Sleds on trailer question.

[captainshane]

I was wondering if you are required to tie down the back end of ur sled along with the bar across the skis? Sometimes you see and others you don't.

Thanks,

Shane

[furnace man]

You only need to tie down the front. The guys that tie down the back are anal. I have trailered thousands of miles and I just use the bar.

[leech~~]

You only need to tie down the front. The guys that tie down the back are anal. I have trailered thousands of miles and I just use the bar.

+1 No need if you have a good set of ski hold down bars.

[captainshane]

Thanks guys. You see it both ways so it made me wonder.

Thanks again.

[Surface Tension]

I tie down the back of the sleds. Same with my boat, the stern gets strapped to the trailer. You can drive a million miles and not run into any problems not doing so.

Do you realize how much inertia there is with objects the size of a sled when motion is stopped abruptly. They become a projectile. Just about every accident I've seen that had a trailer with sleds on it, the sleds that weren't' tied down where all over the place. Some left the trailer and ended up in the back of the truck and others ended up in the weeds. So instead of tow out of the ditch and back on the road their trip was over and at a good expense. Another story is a buddy that trailed his sled out to CO. While driving at night he looked out the mirror and there was his sled getting dragged along side the trailer. How it jumped off the trailer and and hung there by one ski he'll never now. He ended up having to rent a sled when you got to CO.

You could end up with a ticket for not having your load tied down properly.

[captainshane]

Good point S. T.! We are required to have two points of attachment of our boats to a trailer (front and back).

[DTro]

I usually tie down the back too.

Just as a sidebar to this question. Do most of you run your bars across the top of the skis, or through the ski loops?

My trailer has a few different locations for the screw and I've always run it on the furthest back one across the top of the skis near the tie rods.

[311Hemi]

You only need to tie down the front. The guys that tie down the back are anal. I have trailered thousands of miles and I just use the bar.

How many times have you been in the ditch or an accident with your sled on the trailer?

I don't think do much during normal transport....but as ST mentioned they could help in the event something like that were to happen. I have trailed thousands of miles without a trailer coming unhooked from the hitch, but I still use the chains to secure it.

That said, I have started tying down the back in the past couple years.....but I never did for the 4-5 years I owned a sled. Father in law got me started on that one and I too have seen sleds off the trailer after a truck has gone in the ditch.

Tie down on top of the ski in front of the spindle.

[furnace man]

If you go rippin in the ditch do you really think that a cheap ratchet strap from menards is really going to hold your 600 pound sled. And sorry to say but I have logged of million miles and never been in the ditch and if I do go in the ditch well that is what ins is for.

[311Hemi]

Well, in certain circumstances yes.....especially if your using aluminum tie down bars and have to stop quickly or slam on the brakes in an emergency. Those aluminum tie down bars are not all that strong and the parking break (if you set it) is not doing much.

I have not been in the ditch either....but it's not a problem.....until it's a problem!

[Macgyver55]

You dont necessarily have to go in the ditch to have problems. Coming back from West Yellowstone several years ago we were driving in a pretty bad snowstorm. Roads were snow covered and bumpy. Rolling along at a slow pace of 55 trying to stay between the ditches, my truck suddenly and violently started to fishtail. I hadnt done anything to cause it and the road hadnt changed. I did my best and kept it straight then suddenly it grabbed hold and straightened out. Just then my buddy (who owned the trailer)watched as the trailer passed us on the right. The main weld on the tongue had broken and the trailer broke loose sending it into the ditch. As it hit the snow bank on the shoulder it dug in and went airborne, did an endover and landed right side up in the deep snow in the ditch. Miraculously both sleds stayed on the trailer and were only minimally damaged. Without question, if the rears were not tied both sleds would have been thrown off either on the road for someone to hit, or likely damaged worse when the trailer landed on them in the ditch. I too have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles towing trailers in my personal car, semi trailers, and towing tandem trucks at work. Securing your load is a big deal. It takes about a minute to tie the rear, why wouldnt you?

[broken_line]

i use the straps that have the 3000lb breaking strength... if one of those breaks, i have much larger problems on my hands!!! ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

[Neighbor_guy]

I tend to put my fishhouse on the trailer next to the sled, so it make sense to run a strap threw the back of the sled while strapping down the house. Is it needed?.... Probably not, but Ido it anyways. I'd rather take the extra two minutes to run a strap than have my pos sled fall off the side of the trailer.

[Black_Bay]

With plastic skis, tie bars don't always hold sleds in place. After braking hard or just hitting potholes I'v had sleds more forward and back a bit. Yea they didn't come off but the the bars were loose. I've also seen the rear of sleds come off the trailer due to bumps and potholes not to mention situations like the one Macguyver wrote about. The trailer just needs to whip around and the sleds will move.

A better question would be for guys with enclosed trailers. Do you always secure them? I know guys that drive them in and call it good counting on sheet aluminum to hold 600 lbs in.

[jigginjim]

Iff your going a short distance it's possible not a big deal. trail several miles it can add to piece of mind.

[stifler51]

guy i work with was out in WY sledding with 4 guys, they had a 4 place trailer with all the sleds on. On their way back they ending up takin into ditch all 4 of the sleds bounced around and totaled out all 4 sleds even tho the trailer didnt roll or anything, had the back ends been tied down the sleds wouldnt have bounced around like a ping pong ball.

that being said this is what i use. literally takes 10 seconds to tie down both the back and the front skis

[DTro]

$300 and change to tie down your sled?

yikes

[stifler51]

shop around i got them for under 200$, but man i LOVE them. i hate messing around with straps or bending over to turn the dang tie down bolt, not to meantion it rusted in before over the summer. i just go fed up with it and said screw it. When im done sledding or done ice fishing the less clean up time = a better experience imo. Its even that way when i go duck hunting, id rather use my kayak then my 12 footer, i can leave everything in the kayak drag it up the bank, put one tip in the truck walk back pick up the end, push and throw 2 straps on it, jump in the truck and im gone. Well with those tie downs i can drive right up the trailer go to the cab start the truck, grab them and throw them on in the same amount of time it takes to walk back there, throw 2 locks on the handles, walk back to the truck and wait for it to warm up and go.

[Northlander]

I put the ski bar through the ski's and then tie down the rear end making sure to sink the rear end down a bit. I have had my sled tie down break and seen the rear end of the sled hopping around when I hit bumps. Better safe than sorry. Call it anal if ya want but I would rather be anal and not have problems than the other way around.

[DTro]

stifler, I can totally see what you mean. It is a pain to always mess with the screws and the straps are always rusting.

[ripstick]

Wings are nice for the front. As far as the rear for sure straps. Have mine made to size. Put one hook to a ring, then push down on the bumpper a little and attach the other end. Last winter saw bad roads up by tower 1 afternoon. There in the ditch was 1 truck on its side. Few feet away was the trailer with the sleds still on it. Xtra min. to save a sled.

[stifler51]

stifler, I can totally see what you mean. It is a pain to always mess with the screws and the straps are always rusting.

yea the straps we did use were the ratchet straps cuz the pull tight ones would always loosen up on us, and we all know how great those ratchet straps are in the dead of winter when ur hands are cold and the crank doesnt wanna let loose the strap.

[JIM C]

A boat transom tie down strap works really nice on my 8' trailer with a 2-up touring sled. Might be too short for regular sled?

I drilled a hole in the aluminum frame for the hook to the trailer, centered on the sled bumper.

[Shack]

I do not think you are going to loose a sled by NOT tying down the rear of the sled (unless you roll or have cheap hold down bars (system). What I have found is you get the rear end sliding around at times and hitting your gear or the inside of the enclosed trailer Not only can you cause damage to your gear, but with the money spent on these sleds, why scratch or ding up the tunnel?

I cut measure out where I wanted this, traced and cut a hole out of the trailer bed, bought some flush/flip up cleats for a couple buck at Norther, and mount it on the trailer bed. After loading I just use a stern tie down strap, hook one end in the hole on the sled hitch, and the other to the flip up eye of the mounted cleat. Take 20 seconds to tie down the rear.

Depends on how cold it is during load up and where my sled ends up after shut down and up front putting the hold down on, but most times I go on top of the ski by the suspension knuckle mount. Just me maybe, but I throw the e-brake on also.

[BucksnDucks]

If you go into the ditch or have a roll over, I cant see a simple ratchet strap holding a 600lb. sled from coming off the trailer! All that ratchet strap is guna do is hopefully prevent the rear of the machine from moving around on bumpy roads.