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I need your guys advice on whether to get a snowmoblie or a 4 wheeler for ice fishing? I have an old snowmobile that we use to get around on the ice but I think it is not going to last much longer. I am noticing a lot of 4wheelers out on the ice every year. I think the 4wheeler would be a better buy for the money because I could use it year-round. So my question is do you guys that use 4wheelers on the ice have much trouble getting around in the snow and ice or should I stick to getting a new snowmobile?
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I havent used a 4-wheeler for ice fishing but my family use's one on the farm pulling a trailer to feed the cows in the wintertime adn alot of the time it is in snow both hard pack and powder and slushy snow and we have to go over the ice the is formed from the cows water trough and i have never had any problem going through it even when pulling about 800lbs of trailer and hay. and that is just with the regular a/t tires not the deep lug m/t tires that are out there. i am with you that a 4-wheeler would be a better deal because you can use them all year round not just when there is snow or ice on the ground.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Snowmobile. You can go where four wheels can't and a lot faster. Once the snow gets 12" deep or deeper 4 wheelers start having trouble. Snowmobiles just keep on truckin'. The best bang for the buck is the 4 wheeler for year round use but for winter travel get the sled.[/size][/font]
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Good sleds lose their value quickly and you end up always working on them. Quads slowly lose value but most of that is from using them. Since you already got a sled I'd fix it up(if its actually worth anything) and buy a 4x4 fourwheeler. A few features you should want are engine brakes, good racks, wench, push button/locking 4 wheel drive not all time 4 wheel drive and bags or boxes for the back. I've spent a lot of time on just about every quad out their so if have any questions, just ask. If you want to hear a little more on how quads perform on different conditions, I can do that to. I just don't want to post needless info unless somebody wants to read it.
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Get a sled or fix up the old one. A 4x4 won't get you there a lot of times, and it definitely won't get you there as fast even if it can make it. The only thing more fun, effective, and safer then a sled is an air boat. Forget towing something behind you. You can load everything and the kitchen sink in an air boat, and you can use it for duck hunting too. If the ice busts or a crack widens, so what, you float.
[url "http://www.marshbunny.com/mbunny/boats/ice.html"]http://www.marshbunny.com/mbunny/boats/ice.html[/url]
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Llamas; they go everywhere, keep your lawn trimmed nicely, are cheap to buy, you can tie flies with their fur (if you go that way), if they break down you just buy another and can sell the fur, they're warm and fuzzy when it's cold out, and if you train them right they'll fetch beers (or softdrinks) while you fish.
If you don't want Llamas go with the sleds. I buy a couple of beaters every year just for ice fishing. Fix em up a bit and sell them in the spring for about what I paid for them. I fish the big lakes a lot and later in the winter when the ice layers up, 4 wheelers then to fall through the first layer or two. Since sleds have more surface area they almost never do that. Speaking of which, I'll be in the market for a couple of sleds real soon.
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I have a 4 wheeler and I use it more in the winter than I do in the summer. I have a 4 wheel drive prairie that does great in snow up to 8-10 " deep, but if it gets much deeper than that it is a real workout for the machine. I can travel well on machine packed trails but i don't venture of the trail in deep snow. chikenliken
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Mr. RipNlips, I like you style :}
But I was wondering how good it would turn or stop with pretty much no traction. Sorry I know prety much nothing about airboats but man they look fun even on ice.
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 2]I have found that it depends on the year and the conditions of the lake. I have both an ATV and a sled. The last few years I’ve only used my ATV due to the lack of snow for the sled. How ever if there is a lot of snow the sled is the way to go. I take both when I go to the lager lakes. I’ve had to use the ATV to pull the sled out of snow drifts or up a hill and I’ve had to pull the ATV out of deep snow and slush with the sled. If you have a sled and can keep it running I would get an ATV with a winch. If it was like the lakes I was at last year, to thin of ice for a machine, you just needed something to pull your gear up the hill when leaving. By the way, if the [/size][/font]Llamas don’t work out get some dogs. I have my dog (Husky/lab) pull my gear on the lakes with thin ice.[font "Times New Roman"][size 2] [/size][/font]
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What are the weight differances between sleds and ATVs? I would be concerned about the weight of an ATV. But I really don't know so I am curious.
m
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I would go with a 4x4 wheeler. Think of the amounts of snow we have gotten for the last few years...nothing a quad can't handle. I have fished Fish Lake through the ice for about 15 years, and we quit using snowmobiles about 10 years ago. Not enough snow for a sled. Sleds are more expensive than quads, and you can only use them for a couple months out of the year. And for the last few years, it's been more like a couple weeks. Depreciation on a sled is horrible. Use is limited to what mother nature provides. For me, I will buy my sled when I can't find any other use for my $. Buy a quad.
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Thanks for all your guys input. You all had good points that I appreciate. It looks like saterday is going to be wet with snow and rain so my planned fishing trip to the berry is on hold. Soooooo I think I will hit the snowmobile/4wheeler shops. THANKS AGAIN
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My Bike weighs about 600lbs. I believe that the weight difference between bikes and sleds are so slight when speaking in terms of ice strength etc. Another thing to consider while traveling on the ice is speed. Here's a link that has some really interesting stuff about ice strngth under different types of conditions and circumstances. Pay particular attention to sections 3.3 & 3.4. Enjoy! [url "http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tbm_119/CHAP5_3-1_e.asp#_Toc164885"]http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/tbm_119/CHAP5_3-1_e.asp#_Toc164885[/url]
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