Smitty Sled build, PVC Vs Wood

Hey Guys,

So I'm looking to take on a little project. After the last snow storm, walking 2-5 Kms isn't getting any funner lol.

I currently have 2 huts I fish out of:

Got my: Otter Lodge XT pro ( Heavy sucker )

And my: Frabil recon 1 man

I'm leaning towards building a PVC Smitty sled that I could adjust for use between the two huts ( maybe using a slider mechanism or pipe extensions to accomadte the size change between the two huts)

Have any of you ladies or gents experimented with this kinda of build ( adjustable smitty)?

Any tips, tricks and opinions are welcome.

Cheers!

Attached a pic of what I'm looking to emulate.

I had the same issue, I have the 2 man and a 1 man so I wanted something that could easily be torn down for storage and travel if we have a couple of people bringing shacks in one truck or SUV, I actually made 3 of these for friends so far.

I came up with this style after looking at a bunch of designs, you really just have to make different cross beam lengths if you want it to be narrow for the one man or wide for the two man. That said I only use the wide cross beams and added on an auger holder to one side so if I have the one man it can stay outside of the flip, quite handy as it keep the auger off the ice completely.

to build i just used 1 = 8 ft 2x8 PT wood

4 = 7" 3/8 carriage bolts with wing nuts so its tool less

1 = 8 ft 2x4 cut to 48" wide

and the hardware for straps and the tow rope to the tip of the skii's. All in it was under 50 bucks and all parts came for HD except the skis i picked up for 2$

here is a close up of how the carriage bots are attached

i simplified the design and removed the jam nut as i realized it wasn't needed, you can see the 2nd one is just a straight drill trough. You have to counter sink the bolt head where you mount against the ski but if you do the 7" bolt will line up with the top of the 7.5" wood perfectly so when you put in the cross beams they are flush. To drill out the cross beams so my fingers are wide enough to spin the wing nut i just used hole bore bits and started with the smallest one and went up a size, marked them with tape so i dont drill too deep as i really only needed this to be as deep as the wing nuts.

i built mine out of pvc as i use it in my trade, light, whether proof not ajustable but im sure it could be

Do you just glue the cap on the end where you mount to the skis?

I also went wood ....its cheaper since I had the materials laying around and to me simpler and sturdier.

I went ABS with mine. Super lightweight, breaks down pretty nicely. I use a ratchet strap to keep the sled locked to the base.

Broken down.

ronzigator that's an awesome unit.

yes and if you need any 2 inch abs pipe i though out miles of it

Just make sure you tie it off when your in your hut because they're as light as a feather and the wind will take it away. Easy to make and simple to make adjustable if you use 2 inch and 1 1/2 which fits inside the 2 inch with very little play.

Holds quite a bit of weight easily and are quite strong.

Haven't put my Otter pro lodge on it because I only take it with the ATV. Simply because I'm getting too damn old to be pulling all that weight.

If you are going install pressure treated 2x4 on top of your skis is a very good idea.
It is still light weight and very strong.
Much stronger than PVC pipe. PVC pipe can give you problem in cold temperatures, and attached the skis to wood is much easier.

I built mine this way and very strong, I have it for years, working great.