Author Topic: My Homemade $15 Sled! AKA The "Smitty Sled"  (Read 819559 times)

Offline shwung79

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 386
  • Hardwater Nut!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #150 on: Jan 14, 2011, 07:10 PM »
I bet smithy wishes he didn't start this post.......but.... what is the length of these skis you are using?? ;D
TEAR'N UP THAT ICE!!

Offline St.Croix

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 616
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #151 on: Jan 15, 2011, 07:23 AM »
That is a sweet sled. I'm going to make one as soon as I can find an old pair of skis. Thanks for posting!
><(((o>  ..............><(((o>   .................. ><(((o>

Offline Lobes

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 3,681
  • Just Fishin'
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #152 on: Jan 15, 2011, 10:04 AM »

Mecosta County / Lakeview, Michigan

Online smitty0312

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,250
  • Build A Smitty Sled.......it's a back & lung saver
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #153 on: Jan 15, 2011, 11:01 AM »
I bet smithy wishes he didn't start this post.......but.... what is the length of these skis you are using?? ;D
I'm glad I did start this post! Over 15,000 views! Down hill skis, I cut 6" off mine so they would fit in my car, now I wouldn't have to do it since I have a suv that would fit the full length skis. Keep em' coming! Smitty
[email protected] if you don't have a FB account.....or search "The Original Smitty Sled" on FB....thank you

Offline rdhammah

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 4,067
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #154 on: Jan 15, 2011, 03:14 PM »
i would be hauling about 75 pounds in my sled. will 4" clearance work in 9" of snow? we currenly have 2-3" od slush under the snow. tough enough to walk thru without dragging sled

Offline shwung79

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 386
  • Hardwater Nut!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #155 on: Jan 15, 2011, 05:32 PM »
I'm glad I did start this post! Over 15,000 views! Down hill skis, I cut 6" off mine so they would fit in my car, now I wouldn't have to do it since I have a suv that would fit the full length skis. Keep em' coming! Smitty

Good Man!!  Ok. They looked like down hill skis.  I had a pair of Xcountry in the garage and am going to try constructing with those.  This way maybe Ill start using my CLAM again. :)
TEAR'N UP THAT ICE!!

Offline shwung79

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 386
  • Hardwater Nut!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #156 on: Jan 15, 2011, 05:34 PM »
i would be hauling about 75 pounds in my sled. will 4" clearance work in 9" of snow? we currenly have 2-3" od slush under the snow. tough enough to walk thru without dragging sled

Yeah you may have to use a 2x8 or 2x10.  Not sure of the stability though?  Should be fine.  My guess not have used one before is you would be plowing through the snow if you don't get the clearance.
TEAR'N UP THAT ICE!!

Offline shwung79

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 386
  • Hardwater Nut!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #157 on: Jan 15, 2011, 10:34 PM »
Built one tonight...trial run tomorrow. 6" of snow on the ground as of now.
TEAR'N UP THAT ICE!!

Offline rdhammah

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 4,067
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #158 on: Jan 16, 2011, 07:22 AM »
i have my sled mounted on skis in a similar way, but the sled is screwed into the 2x4's and the wood is laying down widthwise. easier to drad in 2-4" of snow than no skis, but still difficult. i never changed the rope's position so it is still on the sled. would changing the rope to the skis help to make it easier? loading sled into car is clumsy with just a little gear still in the sled. i like the idea of the ski system is separate. any problems with the sled shifting on irregular terrain?

Online smitty0312

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,250
  • Build A Smitty Sled.......it's a back & lung saver
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #159 on: Jan 16, 2011, 10:31 AM »
i have my sled mounted on skis in a similar way, but the sled is screwed into the 2x4's and the wood is laying down widthwise. easier to drad in 2-4" of snow than no skis, but still difficult. i never changed the rope's position so it is still on the sled. would changing the rope to the skis help to make it easier? loading sled into car is clumsy with just a little gear still in the sled. i like the idea of the ski system is separate. any problems with the sled shifting on irregular terrain?
I have my rope tied to the ski tips, I think it helps keep ski tips up, remember.........LONG tow rope(I walk probably 8ft in front of my sled,that means a 16ft piece of rope). Hope this helps you. Smitty
[email protected] if you don't have a FB account.....or search "The Original Smitty Sled" on FB....thank you

Offline truckhuntfish

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 121
  • You'll have that
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #160 on: Jan 16, 2011, 10:53 AM »
are you guys using downhill or cross country skis ?   downhill skis are wider arent they ? what type would be better ?   wider for floating or narrow for cutting through ?     just asking because i am going to make something for my frabill excursion that pulls about as easy as a chest freezer.
-Truckin , Huntin , and Fishin , That's how I roll

Ha Haa Haaa  Did that hurt right away ???

Online smitty0312

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,250
  • Build A Smitty Sled.......it's a back & lung saver
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #161 on: Jan 16, 2011, 12:01 PM »
are you guys using downhill or cross country skis ?   downhill skis are wider arent they ? what type would be better ?   wider for floating or narrow for cutting through ?     just asking because i am going to make something for my frabill excursion that pulls about as easy as a chest freezer.
I used dowhill skis. Easier to find too. Smitty
[email protected] if you don't have a FB account.....or search "The Original Smitty Sled" on FB....thank you

Offline Uplandhuntr

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 255
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #162 on: Jan 16, 2011, 12:07 PM »
I tried it yesterday with 2x4's....on 12" of fluffy snow it ended up plowing snow.  I ended up pulling my shack without the sled in that situation as the load spread over more area kept it on top better than using the skis....It was a lot of work.....

Praying for a little warm weather to settle the snow a bit and then I bet it will work great again.

Offline miked77

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 22
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #163 on: Jan 16, 2011, 04:07 PM »
I just got a new Frabill Treker and found that even in a couple of inches the thing was horrible to pull.  Looking for skis now, and gonna build one of these to sit the trekker on.  Thinking might have to go 2x6's to keep things a little higher, we'll see

Great idea!

Thanks for posting all the pics.

Mike

Offline rdhammah

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 4,067
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #164 on: Jan 16, 2011, 05:52 PM »
makes sense. thanks, smitty.
brought sled in from the car. will be making mods this week. home depot, here i come!

Offline down in a hole

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 12
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #165 on: Jan 16, 2011, 07:45 PM »
Great job muskie....hope you really enjoy the sport alot more now that you don't have to waste time and energy getting your equipment to your favorite fishing spot. Smitty
nice sled...

Offline Rubberdaddy

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 41
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #166 on: Jan 17, 2011, 09:54 PM »
Just picked up some skis tonight for my new sled. Thanks for the inspiration Smitty :tipup:

Offline justfine

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 218
  • NOW THIS IS FUN!!!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #167 on: Jan 18, 2011, 06:01 AM »
built 2 so far works great will be building another friends want one 5$ skis salvation army store pitchers to come love the Smitty sled
HAPPINESS IS BLOOD ON THE ICE!!!!

Offline lives2fish

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 485
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #168 on: Jan 18, 2011, 08:30 AM »
Good job on the sled, I have 2 friend who are limited on space, I will have to pass this on to them :tipup:
No, I mean I REALLY REALLY LOVE TO FISH!!!


Offline justfine

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 218
  • NOW THIS IS FUN!!!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #169 on: Jan 18, 2011, 01:29 PM »




my two
HAPPINESS IS BLOOD ON THE ICE!!!!

Offline ChautauquaDawg

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 214
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #170 on: Jan 18, 2011, 03:52 PM »
Nice looking sleds, Glad to see you used my old K2 5500!

Offline Eaglecrg

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 445
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #171 on: Jan 18, 2011, 05:07 PM »
I'm just now getting into ice fishing and this sled looks great.  May have to build one.  A few thoughts on design.  For those concerned about it sinking into the snow, it wouldn't be difficult to add a 3rd ski in the middle which should improve the buoyancy in snow.  May make turning a bit more tricky though.  In regard to what kind of skiis--I would think downhill skiis should pull easier and stay on top of the snow better, but the cross country skiis with the fish scales on the bottom might be nice to have going uphill!  Anyone try them?  For those folks using 2x6 or 2x8s, I was thinking some of those metal shelf brackets hardware stores sell might provide some good lateral support without adding much to the drag in deeper snow.  Really nice design smitty--kudos!

Online smitty0312

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,250
  • Build A Smitty Sled.......it's a back & lung saver
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #172 on: Jan 18, 2011, 05:30 PM »
I'm just now getting into ice fishing and this sled looks great.  May have to build one.  A few thoughts on design.  For those concerned about it sinking into the snow, it wouldn't be difficult to add a 3rd ski in the middle which should improve the buoyancy in snow.  May make turning a bit more tricky though.  In regard to what kind of skiis--I would think downhill skiis should pull easier and stay on top of the snow better, but the cross country skiis with the fish scales on the bottom might be nice to have going uphill!  Anyone try them?  For those folks using 2x6 or 2x8s, I was thinking some of those metal shelf brackets hardware stores sell might provide some good lateral support without adding much to the drag in deeper snow.  Really nice design smitty--kudos!
I think(just my opinion), by adding a 3rd ski would add more surface area touching the snow and might add more "drag" and might pull harder......but it hasn't been tested here in this thread I think, Higher supports would  provide more clearance, but I like my supports lower because if I want to move and not break my shanty down, I can just pull it up onto the sled, put all my stuff inside and off I go to another spot. Keep the ideas coming and thanks for the nice comments again! Smitty
[email protected] if you don't have a FB account.....or search "The Original Smitty Sled" on FB....thank you

Offline Team Lightning

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 587
  • Proud Gawker of the BIKINI ICE FISHING TEAM !!
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #173 on: Jan 18, 2011, 07:32 PM »
picked up a pair of $3.00 Rosignalls today... Gonna be a little behind everyone else...(just had surgery) maybe by next season.

Offline mote1977

  • Team IceShanty Addict
  • *
  • Posts: 613
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #174 on: Jan 18, 2011, 07:42 PM »
Do you guys wax the skis? I don't have ski wax but was thinking about putting a few coats of paste wax on them.

Offline barn1

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 39
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #175 on: Jan 19, 2011, 11:41 AM »
Finished mine last Saturday. I used 2 x 6's and it carries about 150 lbs total (including Frabil Trekker) with no stability issues.  But down here in CT, and buying everything at Home Depot (except the skis) cost me about $60.

Thanks for the idea though. It works great! I do need to add a fresh coat of wax though. It's been about 30 years since my old skis have seen any wax!

Barn.

Online smitty0312

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,250
  • Build A Smitty Sled.......it's a back & lung saver
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #176 on: Jan 19, 2011, 04:14 PM »
Do you guys wax the skis? I don't have ski wax but was thinking about putting a few coats of paste wax on them.
I have yet to wax mine yet (3rd season), but probably wouldn't hurt anything. Great job guys!! Keep em' coming! Smitty
[email protected] if you don't have a FB account.....or search "The Original Smitty Sled" on FB....thank you

Offline sidecar53

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 32
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #177 on: Jan 19, 2011, 06:09 PM »
Just finished your sled, modded to fit my Clam Yukon. Pulls with about 1/4 the effort now. Thanks for the great idea, Smitty :)

Offline jhei88

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 56
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #178 on: Jan 19, 2011, 06:11 PM »
instead of using skis do you think 2*6 s laid flat would work

Offline beeverfishing

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 2,009
Re: My Homemade $15 Sled!
« Reply #179 on: Jan 19, 2011, 06:19 PM »
instead of using skis do you think 2*6 s laid flat would work

Most likely not as they would plow way too much and snow /ice would stick to them...would work ok on smooth ice, but I don't get that very often.
  

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.