Forget the sled and get a wheeler…
100 percent agree. Buy a older Honda fourtrax, rancher or foreman. You won’t regret it. My wheeler has always done great for me. But obviously I’m limited on big lakes when we have feet of snow
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
If you are not mechanical then a sled is a terrible idea. Ive had many sleds in my time and wrench on them as much as I ride them.
Just a thing to think aboutThere’s only one way to learn and avoiding them isn’t it. As long as the issue occurs at home and not several miles out on the ice lol
Problems always occur at the worst place and the worst time.
I use a 97 Arctic Cat Pantera 2 Up. It has EFI, Electric start, and reverse. Mine is liquid cooled and do have to make sure to check it on warmer days. If the light turns on I just throw some slush/snow on the bottom and it cools fine.
When I get another sled it’ll be some sort of wide track though. My sled is a bit tippy if you get two people on there.
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<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Eric Hammerud wrote:</div>
Forget the sled and get a wheeler…100 percent agree. Buy a older Honda fourtrax, rancher or foreman. You won’t regret it. My wheeler has always done great for me. But obviously I’m limited on big lakes when we have feet of snow
I agree with most of you on this site about most topics. But this is not going to be one of them.
I beat the living snot out of my snowmobiles. I have never stuck a nickel into any of them for maintenance. I know that will make some of you cringe. Cleaning carbs? Nope. What’s that?. Never had to do it.
I just pour gas in and drive it like I stole it. That’s all I’ve ever done. I even tow around a 6 by 14 ice castle with my snowmobile. Just welded a steel plate to the back and mount a ball hitch. Presto. These things are simply work horses. I cannot say I’ve ever stuck a nickel into any one of my snowmobiles for maintenance. They flat-out just always work.
As far as a snowmobile versus a four-wheeler? There’s really no comparison. Used Four wheelers cost thousands. I still don’t have one cuz I can’t justify it. But I have 3 snowmobiles that cost me less than $2,500 combined. I don’t have to worry about snow, I don’t have to worry about slush, I don’t have to worry about Breakers, I don’t have to worry about traveling at night. All of the above are not a good idea with and an ATV.
There are obviously plenty of reasons to have a four-wheeler too. But for the low cost of a snowmobile I won’t be driving an ATV on the ice anytime soon.
I think for a lot of people it comes down to where they live. I’m up in Moorhead and fish LOW, Winnipeg, Devils, etc . . . and couldn’t imagine not having a sled. We just get so much more snow than a lot of places and it’s colder.
I completely agree with Joe. I never have to worry about getting anywhere or fishing by the crowds. I know that, with my sled, I’ll be able to get away from everyone, go over (most) ridges, and make my own path lots of times. It’s just a piece of mind. It’s one of the reasons I rarely drive my truck on the ice.
BUT, the first topic mentioned said a trailer is out of the question. So maybe a wheeler is the best route to go if you can get it in the back of a vehicle.
Joe and Kbeck12 both bring up good points. I don’t care what anyone says, even a wheeler with tracks won’t get you to places as safely or quickly as a snowmobile will. And yes, there are examples of people who seem to have extraordinary luck with the lack of maintenance, my fathers ’91 indy 500 with 9000 miles for example.
I would guess (correct me if i’m wrong) that Joe and kbeck12 both use their sleds primarily or even exclusively for ice fishing, which is what the OP was asking about. Lower speeds and not purposefully looking for the biggest drifts and hardest corners to rail through will definately aid in the long term reliability of the machine. My ice fishing sled is also my backup trail machine. When we go on a trip usually one of my nephews ages 10-17 will be on that sled and we put on 1000-2000 miles of trail riding in a year. Maintenance is most definately needed.
Whatever the OP or anyone decides to go with is completely up to them. Just go! Have fun!
We live on a lake and bought a 2000 Polaris 550 Trail Touring 2 up three years ago and it has needed very little maintenance outside of the standard things like occasionally some grease, spark plugs etc. The main use of this sled is for ice fishing, in fact licensed it as Non Trail machine so legally can’t ride the trails.
Gave a lot of thought to a wheeler before buying the sled. Our property is not big enough to justify the need for a wheeler and storage is an issue so it was one of the other. The sled has worked out well.
Tough decision and each person has to work though what works for them. I would buy another snowmobile if this one craps out.
Best of luck with your decision.
Something to think about is how you plan to drive it and how “athletic” you are. I grew up driving the early 70s skidoo’s that had fronts skies 30 inches apart from my dads younger years. We learned to drive those in a style of one leg on the seat and rarely seated unless going a crossed the wide open once moving. We would beat those on ditch drifts and got pretty good at using body weight to balance the sled. The reason I bring that up is I still have a late 90s 340 fan cooled Polaris and it’s my favorite to drive. I no longer have any interest in true trail riding, so this is a blast. I can load it on a trailer by popping the gas and leaning back and can turn/move/unstuck it by hand in powder or on the trailer. When we were kids we would take that into our unplowed deer hunting property with 2 guys on it and 2 kids in the sled and weekend gear and water and never really had a Power concern. My point is I doubt that the average guy really needs a huge sled if they are ok leaning and pushing/transferring to a knee a little to get started in the really tough stuff and they could get by with a tiny CC machine and have more fun with it. It will not be fun trail riding, but if you are not planning on more than 500 miles a year, it should be fine.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mnfisherman18 wrote:</div>
tbro – I think Little pine was referring to Artic Cat being the first manufacturer to introduce EFI tech. That was around ’06 I believe.It was actually in 93 or 94. I know I had an ext with it in 94. Polaris had the first EFI machine in 91 with the RXL, but Arctic Cat pioneered the technology with batteryless efi in 97. Which was awesome!
Thanks for the correction, I only dealt with carbed sleds in the late 90’s/early 2000’s so I was thinking it was much later. I definitely don’t miss messing around with the choke constantly.
The only thing you will fit in the back of a pickup is a kids sled or a really old trappers sled- like a Bravo 250. Modern sleds will fill all of an 8 foot pickup bed and then some. Everyone is getting rid of their 10 foot snowmobile trailers to get a 12 foot.
If you are committed to this, look for:
Yamaha Bravo 250
Yamaha Snowscoot
Arctic Cat kitty cat
Or something like that. They will be old, but simple mechanically, and Yamaha anything seems to run forever. You will look a little silly putting out there, but it beats walking.
If you don’t want to look silly on the ice, but don’t mind looking silly getting there, I suppose there is a way to carry a full sized snowmobile in a short bed…
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I have so much appreciation for all of those that pitched in. I’ve learned a ton about snowmobiles and I think it’ll help others out in the future too.
While four wheelers seem to have a time and a place, for several reasons it wasnt anything I was going to consider at this time.
I ended up getting an older sled through a friend of a friend kind of deal. Doesnt have a few of the bonus things I didnt need but preferred, but it was well below budget and comes from a mechanic who (I assume) took great care of it. Doesnt have too many miles on it and has a 121″ track. Several forums online made it seem quite obvious a snowmobile can fit on the back of a short bed truck w/o much of an issue, especially one with a short track. If it looks a little wonky, I was able to get my hands on a free trailer that will work for now too. Thanks again!
This is the sled I was talking about loading in the bed of my truck, no ramps….
That hitch setup would scare the hell out of me.
T
If you are committed to this, look for:Yamaha Bravo 250
Yamaha Snowscoot
Arctic Cat kitty cat
I would pay money to see an adult attempt to ride a kitty cat. LOL Not going to happen. Now a ZR 120 or 200 you have a possibility, but a kitty cat wouldnt even move with an adult on it let alone be able to comfortably sit on one. I had one when I was 2 and they are meant for kids under 10.
Arctic Cat did come out with a new smaller machine this year but its going to be pricey. Half the price of many of the other models with more power, but the Blast series has a single cylinder 400cc 2 stroke efi motor. 65HP. They make one model that is a 121″ track which is short by today’s standards, that would almost be doable in a shortbed truck BUT these machines are in short supply and list for $8K.
I have an ATV and used it for ice fishing and all the points about an ATV for ice fishing use are true. You get more than a foot of snow and its a tough go regardless of machine. No getting around or over pressure ridges. I bought a 97 Bearcat widetrack a few years ago and its really perfect for ice fishing. 154″ track that is 20″ wide. Its an absolute tank though probably 800 pounds loaded up.
Get over to Strum and buy this thing!
https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/snw/d/yamaha-bravo-250/7231470667.html
Get over to Strum and buy this thing!
https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/snw/d/yamaha-bravo-250/7231470667.html
You can find newer sleds with bigger motors for half that price all over CL.
DT
Get over to Strum and buy this thing!
https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/snw/d/yamaha-bravo-250/7231470667.html
Thanks but no thanks. What DT said
They don’t make sleds like this any more. If you want one less than 400 lb, you are limited to sleds before about 2006. If I were closer, I would buy it and sell my 2007 GTX. My 1999 Tundra never breaks, and never gets stuck in the slush. It is worth twice what I could get for the GTX, but I would never consider selling it.
We had one of these for a few years in the mid 90s. I’m not sure what they go for, but I would guess hundreds max compared to the 1600 for the old Yami! The thing had a ton of spunk and only weighed like 300 lbs. No need for front shock if the skies never touch the ground! This would be a ton of fun but ok have around if you found a reliable one.
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In all honesty if one of the companies built a new machine like one of those I think they would sell a ton. The new machines are too expensive. Like I mentioned the Arctic Cat Blast is the cheapest new machine out there and its just under $9000 while other “full size” machines go for up $15000.
Put something with a new tech engine in it like the Blast has with a single cylinder efi 2 stroke and no independent suspension up front with a 121″ track and sell for like $5000 it would sell super well. Get people back into the sport that left and bring some new people. I was out of the sport for about 12 years because lack of snow and having to trailer whenever I wanted to ride which gets costly plus starting a family so time was few and far between.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>hdog3385 wrote:</div>
This is the sled I was talking about loading in the bed of my truck, no ramps….That hitch setup would scare the hell out of me.
You and me both.
I wish there was a sled with an engine like the 4 stroke Honda and Yamaha 4 wheelers- 4 stroke, air cooled, run for years with no problems, economical. Modern sleds seem to have more power than a car, and weigh about as much. The old Alaska trapper sleds. I almost got a 2006 Ski-Doo Tundra with the modern aluminum frame and a 1 cylinder 2 stroke engine, but that was the last sled of that type made, and new models have a larger engine and another 100lb of weight. I guess the alternative is to get a Snow Dog, but the idea of sitting in the wash of the track does not appeal to me.
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