Can you still buy runner sleds???

[rodbuilder]

Hi all,

I just spent my lunch hour running around Bemidji looking for a runner sled (the type with 2 steel rails that slide nicely on ice) to haul my fishing gear out onto the lake. PROBLEM=there isn't a store in town that carries them anymore!! Are these still around? Does anyone know where I can find one? My portable is too large to fit in any of the large plastic sleds available and besides, I refuse to pay $120 for a stinking sled!!!

Thanks for the help!

[Try Too Fish]

rodbuilder
I have seen them,In fact we got one for the kids last year,I think it was ace hwr.But as every thing else it was around 50 bucks

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Try Too Fish
Forced Too Work!!

[rodbuilder]

50 buck for 1 sled?!?!?...holy dump...whats the world coming too??? I was planning on buying 2 and fastening them together (side by side) with 2x4's...but at 50 each, it looks like I'll be standing on the ice this weekend!~ Thanks for the reply!

[icehousebob]

Hey Rodbuilder, An easy solution is to buy an old pair of skis at a rummage sale[i bought some for two bucks]. Build a frame to hold the house,and put it on blocks with the skis on the bottom. I've built a couple of fishing sleds that way and I've seen others built to haul portables. One had sides on it high enough to haul his gear on top of the house and not lose it while hauling.another was a bare frame with runners that he bungied the folded house onto, and pulled the rest of his gear in a small tobogan.

[hunt4food]

Another good idea is to use metal conduit. With a little work and a good imagination, you could have a descent sled in a night or two.

[silveroddo]

Did you try L&M? Another place would be that retail copnsignment place out by the overpass on 2&71, and while you are out that way maybe the surplus stoe by lueckens.
They have some of that oddball stuff time to time

I'd say go with building one using old ski's, I have one too and it works pretty slick plus you can make it however you need it

[This message has been edited by silveroddo (edited 12-04-2003).]

[Guest]

I made a sled or two from water skies or old snow skies and a old metal Colman cooler.

You can use milk crates too instead of the cooler or a combo of both if you wish. Worked fairly well and pulled nice. Cost me about $6 for the whole rig. I scrounged up most of the stuff or bought the skies cheap at garage sales.

I seen a guy with a recliner on water skies up on Devils lake one time. They pulled it around the lake with a 4 wheeler, looked like fun to me.

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Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding
"ED on the RED"
[email protected]
><,sUMo,>

[Fish On! Guide Service]

Which type of ski's do you guys prefer? Any pros and cons of using one over the other?

Stephen

[rodbuilder]

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies. I was considering both the ski and the conduit idea. I thought as far as skis go, water skis may work better as they are wider and would definately "float" on top of the snow/slush better than CC skis. I really like the conduit idea but, i don't have a welder handy. A guy could attach all the junctions with fittings but my concern is the bottom rail or runner parts of the sled. To split the runner and install a Tee or 2 for the upright supports would kill the otherwise frictionless (nearly) runner. The tee is a larger diameter than the conduit so that junction would be gouging into the ice as opposed to sliding effortlessly as the single piece of conduit would. Is this making sense?

silveroddo, I tried L&M as well as the other 2 junk stores you referred to. Nothing. In fact, the only old ski's I found were at the junk store near #2 and #71, and they were priced at $25 for the pair.

Looks like its going to be a nice weekend so I should be able to spend a fair amount of time standing on the ice.

Thanks for all the replies!

[Guest]

The best old skies I found were thinner old hardwood skies. They pulled with less resistance in all type of snow, wet or dry.

The handiest Chep-o-sled I made was from thin skies and a large bread flat like they use to deliver bread to a store.

I just bungee strapped whatever I needed to the flat. Snow fell out and it was very light. Remarkably strong too, it lasted for years.

A tip is to add a 6" piece of 1 1/2 soft rubber hose to your pull rope (like silicon Ag hose for sprayers, stays pliable in the cold). It will self centre the sled and make pulling less of a pain.
If you lay it over a ball hitch on a ATV it will centralise the sled much like a clevis will.

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding
"ED on the RED"
[email protected]
><,sUMo,>

[rodbuilder]

Hey guys, thanks for the input. I just bought a pair of old down hill ski's from play it again sports...$10....I also took a pallet from work so my thought is to screw the pallet to the ski's, attach a rope and away I go!

Later...good luck this weekend!