Tow-behind Sled

[pa12drvr]

Hey gang...can use some wisdom here: My daughter has, over the past couple of years, acquired a couple of sno-gos for her and the kid and a piece of property up near Talkeetna;

She's put a sno-go tow-behind sled near the top of her list for Christmas: Is anyone in Los Anchorage or Fairbanks selling ready-made sleds (i.e. that tow behind a snowmobile) that I could contact about purchasing? (I'm stuck in Texas or Africa for the near term and can't get up to the Great Land to shop).

Recognize that the best sleds are fabricated, but I don't want her to end up with a POJ from a box store if there's something more suitable already made.

thx
PA12drvr

[Berto]

I have an Otter Magnum with tow hitch and hyfax I bought from Sportsman's Warehouse in ANC a few years ago and love it. I've pulled at least 300 lb of gear in it w/o any problem. Some assembly is required.

[Daveinthebush]

Ditto! I have one too and use it to haul heavy loads of fire wood. I beefed it up for that but the loads are heavy.

[Old John]

I also use an Otter Magnum that I purchased from SW in Wasilla.. but If your going to go that route I'd recommend you also get the tarp cover.. Otherwise blow by covers everything in the sled..

[keh]

if you want a real nice pulling sled, this guy is making great ones. once you factor in the box stores pricing with the hitch and accessories, these sleds are worth the money....

http://alaskaslist.com/1/posts/10_Tr...argo_Sled.html

P.S. i have no interest in this sled business.....just like the design and performance.

[Tearbear]

If you're towing a plastic sled, make sure you keep your eye on it, especially in cold weather. Was following behind a guy that had one break in half at 20 below...he was way ahead of half his sled, which had gear, rifle etc. strapped to it. Don't know what exact brand it was...cheap?

[limon32]

I also use an Otter but I modified the attachment point significantly after reading about many tearing out at the factory attachment points. I also don't tow anything very heavy, couple hundred pounds at most.

ATEC in Soldotna fabricates aluminum sleds and someone up here fabricates them out if UHMW that are supposed to be great freight haulers, hopefully someone else will chime in with the name.


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[Daveinthebush]

I also use an Otter but I modified the attachment point significantly after reading about many tearing out at the factory attachment points. I also don't tow anything very heavy, couple hundred pounds at most

Plus 1 here. I also put 2x2's under the edges and secured them with eye-bolts every foot. I then put one piece of rope through all of them with some slack. When I need too tie logs down, I have carabiners attached so I can cross the ropes and secure them in the middle easily and tighten with only one knot.

[limon32]

Plus 1 here. I also put 2x2's under the edges and secured them with eye-bolts every foot. I then put one piece of rope through all of them with some slack. When I need too tie logs down, I have carabiners attached so I can cross the ropes and secure them in the middle easily and tighten with only one knot.

2x2s is a great idea! I used some metal strips with pre punched holes from Home Depot, I also used eye bolts for attachment points and they are super handy!


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[Old John]

Plus 1 here. I also put 2x2's under the edges and secured them with eye-bolts every foot. I then put one piece of rope through all of them with some slack. When I need too tie logs down, I have carabiners attached so I can cross the ropes and secure them in the middle easily and tighten with only one knot.

the 2x2 and eye bolts sounds like a great idea..

[Dinglishna]

I'd say she should start out with an Otter sled. Yeah, they are box store sleds, but they are pretty good. Only thing I don't like about mine (a medium) is that the tarp doesn't fit tight enough and snow gets inside. I tightened the bungee, but it didn't help a whole lot. Need a system to clamp the tarp to the sides better. If she has to start hauling heavy stuff like lumber, logs or 55 gallon barrels of fuel, then it would be time to upgrade to a freight sled like many of us in the Su Valley use. Then when you get the freight sled you have an option to take heavy or light sled depending on your needs of the trip.

[pa12drvr]

Thanks for the insights guys. After reading the input, I'm thinking getting her an Otter until she figures out what she'll really be doing with it...

Thanks for the help.

[bkmail]

Great idea, inexpensive compared to many of the custom sleds. I had the magnum otter sled once and found it wsas too wide though. Wider than the machine pulling it and it tends to drag a bit more whenever we ran through powder, overflow, etc.... and it tended to create a lot of blowing snow that would end up in the trailer and stuff in the sled itself. My only advice would be to get the narrower model, its the perfect width to hold a couple medium size action packers perfectly plus it rides in your snowmachine track without plowing on the outer edges. Just my .02!
BK

[AkGrumpy]

Great idea, inexpensive compared to many of the custom sleds. I had the magnum otter sled once and found it wsas too wide though. Wider than the machine pulling it and it tends to drag a bit more whenever we ran through powder, overflow, etc.... and it tended to create a lot of blowing snow that would end up in the trailer and stuff in the sled itself. My only advice would be to get the narrower model, its the perfect width to hold a couple medium size action packers perfectly plus it rides in your snowmachine track without plowing on the outer edges. Just my .02!
BK

Unless you are hauling a couple big dogs. Which is why we have the magnum.

[bkmail]

2 regular sized sleds in tandem, he-he-he! One dog in each.
Ours surf on top of the action packers. Come on Grumpy, no stinking padded dog kennels in our train.
BK