How to tow out a dead sled

[Shankster]

turn ski around put on back and give r...your sliding dead weight easy!

just put rope in track...pull great and works.....did it couple yrs back dopping into something i couldn't get out

Hey Guys, Absolutely a great post!! This generally works most of the time, but if your trying to pull a deadweight RX1ton out of something nasty, with a Rev or a lighter machine than the dead, this may not work!! Another suggestion Is if the dead sled is ratcheting but partly running, is to tie a ski tip of the dead sled super tightly to the bumper of the tow mobile which then you can partly help with the dead sled! Now if the dead sled is partly running i would give it all she had/ratcheting or not with this tight bumpered pull! If you have a completely dead heavyweight /sitting on your tail/you will never get it out because you will wheelie over backwards/which is fairly inconvenient.....especially when you have extra sleds attached. No matter where you go, you always have to think that you are going to leave a sled behind/unless your just having a relax day...which sometimes is awesome too!! When I can get my hands on the helmut cam footage of my TRX1 coming out of the nasty...renshaw spot it was in...I will post it because it was a learning/serious experiment of what could and will happen with a little weight on the back....even on highway like conditions! Again, what a great post!!:d

 

[finndoo]

I have often wondered what if we had to tow a dead sled out of one of our bowls that we love so much. We have tied three sleds together to pul up a fairly steep hill and it worked well. It got me thinking though, what if we removed the rear suspension and opened up the chain case and took the track off, then re installed the skid. Would it not be just like towing on skis or crazy carpet? I know some sleds like my xp that is easier said then done, but my old King Cat or RMK it was a 45 minute job with the basic tools that we carry. Even if the track was not removed but sandwiched between the tunnel and suspension it has got to be easier than pulling a sled with the track on the ground. I dunno guys, does it seem like a good idea as a last resort?

 

[maxwell]

there are skids specifically for putting underneath the track for that.

 

[JoHNI_T]

good thread I have tried them all lol...


depends on conditions and what sled is towing what sled.....

One adventure I believe we tried all the above, my rev was crunched and track would not turn, so out came the shiney silver blanket,, after it ripped away 15km later we flipped the skis and put it on the tunnel got it another 10kms and finally on a big hill 3 sleds in tow draged that sum biotch up that hill bouncing and rolling the whole way at WOT man it was funny,, sled was already done.


Heli's work best but they are not cheap,, but the poor tow sled gets a workout so sometimes its a gamble

 

[TheLonelyIsland]

easy solution!!!! ride a yammy!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahaha

 

[maxwell]

no because then the tow ride ends up like this. ive towed a few sleds from this location. but these guys gave up

 

[TheLonelyIsland]

no because then the tow ride ends up like this. ive towed a few sleds from this location. but these guys gave up

aaaaaaaaa he just ran out of gas!!! it aint broke!!!

 

[Ancient Sledder]

Well, as the owner of the King Cat in the first picture, I can say there was no damage done towing it out. I had the rear axle bend about a 1/4 inch and spit the wheels off. Still haven't fixed it yet. Still riding the old Summit, though.

 

[ferniesnow]

Hey Guys Just thought that I would start a thread on how to tow out a dead sled. Don't know if this has been done before. Post up Pics of how you tow out a dead sled.

I will start with one poor Picture of the way Mattmedic showed us at Elkford. Only have a close up. MAybe some of the Boondockers have a better Pic

This is how we doo it in Elkford....and you will notice that in Pipes picture and this one, the purrrr is finished in both.....must be something in the air!!!!

 

[DaveB]

If your name is Christopher you just call Search and Rescue....isn't that what they're here for...getting sleds unstuck, free tows, bring sandwiches.....?

 

[sledhead_2002]

We have dragged a sled out from the super bowl at allens, took a day but got it out same as some of the pics, turned skis and we tied them to the ISF bar so it wouldnt dart around put, the track on the back of the other sled and hooked another sled up to the pulling sled. it helps alot when in a bowl to set the track up, run up n down make a trail and allow the snow to set, about 1/2 hr or so will work ok. a rental sled also works well in the situation :d

 

[imdoo'n]

seen guys do the flip ski's, bumper on rear tunnel thing, dangerous and usually no control, but you do what you got to do. snobunji has the system down, short tie to rear of sled in front, we put a small tarp under the track, you could use a krazy carpet only they are a pain to carry, tarp will fit almost anywhere and also can be an emergency shelter etc.
tarps are cheap and throw away when full of holes when dragged over rocks and roots.

 

[oler1234]

best setup we came up with so far is to attached ropes to the spindle, bring them together with a clevis. From there we have 2 ropes, 1-5ft and 1-10ft. Worrks great becasue you can chose you lengths for the conditions, as well being attached to the spindle a person can still drive the dead sled. Had to pull a thunder cat out of silver mines this way with a tandom sled pullin, as well the same sled outta beaver mines in the CNP.

 

[barefooter]

seen guys do the flip ski's, bumper on rear tunnel thing, dangerous and usually no control, but you do what you got to do. snobunji has the system down, short tie to rear of sled in front, we put a small tarp under the track, you could use a krazy carpet only they are a pain to carry, tarp will fit almost anywhere and also can be an emergency shelter etc.
tarps are cheap and throw away when full of holes when dragged over rocks and roots.

I have the snobunji system. Been thinking what to use for slide - doubling up a tarp should work great. Way easier to pack than crazy carpet.

If you are using something to slide - should you keep belt on to keep tension on the track - or is it easier to let track spin?

Sorry if this is a stupid question - just have never had to pull a dead sled yet?!

 

[maxwell]

brake on. belt wont do anything. providing the chaincase didnt break. unless its an xp then its alright

 

[powderhoundbrr]

I tie the sleds very tight bumper to bumper. This way the guy in the back doesn't get sprayed, he doesn't have to steer, and you can't get rear ended. After lots of trial and error from owning junk this seems to be the best way.

AND DON"T FORGET TO TAKE OFF THE BELT.

 

[imdoo'n]

I have the snobunji system. Been thinking what to use for slide - doubling up a tarp should work great. Way easier to pack than crazy carpet.

If you are using something to slide - should you keep belt on to keep tension on the track - or is it easier to let track spin?

Sorry if this is a stupid question - just have never had to pull a dead sled yet?!

no stupid questions, just stupid people that don't ask questions.
if you double or triple fold the tarp, the sled will slide and the track should not rotate, but put the brake on as if the tarp wraps up in the rear skid, you will find some new french words. the tarps are cheap, have multiple uses, tie them with some string, yes they will wear through but make towing way easier.
try it out before needing it in the back country as you may need to modify.

 

[Summit X]

i use a 'dynamic climbing rope', it gives lots of strech so that you don't get jerked around. this makes it easier on the sled doing the work, and on the guy being towed. i have a couple carabiners on the ends that will hook right over your a-arms. works great. rope and carabiners probably ran me close to $100 at MEC.

unfortunatley, i've had to use it a few times...

 

[paulw22]

Well one time we fabricated a trailing arm on a assultt from a tree, but that wasn't a tow job. Best solution is to tie one ski directly to bumper of another sled, remove belt and rider and give er. Seen darkdays sled pulled 20 miles without a hitch. It's the only way.

 

[treemongrol]

has anyone ever used any reducing pulley setups? like for coming out of tight trees? im looking into some serious amount of rope but not sure what type of pulley setup to get.

i figure one sled goes down hill and it will pull the other up but not sure how many reductions i would need. 1 pulley cuts the force in half correct?

We routinely use one pulley and it works good, dig one sled into hill if no trees available hook onto bumper and point other sled downhill and it pulls deadsled up no problem if its really steep may have to use 2 sleds downhill but it makes it easy. Longer the rope the better we have 2 lengths that are around 500 ft each.