Build a runner sled?

[HD]

Ok....I just spent the afternoon pulling my new 3 man fabil across the lake. I thought it would pull better than my Yukon when I bought it...wrong.....

I was thinking, as I was pulling...the surface area on the snow is pretty wide, and with the weight of all the  I bring...makes it hard to pull by hand. I have seen the green strips they sell to install on the bottom of the sled, but don't think they would help much cause the surface area would still be large. Has anybody installed these? I'm thinking that I would have to build a seperate sled (kinda like the old runner sleds) to put the fish house on for early ice.

What do you folks do for early ice with snow?

[The General]

DDS says, Muscle up!  He sent me a pic of his.

[HD]

Smart  ....That's what I have been do'in boss!   

I didn't get this big and ugly by sitting on the couch eat'in tater chips... 

[Outdoors Junkie]

I made a frame and put two old down hill ski's on the bottom to pull my portable around on the ice.  It works great!  I borrowed the idea from someone here on MNO.  I am think it was Thunderpout...but not positive.  Thanks to who every it was that shared the idea in the past.

[sandmannd]

By green strips are you talking about they hyfax runners? I have them on my otter and they are great. Here's the thing they, they aren't going to help you on lots of snow and fresh snow. If the snow is packed down or you have clean ice, you will hardly know you are pulling it. However, if you have a lot of snow it's a pain in the arse no matter what you put on it.

[DDSBYDAY]

     I put the hyfax runners on.  Won't help the drag but sure will make your sled last a lot longer.  My floor was getting pretty thin.   

[HD]

By green strips are you talking about they hyfax runners? I have them on my otter and they are great. Here's the thing they, they aren't going to help you on lots of snow and fresh snow. If the snow is packed down or you have clean ice, you will hardly know you are pulling it. However, if you have a lot of snow it's a pain in the arse no matter what you put on it.

Yup, them are it.... I didn't think they would help in this new snow.

I was thinking of welding up a sort of bob sled design, with some conduit that I have. 

[Pete]

I made a frame and put two old down hill ski's on the bottom to pull my portable around on the ice.  It works great!  I borrowed the idea from someone here on MNO.  I am think it was Thunderpout...but not positive.  Thanks to who every it was that shared the idea in the past.

I've got something similar. 2 skis, a 2x4 frame, and I've got a box to put all my stuff in and there's still room for my ice house.

My parents found it at a garage sale in the Glenwood/Villard area. So if someone on here made that, thanks! 

[thunderpout]

Yep, skis work great for the suitcase type houses, and are perfect for the box sled type rig some guys use.   My old Canvas-plus monster suitcase type portable had these metal "rail" type runners that slid into metal tubing attached to the side of the portable, and they got it a foot and a half up off the ice, sweet!  That house has been mouse eaten and tossed years ago, but I saved the skis for future use... old cross-country or downhill skis float pretty nice on deep snow, where runners dont, but rail type runners are nice on ice with little or no snow... no resistance & easy to pull.

[kcarder]

There is something on craigslist that you might be interested in?

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/rvs/2111733809.html

I just accidentally ran across it.  Just thought that I would try to help since I saw it.

[jkjkoda]

What lenght you need i might whip up a proto type tomorow will post pics 12-16 - 10

[HD]

I figure it would need to be 3 foot wide and 6 foot long.........

[jkjkoda]

Well this is what I came up with. top chanels pin to hyfax 4 times each side the kind you use to put the ladder sections together on ladder stand. Have snow pin to your Hyfax and go no snow leave ski's in garage. Pertty rough but should give you the Ideal .

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[DDSBYDAY]

That there looks like a marketable product.  Nice job.

[HD]

Those look they would work!

[jkjkoda]

Not sure of dim. of the hyfax??? Raises sled 3'' off the snow. To high?? To low?? not sure don't have portable ice house but love solving problems!!! now what to do with proto type??
Hunterdown could you use them?? Not welded yet will on monday but need to know Dim of the hyfax you would have to take care of the pinning of the ski's let me know!!!

 

[HD]

Sure! I could use um! I haven't bought the hyfax yet, but I will now.

[jkjkoda]

let me know outside dim of hyfax!! can't weld till I know!!! then we can arrange pick up!!
 

[HD]

I'll swing by on the way home and pick them up. Thanks!

[jkjkoda]

let me know as soon as you can will bring home with me on monday?? Try to measure width and highth as close as you can . so I can make bracket a tight fit.

[HD]

I just picked up the hyfax strips... They are exactly 1.00 inch wide by .500 thick...
I checked um with a caliper. 
Not much to pin to.... 

[BiggA]

After draggin my house through the snow today something like that would be a sweet idea.  I think I would rather have the skis connected by a frame that you set ur house on top of though. However for storage the solo skis would rock.

[jkjkoda]

  how's the hyfax attched?     could we cover hyfax and runner on sled?? Total hight would be??  could we pin into runner on sled? Or come straight down from inside sled?? Your thoughts??   let me know!!!

[HD]

Yea...the hyfax strips are basically nylon, that have counter sunk holes through. And you drill holes in the bottom of the sled tub to attach with wing nuts on the inside.

The sled of the fish house is like a giant tobogon, pretty smooth, except for a few ridges that are not very deep.

That's why I was thinking at first,  a seperate type of sled with skinny ski's to set the house on to reduce the surface area.

[sandmannd]

Well this is what I came up with. top chanels pin to hyfax 4 times each side the kind you use to put the ladder sections together on ladder stand. Have snow pin to your Hyfax and go no snow leave ski's in garage. Pertty rough but should give you the Ideal .

That is sweet!! You got one heck of an idea going. Can't wait to see what you come up with. Not sure how you could pin it to the hyfax. Maybe looking at other parts of the bottom of the sled. Best bet is to have a sled there to take a look at.

[jkjkoda]

could you attach the ski the same way you would the hyfax?? then when not useing skies have rubber plugs for where the skie's hardware come up through bottom of sled.

[sandmannd]

That would be pretty hard. It's a pain putting on hyfax and once it's screwed down, you don't wanna mess with it at all. Maybe if you off set these skies you could do that. But trying to reach into these sleds to put a plug in and suck could be a pain. Most folks store a lot of stuff in them. 

[jkjkoda]

  Think problem solved Hunterdown sent ya pm. 

[sandmannd]

Post some pics if you got it, I'd love to see the updates on this. It really looks like a great idea.