Portable pulling sled

[nluchau]

I'm gonna try this again in hopes Paul took care of the posting issue. I moved the 2x2's in between the 2x4's. I will put a sheet of plywood on the top tomorrow to make it so the ski's dont wobble.

Here's what it looks like now

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d148/(Contact Us Please)/mini-DSC02448.jpg

[Finns]

Bump for new discussion.

Finns.

[McGurk]

I'd say the overall design on the sled is good, although I'd change a couple of things. First, I'd swap the crossmembers from 2x4's to 1x4's to lighten up the sled . Also, (1)1x4 at a diagonal from corner to corner will do the same thing as plywood for "wobble" or flexing.

The ski's I originally used were old wooden downhill ski's, which suprisingly had a lot of resistance on the snow. I switched over to metal/plastic skis which had been waxed and was amazed at the reduction in resistance, maybe 1/10th what it was. I attached the skis only in 2 points on each ski, using 8" long green treated 2x4's standing on end. This is another weight saving measure, and I also like the fact that the ski's still have some flex for pulling across packed ruts/ridges/etc. Make sure to countersink the screw heads on the bottom of the ski's so they are not contacting the ice/snow. Also, if you are pulling this with a 4 wheeler, make sure you set the width of the skis to match the 4 wheeler track width.

To keep the suitcase on the sled, I also put 4 short skinny 1x2's (or whatever width you need) on the outer sides of the top placed so the recesses of the suitcase ridges sit on them, and holds the suitcase on a little better. I also build a box that fits snug both on the sled directly and on top of the suitcase with the same little skinny recess blocks to keep it seated on the suitcase.

I'll try to take some pictures and get them posted. I'll be building another one for my father in law, so if I come up with anything else, I'll let you know.