Turning a Smitty Sled

[rdhammah]

I've been using a Smitty Sled for a few years now and it works fine going straight or slight angle, but turning around or cutting a sharp turn is a problem. my skis don't slide. The edges cuts and drags the snow. is this avoidable or just the nature of the beast?

[SPIN 1]

Good morning rdhammah .  Type of ski , how they’re attached, and condition of them all depends.  Need skis ?let me know not far from you

[river_scum]

just the nature of skies i guess.  i loop my rope around my waist and go.  dont do many turns though.  i know where im headed.  my sled rarely weighs more than 60-80 pounds though. 

[SPIN 1]

just the nature of skies i guess.  i loop my rope around my waist and go.  dont do many turns though.  i know where im headed.  my sled rarely weighs more than 60-80 pounds though.

not all skis are created equal. Many different variants  my 2 cents

[SPIN 1]

And 60-80 pounds don’t matter can carry that     it’s the 150-200 pound sled with gear without a machine to pull that matters

[E Z turn]

My ropes are tied to the base of the sled and then run thru round eye bolts in the tip of each ski.

[badger132]

You can do a few things to help with turning:

First is to attach the rope to the tie of the skis, or run them through eye bolts on the tips- that gives you more leverage to turn, and the lift you apply to the tips lightens the front and helps it skid

Next, you could round off the edges. The metal edges are for turning while the ski is bent, and aren't useful in a Smitty. That won't help if the snow is deep though.

Finally, load the weight to the back, to lighten the tips. And for sure, the lighter the sled, the easier it all will be...

You also ned to make your Smitty wide enough to be stable with the side loads of turning. Turning is when things can tip is too narrow and tall.

[Salmonquest]

great points already. A few more. I added a middle ski just a little bit lower then the others. You could possibly add a shim and cant the skis inward. Rounding the edges it the best idea I believe.