permanent house question!!!!

[kooba]

Hey guys and gals it me again. Was wondering how high do you people block up your permanent house on wheels when it is on the ice? Do you use a 2*4 flat on all 4 corners or what? Do you have to support the middle if you have a metal frame also? Remember, I just bought a house and am new to these kinds of things. I don't want it frozen to the ice if at all possible. Thanks KOOBA

[Guest]

I don't block my house at all unless there is water standing on top of the ice, i crank my house down about 1/2 way, drill my holes and then check if the water comes up-it can if there is a lot of snow putting pressure on the ice. Then i'll block the corners if I need to. I don't leave my house out on the lake if I'm not fishing in it. If I did leave it out I would block it.

[Polar Bear]

You'd better figure on 1.5 inchs off the ice. If you move your house around much you'll be surprised at how often the 2x4s are frozen in and cannot be kicked loose. If you want to go to the hassle you can chip them out with an ice spud, many guys don't bother. Polar Bear

[Aqua Eye]

Thanks Kooba for asking that question! I have had that one on my mind lately too. Thank you bowhunter for the pointers also. I made a trip up north to double check the situation of my shack, even though I have people watching it for me, and I was surprised to see that eight foot circle of smooth glare ice all around my house. There had been a good sized drift forming on the west side of my shack and snow packed up about a foot around my house when I last saw it. I guess when the weather gets warm I have to stay on top of things pretty well. A couple of my holes showed signs of widening out before the cold snap hit. Yikes! Good topic!-TROY

[Grabs]

Well guys, here is what I have done now for three years and it has worked well.

Stack 2 2x4's on each corner, just use small 3-5" chunks you don't need any more than that, less to chip out if you need to, plus they are small enough to store a bunch of them some where in your house.

Now I have an 8x16 so that means my wheels are on the inside, you guys with wheels on the outside might not have to worry. I put my wheels up on two 2x6s stacked. I cut one longer than the other and screwed them together to form a ramp. Most of the time I just crank the house down and slide these under the wheels after the house is all the way down. After there is more snow on the ice, I sometimes just pull the house up onto the blocks, but without some traction that can be tough because the blocks like to slide forward in front of the tire without some snow to hold them in place. I guess a great idea would be to cut the top one just a bit longer than the tire and then cut the bottom one about 8" longer than that one. Place the top one in the middle, that way if you want to pull onto and off of them you have a nice ramp on each side. I learned this one from watching my Grandpa block and level his motorhome.

Now another question,..I have thought about adding a skirt of sorts to the bottom of the frame, basically some added banking for years like this where we don't have much snow.
Has anyone done this and how does it work? I was thinking about using some sort of material like they have at arenas to walk on with skates. Does this get to frozen in if you get some water or warming and refreezing?
Just an idea.

I did add the flower pots for hole sleeves this year and they worked great! I got that idea from someone on here. I bought the 12" pots at Wal-mart for like a $1.50 since they were on sale in the fall. I cut the bottoms off at just the right height from floor to ice, with the 2-2x4s on each corner. They are actually a bit tall, but that is perfect because they tend to melt down into the ice until they are flush with the floor. The are 12" dia at top and taper to 10" at the ice,..perfect for an 8" hole. This has really helped a lot the past few weeks without much snow for banking.

Hope this helps, I kind of went a bit further here than your orignal question, but hope some of the added info helps someone out.

[Gadgetman]

Hey Polar Bear, your right many guys dont bother to chip out the blocks they put under the fish house but it is littering and you can receive a ticket for it....just a word to the wise. It only takes a minute and the people that live on the lakes will appreciate it.

[Fishbitten]

Unfortunitly summer will come and the things we leave on the ice will sink or swim, hence becoming litter and potential boating hazards!

[The Chemist]

Kouba: I use 4x4's. and they go around the entire house. Cuts down on the wind under the house. Then I add if there is water on the ice. Better to be safe then sorry, like some of the guys w/ there houses last week.

[trophyhunter]

I use 4x4's in the four corners. Never had a problem.

[deadeye]

try using bricks or cinder blocks. this way if they are frozen in it's not a big deal and in the spring when the ice melts they sink to the bottom and don't cause problems like a bunch of floating wood does. ><>
deadeye

[folke2000]

Deadeye - I think you missed the point if the bricks or cinder blocks sink to the bottom you are still littering the lake.

[danny berg]

I need to block mine about 6 1/2 inches to get the jack underneath the house to raise it up high enough to get the tires back on, so I use cement blocks which give me about 7 1/2 inches. Then I use the 2" poly insulation around the house to keep the wind out. A lot of extra work but it sure saves wear and tear on the back.I use the spud bar to get the blocks back and don't leave any trash or debris around my house.

[This message has been edited by danny berg (edited 01-16-2003).]

[deadeye]

folke,
I said if they are frozen in so you can't get them out. I would rather have some bricks at the bottom of the lake than a bunch of 2x4's floating around with people running into them with their boats. either way isn't a good choice but considering a brick isn't much different that a rock i would rather see people go that route. by the way, aren't there fish cribs made out of cinder blocks?
deadeye