DanD

Have a good one Sir.

Well that sounds promissing. Sure hope you're right. Dan.

I sure am hoping. Need to get back in my weekend home. Dan.

Googled whitings to see what they look like and the first thing that popped to mind was Mr. limpet. LOL I need to go fishing!!! LOL Dan.

The front wheels/tires should run about 3 inches on the inside of the rear track's foot print. Shouldn't be an issue, with the front tires having chains on. If anything it'll give the fish hut an or the sled more packed down area for their skies to follow on? Dan.

I really enjoy reading about your adventures; please keep them coming! Thanks. Dan.

Oh yeah. If you ever need to borrow a trailer; just let me know? LOL Dan.

Go big son or go home. LOL I blame my Dad for the way I am; he always over packed but we never did without. Maybe I shouldn't say this on a fishing board; but the fishing (catching) is secondary to the adventure of being out with the people I enjoy being with. I was going to put a disk of HDPE (Puck board) between but decided to go with old fashion donkey crap (grease) and put in a couple of zerk fittings on the bottom ofeach disk. I've widened the width between the rear wheels of Sally by welding two rims together. Now the 14 inch wide track has all the body clearance it needed. Going to start putting the track together this weekend. I have all the 14 inch long channel/cleats cut. 4 Lengths 13 feet long of 4 inch wide conveyor belt cut and decided on the design of the guides to hold the tracks true to the wheels. I'm just wondering how far North I'm going to have to go to find some ice to try this rig out on? Dan.

Been working on cars for the last 45 years and all I can say is that there are no bad cars; it's just that some are just more challenging then others. Like what I say to a customer when they're complaining about their vehicle. I didn't build it, I didn't buy it, I didn't break it; I'm only here to fix it. LOL Even my 1950 Chevy Styleline Deluxe was way under powered; but I fixed that with a Vortec 4800. Nice step up from the 92hp six cylinder to the 280hp V8 of this injected motor. Having the body restored and hope to have her back on the road this spring. Dan.

I figure about 250 -275 lbs. Not planning on doing any bushwacking or trail running. If (which I likely will) get stuck; the winch should get me going again. Also planning on quick connects for the winch at both ends of Sally and the sled. Pop a hole in the ice, drop down my Ice anchor and out we come. Had to do that quite a bit, when pulling the hut with the quad. A single line 2000lb winch, was able to pull the hut and quad out of a foot deep slush. The new winch is a 4500lb with a wireless remote. All said and done, it wouldn't be the first time that I had to say "I should have done this" when I was finished building something. LOL Dan.

This Pilot sounds like a good choice. They're a sound vehicle. The only reocuring issue I've seen with them is that the transmission oil cooler coil inside the rad fails. When that happens, coolant and transmission fluid mixes together. Doesn't hurt the cooling system; other then trying to get it cleaned out. It's the trany that takes the hit. The chemicals and the acids in the coolant, can and usually does eat way at the clutch plate's friction material and blows them apart. 2 to 3 grand for a trans and you'll also need to replace the rad; another 500 dollar touch. Sad part is there's no warning if it were to happen; you'll just see this strawbeery mikeshake looking stuff coming out of the coolant recovery tank. If I were buying this I'd check if the rad has been replaced. I've done a half dozen or so and it's a 50/50 chance that the trans makes it through this. What I have done for my customers, is disconnect the trans cooler lines from the rad and then install an exteernal cooler. By-passing the rad altogether. Dan.

LOL@ Sinker and misfish. There’s been so many times that I’ve seen walkers red faced, exhausted and cold. My old set up I couldn’t pick them up; no room in my pull behind sled. Plus I hated packing and unpacking the crap we take out every weekend. Now I’ll have room for both. Met so many nice people last season by inviting them into the hut for a warm up and a cup of instant soup. One guy crashed in the hut with me for the night. He was planning to walk back out the next day. The next time I went out to the hut (a week later) there was a 40 pounder stuck in the snow bank by the door. LOL Dan.

That's what I have been doing the last few years; but two sizes larger. One pair of regular (thin summer) sock and then a pair of heavy wool socks. Not so thick of sock combination that my foot is still loose; lots of wiggle room. Since I've been doing that; no more cold feet. Dan.

Took a break from working on Sally and started building a bobsled or my smitty on roids. LOL It's based on the design of an old horse drawn sled; that the loggers used back in the day. The front & rear skies will turn via a set of pivots below the deck. The cross chains you see in the schematic; makes for front & rear steering. As you would turn to the right, the front skies follow right; but rear skies would turn out left. Allowing both sets of skies to follow the same arch and not be dragged sideways on a sharp turn. I've got the ski and ski frame welded up and the 5X8 foot deck frame. Still need to install the turntables (pivoits) and the draw bar. Once that's done, I'll get my brother in-law out here to build the wooden enclosure, on top of the deck frame. This last pic shows the approx position of the turn tables. Two plates for each set of skies. One plate welded to the ski frame and the other to the deck frame. Then the two plates bolted together, in the center with a single 1 inch (diam) bolt. Also found a 4X8 sheet of 3/4" thick puck board (Kijiji) that I'll cut four 3" strips from and attach them to the bottom of the skies. I know it looks heavy; but with the beating this thing will get; anything lighter (smaller) than 1" tubing would be junk first trip out. Dan.

Been in the trade now for close to 40 years Lew. My rep is all I have and yes I'm proud of it. The nicest part of this is. I never have to duck around the corner; if I see one of my customers coming towards me. LOL Dan.

I've only worked for four different people. The first was on the families farm until I was 16. In 1976 my Dad arranged an interview for me, with two guys at a garage; who needed an apprentice mechanic. Stayed with them all through my apprenticeship and writing for my license. I new there wasn't enough room ($ wise) for three mechanics; so I left them on good terms. The next day I got a job at a small two bay garage; the owner was stuck; his last mechanic quit without notice. I'm pretty sure that was the only reason he gave me a chance. I was a snot nosed 20 year old, waving a mechanic's certificate. LOL I stayed with him for about 4 years. Until he came to me and said that by the end of the mouth, I'll have 2 choices to make. Look for a new job or buy him out; he was retiring. So I bought him out and have been "self employed" ever since. Why the quotations on self employed; I have approx 4 thousand people in my customer file. That's how many employers I actually have. I'll never will get rich at this; but I was able to help put both my kids through university. My daughter is a lawyer working here in town. My son is an automotive engineer working in Warren Michigan and in this thread, he works for the dark side; GM. LOL He's the release engineer for North American rear wheel drive vehicles; anything that deals with engine mounts, transmission and body. He puts his OK on these types of parts, before they go to the assembly plants. There's been so many times; that he has told me that GM could and has come up on the quality of their vehicles; but it is the bean counters that are in charge. Kind of like the patients running the asylum. Dan.

You sure it was a fox and not a cougar? LOL Good on you for getting out!!!! Thanks for posting. Dan.

Great idea! I have a potato cannon; just have to find it. LOL I wonder how much trouble I could get into? Second thought I may just leave sleeping dogs lay. LOL Dan.

Thanks JJ. Your boy’s Ranger will be looked after with the same care as if it were my son’s vehicle. As for Sally; just wait until the track frame goes on. May have to change the name to Sally the Bruiser? LOL

No I didn’t know about that. Thanks. My plan is to weld struts (2x2 square tubing) to the diff’s tubes. With your info I’ll also be re-welding the tubes to the centre section. Thanks again!!! Went down to Simcoe (a town in Norfolk county) to a friends place. He showed me a set of home built tracks, he built for his Argo. (Of corse I for got to take a picture) That l plan on coping with a few alterations. The tracks will consist of two 4 inch strips of heavy duty rubber Conveyor belt. Cut in 4 inch wide strip; two strips per side. Setting the strips parallel to each other. Then join the strips together with 14 “ long 3/4” angle iron. To hard to explain it all but will post pics as I go. thanks in showing an interest in the project. Dan.

Thanks Terry. I appreciate your input. I like the lateral thinking with one of my first time projects. I’m still wanting tracks on the rear wheels. Going to a buddies hoarding pile tomorrow. He thinks he may have what I want. If money were not an issue; this project would be said and done. The search for cheap is what makes my builds interesting for me. Plus the wife has caught wind of this and has slapped her purse closed. Sealing in the money and my boys! LOL Dan.

Front to rear and vehicle to vehicle. May need to build a stronger ice anchor. The quads winch is 2000 lbs; Sally’s new winch is 4000 lbs. Dan.

Having trouble finding snowmobile tracks that will fit and I want to afford. So if my luck of finding tracks stays the same. I might chain all four wheels. I have tire chains for the front wheels already and have locked (weld spider gears) the rear differential. So I might get away with 4 wheel chains? I’ll post up dates as they come along for anyone interested. Dan.

I ordered my licence the same day (hour) that Fisherman started this thread. it was in the mail box tonight when I got home tonight. 10 days to process and delivered. Truly amazing for a government agency? Dan. Thanks again Fisherman for the reminder.

1993 Suzuki Sidekick AKA Sally. I've been spending time on her, getting the basic mechanical and electrical back in shape. Yesterday was slow here in the shop, so I decided to attach the winch mount and get that out of the way. Ho yeah Sally's name sake, comes from my wife's Aunt Sally. An 80+ year old lady, that's rough and tough; but will never let you down. Hopefully the Sidekick lives up to its name sake. LOL The winch mount is actually a class 3 hitch receiver that came off of a Dodge Caravan. Cut off the the brackets that were not needed. Flipped the receiver upside down and welded it to the frame horns and the bumper's re-bar. Dan.