wheel house to buy or not?

[mrpike1973]

hi i have been toying with the idea of getting a wheel house. my budget would be no more than $800. i know that's not much. reason i would like one is so the family can go on windy cold days. pluses i have a truck to tow it. negatives i would need a different auger bit to re drill holes. my family doesn't come much. what i'm finding so far are really junky houses. i know they could be found but most are homemade and the wheels are bent etc. i know i wont get much. do you guys with them feel there a lot of work. i have problems were i cant lift a lot so i'm wondering how hard they are to move getting on off a lake. i have plenty of portables etc so i'm not in dieyer need. just don't want a money pit or would you just skip it I've had skid houses and there in my opinion a pain. thanks

[JeffB]

I think you would enjoy a wheel house, I would stay away from any with bent running gear if you are traveling very far. Just keep shopping till you think you have found a good one in your price range or until you can increase you price range.

[CaptainMusky]

I think you are realizing that for the money you are looking to spend you cannot find much. Possibly look into fixing one up if you are handy with tools but starting with a dependable frame and wheels is a must.

[harvey lee]

I purchased a wheel house about 1 month ago.

I looked at them for maybe 15 years and figured I would not use it enough to warrant the cost to purchase the thing.

Well, my granddaughters like to open water fish and they thought they would like to go ice fishing. I took them in my portable and they liked the ice fishing but not fishing in the portable.

So, I knew a guy who had a very nice used Ice Castle and I purchased that.

I have used this house about 10 times in the last month and sleep in it probably 6-7 nights.

Is it a pain, heck no, I love the house. I also have a bad back and a few other health issues and I have zero issues setting this up or taking in down the road.

As far as setting it up on the lake with the crank wheels, it goes up and down really easy and I would say I can have it all hooked up to the truck and ready to leave the ice by myself in no more than 10-15 minutes. I thought it would be alot more work than it is to set up and then go back home with it. if I go for just the day, I do not even bother to unhook the house from my truck. When it is time to go, jack up the 2 wheels and the hitch and off I go.

Now, how many issues will I have with it down the road and the costs, I have no idea but I cannot see that there will be that many issues if it is taken care of.

To be honest, I wish I would have purchased a wheel house years ago. I could never in my mind justify the cost for a house and if I would use it enough. I guess what pushed me over the edge was the grandkid's wanted to ice fish and the wife thought it was a great ides, that made it alot easier.

I also watch where I drive and avoid any big drifts and try to stay on plowed roads or roads where others have driven.

My concern would be if you can get into a house for the $800 you are looking at spending without having alot of issues with it. Even if you can find a used frame straight and then build up from there.

This wheel house is the best purchase I have ever made for ice fishing short of my insulated portable.

I would also make sure everything is straight with the wheels and frame.

One could also use it for a weeknd deer hunting trip or whatever.

[holmsvc]

You will struggle to get a decent wheel house for $800. I think you will find that you get what you pay for.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I think that it will be tough to find a wheel house for $800 that won't have troubles. Occasionally there will be a good one that slips through the cracks for cheap, but it's rare. I've watched the classifieds for years, and it takes about $2k to get into a functional retractable wheel house.

The crank down houses are pretty easy to use, so you shouldn't have any lifting issues.

I wouldn't worry about getting an auger bit. The houses are easy enough to move that you can get onto new ice, if need be. I'd do that before I spent $200 on a new auger bit.

[mrpike1973]

ironically i just looked at another one just now. i think i will either save up for something decent or maybe just skip it.

[Hawg]

The trailer alone is more than $800 for materials. I just sold a wooden 6x8 that I built a trailer for. The house was 12-15 yrs old and I listed it for $1900. It was gone in 2 days. The phone rang off the hook, 1 lady from 70 miles away wanted to give me a credit card to hold it for her. You won't find anything safe to pull down the road for anything less. Sorry

[JakeJ_Mn]

I am in my 3rd wheelhouse. The first was a 8x16 I bought used that was 6 years old in good condition for $3200. My second was a new Ice Castle 8x16 with 3'V which was just short of $11,000 at the time.

My current house is 8x20 V front. I bought a base model with insulated floor, finished outside and empty inside. Cost was $8,500. So far doing all the work inside myself I have invested approx. $5,000 finishing it the way I want.

Prior to each of these purchases I spent hours and miles looking at houses.

I also have a 8x12 skid house which I built myself complete with insulated floor, 8 holes, sleeps 4 for approx. $1600. I haul my skid on a 8x10 snowmobile trailer. The trailer tilts so no problem getting it off and I have a 12v winch to help pull it on the trailer. The skids are 4"Hx6"W and I put poly on the bottom of them.

My skid sits on LOTW, but I haul it off everytime I leave for home.

I do agree you won't find much for under 2 or 3 thousand for a family.