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If you have been reading my earlier post you know I am building a Smitty.
I've got it to the stage that the blocks and posts are attached to the skis and the upper part that will sit down over the posts and be the support for the deck is complete. Now I have to build the deck which will tie everything together.
My key question is, how far apart should the skis be?
I'm figuring that many times I will be walking on a snowmobile track and ideally the skis on the sled will be in the track from the snowmobile sliders.
Others that have made Smitty's, how far apart are the skis? On a snowmobile, how far apart are the sliders?
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Hey sdcaller,
I made mine 3' apart but that was just roughly how wide my platform was. I never thought about making it to fit the sliders of a snowmobile track that's a great idea as I'm always walking on them. Hope this helps, I'm interested to see how it turns out!
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I based my width on my wants. I wanted my hut to lay on the smitty beside my otter sled instead of in it. By happy coincidence it fits nicely in snowmobile tracks. If its too narrow it may be on the tippy side.
If you're using bolts to join your cross beams to the base its better to leave it on the tight side. Mine started off tight but it was a bit of a pain pulling it apart at the end of the day. I widened the holes a bit so they slid in easily but i noticed a lot more play in the sled when going on uneven ground whereas before she was nice and solid. No biggie but I wish I hadn't changed it.
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SDC I never gave it any thought, other than I wanted the skis far apart so it wouldn't be tippy. I used the outside bottom rib as my guide to distance. The hard part for me was getting the exact true to tow without drag.
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Member No.: 67
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Initially, I was thinking of having the skis 30 inches apart.
Today, I assembled the new gas auger and put it, my Otter sled and the Rubbermaid bin that I carry gear in, on the boards I will use for the deck and from that, I think it will work nicely if the skis are 28 inches apart.
Now I just need the hardware to fasten it all together.
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Based on my experience build the sled the width of what you are hauling out and add a few inches extra and keep the skis on the outside. My last one was 40" wide as that was the way my gear was configured. My latest is 25 wide as that's the max of what I now haul out. I lowered my height now and I seem to have no problem with top heavy or tipping. Just secure your load properly and u will be fine. I also like the narrower width as I do access some spots thru the bush and break my own trail. Can't wait to get out!
Group: Members
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Nocod, as long as the weight is divided evenly it shouldn't matter. Play around with the configuration and use what works best. Just keep the weight low and centred. I've posted this pic before but here it is again of mine. As you can see all weight distributed evenly and kept low. Now that I have a drill adapter the auger actually goes inside the 2 pelicans. Hope this helps everyone in their build.
Smitty Sled Design Question, Skis How Far Apart?
