Wheel house skis

Has anyone used those aluminum skis that you put under your wheel to haul your fish house out? I ordered a toy hauler to haul my atv with tracks and was thinking of getting a set of skis. I just wonder how good they work. Anyone have any information on doing this

Depends on size of shack, we have skis for a our 18′ 5200lb wheel house. The skis help out but does not float it above the snow to the point of making it easily mobile. Obviously this is a heavy house but if you were running a 14′ or light 16′ house I would be willing to bet the skis would keep it on top of hard pack snow.

House is a 14’ and weights about 2000lbs. I have a can am 650 with tracks.

There are some for sale currently on clist.

To your question, my old wheel house is probably roughly the same weight…maybe even lighter. Like Aaron, my house would also not float and would just end up plowing through snow…eventually I put wheels back on.

I’m by no means an authority as I’ve only had one experience, but I borrowed a set of steel ones from a buddy and they were instrumental in getting my 8×16 Yetti (~3,500lbs.) off the lake. He had aluminum ones and said they were too fragile over compacted/frozen drifts for his liking. Plus, I believe these were in the $250-$300 range vs. ~$750 for aluminum and I guess saving 30-40 lbs a pair wasn’t enough to swing the pendulum.

A buddy of mine has them and he swears by them on his 8×17 ice castle. Granted it won’t float over the snow, but he says it pulls easier thru the snow and lets him get to places he doesn’t believe it would without them. I’ve yet to fish with him while he’s using them to see, but he told me they were well worth the money.

Taking notes but a question has arose: can you drop your house while on the skis or does the nose/tip of the ski or any other structural part interfere with getting the house to lay down?

I’d hate to have to put them on at the landing and then take them off (how) at my spot before lowering the house.

I know my wheelhouse season was cut short this year due to all the February snow. Would like to keep that from happening next year.

I was wondering the same thinh

I believe you can leave them on for 6.5′ wide houses, but for 8′ wide you’d have to take them off. If you look at pictures of them, they extend past the wheel well on 8′ wide houses.

Bigwalleye is right, if the wheels are inside a well like on most 8′ houses you’ll generally need to take them off, as the models I’ve seen are usually 4-5′ long to maximize floatation. I suppose you could buy smaller ones that would fit inside the wheel well, but then you’re really going to plow and might defeat the purpose altogether.

Figured as much, but had to ask as I’ve never seen them in person. Bummer. Don’t really want to deal with putting them on at the launch and then taking them off before dropping the house as that could really be a bugger to do out in a couple feet of fresh(ish) snow.

Back to the drawing board….

Get out to your spot, pull a few feet forward then back up and the wheels will back off the skis, then just move the skis out from under. When leaving just place skis in front of wheels with house raised and pull house forward onto the skis.

Good to know, thanks! I assumed you had to raise the house and slide the skis under the wheels.