Question for all you sledheads out there…

I am thinking I am going to add a snowmobile to the shed this year… Not looking to spend a bunch of money here, I will likely only use it a few times a year, some years not at all. I have had a couple in the past for ditch and trail riding here in Iowa and have found that they were a pain in the ass to keep running and a pain in the back when it was running. I will not be riding this thing just for the sake of riding it… my back cannot take that anymore. All I want is something to get my gear from the road the pond when the snow gets deep and something to get me around on the bigger lakes if I get a wild hair and decide to go to one sometime. What should I be looking for? Fan cooled? Studded track? Are there any known problems with some of the older sleds? What would you guys be looking for?

To be honest if you are only using it a couple times a year id save my money and buy a atv with tracks than you can still use the atv in the spring summer and fall and not just winter like a snowmobile

I agree with spencer. But if you are dead set on a snowmobile and only planning on using it when the snow gets deep, studs would not be needed, nor would fan cooled. I have 340 fan with electric start and reverse I love because I can take it out with no snow cover beings it really doesn’t need any snow besides. Plus its light weight so if it is stuck I can manage to lift it out by myself. If weight isn’t an issue for you, maybe a nice comfortable touring style 4stroke with efi for reliability and very little maintenance? I live on my snowmobile during the ice fishing season and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

tried the tracks on an ATV thing and it is nice but it wrapped up alot of cash and was a pain in the ass… I have found that if an ATV can get to the farm ponds I fish, my truck can too. I think Aaron has exactly what I am looking for. I am just curious if a guy should buy one brand over another in that class of sled?

I think it depends on if your buying new or used, and what you really want in a snowmobile. In the lightweight small displacement 2 stroke snowmobiles I really think its a horse a piece between brands, new and used. If you are looking for an older rig (1985-1995) there are all sorts of skidoos, I believe the model is the tundra or skandic or something along those lines that make great ice fishing rigs. My 340 is a 1993 arctic cat lynx that I put a hitch, rod rack and auger rack, with my lowrance with mapping on the dash. Not the model most people think of when it comes to ice fishing but it was cheap and with some thinking and wrenching it turned out and gets the job done and is an example of what you can turn something into.

I have a nice pair of snowmobiles that cost me less than half what my buddy paid for his tracks alone.

Plus have any of you been an ATV with tracks? Those things throw a ton of snow into the air and back in your face. Sure they go through a lot but a tracked ATV would not be on my wish list.

IMO the older Indy Polaris are bullet proof. The newer sleds are a bit more finicky to keep running. I have a utility sled (1994 Indy 440) I haven’t put a thing in it but gas and oil. I pull 16′ sleeper fish houses to otters sleds down miles of gravel road. You can’t kill these older sleds. Granted if you wanted a trail sled the new ones are way better!

Also I’d recommend fan cooled sleds when dealing with possibly little to no snow.

A used 2 up Indy 440 or 500 would be ideal for what you are looking for. There are also similar type sleds from arctic cat and ski doo that would be prefect too.
I ran two 1996 Indy Trails for 15 years, sold them in 2011 with over 8k miles on each. They were bulletproof, and easy to take care of. The 488cc fan cooled engine was one of the best/most reliable ever made. Mine was a short track, but still pulled the Otter and gear fine.
In ’11, I bought a 2010 AC T570. I really like the long-track/2up, it will go thru and pull about anything I need, but it is much heavier. I needed one tho cause my son was getting too big to ride in front of me on the Trail.
It may take a little searching, but if you can find a decent early 2000’s fan cooled 500 two-up sled, I think you’ll have exactly what you need and not spend a bunch. I would suggest running non-oxy gas with Seafoam if you’re gonna be using it sporadically over the winter. I have had no issues with starting (no electric start for me) even if it sits for weeks between starts, and no fuel problems at all even on the coldest trips.

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Anybody have J-Wheelz for their ATV?

I’m in a similar situation, have been looking at older utility snowmachines to access remote areas, but I’m having trouble justifying the cost and maintenance hassle given it seems that there would be about 1 year in every 2-3 that I’d really need it.

Has anybody tried J-Weelz setups for their ATV? If these work even close to as advertised and shown on youtube, they would be terrific for the snow we seem to get most years.

Grouse

Get one of these:

Under $3000, easy to maintain, don’t have to worry about needing snow to cool it so you can run it on dry ground or glare ice. They have that at dealerships in the upper Midwest. I just checked one out the other day in St Joseph. Pretty intriguing.

The older Polaris sleds are good…I would put my vote in for the older Ski Doo sleds. I have a 95 formula SL 500 that still starts and runs great. It is a fan cooled sled….insert a knock on wood here….never had any issues with it. I also have a 98 mxz 500(liquid cooled) that runs great and again never had any mechanical issues with it. I’ve put a lot of miles on with the fishhouse in tow and it does a great job. Both machines are between 400 and 500 pounds.

If you’re going to be towing a fishhouse with gear through snow breaking trail you may want to go with a little more displacement than a 340 so you have plenty of power to get where you want to be. A deeper lug track like a 1.25″ would also be a huge help.

The biggest thing with older sleds……find someone that has kept it STOCK…when you start modifying them with aftermarket cans, carbs, gears clutches etc etc etc you’re more likely to run in to people that wanted “go fast” which means it was probably ridden pretty hard.

Lastly…late 90s through current the suspensions advanced tremendously every few years so you’ll find cushier rides as you get more current as well.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Get one of these:

<div class=”oembed-wrap”><div class=”fluid-width-video-wrapper” style=”padding-top: 56.2353%;”><iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/RrLHFQ7UkO8?feature=oembed&#8221; frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”” id=”fitvid159217″></iframe></div></div>
Under $3000, easy to maintain, don’t have to worry about needing snow to cool it so you can run it on dry ground or glare ice. They have that at dealerships in the upper Midwest. I just checked one out the other day in St Joseph. Pretty intriguing.

Neat video. I can see setting up races with these. Think the chariot races in Ben Hur.

I would lean toward a fan cooled 500 sled 1998 or newer. I would want hand warmers and thumb warmers electric start reverse is great for getting out of the garage Not for getting unstuck. You should get this done for about 1500=2000

Dutchboy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
Get one of these:

<div class=”oembed-wrap”><div class=”fluid-width-video-wrapper” style=”padding-top: 56.2353%;”><iframe src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/RrLHFQ7UkO8?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”” id=”fitvid159217″></iframe></div></div>
Under $3000, easy to maintain, don’t have to worry about needing snow to cool it so you can run it on dry ground or glare ice. They have that at dealerships in the upper Midwest. I just checked one out the other day in St Joseph. Pretty intriguing.

Neat video. I can see setting up races with these. Think the chariot races in Ben Hur.

that would be hilarious! Can you imagine the follies on a snowcross track? Lol

I’d really recommend either the 90s Polaris sleds or a early 2000s Polaris 600 edge. the 600s are plentiful and seem to work well

I have a 95 Polaris xcr and 2 of the early 2000s 600s. all lower maintenance and haven’t had any issues mechanical or starting. You should be able to find some where there really not going to lose much more value than what you’d pay for them.

I’d recommend liquid cooled for sure. studs suck. 2 of my sleds have them and I’d rather beable to drive it in and out of my garage without scratching the floor.