What is considered safe ice for an ATV?

[mike morris]

What would you all consider safe for riding an ATV?

I seen a few guys out with portables today... No ATV's yet, but I'm sure that will come soon. I checked on a small lake nearby, and there was 3" at the most. Would it be safe to wait until there is at least 6"?

[KidWalleye]

I personally like to wait for 8ish inches. A hair less if I see other wheelers out there. I ventured on to about 3 inches a few years ago under a snow pack. I didn't go through, but it scared me enough. The rest of the lake was 6 to 8 inches. Be safe, Kidwalleye

[Kylersk]

The dnr lists it as 5" for ATV.

I personally go by this rule of thumb..

If people are walking, I let them.

If a few people are driving ATV's.. I'll walk.

If a few people are driving cars, I'll drive my ATV.

Trucks? Well, I wait till I see many of them go out.

Of course I always ask the local bait shop/marina and friends for ice conditions and any danger spots that they know of.

DNR's ice guide: There is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice.

MN DNR's Ice safety.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

i dont think the ATV should be classified with the snowmobile on the dnr chart though, a snowmobile weighs about the same as and ATV but the snowmobile will disperse the weight much more evenly amongst the ice due to the track and skis where as an ATV only ahs four wheels to disperse weight... IMO

Ryan

[mjhowe]

A few things to consider...I went thru with my ATV 3 years ago...it floated tires up because I had made sure my tires were inflated/adjusted to the cold temps. In cold weather, pressure in tires DROP. Combine that with the minimal pressures we run in ATV's and you may not have enough air to float the rig. Keep em aired up to at least 5 psi front and rear (check your tires for exact pressures) I know of 2 guys who went thru with 2 atv's a couple years ago...one floated near the surface and was an easy recovery...the other one sunk and was not recovered.

This year I also strapped 2 basic orange PFD's to the rear rack , I figure that will float at least 300, if not 400 pounds, and combined with the air in the tires...that should keep it floating. Not that I want to PROVE that!

I am not condoning riding on thin ice because your rig will float, just as I am not condoning walking on thin ice, just because you have your nice new Arctic Armor suit on. Well...maybe a little with the suit!

[MASON38]

I ll walk on two good sold inches, so 5 or 6 inch is good enough for the atv, even with my new(er) polaris

[Hooked On a Feeling]

Quote:

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I know of 2 guys who went thru with 2 atv's a couple years ago...one floated near the surface and was an easy recovery...the other one sunk and was not recovered.

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So your saying that sunken ATV was never recovered? What do the laws say about that in Montana?

Hooked

[Sonicrunch]

Quote:

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i dont think the ATV should be classified with the snowmobile on the dnr chart though, a snowmobile weighs about the same as and ATV but the snowmobile will disperse the weight much more evenly amongst the ice due to the track and skis where as an ATV only ahs four wheels to disperse weight... IMO

Ryan

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I respectfully disagree on two fronts.

1. In general, ATVs weigh considerably more than snowmobiles.

2. The direct contact with the ice might be a concern if the ice was less than an inch thick. Thick ice breaks up differently than thin ice. (ratio of thickness vs length stays constant).

So, considering the relative size of a broken chunk of 5 inch ice would be around 2 or 3 feet^2, the area of the vehicles weight distribution to consider would be X feet squared rather than X inches squared.

Also, I have driven an ATV on ice that varied from 5 to 6 inches with no problem.

[MuleShack]

I took my mule out on 6-7" of ice last year...following the resort owner on his Ranger...

It was a liitle scary for 1500lbs but kept the speed very slow and made sure i was driving where i had previously walked out the weeks before so i knew there was no bad ice in the way also. still scary until it gets up to 10-12"

Speed is still the key...keep is slow so you dont make it weaker than it might already be.

[Squirtis]

I would be careful in your assumptions about the pfd's floating 300 or 400 pounds. Remember these are designed to float humans which are mostly comprised of water already and only to keep their heads above water. If you want to float 300 or 400 pounds, the pfd must displace 300 or 400 pounds worth of water plus the actual weight of the pfd. Also, it doesn't matter much what the airpressure in your tires are in order to float the atv, they just need to be able to not be compressed as they are being pulled under the water. I assume the other ATV that went under and wasn't recovered just had smaller tires in proportion to the ATV than the one that was. Don't mean to be a know it all, I just want to make sure you aren't out on the ice under false assumptions.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

im not saying you need more for an ATV necisarily im just saying you may not need that much for a snowmobile, i have driven one on 3 1/2 inches of solid clear ice before with no trouble... But if you look at the wheels of an ATV and how much the weight is put on one small spot it is a lot more weight in one spot than on a snowmobile because snowmobiles have tracks therefore have many more points touching the ice than a ATV. Just what i am thinking and i dont see how you can argue that a Snowmobile doent distribute the weight out more evenly... Not trying to make a huge mathematical equation on the weight just stating what makes sense to me..

IMO

Ryan