25 replies to this topic

[steviep]

So a friend of mine leaves his 2 place enclosed trailer at my house because he has no room or trails at his house. My question is I don't have picks on my sleds so I found loading can be a pain. I am thinking of buying him some track mats or used tracks to make it a little easier but has anyone tried to use a fold up ramp to load thier trailer. Maybe it is time to pick the sleds. Thanks to RNeal5555 and his wife or we would still be trying to load them.

[Bilbo]

You just need a little more momentum

[xklipze]

Yea, track mats are priceless , but I'd you don't have time to install or money to buy , you just need 12 feet of speed , then get good with holding the brake and tilting the trailer back down . You can use thick old carpet too ( instead of used Snowmobile track .

[Old Thumper]

A piece of an old track screwed to the trailer bed works great.

[steviep]

yea only proplem we were on Bear Notch Rd with a slight pitch toward the ditch and ice. Oh and 2 people with no trailers came in and 1 parked 10' behind me and other one 5 ' in front of me. Just me ranting I guess.

[ICG]

Sounds like you have a tilt / flat bed? those are the hardest to load alone...U need the 2nd person to hold the trailer up & help get the sled on to the trailer...Yes, a little momentem is needed to get a sled up & on it.

??? Thought I recalled wooded cleates screwed into the deck where the track goes for traction 1" x 2" x 15" cleats screwed about 6" to a foot apart.

I'm a fan of a flat trailer with drive on ramps...but you still need some momentum to get up on the deck.

creative thinking is priceless when it comes to finding a good snowbank that you can unload & load on again.

Just finding the right place to unload & reload a trailer or truck makes all the difference between a hard & dangerous job to a safe and easy task.

[Bilbo]

Use one of your tie down bars as a prop to hold the trailer up' it usually kicks out on its own after you hit the trailer.

[gunmaker]

If i go by myself, with the 2 sleds, i carry 2 16" x 8" cinder blocks to put on the back of the trailer. This will help hold the back down and when i get it on the trailer the blocks slide and fall off. I forgot them at Nash Stream parking and had to use some rocks they had in an area on the right as you drive in. Put 3 of those on a all was good.

[steviep]

Thanks for all the good Ideas. I have had a couple of track pieces on my open 2 place trailer for years and have had good luck with that. I guess I will have to take to my friend that owns it and see if it is ok with him. It is kinda nice to use the enclosed trailer, Machines stay clean and no wet of frozen covers to deal with. I will have to save up for next year so I can just buy my own makes it nice to store them in in the summer.

[gunmaker]

I may be looking to upgrade for next year. I may be looking at a drive in drive out model. Mine isn't the best looking on out there, but it makes it to where ever it wants to go. If i decide to sell it, i will post it here first.

[Pantera99]

steviep, on 04 February 2012 - 09:50 PM, said:

So a friend of mine leaves his 2 place enclosed trailer at my house because he has no room or trails at his house. My question is I don't have picks on my sleds so I found loading can be a pain. I am thinking of buying him some track mats or used tracks to make it a little easier but has anyone tried to use a fold up ramp to load thier trailer. Maybe it is time to pick the sleds. Thanks to RNeal5555 and his wife or we would still be trying to load them.

You didn't mention if this is a clamshell or ramp door enclosed trailer??

You don't need pick's... My 99' 800 triple Pantera has no pick's and only need to be maybe 2 feet from ramp ( the 440 & F7 are picked )... But it was harder before, as my trailer back has like most out there a 4" in hieght deck frame. Even some or most of the enclosed trailer's have a 2 1/2" - 3" edge to get up onto ramp or door. I had tried finding the flatest area to park or put a 2x4 just laying in front to sort of help ( this was even with someone ) just didn't work well enough in my opinion, and worried about the tail lights getting broken. Even some guy's I went with whom had enclosed trailers ( doors or ramps ) had difficulty from time to time, have the ski's hang-up or need that 6 -8 foot moving start.

I got the Ski guides low profile 6" wide 10' long (set/pair) that came in 2 sections 5' in lenght each. Along with the full rubber trac-mat..a (pair/set)about 15" wide 5 feet long. now if you have a drive thru you would want 2 pairs/sets...possibly.
Only thing I have done different than many..is I built foldable / split loading start ramps. These stay mounted to trailer ( could be done on a fold-up door ramp also, little ingenuity)..
I can load just about anything on an unlevel terrain now..no pounding of the ski's and only 12" away start or the ski's resting on/over ramp edges.. Obviously if it's glare ice under the track would be difficult, which in this case just walk it up from the side easily.
The Ski guides alone would help for the carbide or skeg's to slip freely & not dig into the wood decking..only reason I got the mats was too not tear up the decking from a studded track. I preferred the low profile as I can use the trailer for just about anything without stumbling/tripping over the higher profile ones.

Edited by Pantera99, 05 February 2012 - 10:43 AM.

[RayC]

one place trailer,interesting floor>

[artic6]

I use a folding ramp on my tilt trailer works great saves time to had to modify a bit but its sweet

[Old Thumper]

When I did my trailer I got a free used track from my dealer. It was really trashed, so I mounted the sections with the inside facing up. As it turns out the drive lugs that are on the side I have facing up mesh very nicely with the cleats on my sled tracks. I will probably do my next trailer the same way regardless of the condition of the track I use. Screw them down through the steel clips to prevent the screw heads from pulling through.

Also, you can make great ski-guides from 2X4 lumber. The skis ride on the flat plastic and the carbides are suspended above the trailer floor. There is only 1 path for the skis to follow, so the sled is exactly where I want it to be every time. The down side is that this setup is sled-specific. My guides work great with any Yamaha that has a 42" ski stance and center keel skis. If I have to load a friends Skidoo with dual runner skis it does not work well, but that only happens about once per season at most.

I don't like plastic ski guides because when the trailer is tilted and you step off the sled onto the plastic with snow on your boot, gou're going to end up on your ass or on your face. But if you haul a variety of different sleds, that might be your only option.

[Pantera99]

RayC, on 05 February 2012 - 11:32 AM, said:

one place trailer,interesting floor>

I guess thats a pretty ok idea with the roller bearings ( until they freeze up or need replacing $$$ ).. but to wrap tie-down strap's around the ski's and spindle like that not to mention winding it around your track suspension..just doesn't seem like the brightess of methods...

[steviep]

I should have mentioned it is a clam shell, I am going to talk to the owner today and try to convince him on the track idea. The previouse owner added an extra layer of plywood under where the tracks sit so he would not beat up his trailer. Hopefully it comes off easy. Now just need to find an old track , Anyone have one just laying around , the freer the better.

[jne1469]

I have an extra track for FREE! You pick up... Allenstown NH.

[hammerhead71]

I also have one for free in Portsmouth

[steviep]

hammerhead71, on 06 February 2012 - 12:10 PM, said:

I also have one for free in Portsmouth

Hammerhead71 Just sent you a measage my buddie said go for it

[Bilbo]

Old Thumper, on 05 February 2012 - 12:36 PM, said:

DSCN4314.JPG

When I did my trailer I got a free used track from my dealer. It was really trashed, so I mounted the sections with the inside facing up. As it turns out the drive lugs that are on the side I have facing up mesh very nicely with the cleats on my sled tracks. I will probably do my next trailer the same way regardless of the condition of the track I use. Screw them down through the steel clips to prevent the screw heads from pulling through.

Also, you can make great ski-guides from 2X4 lumber. The skis ride on the flat plastic and the carbides are suspended above the trailer floor. There is only 1 path for the skis to follow, so the sled is exactly where I want it to be every time. The down side is that this setup is sled-specific. My guides work great with any Yamaha that has a 42" ski stance and center keel skis. If I have to load a friends Skidoo with dual runner skis it does not work well, but that only happens about once per season at most.

I don't like plastic ski guides because when the trailer is tilted and you step off the sled onto the plastic with snow on your boot, gou're going to end up on your ass or on your face. But if you haul a variety of different sleds, that might be your only option.

That's pretty crafty Ole Thump