# Ice Sled Bottom



## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Any recommedations on what to put on the bottom of jet sleds? Think'n of using my Sons snowboard wax but would like to know if anyone out there has ideas for substances to use on the bottom of ice sleds.

Thanks in Advance...
K2


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## cfarnwide (Sep 10, 2007)

Ive used silicone spray. Seems to do alright.


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## Troll (Oct 21, 2008)

k2muskie said:


> Any recommedations on what to put on the bottom of jet sleds? Think'n of using my Sons snowboard wax but would like to know if anyone out there has ideas for substances to use on the bottom of ice sleds.
> 
> Thanks in Advance...
> K2


Your sons snowboard wax will work, but remember they put that stuff on hot then scrape off as much as they can. The sno-board is much stiffer than your sled and your sled won't scrape very well.
I wax mine in the summer when it is a hot sunny day so it goes on nice and smooth and polishes easy. I use plain parrafin in the summer.
Silicone works well, but doesn't last to long. Pam also works but does not last. Both are simple to apply. Johnsons paste wax like for your car works good too and lasts much longer.

What I do if I need to re-wax in the winter is to bring the sled inside. Then I put it into the shower, inside facing the shower head. Running pure hot water onto the inside I apply Johnsons paste wax to the outside bottom. Rub it every where and get a nice smooth coat on the sled. Then I let it cool a bit to room temp and use my oldest scrungie pad to "polish" off the excess. Stroke from front to back, not side to side. Polish it well so it shines nice and it will slide real easily. It should last the rest of the year if you keep it off of sand and pavement.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Great info Troll...THANK YOU...yea I know about the snowboard wax and iron as my son waxes his board all the time. 

We used some of his wax plus some we had...didn't use the iron just some ole elbow grease and got the sleds waxed up real good for today's PV outing...oh boy what a huge difference it was pulling the sleds. We try not to pull the sleds on anything but snow...but have neglected waxing them...and it was a PITA on Thursday pulling them when we went to PV...never again will I let that happen.

I'll be using your info this year without a doubt.

:wink: :wink:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Today's ice sleds are poorly designed IMHO.

Before store-bought sleds we made home-made contraptions and mounted skis to the bottom, or used a regular sled, you know, the wooden ones with the metal runners. Each ski was attached with two small blocks of wood screwed to the sled bottom. They moved along just fine. They weren't too bad to pull uphill and downhill....ah..you better get behind the sled! The gain in portability with skis far outweighed the extra weight.

Note that if you do mount skis on an ice sled and have a SUV, cut the rear ends off the skis so so they aren't wider than the sled. That way you can store it in the SUV sideways.

My sled (icehouse) weighs about 26 lbs unloaded. I only pick it up at the truck, usually leaving my auger or spud on it. I could easily take off the auger to make up for the extra weight of the skis. I've always been going mount skis on my sled/icehouse, just never did......Lazy.


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

I never thought about waxing a sled or seeing any need to, does it really make much of a difference? Just curious


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

JAT83 said:


> I never thought about waxing a sled or seeing any need to, does it really make much of a difference? Just curious


Trust me...oh yes it does...try it and then let us know what you think. We did it and I can tell you for a fact from Friday to yesterday (Sat) what a difference in pulling the sled. So get a bar of wax and check it out and then let us know. If you don't see a noticeable improvement I'll be really surprised. :wink: :wink:


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Before you wax a seld, sand the bottom as smppth as you can.
My sled had a lot of scratches on the bottom from being pulled on hard surfaces.
I sanded it down and then used a base was to fill the rest of the gouges and scratches in.
You can use an old iron to heat and melt the wax on the sled if you have one.

Now, if you use skiing/ snow board wax, you have to apply the proper wax for the temps that you are in.
There is a simple kit that is for snow that is at temps below or above freezing that work quite well. Just 2 tubes and that's it.
Other kits will have waxes for 10* increments and that adds uo to a lot of wax.

I have some that I use for cross country skiing and it has worked well for the sled.

DON"T USE PAM!!!

It will get all over everything and it never dries.
If you do insist on using the stuff, apply it to the sled after you are where you will be fishing and the sled is out of the vehicle.


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## cfarnwide (Sep 10, 2007)

I will try the wax for the sled bottom of my shelter, thanks for the input!

My gear sled pulls dual purpose hauling elk and deer quarters prior to ice fishing season. A quick spray with silicone before each trip seems to do the job well. It would take forever to wax and smooth out all the deep gouges and dents.


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

I guess I might just give it a try, I have never had a hard time pulling the sled full of stuff, but I guess it never hurts to try and wax it to see if it makes a difference for me.


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