seat within the tunnel. So a liquid cooled sled is really not feasible on glare ice conditions. Air cooled is somewhat better but also not ideal due to the track lubrication issue.
Very old sleds use bogie wheel suspensions that do not have hyfax. The track rides on rubber coated wheels. They also usually are free air/air cooled motors, so they can be run on glare ice or dirt, pavement or whatever.
You can get wheel kits for any sled, but again, it's only very old vintage sleds that could take advantage of them on glare ice or dirt. Air cooled sleds also suffer from overheating issues on really warm days.
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X2 on dostorgee's post. Very good info to help you make a choice. I will offer up what I decided to do as the machines presented themselves at the right time for the right price. I 1st went with a 97' polaris grand touring 500 trail sled as we do get a good amount of snow here so it was a no brainer. I have since installed scratchers to keep my hyfax cool and provide some ice chunks to the cooler when the snow is very hard packed. There are a few places I fish mainly in Wyoming that do not get much snow, so The next purchase was a 96' polaris 250 trail boss. Its only 2 wheel drive, but I have v-bar chains I put on all 4 tires for the winter. The front chains only purpose is to give me better steering on the glare ice and I get questioned about them all the time when people see its only 2 wheel drive. That thing can handle up to about 6-8in of snow and them its time for the sled. Together I'm only into them just under $2000. I do get alot of use out of the wheeler in the summer also, so its duel purpose for me with that one. I feel it was a good decision for both for my fishing situations. Here's some pics of them
(https://i.imgur.com/7BE4t6zl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WpRYwtZl.jpg)
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My comment here is to Muskyon 46
Just a safety thing. No 4 wheeler mfg out there including Polaris will tell you it is ok to put chains on any 4 wheeler front tires. If a tire tosses a chain it will either go forward and down or back and up, so if you have a front tire toss a chain you have a 50% chance of eating that chain. And that is going to hurt!
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Appreciate you bringing this up dogfish. I have heard of this happening and I do secure mine very good. After I get the locks on them tightened up I secure all loose links and the locks with zip ties to give them just a little bit more added safety. I also started using the spring loaded tighteners on the outside since the rubber bungees weather so fast and deteriorate. Going on 4 years now and all has felt safe enough for me. I keep the speeds down quite a bit to on the hard deck also, it isn't the dunes.
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If its a good deal I wouldn't be afraid of the liquid cooled sled. Mine is liquid cooled. With a studded track and scratchers I kick up enough ice to both cool my sled and lubricate my hyfax. I've never overheated mine and I do some long runs pulling a sleigh, often on bare ice at the start and end of the season. Just get a pair of scratchers and stud the track. A studded track makes a huge difference in added traction as well. If you're worried about slush, a snowmobile is your best option.
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This past winter in Minnesota was particularly brutal with lots of snow and slush. Nearly every form of vehicle had a lot of problems with the slush when off plowed roads. Seems the vehicle with the least problems were ATV/UTV's with tracks. Not to say they were problem free, but overall the better choice.
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YOUR FEET!!!
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I was from central Iowa and now moved to the Iowa line up in the NW corner. This past winter was the only one in the past 5 winters where the snow was too deep to get a ATV on the ice. And this winter the deep snow only affected the last 4-6 weeks of the season. I could still walk on the snow covered lakes, on bigger busier lakes somebody always drives a vehicle on and creates a packed path, so your atv or walking is still good. You will get much more use from an ATV than a snowmobile, in my opinion in Iowa.
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If its a good deal I wouldn't be afraid of the liquid cooled sled. Mine is liquid cooled. With a studded track and scratchers I kick up enough ice to both cool my sled and lubricate my hyfax. I've never overheated mine and I do some long runs pulling a sleigh, often on bare ice at the start and end of the season. Just get a pair of scratchers and stud the track. A studded track makes a huge difference in added traction as well. If you're worried about slush, a snowmobile is your best option.
That's true, I often take my 190hp liquid cooled turbo charged beast on glare ice for as long as she'll let me before complaining.
Notice the lack of snow:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Sports/Fishing/i-nNCC5B7/0/4c0f1ec5/L/20190324_072256-L.jpg)
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I was from central Iowa and now moved to the Iowa line up in the NW corner. This past winter was the only one in the past 5 winters where the snow was too deep to get a ATV on the ice. And this winter the deep snow only affected the last 4-6 weeks of the season. I could still walk on the snow covered lakes, on bigger busier lakes somebody always drives a vehicle on and creates a packed path, so your atv or walking is still good. You will get much more use from an ATV than a snowmobile, in my opinion in Iowa.
An ATV may be usable year round for some people, but if the sole use is for ice fishing (assumed from OP) it can't do as much as a snowmobile. As a toy to use all year, a quad has a longer season but a snowmobile is a better machine with more capability for ice fishing. A quad is a good jack of all trades but a snowmobile is better at doing snowmobile things on snow, ice and slush
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Well said dunnhunting.
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Atv or utv with tracks
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ATV with chains. Best thing to do is deflate the tire/pull the tire valve, chain it up as tight as you can get it, inflate to 5 lbs, cut off or wire up the excess links so they don't slap anything. There's no way my chains would come off. If there isn't enough space on the front set between the rim & front end, buy 1" spacers. I had chains on all 4 & it churned thru the snow like nobodies business until it hi centered. I had to remove 2 lines of cross links order to get the front chain set to mount tight. I wish I would've done it years ago. Mine is a 2000 Polaris H.O.
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An ATV may be usable year round for some people, but if the sole use is for ice fishing (assumed from OP) it can't do as much as a snowmobile. As a toy to use all year, a quad has a longer season but a snowmobile is a better machine with more capability for ice fishing. A quad is a good jack of all trades but a snowmobile is better at doing snowmobile things on snow, ice and slush
i can't remember the last time i saw a snowmobile used for pulling ice gear on a lake in iowa. just never see them. your comments are valid but it is not happening here. This year I saw it on one lake, one day in the Brookings, SD area only after the deep snow came and that was about 5 fishing trips. I see snowmobile pleasure riders but very few pulling gear.
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I've got a regular wheeler , tracked wheeler , a six wheeler , a 1989 and 1990 cheetah touring long track (156), a 1986 alpine 503 , and a new polaris titan . they all have a time their best . but all around most useful is a snowmobile ( fan cooled or like my titan has a radiator to cool in low snow ) stud it for bare ice and scratchers if you are really concerned . a long track sled will hang in with a tracked wheeler in slush if it has the power ( a 156 track) . tracked wheelers will do just about everything but they throw a ton of slop on you and they're not great at long runs on ice . if your looking for an ice only transport fan cooled utility snowmobile is hard to beat (best bang for your buck ) my 2cents
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Thanks for the replies. It would mostly be for ice fishing and winter transport, as I have a honda trx125 (no VIN) that does everything for the summer, plus a tractor. I've included a pic of the one I'm looking at, but I'm not sure if I'll buy it yet.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Z9LsYtdB/01717-5-M09x8-E8-Gj3-600x450.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Z9LsYtdB)
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Those old polaris sleds are great, especially the 488 fan cooled.
Light and dont need snow to keep cool.
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My main ice fishing transportation is an older 1994 Polaris Indy Trail Deluxe with the 488 fan cooled Fuji motor along with electric start, reverse, and studded track. I added ice scratchers to help with keeping the slides cool when running on bare ice and use a Johnson's Cargo Rack to haul the majority of my stuff. I'd also recommend a good set of 8" carbide skegs/runners on the ski's if you stud the track and carry much weight on the cargo rack, and you will likely want to set the rear suspension to the stiffest setting. This setup has worked well for me - reliable machine.
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(https://i.imgur.com/laXMbwWh.jpg)
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An ATV may be usable year round for some people, but if the sole use is for ice fishing (assumed from OP) it can't do as much as a snowmobile. As a toy to use all year, a quad has a longer season but a snowmobile is a better machine with more capability for ice fishing. A quad is a good jack of all trades but a snowmobile is better at doing snowmobile things on snow, ice and slush
agree completely, that said, I run a can am 850 with 18mm carbide studded tires, it's hard to stop and is the most practical for me because of where I fish and my my storage situation... otherwise , because I only use it ice fishing, I'd run a air cooled sled with the nastiest studs money could buy.
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An ATV may be usable year round for some people, but if the sole use is for ice fishing (assumed from OP) it can't do as much as a snowmobile. As a toy to use all year, a quad has a longer season but a snowmobile is a better machine with more capability for ice fishing. A quad is a good jack of all trades but a snowmobile is better at doing snowmobile things on snow, ice and slush
Disagree somewhat, this season we developed so much snow and slush that sleds were useless pulling anything out. Only vehicles that had any luck were ATVs/UTVs with tracks. Sounds like OP won't be running into anything like we had in Northern WI, so to put it in his perspective, he's probably better off with a sled.
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Disagree somewhat, this season we developed so much snow and slush that sleds were useless pulling anything out. Only vehicles that had any luck were ATVs/UTVs with tracks. Sounds like OP won't be running into anything like we had in Northern WI, so to put it in his perspective, he's probably better off with a sled.
Interesting point! I'm just north of the border near Thunder Bay where we had very similar conditions this year. I've seen a few quads with track kits and they do well in the deep stuff, and float better than short track sleds. They might work well, but for the cost of a quad and track kit you can buy a new skandic, Indy voyageur, bearcat or similar sled with wide ski skins and studded paddle track that will handle the same conditions, go faster, and save some cash for more gear. If going the used route like most do on a budget or for a first ice rig, I could buy my sled 3 times or more for the cost of just a track kit for a wheeler. They are an awesome setup but just too expensive for a lot of people.
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I am guessing that N/W Iowa does not normally have all that much snow depth on the lakes. With that assumption I would think a 4-wheel drive 4-wheeler that has good ground clearance, along with aggresive tires, would go in most conditions they would have, maybe even better than a snowmobile most of the time. I saw one go through some awful deep slush conditions this weekend (N/W Ontario), the aggresive tires made the difference, very impressive. My first machine of choice for here is a long wide-track snowmobile with lots of HP, not sure that is really necessary for Iowa.
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If you get a lot of deep slush you really need a long track with plenty of horse power to get up on top of it and stay there.
Even worse if you're pulling a boggan, which will load up with slush and start to dig in.
Buddy's have regaled me with tales of standing waist deep in slush trying to get their smaller 500-600 cc sleds out of the crap.
My one buddy ended up leaving the sled and walking back to his cabin a couple of miles away soaked with icy slush. He had to grab a couple of sheets of ply wood to haul the sled and boggan up onto. They left it there overnight and brought it back to the cabin the next morning after it had firmed up.
First time I got into deep slush I was just out for a ride on my new sled. I felt the back start to sink and it felt mushy. I turned around to see a seep slushy channel behind me. Pinned the throttle on my 1000cc sled and popped right up on top with no problem.
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Central iowa did have pretty bad slush at the end of last season, and most years there is some snow, but not a ton. I was going to build a tracksled, but I can get a trailer and snowmobile for about 500 bucks. The cheapest wheeler that I can find is over 900 bucks for a 125 cc one that's in bad shape. That's why I'm going the snowmobile route. Thanks for all the input guys.
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Best of luck with your sled Slabseek3r, I bet you'll be very happy with it. If you get in slush just keep the speed up.....just like water skipping. The water skipping adage applies in slush, "If you slow down, you go down", keep her pinned and enjoy the ride! ;D
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Another tip for slush or deep snow is to only stop your sled on a previously made track by doing a circle/loop around to the track you just made.
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Ditto on the long track. Have never been stuck in slush.
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tundra long track studied, it will go through anything, 3 ft of powerder or slush, Love my machine, :-) For those saying you need more power...well utility sleds sacrifice speed for power, so my 550f has lots of power as its top speed is only 60.
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I am looking for my 4th iteration of this answer. I walked for 4 decades, then tried my 4 wheeler, which was OK, but soaked me when it was sloppy, and was sketchy getting over cracks and breaks near shore. I got 2 '80's air cooled Yamaha snowmobiles, and finally an old Tundra 1 cylinder. The Tundra is great when there is snow, and even when not it is better than walking. It is slow, but compared to walking, it is a dream. I only take what I can put in the rack behind the seat, so I never get stuck, and we get more snow and therefore slush here in Idaho than you could ever see in Iowa. If I could find one, I would get a newer -06-09 Ski-Doo Tundra 300, which is basically the same machine I have with electric start and reverse, well under 400 pounds. Good luck finding someone willing to part with one.
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tundra long track studied, it will go through anything, 3 ft of powerder or slush, Love my machine, :-) For those saying you need more power...well utility sleds sacrifice speed for power, so my 550f has lots of power as its top speed is only 60.
Exactly my sled.
Mines a 2018 model.