Ice, but no snow?

[icemac33]

I've decided I'm commited to a sled and portable baseshack next year for fishing . I never owned a sled, just ridden other peoples over the years. What kind of problems will I have with the a sled on the ice during low/no snow times? We weren't looking at any snow on Red Lake until the last day of the season last year. Thanks for any info you can give.

[2thepointsetters]

slides will melt to the track and you could blow the motor.

the heat exchangers are cooled by the snow and your sled can/will over heat with no snow.

if you know your going to be running on ice I would get a 70's air/fan cooled sled they will take the abuse better.

new sleds need snow

[icemac33]

Thanks setters. That wouldn't be good. How is the availability of parts for older sleds? A lot of stuff locally and any brands easier for finding parts than others?

[lawdog]

I would probably lean towards a fan cooled too, but they still make fan sleds, you don't need to go so old as to not have parts availability.

As to the the tracks, there are hyfax that the track slides on and they need snow for cooling and lubricating so they don't melt. There are however devices called ice-scratchers that can be put on to most if not all sleds (if you are willing to work on the mounting). They are specifically designed to scratch the ice and throw the chips or shavings into the track to counteract the problem of no snow. If you are willing to work at setting it up right, most any sled will work for ice fishing in my opinion.

[vister]

slides/hyfax will only melt to the track on glare ice if you go screaming across the ice. have been riding when a buddies mountain sled came to a stop. 2 inch paddles, hard pack trail. took a while to free the track from the hyfax. if you were to putz out to the house you wouldn't have any problems with overheating of engine or track/hyfax

[icemac33]

Thanks guys. That's great info. I checked out the ice scratchers and they seem like a pretty cheap investment if the situation arises where they would be needed.It looks like I can buy a hitch for most any sled and install myself also. Is there anything to look out for on the hitches or is it as straight forward as it seems?

[2thepointsetters]

I think ice scratchers are more snow that has froze, I am not sure how well they work on glare ice. They are used mainly for mountain sleds with deep lug tracks at lower elevations before they get into good soft snow.

Also you may have to stud your track depending on how much weight your pulling because a sled doesn't have much traction on ice.

[GoggleEye]

Like 2thepointsetters said, I would not go out there on glare ice or a little snow without my track studded. You won't be going anywhere pulling even the slightest load out. Not to mention it is dangerous and you can lose control very easily.

GoggleEye

[icemac33]

That makes sense. What about steering the sled on ice? Any options avilable for better control or just watch your speed?I can recall trying to get a sled through icy corners without much luck.Thanks for the answers and time. I'm sure these questions are as basic as it gets but I want to ask before I'm sitting with the sled in the front yard.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Get yourself a pair of 8-10" carbides for the skiis. You will have no problem turning on glare ice.