Ideas for a sled

[Pallet Pete]

I am going to pickup about 2 cords worth of rounds that I cut a couple of weeks ago and need some sled ideas please. Usually I use a dolly with a ratchet to get firewood out of the woods but today we got some snow which always makes it harder to do the dolly thing. My idea is to buy a plastic kids sled to pull the rounds out of the woods but I can't find one anywhere ! I am guessing it's because winter is finally here and the kids want some sled time. I do not have a atv or mower to pull them out so it's gotta be manpowered.

Thanks
Pete

 

[quads]

Check places that sell ice-fishing stuff. Gander Mountain, Farm and Fleet, most hardware stores, etc. I bought a nice big black plastic one last year that I use for pulling wood around by hand when needed.

 

[KarlP]

Check places that sell ice-fishing stuff. Gander Mountain, Farm and Fleet, most hardware stores, etc. I bought a nice big black plastic one last year that I use for pulling wood around by hand when needed.

Probably the Viking Sport Sled.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Viking_Sport_Sled&i=430513

One of the few non-food made-in-USA products Walmart stocks. At my Walmart they are in the hunting section for dragging deer out of the woods...

 

[fsr4538]

I also found that I could not find a sled when I wanted one. Also, the volume of wood that can be moved is limited and stacking it makes it likely to fall off.

When I have to move wood over snowy ground, I use a good old fashioned blue tarp. I tie the two corners together on one narrow end to make sort of a pocket and fill and drag. The length of the tarp aids in moving more weight and the plastic slides over the snow pretty well. I ten dot choose a path that allows for a trough to be created by the weight.

I will admit that it is not extremely durable but I have used one tarp for better than two seasons as it is not an every day use. It makes a good re-use for an old tarp.

 

[Pallet Pete]

I also found that I could not find a sled when I wanted one. Also, the volume of wood that can be moved is limited and stacking it makes it likely to fall off.

When I have to move wood over snowy ground, I use a good old fashioned blue tarp. I tie the two corners together on one narrow end to make sort of a pocket and fill and drag. The length of the tarp aids in moving more weight and the plastic slides over the snow pretty well. I ten dot choose a path that allows for a trough to be created by the weight.

I will admit that it is not extremely durable but I have used one tarp for better than two seasons as it is not an every day use. It makes a good re-use for an old tarp.

I was acctually thinking about laying a tarp on the sled and tying the top after I filled it or maybe laying some bungies under and hooking them on top hmm food for thought thanks fsr4538

Pete

 

[Catspaw]

If you need to pull uphill, you will find it to be a major amount of effort. Downhill or level is not too bad. On hard snow, the sled wants to take its own path, softer snow you can make a track.

This site has more info than you'll ever want to know about human pulled sleds: http://www.skipulk.com/ but I would start with one of the utility sleds that others have mentioned.

-Rich

 

[rwhite]

We built an ice house sled once. Iit was cheap and worked very well. Go to a second hand store and try and find some used cross country skis. They can usually be found for less than $25. Space them about 2-3 feet apart and run some 2x4s across them. Cover with plywood. I think it costs us less than $30 to build ours.

Here are some examples, ours was bit different but this will give some ideas:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=103927.340

 

[Pallet Pete]

We built an ice house sled once. Iit was cheap and worked very well. Go to a second hand store and try and find some used cross country skis. They can usually be found for less than $25. Space them about 2-3 feet apart and run some 2x4s across them. Cover with plywood. I think it costs us less than $30 to build ours.

Here are some examples, ours was bit different but this will give some ideas:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=103927.340

That's slick man I can build that easily but the flag might be a problem for this yank %-P
Pete

 

[fsr4538]

I also found that I could not find a sled when I wanted one. Also, the volume of wood that can be moved is limited and stacking it makes it likely to fall off.

When I have to move wood over snowy ground, I use a good old fashioned blue tarp. I tie the two corners together on one narrow end to make sort of a pocket and fill and drag. The length of the tarp aids in moving more weight and the plastic slides over the snow pretty well. I ten dot choose a path that allows for a trough to be created by the weight.

I will admit that it is not extremely durable but I have used one tarp for better than two seasons as it is not an every day use. It makes a good re-use for an old tarp.

I was acctually thinking about laying a tarp on the sled and tying the top after I filled it or maybe laying some bungies under and hooking them on top hmm food for thought thanks fsr4538

Pete

I found that the snow covers uneven ground and when I hit a bump a sled or wagon in the snow wanted to tip. The tarp just flows over the obstruction better. A few pieces of wood may fall off but I can take a big pile on that tarp; two or three times what I can take in my wagon or on a sled.

 

[LLigetfa]

A snowmobile sleigh would work well. Just need to add a rope or make a pulling yoke for it.
(broken link removed to http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/enthusiasts/catalog_item_detail.asp?catalog=6768&levelcode=66571&product=1007842&cattype;=&ProductCategoryCode;=)
http://www.psndealer.com/powersportsdlr/images/ec0450/182187.jpg
A cheap and dirty way is to use a snow scoop. You can push or pull it.
http://www.johndee.com/pix/2011/feb6-9.jpg

 

[kenny chaos]

going to pickup about 2 cords worth of rounds need some sled ideas it's gotta be manpowered.

That kinda stuff will make you old before your time. Maybe find an alternative method?
Kenny

 

[Catspaw]

I agree but if you have the time and need (or want) the exercise -go for it.

Ideally a wood sled should have an inside width greater than the length of your rounds so you can load them crosswise. Most kid sleds are only 12-14" wide. If you load lengthwise, everytime the sled hits a bump that causes it to tilt sideways, your rounds want to roll out.

- Rich

 

[LLigetfa]

That's slick man I can build that easily but the flag might be a problem for this yank %-P
Pete

I ran into a lot of Yanks with Canadian flags sewn onto the backpacks. Seems they figured people would treat them better that way. Mind you, some of them were draft dodgers.

Farmers often used an old flipped over truck or car hood as a sled or stone boat. Today's cars would probably be too weak for that. Two toboggans ganged together side-by-side would give good stability.

When I had my Arctic Cat snow machine, I built a sled to haul supplies to our remote trapline. It was as wide as the snow machine ski stance and set such a nice track that I towed it everywhere I went on the trapline and hauled a lot of firewood with it.

 

[Shmudda]

I used at one time an old car hood, but I was pulling with a machine. Those things work great and it could be manpowered if you get one that isnt to big. As a kid we used to use an old VW Beetle hood to sled ride. That was a blast!

Craig

 

[Pallet Pete]

Lligetfa I am thinking I will go with the atv sled idea thanks for that. I used a kiddie sled today and it worked good but wasn't big enouph as it can't carry enouph with it. I think the wider base will make it much better on the atv sled as well .

Kenny I wish there was a better way but if I carry an atv on my trailer I won't have room for the wood sadly. If you have a suggestion on a different way I am all ears !

Fsr4538 I tried the tarp and though it works well it was far more work to get out of the woods with it. It did give me an idea however Dennis made a sled for logs that is stable and I might rip it off a little. The utility sled is wide and can hold a lot so now I am thinking about making a utility sled with a cover tarp to hold the top wood in and also keep up by the house loaded for burning.

Catspaw one idea I have is making a ski fram to set the utility sled in to see how it slides. Another option I am thinking about is using motorcycle springs to stabalize the sled when its loaded . This in theory will make it slide smoother and turn better.

Thanks guys for all the great ideas I think they are all getting turned into one big Frankenstein sled haha
Pete

 

[wetwood]

Do it this way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm4eK-OKMoY