Pull sled mods to prevent tipping
 

So I’m wondering if some of you have made mods / improvements to your sleds so you can pull or tow them without having to look back now and then to check if somethings dumped out, or everything’s dumped out like I do?
I was thinking of adding outriggers, as I have little faith the tow hitch does much. I have one of those bungy-mesh pickup bed ‘tarps’, that I’ve attempted to just hook on, with little success, yet lots of hassle.
I’m thinking of 2 outriggers made from aluminum (not cheap), or 2x2’s (cheap but not light), that either hinge or connect together, and either bolt or pin to the sled. Some kind of spring/shock action would be ideal, but I doubt I’ll go that far.
A pair of cheap skis would make great runners, yet wood should work fine. Either making a ‘base’ type frame / outrigger, that fits under the sled, or one that attaches to the top are options.
The under style should be much more reliable, yet likely more bulky. And at a point the plastic sled becomes almost pointless since a sheet of plywood replaces it.
This and / or cargo carriers for my quad that carry everything reliably is my desire. I like to dream up stuff, and love to build, if that wasn’t obvious. lol. Anything short of a helicopter, or ice fishing Cadillac is up for improvement.
I have a long and short sled, which I’ve considered making them attachable side by side, or getting another long one to do the same. That would likely make the base wide enough to not tip.
Anyways, just curious if anyone else has built a better mouse trap.

I dont have it anymore but I ran some aluminum conduit under the lip on the side of sled and put quick connect bolts on. Attached to that I used some more conduit - about 18 inches and attached them to cheap plastic kids skis. The ones you buy at crappy tire and attach to boots. They are curved up at the tips so they don’t bite into the snow. The key is to put them forward in the sled and o found setting them a few inches above the snow so they only contact the snow as the sled starts tipping was best.

Cheers.

Those are actually great ideas, I would love to see a build thread if you settle on a plan. I usually just make sure I do my neck stretches before I head out

Thanks sco22

I found a goldmine of mods at IceShanty dotcom. Amazing how many and creative mods people do to their sleds. I still haven’t found one that uses outriggers of some sort to stabilize a sled.
Maybe they don’t have to deal with snow drifts in the states like we do? Yet quite a few of the sleds I’ve seen on there are much wider than my CT pelican ones. Their actually too narrow to be all that practical, I find. About the only thing that can sit flat is a bucket. And their so narrow that any uneven ground causes them to tilt.
Maybe I’d be better off just building a sled from scratch.

With outriggers there’s the possibility of catching one on the brush that is commonly found along lakeshores etc... that’s the only downside I saw in your initial
Proposal. Personally I would go to a second hand store like value village and buy some old down hill or cross country skis for my outrigger. Then build them up with some 2x3 blocks. The ski will be hard to beat for the ability to slide over the snow and a bit extra weight would help lower the sleds center of gravity to make it more stable. In my mind that’s how it works anyways. Lol

What does your sled look like? Got a pic or link of it

stable sled
 

Buy 2 sleds and pin them side by side and off you go very simple.

Easiest way to keep a sled from tipping or rolling over is to mod the hitch system. Use a hitch that has arms that attach to each side of the sled and come together at the ball. Use a hitch that does not have a swivel where it attaches to the ball or pull tab on the tow vehicle. The swivel ones with the stupid spring in them don't cushion any shocks anyhow and they allow the sled to roll over.

Only way to tip sled is to rip the hitch off the ball. Use a safety chain to ensure sled doesn't get left behind if it detaches. You still have to tie stuff on properly.

for my pull behind toboggan, I load it with heavy items on the bottom.
I use an ATV rack bungee net. much smaller than a truck net and holds tight.

For the snowmobile toboggan I made, I made it the same width as the snowmobile track. it helps track inside. the hitch is also rigid, only pivots up and down at the sled front, and attaches with a 4 way pivot on the machines hitch. very little movement with it.