Check out our new video showing how we customize our sleds. Get full instructions on all upgrades plus see how we used LED lights to make the ultimate sled! Watch it here: th-cam.com/video/7d-lcJr7LjU/w-d-xo.html
Use 2 x 1" pvc 4' long for pulling instead of rope. It adds way more maneuverability and no worries about being run over going downhill. Add a temp line at the handles end and use your head.
I built something similar a few years ago. I have a suggestion when tying your length of rope. My suggestion is make the rope longer so when a person pulls his sled down a hill or a small slope a person can control the sled from the back. That way the sled won't be trying to run you over. Once a person gets to the bottom they can walk in front of the sled again. I used 1x6 wood on my frame. I have an old frabil tent that I slide on top of the frame and strap it down. I liked how you made about a 6 inch clearance between the skis and the top of where you mount your tub. When there's a fresh snow that height helps with clearance. I also cut a 2x2 board that went up under where the two wood pieces meet. It helps a ton for support for when a person turns the sled in snow. It keeps it from buckling under. Put wood glue on it before screwing it together. It'll be rock solid then. Hope this helps.
My buddy and I built 2 Smitty sleds - so much better than pulling the Pelican.. ours can come apart to fit in the car and the pelican and gear are held on with bungee courts…. Good video..
Awesome! Cousin Steve (K’s dad) showed me pics of this on his phone yesterday when he was here with Stan turkey hunting (they’re back here today with Cameron)! So Paul and I are now subscribers (also to your blog).
This was a project I was planning on do last year. I even got the skies from a thrift store but never got past pulling the bindings off. Well this year we got a huge pop up but my sled isn't big enough to put the house in and carry everything needed for a family of 4 to be comfortable on the ice. This is exactly the tutorial I needed to get this project done! Excellent video I subscribed and can't wait for more videos!
That's awesome you are taking your family out ice fishing. I have no doubt that a Smitty sled will make it much easier and I'm glad you found our tutorial helpful.. Thank's for subscribing!
Seeing how good this video is and that you have only done a few I assume you do this as a day job? I am probably wrong! Just couldn't imagine why someone would be so good at it but only make a few videos.
I'm going to use extruded aluminum for mine but I love this idea. My sled bottom is scratched now so it doesn't slide through snow is good as it used to! Oh, I'm assuming you put that mask on to show safety first, but quickly realized those filters do not filter spray paint fumes at all! Tried that once! 😆
I like the aluminum idea! Should make for a lighter sled. Surprisingly the mask filtered more than I expected but I still made sure to paint in a well ventilated area.👍
@@fishingduoproductions yeh, I figured, these filters should work fine. They certainly filter the paint particles, but the smell comes through!! You need the bigger organic vapor ones with the fiber filters on the outside. You can spray paint in an enclosed room and not know it smells at all!!
I always make room for a thermos with something hot but a custom thermos holder might be a future addition👍 Good idea! So far after several seasons we haven't had to wax the skis and they still glide nice on the snow.
@@Mahigeer1 99% of exterior grade screws for building arent stainless; almost all screws have a coating of some sort to mitigate that. Especially on a sled, it is a complete nonissue unless you have severe mentall illness or dont know a single thing about building, or both.
If you were to do a side by side test of a fully loaded sled without skis compared to a fully loaded sled with skis, the difference in effort is huge. Especially over slush or snow. There is significantly less drag with a Smitty sled which is why it is much easier. And if you walk a long ways the reward is not so little. The advantage is less obvious if you are pulling it on glare ice. Either way, I highly recommend you try it out sometime if you have the chance. Thanks for watching!
They are mounted to a piece of aluminum or steel flat bar with 2 pop rivets each. You can also use small machine screws and nuts. The metal is just bent so that the flat area where the PVC mounts extends past the lip of the sled. Thanks for watching!
In our experience, it only sinks into slush or snow a couple inches at most and is still very easy to pull. Making sharp turns is tougher though. But all you need to do is pick up the front and pivot it. Thanks for watching!
He said we can customize it for ourselves. I used a cheap pin system of old bolts with a pin hole drilled through the end and a large washer with the clip to secure it all together. Just unclip the 4 pins and the pan comes off and put a hinge on the struts . It all folds up and fit it the trunk. But now we have a truck so waste of time
Check out our new video showing how we customize our sleds. Get full instructions on all upgrades plus see how we used LED lights to make the ultimate sled! Watch it here: th-cam.com/video/7d-lcJr7LjU/w-d-xo.html
Use 2 x 1" pvc 4' long for pulling instead of rope. It adds way more maneuverability and no worries about being run over going downhill. Add a temp line at the handles end and use your head.
I built something similar a few years ago. I have a suggestion when tying your length of rope. My suggestion is make the rope longer so when a person pulls his sled down a hill or a small slope a person can control the sled from the back. That way the sled won't be trying to run you over. Once a person gets to the bottom they can walk in front of the sled again. I used 1x6 wood on my frame. I have an old frabil tent that I slide on top of the frame and strap it down. I liked how you made about a 6 inch clearance between the skis and the top of where you mount your tub. When there's a fresh snow that height helps with clearance. I also cut a 2x2 board that went up under where the two wood pieces meet. It helps a ton for support for when a person turns the sled in snow. It keeps it from buckling under. Put wood glue on it before screwing it together. It'll be rock solid then. Hope this helps.
Great video & very nice piece of equipment. Also helpful for all the additional comments by folks. Gotta get building me one of these.
Great job on the custom sled hauler 👍🎣🇺🇸
My dad built one of these 25 yrs ago. Great sled. Still use it today. Can haul heavy loads on ice easily.
My buddy and I built 2 Smitty sleds - so much better than pulling the Pelican.. ours can come apart to fit in the car and the pelican and gear are held on with bungee courts…. Good video..
Awesome! Cousin Steve (K’s dad) showed me pics of this on his phone yesterday when he was here with Stan turkey hunting (they’re back here today with Cameron)! So Paul and I are now subscribers (also to your blog).
Nice build! Great attention to precision and detail. Going out today to finish my sled. Thanks again.
Thanks! I'm glad the video helped and I hope your sled serves you well. Good luck on the ice!
I was pulling my gear through 8 inches on fresh snow on the ice last week, awesome sled!
Nice! Glad it worked for you.
Awesome build! Enjoyed the video
Fishing duo great job on the video.Lots of great tips. Visually well put together. I’m subscribing😂
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
This was a project I was planning on do last year. I even got the skies from a thrift store but never got past pulling the bindings off. Well this year we got a huge pop up but my sled isn't big enough to put the house in and carry everything needed for a family of 4 to be comfortable on the ice. This is exactly the tutorial I needed to get this project done! Excellent video I subscribed and can't wait for more videos!
That's awesome you are taking your family out ice fishing. I have no doubt that a Smitty sled will make it much easier and I'm glad you found our tutorial helpful.. Thank's for subscribing!
I like the ingenuity that you put into this! Great ideas on how to expand your sleds capacity!
Thanks! It’s definitely a worthwhile project for anyone with way too much gear like us! 😉
That’s fantastic. It’s got me thinking…
Dude a quick vid on how you made those rod holders would be amazing! Great video.
I just might do that. Glad you enjoyed the video!
slick!!! Take wait to start mine!
Seeing how good this video is and that you have only done a few I assume you do this as a day job? I am probably wrong! Just couldn't imagine why someone would be so good at it but only make a few videos.
Good quality, knowledge and communication. Like reference to options. I have subscription and refer to all my sportsmen friends
Good job! Good idea for sled.
Really good tutorial. This was really helpful with some great tips. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Nice job, thank you!
No problem. Glad you liked it!
Thank you for putting out this video. I can't wait to get started on my build! 👍🏽👍🏽
Oh... New subscriber now..👊🏽
Awesome! Glad it helped. Thanks for the sub!
I'm going to use extruded aluminum for mine but I love this idea. My sled bottom is scratched now so it doesn't slide through snow is good as it used to! Oh, I'm assuming you put that mask on to show safety first, but quickly realized those filters do not filter spray paint fumes at all! Tried that once! 😆
I like the aluminum idea! Should make for a lighter sled. Surprisingly the mask filtered more than I expected but I still made sure to paint in a well ventilated area.👍
@@fishingduoproductions yeh, I figured, these filters should work fine. They certainly filter the paint particles, but the smell comes through!! You need the bigger organic vapor ones with the fiber filters on the outside. You can spray paint in an enclosed room and not know it smells at all!!
Зачетно!
where do you people live that thrift stores have used skis? we do not have many ski slopes in the midwest.
How did you make the rod holders
How are the 1 1/2 pvc mounted for the rod holders
What about a place to store a thermos with soup/hot-chocolate? Do you have to wax the ski bottoms?
I always make room for a thermos with something hot but a custom thermos holder might be a future addition👍 Good idea! So far after several seasons we haven't had to wax the skis and they still glide nice on the snow.
May I suggest using Stainless screws instead of steel to prevent rusting.
Why?
@@whiteyfisk9769 Water and steel =rust.
@@Mahigeer1 99% of exterior grade screws for building arent stainless; almost all screws have a coating of some sort to mitigate that. Especially on a sled, it is a complete nonissue unless you have severe mentall illness or dont know a single thing about building, or both.
What do you call the elastic part that holds your shovel to the side?
It's 1/4 inch shock cord. You can also buy different components for mounting it like I did.
Will a smitty sled work on dry ground
You can pull it over grass or dirt without a problem but pulling it across rough terrain (gravel, asphalt) will scratch up the skis pretty quick.
Нужно правильно разместить груз при езде по трассе, иначе будет занос
Why add th3 skiis? It is a sled. It pulls. Why the added effort and cost for little reward?
If you were to do a side by side test of a fully loaded sled without skis compared to a fully loaded sled with skis, the difference in effort is huge. Especially over slush or snow. There is significantly less drag with a Smitty sled which is why it is much easier. And if you walk a long ways the reward is not so little. The advantage is less obvious if you are pulling it on glare ice. Either way, I highly recommend you try it out sometime if you have the chance. Thanks for watching!
@@fishingduoproductions thanks for the reply. Perhaps I will give it a try!
The pvc rod holders?
They are mounted to a piece of aluminum or steel flat bar with 2 pop rivets each. You can also use small machine screws and nuts. The metal is just bent so that the flat area where the PVC mounts extends past the lip of the sled. Thanks for watching!
How does it work out in deep snow/slush?
In our experience, it only sinks into slush or snow a couple inches at most and is still very easy to pull. Making sharp turns is tougher though. But all you need to do is pick up the front and pivot it. Thanks for watching!
would have been nice to see a short clip of the sled before you started the video, also why are you calling it a shmitty shled?
The most disadvantage for this, is that u must have pickup truck to get it to the water, o just live somewhere around:)
Are you interested in making me one and pay you for it?
If you cant take the sled off and break down the smitty... it ain't a smitty.
He said we can customize it for ourselves. I used a cheap pin system of old bolts with a pin hole drilled through the end and a large washer with the clip to secure it all together. Just unclip the 4 pins and the pan comes off and put a hinge on the struts . It all folds up and fit it the trunk. But now we have a truck so waste of time
it's not a smitty sled if it doesn't have a loo on board
That would be a shitty sled lol
Wish you woulda showed your auger brackett .