Best way to hitch your gear

[Guest]

I just got my first sled and have seen some pretty crazy looking ski/sled/particle board contraptions out there. im wondering what the experts think is the most efficient way of hauling around all of your stuff especially for deep snow and up-hill hauls including hitch options since we had an unexpected gear un-loading/re-loading episode this weekend. I need to carry a suitcase portable and all the rods and coolers and sonars for two anglers. Thanks

[sledhead]

I saw an add at Gander in Forest lake for a guy that welded aluminum racks to go on otter sleds. The picture had a clam sleeper on top and all gear in the sled. You could probably find a local welder to make up something like it. But you would need to buy an otter type sled. Kinda looked like a ladder rack for a pickup

[Captain Ken]

I was actually toying with a rack idea like that....was hesitant since it seemed to me that it would be top heavy. Maybe, though, with all the dump in the bottom of the Otter sled it's be heavy enough low enough down to offset the fish house on top. Got 3 fish houses, 2 of which are suitcase.

Have seen guys use water or down hill skis to build a sled, but this does not really help you with other gear unless you can build some kind of box or thing with holes to put buckets in.

Ken

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Captain Ken Kessler
www.captainken.com
www.muskieschool.com
Guiding in Illinois and North East Minnesota
847-970-9108 Illinois
218-742-4680 Minnesota

[hanson]

Uncle Brynee

I've been trying to work this little problem out for awhile now. I assume you've got a 2-up sled otherwise you get to be even more creative with your passenger.

I've been pulling around my little Otter Den with the snowmobile for awhile now. I started out pulling it with a rope tied to the rear bumper, it worked alright except it slammed into the back of the sled everytime I'd stop. So I stepped up to using Otter's hitch assembly which works great now. Make sure you have a good hitch on your snowmobile to attach everything too. I can fit everything for 2 men in the Otter Sled and then we just pulled the suitcase house behind the Otter sled with a rope. But this was starting to take its toll on the suitcase house.

Recently I picked up the Magnum Otter sled, I'm going to put some eyebolts into the sled so I can set the suitcase house on top and tie it down to the eyebolts. The auger will ride in the bottom of the sled, sunflower heater in the back, and everything else should fit in there fine. I'm planning on putting hyfax on the bottom of both my Otter sleds soon to help with wear & tear on the bottom of the sleds.

Pack your lantern carefully. You're gonna wreck the mantles, possibly the globe too. I've also broken a number of minnow buckets. Now I use Frabill's plastic bucket with the foam inside and the lid on top. That seams to have solved the problem of broken minnow buckets.

[Guest]

Thats exactly how we had our equiptment jettison- we slowed down, gear did not!LOL. probably one of the nicer set-ups i have seen recently was a ladder type with snow skis, but wasn't too sure about stability, but he had pvc tubes for rod holders and some other pvc looking hitch thing to keep the sled back. I'm a little hesitant about investing in another sled due to lack of home storage (read wife) and i have a small trailer that dosen't have too much extra room either. I wont have a lantern/ minnow bucket issue as i live in Colorado and a)-no minnows above 6ooo ft altitude and -last thing you probably want to do is be out there after dark 30