WHAT IS BETTER A.T.V. OR SNOWMOBILE

[ZIGZAG]

I AM TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO GET FOR ICE FISHING.

[caseymcq]

Most of the time an ATV would be better. You would likely get more use out of it (outside of ice fishing).

If the snow is deep and/or it is really slushy on the lake, that is where a snowmobile is going to be better.

Would you ride either recreationally(other than for fishing)? Do you hunt and would you use an ATV to hunt with? That might help you choose.

[WTN4ICE]

The sixty four million dollar question !!!! Whats your budget ??

I picked up a sled last year for a grand and have been very happy with it, of course we got a foot of snow last Dec 1st. You will get as many different opinions as there are guys on this site.Both have pros & cons,whatever works best for you.

[Random guy]

I like the sled just for slush, cracks and pressure ridges(lot of that stuff on Red and LOW) . Not to mention sleds spread out the load better on thinner ice...of course I think ATVs handle the load and gear better then a sled ever could.

Always a tough call.

[MuleShack]

get the ATV and put tracks on it...problem solved.

of course you just increased your budget by 25-50%

[MIDNIGHT777]

I have a newer Skidoo trail sled that I primarily use for trail riding. Well, I like to ice fish also so I manufactured a bracket that allows me to hook it up to the portable fish house. I have used it for ice fishing to pull the portable probably 10-15 times. One of the times it was nice to have the sled, not an ATV since the snow was too deep. The other times I could have easily gotten by with an ATV.

Obviously it ultimately depends on how much snow is on the lake and no one can predict month to month/year to year. It just seems that the last few years there has not been a ton of snow on the lakes at the times I have been fishing them. I have had to use the sled on almost glare ice, which is not good for the sled.

I would figure a sled would be safer on thin ice since it spreads the weight out over more surface area. A sled would also be better when there is slush in-between the ice and snow because with a little momentum you could power right through it. Sled would be better if you have to or accidentally cross a crack.

Theses are all things to think about. If I could only have on it would probably be an ATV. Not to mention most importantly that it can be used year round.

Good luck on your decision!!

Matt

[DTro]

If you are only going to use it for fishing and plan to fish mostly in the Northern part of the state, I think a sled is the best option.

[WingDing2]

IMO.... for the all around unit, a wheeler. If your a serious Ice Fisher get a decent sled. We do LOW with portables and a permanant house, A snowmobile is mandatory for access most times of the year other than first ice. Just my 2 cents!

[looneyducer]

Yes.

[evinrude19]

i would also go for the sled

[Shack]

ATVs handle the load

I do not know about that I have seen some AC Bearcat "Wide Tracks" with cleats, haul a huge load and pull stuck fish houses out of the ice . I know what you where saying thoug !!!Pull!!!!

I am sick of my wheeler with slush and any deep snow. With the right Hyfax bare ice is no prob. You are getting threw with out getting stuck.

My wheeler sits during ice time!

I am snowmobile all the way!

[fiskyknut]

Sled 4 sure, Polaris Widetrack.

[PerchJerker]

An atv will be the most versatile for sure, but unless you put tracks on it you're going to be stuck when you get over a foot of snow. I have an atv, not a sled, and a lot of times it's great ..... but at times I can't use it and need a sled.

If you wouldn't use the atv for anything other than ice fishing then I'd lean heavily toward a sled.

[raymondk]

cost wise I see alot of sleds for under a thousnd but you won't see any atv for that price.

[Outfitter17]

Arctic Cat Bearcat for sure. I have 3 and we never get stuck no matter what the conditions are.

[Random guy]

cost wise I see alot of sleds for under a thousnd but you won't see any atv for that price.

Like my ride, not the coolest looking thing around but it is ultra light at 362 pounds fully loaded with auger and fuel(sled was stripped for weight). It has a wide track and fully tubbed out bottom so it loves slush, actaully eats it for dinner. It may not look the coolest or be even close to the fastet with break neck speeds of 60 mph but it will go just about anywhere I ask it...even across spans of open water.

[muc33]

Like many have said, I have the wheeler for no snow conditions or for very cold conditions with a hard snow pack, but just bought a sled for LOTW because a wheeler generally sucks up there unless you like to shovel yourself out quite a bit.

Nice ride Jonny, how did you rig up the auger rack on front?

[Sonicrunch]

I just recently got rid of my ATV and purchased a sled. The ATV sat all summer, and I couldn't get around in deep snow. I'll get way more use out of the sled.

[stumper]

Atv all the way for me, but then I have yet to find a lake with enough snow on it to stop my machine. I also use it for racing in the summer so I get to use it year round.

[federline]

If you don't hunt and don't get yer jollies from riding a wheeled device down a trail, get a sled for ice fishing. Hands down. And rig up yer portable ice house to be towed. You'll go everywhere, certainly further than a 4 wheeler in a foot of ice and slush.

One piece of ancillary advice - if you get a sled that has slides and like to use it when no snow on iced over lake - get some "ice scratchers" that mount on your tunnel and dig into the ice to spray ice ice flakes on your slide cage to keep them from melting when you "gun it".

[broman]

Like my ride, not the coolest looking thing around but it is ultra light at 362 pounds fully loaded with auger and fuel(sled was stripped for weight). It has a wide track and fully tubbed out bottom so it loves slush, actaully eats it for dinner. It may not look the coolest or be even close to the fastet with break neck speeds of 60 mph but it will go just about anywhere I ask it...even across spans of open water.

I just bought an 89 Pantera a few weeks ago for ice fishing. Looks to be the same as yours. You mentioned that it's tubbed and has a wide track and that you stripped it for weight. I'm pretty new to snowmobiles, was it already tubbed and had the wide track? Also, what did you strip off for the weight?

[federline]

Jonny P, yer my hero, dude. That is a bitchen sled, slightly classic, and heavily functional. (Did I really type "bitchen"? )

[stumper]

Another thing to keep in mind is that the liquid cooled sleds get their cooling from the track throwing snow onto the heat disipators.Run to long without snow or water on top of the ice and your engine will get hot.

Around here you would be replacing skags and or ski's on a regular basis due to the parking areas being gravel and having to park so far away from the ice.

[brady_d]

I'd go with a wheeler just for the sake of using it in the summer for trail riding and work around the house. I just picked this one up a few months ago and built some boxes for all my gear so I don't have to pull a sled in at night.

[stumper]

How well are your headlights gonna work on that? Looks like yah got room for almost everything on the quad.