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do you like your ice castle fish house

sammy81777

By sammy81777
in Ice Fishing

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sammy81777 Apprentice

sammy81777

Posted
Posted

i just order a 8x16 v-nose spirit and don't know if thats total length or if the v-nose makes it longer? i'm gonna tow it with a new jeep liberty that can tow 5000lbs with a tranny cooler on it will i have any problems. and what do you think of your ice castle pro's and con's

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lutzy Collaborator

lutzy

Posted
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I towed my 18' Glastron with a Liberty. It was about 2800lbs loaded with all the gear and towed with no prob. It just felt like it was in the back seat because of the short wheel base. My Liberty was first generation and dodn't have that much towing capacity so you should have no prob.

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pegleg Rising Star

pegleg

Posted
Posted

I would worry about a cross wind on the highway pulling a big fish house with a Liberty Jeep. I pulled a big fish house with a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it wasn't a problem until it got windy and then it became a problem. Or a big semi passing you on a highway.

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RebelSS Grand Master

RebelSS

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Posted

At about 4300 lbs for the Jeep, I sure hope you have one stong frame hitch and sway bars!!n As stated, I agree you're really pushing it....you've only got 215 HP or so in that 3.7....SHORT distance might be OK, but I sure as heck wouldn't take any road trips with that behind a Liberty! Just my opinion...better safe than sorry!

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fishtrapgirl Community Regular

fishtrapgirl

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You get what you pay for. They are cheaply made houses, and you can definitely tell when you look them over good. You'll hear alot of negative things about them, and then you'll hear a few people that have them and love them. They look nice, just poorly constructed. I sure hope I don't meet you on the road pulling that house with a Jeep Liberty. Sounds like a crash waiting to happen. Don't understand why people try to pull big stuff with a little SUV. Not safe for you and not safe for my family traveling on the same road. Sorry, just my opinion.

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fisherdog19 Proficient

fisherdog19

Posted
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I have an 8X16 and with the v nose it's 19'. You couldn't pay me to tow it in the winter with a Liberty, it's tough enough with a 1/2 ton pickup. It will be next to impossible to tow it in any type of un plowed snow as well. I like the house, its not built the best but everything works and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

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curtistodd Enthusiast

curtistodd

Posted
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ive been behind the wheel of a Liberty pulling an 18foot five star fish house, and it wasnt fun on pavement! We only got up to 45mph because of the swaying. 35 to 40mph was the fastest I felt safe. We used a buddies full size chevy to take it on and off the ice.

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Norm1980 Collaborator

Norm1980

Posted
Posted

1st ~ My best friend owns a 8x16' v nose ice castle (4000+ pounds) which we pulled 5 hrs up to red lake last year with his brand new F-150 and between the icey roads and wind it wasn't much fun even with the 1/2ton truck. My wife owns a 2006 jeep liberty and while i beleive they have made improvements i would agree you couldn't pay me to pull that ice house more then a couple miles with a liberty. Regardless of the trany its just not enough engine or weight to pull or stop that large of an ice house. If you do decide to give it a go for the safety of everyone else on the road atleast make sure you have the ability to hook up the trailer brakes.

2nd ~ I think for the most part in life you do get what you pay for. I fish mainly out of an Ice Castle and think its a great house. IMO I would rather pay $8,000 for an ice castle then 18,000 for most of the grand lodge's i've been in. At this point in my life even if I had the money I can't justify spending that much on an ice house i use maybe 12 times a year. Unless the WaLLeyes start choosing sides ill stick with the Ice Castle

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sfd Contributor

sfd

Posted
Posted

I have an 8x16' v nose ice castle and love it. Yes there are better houses out there but they come with a high price. It comes down to how fancy do you need your surroundings while fishing.

I pull mine with a '03 ford explorer with a 4.6L V8 and I wouldn't go with anything smaller.

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Effie07 Contributor

Effie07

Posted
Posted

Purchased an 8x20 v-Front this past spring. Added A/C unit and fridge as we used it all summer as a camper. Agree with other posts regarding cost vs. craftmenship. Saved roughly $8k by going with an Ice Castle. 100% spray foam insulation, white paneling inside (keeps it naturally right and reduced the weight by almost 1000lbs). I was a little disappointed when I saw how out of square some of the cupboard door were mounted, but was prepared to see that as I had done my research and viewed a lot of photo's prior to purchasing. Worked with Dave in Montevideo to design a custom house and could not have been more pleased with the service and feedback I received. He even threw in a couple of extra 110V lights not to mention the 30lb full propane tanks for $54 each, you can't even buy an empty 30lb tank for that at Cabela's. House was built and ready for pickup 3 weeks after purchase.

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GrizzlyAdams Community Regular

GrizzlyAdams

Posted
Posted

We have an 8 x 18 ice castle with v-nose and have pulled it up to red lake a handful of times. Borrowed a friend of mines trailblazer and that worked pretty well. Also rented a durango a couple times and hated that thing. Those things get stuck in a puddle. Either vehicle pulled it fine but as stated stopping these houses takes a little extra time. So if a deer or something else jumps out in front of you plan on hitting it. The biggest concern was on icy roads. We were told when we bought it that if it starts to go sideways it will take that small of a vehicle with it. Next to impossible to control. It pulled very easy but its the stopping that gets nerve racking especially on ice. The fish house will have control of the vehicle not the vehicle having control of the fish house. Would also have to agree that short distances only with a liberty. It will pull it just fine but stopping it and controling it on icy roads is the fun part. cool

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