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Sled-X v1.11


Sled-Hed v 1.0 – aka – the widow maker

I read a parable on the surly blog the other day about a rope and pvc-pipe fat-bike sled that inspired me to build Sled-Hed v1.0. Noah had his arc and I….well I have a kid’s psychedelic plastic sled that I bought at the local hardware…. which (in testing) only took about 4 miles to hang up on a tree and flip me over the bars like a circus monkey. It had to be a hilarious site to see. I was lucky that snow makes for soft landings.

 Sled-X v1.11 load testing

I’ve used pull-behind cargo sleds periodically over the years, primarily to get firewood into back-packing shelters while winter camping and (lately) I’ve been dreaming about a Central Sconny Winter Fat-Pack at a County Park near Mosinee. The park is on a peninsula that juts out into a Reservoir  When the res is frozen and there’s snow cover, I’ve hatched a plan to camp for a night or two and that will mean moving all of my gear and firewood into a remote camping spot. So I decided to make Sled-X v1.11 and see how it would work attached to my Moonie.

I’ve replaced the loosie-goosie rope and pvc harness with a set of fiberglass pulk poles. The mounting plates that came with the poles were too wide to fit under the lip of my tie-dye sled, so I did a little cutting and drilling to make one skinny enough to fit. Otherwise the installation was pretty simple. Drill a few holes and bolt on some hardware. I also have added 6 tie down eyelets to the sled handle positions, so I can secure my payload.

Like Buttah

The pulk poles feature a (ball-joint) mount and are held fast to the sled with a locking pin.

The other end of the pulk poles is attached to a rope strung through a section of an old riser bar and attached to my seat rails with carabiners (Purple Anno!). When the SX111 pushes forward, on downhills, the riser bar gets stopped by the seatpost.  Every now and then, one of  the biner’s just barely bumps my tookis…..otherwise this thing tows pretty easily.

SX111 Testing – Thanks dude on the Blue 9:Zero:7 for taking this picture!

Twisty Singletrack was no problem as long as speeds stayed moderate and the roller-coaster sections were a hoot!

Now comes more testing and then some deluxe fat-camping excursions!

Stay tuned for more updates – v1.12 will have fins and more stickers.

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2 Responses to Sled-X v1.11

  1. Sean January 14, 2013 at 7:12 pm #

    I was just looking at ordering pulk poles too. Did you consider attaching using a stoker bar instead?

  2. Nine January 21, 2013 at 12:10 am #

    I was wondering what you were up to when you were unloading yer truck and putting your sled on to your bike….

    We took off and yer sled was so very cool and you explained to me its purpose and I thought “way cool” and I am even more impressed with the many folks that I have met while riding phat….

    Its called having an open mind and as they say anything is possible…..

    My new 9:Zero:7 General store build is beyond my expectations for what the phat is all about…..most impressed with the cool phat bike folks I have run into……

    Nine

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