Ice Castle help!

[nortin1962]

Hey all Ice Castle owners!

Just brought my Castle in for warrenty work. Got it at Milaca Freight. Has anyone done this? Used it 2 time last year, LOW and the cables are shot the rear top bunk is busted and the running light don;t work. I love my house but, have real concerns that it will not last more than a few years! what do you do to keep the cables from rusting out? any help would be awsome fellas.

[whitebassman]

wd40. use it often and liberally. spray down after each season and during if possible to keep the road salt down.

Ice Castles are known for those issues with rust and cheap cables. Some have upgraded to higher quality cables. There's a reason why they are so cheap, and the workmanship shows. But they do the job for most of us!

[cluelessfisherman]

Yep - WD40.

Feel free to take it to the car wash between trips and especially at the end of the season and really spray out the cables and cranks to get that salt out of there.

When I bought mine, I was told to put all the bunks down when trailering the house so there isn't extra bounce and stress on them.

[MuleShack]

All the cables and winches are going to rust if you travel in minnesota. Only cure it to use the car wash on the way home each time.

I changed out my cables each year so I dont have to worry about the rust and corrosion.

Another option is to go to Canvas Craft (with your fish house) and ask them to measure your winches for you. THey can make a zipper or snap on cover that will fit over the post to cover the winch and post while traveling. This will also keep the winch ice free when you get to the lake as well as keep the corrosion down.

[muc33]

On all of my hard houses I have owned the cables come off and stainless go on. Worth the money for less hassle. I go to my local TSC or Runnings Fleet Farm and have them cut to length and them respool on house.

[dangnear]

Replace the cables with s.s.

[hooked79]

i use wd-40 and grease and i spray it with engin degreaser

and preshure washer to remove it i dont do it as often as i should

but my cables are fine so far and my castle is a 2010

but i do plan on upgradeing to ss cables i would hate to be a few hrs away from home on a lake and have a cable snap

altho i carry a jack with me incase of this i would rather not use it

i do agree ice castle quailty isnt up there were it should be

they are cheaper than most but i still feel they could do better and keep the price down dont get me wrong i love my castle

but i cant say i would b uy another unless they improve there quality

[Poutmaster]

I spray all my cables, winches, and pullies with white lithium spray grease before I take it down the road to and from my destination. Also wash as frequently as I can during the winter

[RiverChuckNorris]

The (lack of) quality never ceases to blow my mind in the Ice Castles. Obviously, they have to keep costs down but SMALL things would make a big difference!

I've been replacing all the screws in the house with stainless. My house is less than a year old and the screws (outside and in (on the floor)) are all rusting.

Just stainless cables and screws would make a big difference.

I wash mine after every trip and spray everything down with silicon before and after each trip and things are still rusting. Guess I'll be heading to Fleet Farm after this season for SS cables.