Trail Grabbers

[Bob Clausen]

Has anyone tried using these instead of studs? They are made by Bergstrom Skegs Inc. in Illinois. They're quite a bit cheaper than studs and don't seem like they'd stress the track as much. I use my sled mainly for ice fishing and it would be nice to have a little extra bite when pulling fish houses with little snow cover on the lake. Very simple concept - almost seems like you could use sheet metal screws for nearly the same effect.

Also, can anyone give me an idea on how to make or where to get the spring-things that attach to your sled skis and help lube the hyfax when riding on ice or hardpack? Thanks for any help.

[hanson]

I've never used them but have seen them advertised.

My sled has a deeper lug track on it and to get traction, it would seam that the trail grabbers would have to extend out past the lugs in the same manner studs would. On older sleds like my SnoJet which pretty much have squat for lugs on a track, I think they'd work pretty good.

[Bob Clausen]

Chris, The things I'm talking about look like a hex-head sheet metal screw with some "teeth" on the top and actually screw into the lugs but do not penetrate the track. My track has one-inch lugs and I would use a 3/4 inch Grabber. You can check them out at http://www.bergstromskegs.com

[MN Mike]

Bob,

Personally I wouldn't waste my time with the traction product your talking about but if they are cheap enough it's probably worth a try, it's tough to beat studs. From my expierence with non-carbide tipped products on sled's, they wear really fast no matter how careful you are.

The other item I think you are looking for are called ice scratchers. Do a search on the web, you'll find them.

Mike

[jbjr]

I would be afraid that the grabbers would become little missles....

jbjr

[hanson]

Bob-

That was the product I was thinking of. I didn't realize that you screwed them in to the tops of the lugs.

In theory, it seems like they would work just fine. In the real world, hard to say, I've never used them.

I can't imagine the traction would be anywhere close to that of studs but would definitely be better than a regular track.

Let us know how they work for you if you decide to go with them.

[Gissert]

Bob -

Strictly for an ice fishing application, they'd probably work out ok if you are pulling portables.

We use something similar in our wheelers, and they have been very good. They don't see near the torque in this application that a sled track can dish out. They have just enough grab to keep you moving and tracking straight. One guy does use hex head sheet metal screws in his wheeler tires with good results

I prefer studs and a good backer plate on my sleds. One sled has 5500 miles and the other has 3000. Both sleds have 144 studs, and I have lost a grand total of 5 from one sled and one from the other. Both are still on their original tracks. As you stated, they do cost quite a bit more than the Bergstroms.

For the ice scratchers, you might try Hi Performance Engineering in Thief River, Shade Tree, or Dennis Kirk.

[mnboy26]

my neighbor has them on his sled. he said they are not very good. he left them in but added studs. he says they just dont have any gripping power. might want to consider this. and about a quarter of them are missing too.

craig

[vikesman]

i have them on my xc 600 and they are junk. i put studs in also, they were in when i bought the sled. spend the extra money and get studs! happy riding!!!!!

think SNOW

troy

[Bob Clausen]

Thanks for all the input guys! Sounds like there's no sense chasing bad money with good. I think I'll spend the extra up front for studs!

bob

[Norsky]

I had the same issues with my snowmobile. I ended up studding the track with regular studs and backers after checking out the Bergstrom skegs things. The studs are much better in the long run, I only put 48 on my track and it pulls my portable very well. You should also look at putting on Hyperfax instead of regular hifax. With the hyperfax you really don't need snow to run your sled, the melting point of the teflon inserts inside the hyperfax is much higher and the things will last for a couple thousand miles (so I've been told). Then you don't have to worry about the scratchers. Using the snowmobile on bare ice is kind of a pain, a wheeler would be better, but as soon as we get 10-12 inches of snow on the ice, the wheelers start to get hung up while the snowmobiles can go anywhere.