Rigging Skis Directly to Bottom of Sled

Has anyone tried doing this to make the sled pull easier?

I have two Clam Kenai thermal shacks that pull like a plow through the snow despite their light weight. The angle of the front of the sled is steeper than most.

I am concerned that the canvas edges won’t come into good contact with the ice if I make a raised up Smitty Sled, and I’ll have a lot of wind coming in.

I would like to figure out an alternative, such as directly mounting the skis to the sled or maybe making a 2″ tall Smitty Sled.

Any suggestions or pictures would be appreciated.

Thanks, Joe

I went with about 4″ of clearance on my smitty sled to clear deeper snow. You’ll defeat the purpose if your fish house starts plowing snow.

I just used mine today and gotta say I remember why I made it. Mine comes off the smitty sled when I fish.

Actually now that I think about it, it’s more like 6″. I forgot I have one more 2×4 under the fish house.

Going taller and removing the shelter is a lot less work than pulling against snow for even only 100 yards. Also, a pair of modern hypalon cleated snow shoes work amazing.

I need to do some more research on Smitty Sleds. I was unaware that people were removing the shack from the Smitty Sled once they reached their destination. That’s a good idea. I thought they were all semi-permanently attached to the sled with recessed screws and nuts.

I could take a few pics of mine later tonight. I was really concerned about storing a bulky sled in my truck so I made it so it could be disassembled.

If I didn’t it would never fit in the back of my truck under the cover.

biggill wrote:

I just used mine today and gotta say I remember why I made it. Mine comes off the smitty sled when I fish.

So…where did you fish today??

Me and the kiddo went to Coon lake. It was a good day. Spent 30 minutes getting her dressed, 60 minutes unloading, walking to out spot and setting up our gear on the ice. Once the ifishpros were set she stepped in a hole .

Spent 30 minutes fishing because she cried when I told her we need to go home.

Had 2 flags in 30 minutes and no fish on top the ice to show for it. She learned how to jig and watch the sonar.

Pulling the house in was pretty easy.

You still waiting for more ice?

biggill wrote:

You still waiting for more ice?

No, not that…been working 6 days a week, leaves only one day for errands, chores, laundry, etc. Next weekend though, I’m packed already. I’ll PM you later, curious about Coon lake. Close to me too. Don’t want to take this thread off topic.