pulling a dead sled?

[polarisdragon800]

I know it's August but I thought I midaswell ask while its on my mind so I don't forget. What do you guys use for towing dead sleds back to the truck? Last winter we had a broken steering colunm and had to borrow a rope to get the sled out. Ended up breaking the ski hoops. Do you use just regular rope or something special? and tips on towing dead sleds? I need to put a rope or something in my sled for winter

 

[snopro]

Our group always uses Ski Doo's. They seem to be the best option when other brands break down. Lol.

 

[ferniesnow]

I always have a 1/2" 50' nylon tow rope in my pack and it seems that it is just Poo's and Cats that I've towed.

Spindles only for towing unless a toboggan is necessary for some huge climbs.

 

[moyiesledhead]

What he said. Tie to the spindles, not the ski loops....but it sounds like you already figured that out. We used to tie tight bumper to bumper to keep the spray from the tow sled off the dead one, but they don't really line up very well on our extra long sleds any more. These days it's usually a long rope to only one spindle so the rider on the dead sled has a chance to get over to the side out of the spray. Or 2 tow sleds, each to a spindle if it's a particularly nasty place to get out of.

 

[hecks]

Some nylon rope & invest in a tow-bungee. Well worth it !

 

[takethebounce]

Having ridden with a few Polaris's I've towed a few of them with broken steering columns.

One of the problems with towing from the ski hoops is it can force the skis inward. Sometimes too much pressure, more so with one single rope.

Best way we have found depending on the situation is two smaller tie ropes/straps. Then tie the tips/hoops to the bumper. If they were a bit longer you could loop around the spindles. If you have to tow without a rider or brakes tie them tight and close enough so the dead sled doesn't slam into the tow sled. Tieing to the hoops keeps the sled from going to far forward.

I've seen lots of different ways though. Seen the sled turned around backwards and the rear bumpers tied, some people even went to the extent of reversing the skis when towing backwards.

Just remember to remove the belt if possible, or loosen track tension off. Also having a crazy carpet for dead sleds can help get you out of big terrain. Ripped tracks off Ski-doo's and towed them out on the runners, makes for a sketchy ride.

 

[JoHNI_T]

depends how mangled the dead sled is lol,, dead is easy mangled is tricky

I have done what TTB mentioned above,, sled hit tree so the track was not able to spin so we turned ski's around and put back of dead sled on back of good sled but its tricky and potentialy dangerous for good sled,, that worked for 10kms but we had some bigger climbs so we used my thermal blanket aka crazy carpet and wrapped it under the track so it would slide and we tied off to the spindles but we used the train method of a m1000 towing a M8 towing the mangled sled lol it did work but it took 5 hours and 25kms lol almost worth the HELI ....

If no rope around I have seen guys use to belts and a shovel handle,, rear bumper to front bumper nice and tight and it keeps the dead sled from slaming into the tow unit and no need for a person steering with this set up,, but it will probably wreck your spare belt so bring rope...

good times

 

[JoHNI_T]

i couldnt edit lol,,,,, two belts

 

[Summiteer]

Bought a handy little rig at the sled show a couple of years ago. it's a couple of nylon straps with the appropriate loopa and buckles to go from the spindles to your rear bumper, works great, can't remember what it's called though

 

[clarkydubs]

next time you break your steering post, tie the ski loops through the bumper to the corner of each handle bar.....this way you can just drive your sled out.....tough if you have to do a sidehill, but for a long trail ride its a lot better then getting towed.....
climbers rope works really well when sledding. super small diameter with mega strength.

 

[Carrots]

Cut a little tree if your desperate and put it through the ski loops and tie it to the bumper of the tow sled.

 

[polarisdragon800]

Thanks for all the great ideas! The steering solumn must be a week spot on cats and polaris's. I've seen them break on cats aswell. Looks like I gotta get some rop and throw a crazy carpet in my pack. And ya we. me and my dad stayed on gthe hill for a bit while the 2 other guys took the wounded sled back to the truck. We were up in Hope Creek area and the we were fairly close to the main trail so it wasn't to hard for them to pull the wounded sled. but their were a few hills they had to go over. Me and my dad stayed on the hill for an hour and ended up taking 3 shortcuts on the way back and still beat them to the truck. Had to go look for them and when we found them something was jamming the wounded sleds track up. Got that fixed and give the rope trick a try that some guy told us about back at the truck like (clarkydubs explained decribed) and it worked like a charm. Heres the sled.

 

[polarisdragon800]

Wow I should've spell checked that.

 

[clarkydubs]

Thanks for all the great ideas! The steering solumn must be a week spot on cats and polaris's. I've seen them break on cats aswell. Looks like I gotta get some rop and throw a crazy carpet in my pack. And ya we. me and my dad stayed on gthe hill for a bit while the 2 other guys took the wounded sled back to the truck. We were up in Hope Creek area and the we were fairly close to the main trail so it wasn't to hard for them to pull the wounded sled. but their were a few hills they had to go over. Me and my dad stayed on the hill for an hour and ended up taking 3 shortcuts on the way back and still beat them to the truck. Had to go look for them and when we found them something was jamming the wounded sleds track up. Got that fixed and give the rope trick a try that some guy told us about back at the truck like (clarkydubs explained decribed) and it worked like a charm. Heres the sled.

the price you pay for verticle steering, weak posts......there is no denying that the post over the motor is the best option for a strong post....but i just cant sidehill when the handle bars are turned they way the turn on doos.....too bad cause they look like fun sleds to ride...

 

[teamgreen]

I carry a 30' length of tubular webbing, takes up way less room than rope and is stronger than most commercial rope

 

[ferniesnow]

I carry a 30' length of tubular webbing, takes up way less room than rope and is stronger than most commercial rope

this is worthless without pictures.....is it 16" wide? is it flat? is it 1/2" diameter, 16" wide and 30' long?

Sounds like a great idea but a picture would help us out immensely, eh!

 

[robhayward]

I carry a couple cam buckle straps and a 6 footer of synthetic rope. Done this back in the day and recently on my 146 XP (doubling to boot). It's a short tunnel tow method but damn good for the steeper and deeper pulls.

Fox floats are a savior for this also - Toms snowmobile Evol kit.

 

[drew562]

Chopper. It's the only way. So much easier and I dont wanna ruin anyone's day to sled . When I was young and broke we even pulled motors and rode parts out to make the sled lighter.

 

[JoHNI_T]

Chopper. It's the only way. So much easier and I dont wanna ruin anyone's day to sled . When I was young and broke we even pulled motors and rode parts out to make the sled lighter.

I have heard some bring a engine (or required parts to fix) back to sled and do the work right there instead of pulling it out,, thats great if ya dont live 5 hours away,,,

but Heli is best when needed part of the fun is the whole experiance some of our interesting fun has been dragging sleds out

 

[JoHNI_T]

fawk this new site pizzes me off,, how the fawk you upload pics now