akaShag Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 56 minutes ago, CrowMan said: Kept a bright one for the smoker. That's a BEAUTY!!! Doug 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 7 hours ago, Big Cliff said: A 650 Argo weighs roughly 1200 lbs, if you drove over the ice before you broke through there's a good chance the ice you just drove over will support the weight of a man. However you are right, if in doubt stay safe and wait for help. So if it’s a 6x6 and I’m sure there is more then a square foot of tire on the ground it is at most 200 pounds per square ft. A good sized man will have as he steps will put around the same weight per square foot im not going anywhere with this , just thought I would mention it. lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaShag Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 1 hour ago, Terry said: So if it’s a 6x6 and I’m sure there is more then a square foot of tire on the ground it is at most 200 pounds per square ft. A good sized man will have as he steps will put around the same weight per square foot im not going anywhere with this , just thought I would mention it. lol "Track pressure" for an Argo is a lot less than a man walking, AFAIK. But still, with a LOT of experience driving Argos, I do not take them onto thin ice. I DID try this a few times, and the results were not inspirational....not with tires, and not with tracks. Doug 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 On 2/3/2024 at 6:29 PM, Terry said: So if it’s a 6x6 and I’m sure there is more then a square foot of tire on the ground it is at most 200 pounds per square ft. A good sized man will have as he steps will put around the same weight per square foot im not going anywhere with this , just thought I would mention it. lol I theory, the pressure on the ice will be equal to the tire pressure. Rigidy of the tire itself along with snow cover on the ice will through the calculation off somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowMan Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 I saw someone towing a Wilcraft yesterday on the highway. First time I've seen one. Looks like the ultimate transportation solution for treacherous ice conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaShag Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 (edited) 7 hours ago, CrowMan said: I saw someone towing a Wilcraft yesterday on the highway. First time I've seen one. Looks like the ultimate transportation solution for treacherous ice conditions. I think I know whose it was.........and what a coincidence, I opened up this thread to talk about it. I was out in it today, and YES it does pull itself back up on the ice when it breaks through. We did that twice today. 😲 The ice was a bit sketchy........ Doug Edited February 5 by akaShag 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaShag Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 That rig is completely amphibious (like an Argo), all wheel drive (like an Argo), but the rear tires especially provide more power in water than an Argo's wheels do. The chassis is all aluminum and can be raised and lowered by hydraulics. There are four holes in the floor for fishing, a superstructure very much like a pull-over ice hut, and an after-market diesel heater that keeps things toasty inside. (Way too toasty for my liking, but I was a guest.) One can ice fish without stepping out of the rig for anything. It is a VERY neat rig. Doug 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Willis Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 Wow, what a cool unit, I've never seen or heard of one. I hazard to guess the price tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowMan Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 1 hour ago, akaShag said: I think I know whose it was.........and what a coincidence, I opened up this thread to talk about it. I was out in it today, and YES it does pull itself back up on the ice when it breaks through. We did that twice today. 😲 The ice was a bit sketchy........ Doug Wow too funny....that's it ! I don't know too much about them, but in the videos I've seen they look pretty slick. I guess the one downside it basically has just one purpose....ice fishing. Unlike a bike, SxS or Argo, it seems like a hefty investment to use for only at best 3 months a year....down this way anyway. But given the quality of the ice the last few years, if the trend continues...hey, maybe it's the way to go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 They are very expensive and very slow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaShag Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 8 minutes ago, Terry said: They are very expensive and very slow Less money than an Argo, top speed according to my buddy 40 kph. My Argo cannot do 40 kph. Different machines, for sure, and I agree that it would be a lot of money for an ice fishing machine. My buddy was saying, the Americans are pimping them out, with bow-mount electric motors, power pole electric anchor pylons, etc etc and using them as bass boats but in swampy stuff. Who knows, that would not appeal to me! It was a very cool experience to be out in that rig. Doug 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 They are 28000 us and they must have got faster Ithr guy I was fishing with who had one couldn’t get more then 30km and couldn’t use it in deep snow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaShag Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 9 hours ago, Terry said: and couldn’t use it in deep snow I am sure this would be the case. same for an Argo without tracks, they just high-centre, wheels turn but the Argo stays where it is. A Wilcraft has slightly more ground clearance, but a much longer wheelbase and yes for sure would be SOL in deep snow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 Well that’s it then, a hovercraft is the only great way to go https://supportontariomade.ca/explore-products/ar45-ranger-hover-hut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Willis Posted February 6 Report Share Posted February 6 Tracks are for sure the only way to get around in deep snow with an Argo. I haven't had a problem in deep snow since putting tracks on mine. Pricey though as is with anything else Argo related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowMan Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/we-ve-pulled-six-machines-out-police-warn-of-unstable-ice-conditions-on-lake-simcoe-1.6756677 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 My brother was a volunteer fireman and they got a call one night from a lady saying she could hear cry's for help out on the ice. My brother and 3 other guys took a ladder and walked out to the voice and found 2 men who had fallen through the ice. They laid the ladder across the hole and were able to save one man but the other fella was dead. Ed said it was a sad situation but also said they could hear the ice cracking as they were walking out and no way anybody should have been out there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmon Catcher Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 (edited) Lake Ontario June of 2023. Fog rolls over Humber bay section of the lake. Visibility zero. Three miles out, Out of nowhere pops 20’ fishing boat asking where the shore line is. Since I am in the middle of 5 hrs fishing charter trip I ask lone fisherman to follow my salmon troll to take him to the shore. 15 minutes later this chap assumes now he knows where to go takes off on his own only to bump in to my boat 10 minutes later after making big circle. Later at the docks I figured out he was confused on how to use compass and cell phone he had on his boat. This was flat lake and at worst scenario when lost all he had to do turn off engine and wait for improved visibility. Never panic. Captain Bob, Salmon Catcher Fishing Charters. Edited February 7 by Salmon Catcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowMan Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 There was incident a few years back that's always stuck with me... A sledder went through the ice. When his family realized he was missing they called the OPP. They found where he broke through and called in a dive team. When they recovered his body, the divers said his fingertips were worn right through to the bone... After hearing that, I won't take a single step on the ice without ice picks slung around my neck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostAnotherOne Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 Crazy stories. What would you guys recommend for ice fishing outfits? A lot of times I've been going out there hasn't been anybody else out there with me. Not sure if anyone would be able to hear me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmon Catcher Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 Wear full body winter floatation suite one piece . I have one, tested it in the summer. You literally float like a bobber. My son slipped of the ice edge near aerator keeping ice off the private docs. Water pushes you back out. I would not try it on fast flowing rivers currents that can suck you under ice. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowMan Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 11 minutes ago, LostAnotherOne said: Crazy stories. What would you guys recommend for ice fishing outfits? A lot of times I've been going out there hasn't been anybody else out there with me. Not sure if anyone would be able to hear me. I have a Striker 2 pc....jacket and bibs. Nice to be able to take off just the jacket when sitting in a heated hut. Even though it's a floater it's pretty flexible and comfortable to move around in. Very weather proof. Personally, I wouldn't venture out on the ice by myself in a remote location...always go with a buddy, and keep your distance as you spud your way out. That's just me. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Willis Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 (edited) I've had an Argo since the mid eighties, my six wheel weighs a little over 850lbs, I will not take it out on thin ice, even though they are amphibious doesn't mean they are going to climb back up onto the ice. With the correct tire pressure they leave a vey small foot print. Going to CrowMan's post I had an incident that I will never forget. My fishing buddy and I one Saturday afternoon took a drive to Colpoy creek and dock to check on the fishing. Most the guy's were doing very well catching big rainbow. There was one party of guys that had cut about a four foot square hole in the ice with a chainsaw. We fished mostly at night so we returned after supper and by that time there was a full blown blizzard but it didn't matter to us as we were dressed for it and looking forward to pulling up some big rainbow. Once we got set up and our holes drilled I remembered I had left something in our old fishing van. I ran back to get it and went into this big hole they had cut, which by this time was covered in slush and snow, I went completely under. If it wasn't for my ice pics I wouldn't have made it out especially wearing water logged mukluks and snowmobile suit. My buddy couldn't hear or see me in the storm. Any way we managed to get off the ice and back to my farm house. My body didn't warm up until late next morning. I made my ice pics out of hockey stick handles and of course big spikes. Edited February 7 by Barry Willis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cando Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 On 2/1/2024 at 1:19 PM, Headhunter said: Thoughts on whether or not the fisherman should be given the bill for their rescue? HH I think they should be given a bill. Other emergencies are billed to the person. I was hit by a drunk driver that left me paralyzed from the waste down. I had to pay a bill to be air lifted even though I did nothing wrong. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 I was out Monday and again yesterday with my son, we were on a solid 10 inches of ice. I only go out with Tim Hales, they know where it's safe, the huts are clean and warm and the fishing was pretty good as a bonus. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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