Adding Sacrificial Skids??

This summer I bought a Stump 4 Ice blind/ice shack from a buddy. I plan to leave it on our land all winter, and drag it to the lake across the street when we’re there.

The boat landing is about 200 yards away up the asphalt road and I’d like to just drag it there instead of trailering (400 yards of asphalt each time fishing)

Looking for ideas to add sacrificial skids to the existing skids without making it too high off the ice.

I have some 2×4 oak dunnage boards, was thinking about countersinking some lag bolts and screwing them flat directly to the bottom side of the plastic skids?

Or would I be better off vertically bolting a 2×6 or 2×8 onto the sides of the existing skids and have a couple inches hanging below the plastic skids? With that way I wouldn’t ever have to worry about the lag bolt heads getting worn down?

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I would first try out any 1 x material that I had laying around that is as wide as the existing skids.
200 yds isn’t that far and chances are snow/ice may be on the road.
I’m thinking you would get quite a few years in before needing to re-load.
No matter what, you don’t have much cost in material.

You could always go to a plastic material, azek, treated decking, etc.

What do the existing skids consist of?

Trex decking leftovers would be something I’d consider laid flat. Our local yard has a fall cleaning with all the misfit pieces that couldn’t be returned or got damaged. They go for next to nothing.

buckybadger wrote:

What do the existing skids consist of?

Trex decking leftovers would be something I’d consider laid flat. Our local yard has a fall cleaning with all the misfit pieces that couldn’t be returned or got damaged. They go for next to nothing.

The existing ones are some sort of high density plastic, but they sound like they could be hollow and I don’t want to wear a hole through them while putting a few miles of asphalt wear and tear on them every year.

I may know a thing or three about Stump blinds…Yes, it’s a mediocre designed skid…And no, I no longer work for them….

The skids are for sure hollow, but they’re THICK. They are rotomolded MDPE. The bottom of the skid should have close to 1/2″ thick wall.

Biggest thing to watch out for on those skids is the Stainless screws securing the crossbars to the ski via aluminum inserts…The inserts WILL pull out of the ski and then you’re mostly screwed…

Let’s hope you have a newer “knock-off” designed hitch (like in the photo). The original was horrible and you couldn’t take sharp turns without hitting your rear tires…

Back to your first question. Buy 1/2″ UHMW and cut it into 2-3″ strips. Countersink the holes and use tri-lobe plastite screws to secure them to each side of the rib. You will lose tracking ability with the rib being supported, but it will keep the bottom from being destroyed. If you aren’t sure what a tri-lobe plastite screw is, check the window screws out. If they’re black, they’re tri-lobe. They grip soft plastics better than ANY other screw on the market.

There are plenty of old pallets around. What about finding one, or building a sacrificial skid to drag it over to the lake on and then push it off the skid. Then you are no higher off the ice then before and don’t have to worry about replacing or screwing anything to it?

Just the thing that UHMW is made for :

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23217&catid=868

Does anybody know what is used on dogsled runners? That should work

Dogsleds have a dovetail type fastening system these days that accepts a variety of plastics. For the fish house the UHMW is the way to go.