Snowmobile vs ATV/UTV

[Walleyewacker007]

Howdy folks, I  went fishing up at Cascade the past few days and we had a good 5-6" inches of fresh snow on Friday vs glare ice with standing water the day before. Thursday I took my atv and Friday I used my sled. I'm sure a lot of people will always favor what they have/use but I wanted to hear opinions on what machine people like best for ice fishing and why. I have and use both snowmobiles and atvs but no utv. I will use an atv when we have a lot of ice but not a lot of snow, as wheeled machines are much easier to load/ unload. I usually perfer a snowmobile for a few reasons, the main one being safety. I personaly feel safer on my sled especially crossing pressure ridges and edges- scout it out and hit it with a little speed to minimize risk of breaking through those weak ice areas. I also feel in extremely cold conditions(-20 and less) the sleds start a little easier.(could just be my machines) My dog also rides easier on the snowmachine. On top of that I absolutely LOVE back country adventures like Stanley Lake where you have miles of deep snow to go through and unless you have tracks a sled is the only option. What about you? Which do you perfer and why? Times you like 1 over the other?

[badger132]

I think you have the basic trade offs right- I was wishing I had a wheeler on the ice, especially since it was refrozen, churned up slush, which was so rough and sharp I punched holes in my tow behind sled. I also was up there a week and a half ago, when there was not enough snow to take sleds across the pasture to get to the lake. I also have gotten pretty wet taking a wheeler across the slush.
I also have walked, and if truth be told, that is my favorite way to access the ice. I used to take a small hatchback car, and walk out in the dark in the fog- it was magical! (until the slush got so deep I had to wear snowshoes all day, and pull a sled everywhere.)
I feel pretty lucky now to have the option to ride, and get to access a lot more of the lake than before. 

[dubob]

They both have pro's & con's.  The best from an ice fishing scenario would be a quad (ATV) with tracks.  It spreads the weight out like a sled and is very much less likely to be mired in the slush monster than either of the other 2.  I'm looking at going that route myself for next season - 2018/2019.

[curt69]

Tracks are 4.000 dollars , you can buy a nice snow machine for that much .

[dubob]

Tracks are 4.000 dollars , you can buy a nice snow machine for that much .

Yep - 4 to 5 grand installed.  And I already have a nice sled.  But there are cons that go along with it.  Just saying that the tracked quad meets more requirements of ice fishing with fewer cons than either a quad alone or a power sled.  But it will not fit everybody's wallet.  But that doesn't make it a bad choice; just a pricey one for some.

[Walleyewacker007]

That was the same thing I thought curt, in fact both of my sleds were purchased for less than $4k each. The other problem with tracks from what I've heard is that you need a big quad/utv to get the power needed to float in the deep stuff, and those typically weigh 750lbs.+ vs a sled which weigh around 500. I have never ridden a machine on tracks, only sleds so maybe someone with experience riding both could clue us in as to float of one vs the other. My guess is a sled floats up on the deep or soft better due to lower weight and larger contact area with the snow but like I said this is only a guess as Im sure the exact brand of tracks and machine play a role.as well. I also like owning two machines instead of one for the versatility of having a back up ride as well as the ability to bring someone else. If the tracks weren't so pricey or if I had limited storage space maybe I'd try the tracks.

[curt69]

Plus a ATV with tracks get horrible gas mileage.  And still won't  go where a snow machine will . If you get a ATV stuck with tracks , it is very hard to get them out .

[FG Steve]

I prefer snowmobile over ATV.  They're both pretty squirrely on glare ice, though most years I don't see much of that.  I suppose the ATV can chain up.  But the more snow, the more the snowmobile shines.  I've long thought that an ATV with tracks was the ultimate ice fishing machine, but some of your comments are making me reconsider.

Air-cooled snowmobiles are cheap compared to ATVs.  I run two of them that I think are pretty nice, and together they cost less than the trailer.

The dual season argument for ATVs doesn't work on me as I am a firm two-wheeler guy.

[Ice-A-Holic]

All boils down to conditions.  A sled with studded tracks and good carbides will go on glare ice but wear out the track guides or hifaxes if it's not lube with snow.  An atv with chains will go in anything upto a foot of snow or slush.  An atv with tracks might go in 2 feet but much slower than wheels.  Gotta be careful not to let a tracked vehicle freeze down in the slush.  All said I think there's more days in winter a atv is better suited and you can use it in the summer too.  An atv is better for hauling stuff too.