Otter hyfax vs no hyfax

[CalamityJohn]

Now that the temps are getting warmer, I'm going to have to start pulling the portable out by hand. I have a Team Wild 2 and it pulls like a dead elephant. Can any of you hyfax-guys give me a clue as to how much easier it will be to pull by hand with the hyfax kit? Is it night and day or just slightly easier to pull?

[gonehunting]

It will pull straighter and cut through the slush easier. The benefits of hyfax go way beyond the ability to pull it easier. If you pull it often it will save the bottom of your sled for years to come. Sleds wear very easily while pulling it across ice that does not have any snow, rocks in the road or on public accesses, or even on the concrete in the garage. Definetly worth the investment.

[deadeye]

If you want it to pull easier then double up the hy-fax on the outside runners. This will give you sort of a lift. Hyfax will help to a certain point but when the belly of the sled is still dragging on the snow you got friction that is making it hard to pull. By doubling it up you get a bit of a lift to keep friction down. The hyfax's main purpose is to extend the life of the sled.

Otherwise if you can find some old cross country skis you could make some runners for it that way. I have done that and it works really well.

[CalamityJohn]

Thanks for the reply, gonehunting, I have done a few searched on hyfax runners and the longevity seems to be the biggest selling point. Without a snow machine or 4 wheeler, I am hoping to make this pig easier to tow by hand.

[CalamityJohn]

Deadeye, how did you attach the skis?

[PerchJerker]

I agree with the others, hyfax might make the sled pull a bit easier, but it won't be very noticable. I only put hyfax on mine because I pull it with my wheeler and wanted to save the wear and tear on the bottom of the sled.

[lakevet]

Old pair of skis really helps the most if pulling by hand. Attach skis to frame that gets house clear of any snow. I used old downhill skis and made a light frame that the house/sled fits into. It has 8" of ground clearance. My 9 yr old can pull it one handed with the old jiffy on top of the loaded sled. Be careful on any kind of slope cause it will run you over! It also pulls easier in deep snow as there is enough lift from the skis so it doesn't sink deep enough to start snowplowing. Just weight the load more to the back to allow the front to angle upward if needed.

lakevet

[DP]

I have a Wild2 as well, I put hyfax on it and pulled out the bench seat, the seat weighed as much as the icehouse by itself. I picked up a couple newer swivel seats which are way more comfortable as well as a lot lighter, and I only bring one if I am going solo. Makes it a lot easier to drag, or lift into the truck.

[Northlander]

I agree with the others, hyfax might make the sled pull a bit easier, but it won't be very noticable. I only put hyfax on mine because I pull it with my wheeler and wanted to save the wear and tear on the bottom of the sled.

Ditto here.

[jwhjr]

As others have mentioned, only a negligable improvement in ease of pulling by hand, but saves on wear and tear and tracks nice and straight behind a sled or atv.

[BD110]

It's an easy choice for me. You can replace the hyfax in a few years or you can replace the tub. How long that will be depends on use and conditions when pulling the tub.

[Shack]

I am a huge advocate of Hyfax. After wearing out one of my first Otter sleds from the 90's, it is SOP right before the assembly of a new shack for me. Once you get in snow, it is hard to say if a difference can be seen when pulling the sled by hand. On bare ice, I found a slight improvement when pulling by hand. What I have noticed as a huge improvement when hyfax is installed (or not) is when pulling the shack/sled behind a wheeler, sled, or truck and not using a tow bar. This is when using a rope. The fish tailing dropped big time for me, which helps on your gear not being thrown around or a flip over of the sled.

The key point to note on newer Otter sleds is the bottom of the runners on the sled are not flush anymore. They have a grove in place for the hyfax. These raised areas (groves) are subject to all the contact on the surface below. These ridges will wear quickly when pulling on gravel, concrete, or tar (even by hand).

My suggestion is Hyfax is a necessity in today's shacks. Optional from the sleds from years ago. Here is a video I put together when putting hyfax on my current house:

The obvious beneficial reasons of installing hyfax stand out, but another is resale value of the sled when upgrade time comes a calling.

[Outfitter17]

Nice video, next time I do a new sled I am going to try the smaller drill bit as mentioned. I have done two sleds in the past year all with the bigger bit and the when putting the screws in they didn't hold like in the video. A new tip for next time.

Thanks,

[BD110]

I have been a part of installing hyfax on a fair number of sleds. The smaller drill size is the key. A couple other things that will help to know is get someone to give you a hand if possible. The bolts like to turn when attaching the nuts on the inside. Also do not over tighten the nylock nut. If you do it will pull the bolt to deep into the hyfax runner causing a week spot in the hyfax or even start to form a crack.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

I have the Otter Lodge with the hyfax runners. I hand pull it with 1 seat installed, my gas auger, a 5 lb. heater bottle, a bucket of minnows and my fishing tackle. On bare ice it is perfect. On 1/8 of an inch of snow it is a bearcat. A portable that size needs to be pulled by a sled or wheeler both of which my wife won't let me have but after 40 years of marriage I have a lot more to loose if I just ignore her and buy one!! I have ignored her on things like trucks, fishing rods, snowblowers, guns, dogs, etc. but she draws the line on a wheeler. Anyway, I like my otter but I like it a whole lot better when it is in the back of my Tahoe!!!!!!!