anyone using a sled deck?
- Thread starter otist
- Start date
I have a Silver Lake sled deck, I totally LOVE it. It's really convenient, easy to park, and you get to keep all your storage under the deck. you get more weight on the rear axle which is a plus. Parking is easier, driving is easier and if you want to roll anywhere with 4 dudes, you can still strap on the 2 place trailer and NOT need to buy/rent a 4 place to get to the same group to the same destination. First time you drive up on there is not so much fun. Saying comes to mind....nervous as a whore in church...
Cons...higher center of gravity, which isn't a huge deal though, not like you're running an indy car race. I could see loading a dead sled being a pain in the ***, you'd have to buy a come a long or winch and figure out some way to get it up there. Last year I got flashed with a LOT of high beams at night because of the extra weight on the box, it made my regular beam lights seem like high beams to oncoming traffic.
Hooking up the deck is a wash, I do it by myself, they aren't heavy or anything just a little awkward. At 6'6" crawling under the deck to hook up the turnbuckles sucks a little but not to the point of I'd get rid of it. Total time to load the deck from the ground, fully strapped down ready to hit it maybe 15-20 minutes if you're in a hurry.
Superclamps are a must. I don't have any problem reaching the cranks to crank them down but now that I own superclamps....I will never go back to anything screw/crank down.
Any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Cons...higher center of gravity, which isn't a huge deal though, not like you're running an indy car race. I could see loading a dead sled being a pain in the ***, you'd have to buy a come a long or winch and figure out some way to get it up there. Last year I got flashed with a LOT of high beams at night because of the extra weight on the box, it made my regular beam lights seem like high beams to oncoming traffic.
Hooking up the deck is a wash, I do it by myself, they aren't heavy or anything just a little awkward. At 6'6" crawling under the deck to hook up the turnbuckles sucks a little but not to the point of I'd get rid of it. Total time to load the deck from the ground, fully strapped down ready to hit it maybe 15-20 minutes if you're in a hurry.
Superclamps are a must. I don't have any problem reaching the cranks to crank them down but now that I own superclamps....I will never go back to anything screw/crank down.
Any specific questions, feel free to PM me.
Love
I love my Marthon, would not go back to just a two place trailer. Taking it in and out of the truck does take a little time but I leave it in for weeks at a time and just push the sides in so it is not very wide driving around.
What kind of truck will you be running it in? Also air bags are the way to go for keeping the truck sitting normal driving down the road.
I love my Marthon, would not go back to just a two place trailer. Taking it in and out of the truck does take a little time but I leave it in for weeks at a time and just push the sides in so it is not very wide driving around.
What kind of truck will you be running it in? Also air bags are the way to go for keeping the truck sitting normal driving down the road.
pic
[/IMG]
i would be putting it in a 05 dodge quad cab short bed pick-up. i live on a dead end street turning a trailer around is a pain+ i could park the truck and the sleds in the shed. the only problem is they are kinda expensive and fueling looks like it could be a pain. i was looking at both the marathon and the siver lake. the marathon looks like its better built and has a lot of good features. another thing is how hard is it to put in and take out by yourself.
R
Ive1 ran one for 10 years now and even though I love an enclosed trailer, I wont give up my deck. They are great for early and late season. Mine is an Ekholm, but I dont think they make them anymore.
I don't think fueling is to bad I just drop my tail gate and climb between the two sleds. As for unloading it by yourself it is do able I pick mine up with a chain fall off a wood Aframe and drive out and lower it down. Two people make it easy to pick up by hand. Is your truck 1/2 ton or is it higher?
I through bolt my because up here in AK the roads can get rough and I don't like the looks of the stock tie downs.
I through bolt my because up here in AK the roads can get rough and I don't like the looks of the stock tie downs.
You mean people still use trailers to get to the hill???? WOW, that's a pain.
I've got a trailer, it's where I store my sleds for summer.
I have had a few silver lake decks, a couple full lotus, and a few others that I have just seen or dealt with a bit.
I would not buy a full lotus again, their stability is POOR, they're heavy as hell, and the ramp sucks. Marathons are very well built, but you PAY for it, toyup makes a great deck, but it's steel, not that heavy even though it's steel, but I prefer aluminum. Custom decks ar decent, but a PAIN to load & have an odd support structure that seems similar to the weakness I find in full lotus.
The new Silver Lake decks are disgustingly nice now, a long way from the decks from years ago. The new expandables have a very nice ramp, a great connection system, are easier than any other on the market to get in & out & the box structure he builds makes them stronger than the others I have dealt with. I just drove to CdA a few weeks ago to pick up two of them for a buddy, he's selling me his 1 yr old full lotus for way less than the cost of the mikey's deck, I hope I can get rid of it quick so I can go get another mikey's!
btw, I load my deck by myself every time, you just get the ramp out & it's pretty light, plus the way his box is built, they pivot well for loading. You won't get any other deck besides the toyup in a truck by yourself.
I had one fly out of the truck at 80 (yeah, better to strap them down, a big gust of wind can do bad things!) & no real damage was done aside from cosmetics.
A set of $300 airbags eliminates any sway on my truck (2500 dodge), I would never go back to using a trailer. (I can also tow my 4 place enclosed behind the deck if I need to, then I've got 6 & a place to sleep)
Wanna buy a full lotus????
I've got a trailer, it's where I store my sleds for summer.
I have had a few silver lake decks, a couple full lotus, and a few others that I have just seen or dealt with a bit.
I would not buy a full lotus again, their stability is POOR, they're heavy as hell, and the ramp sucks. Marathons are very well built, but you PAY for it, toyup makes a great deck, but it's steel, not that heavy even though it's steel, but I prefer aluminum. Custom decks ar decent, but a PAIN to load & have an odd support structure that seems similar to the weakness I find in full lotus.
The new Silver Lake decks are disgustingly nice now, a long way from the decks from years ago. The new expandables have a very nice ramp, a great connection system, are easier than any other on the market to get in & out & the box structure he builds makes them stronger than the others I have dealt with. I just drove to CdA a few weeks ago to pick up two of them for a buddy, he's selling me his 1 yr old full lotus for way less than the cost of the mikey's deck, I hope I can get rid of it quick so I can go get another mikey's!
btw, I load my deck by myself every time, you just get the ramp out & it's pretty light, plus the way his box is built, they pivot well for loading. You won't get any other deck besides the toyup in a truck by yourself.
I had one fly out of the truck at 80 (yeah, better to strap them down, a big gust of wind can do bad things!) & no real damage was done aside from cosmetics.
A set of $300 airbags eliminates any sway on my truck (2500 dodge), I would never go back to using a trailer. (I can also tow my 4 place enclosed behind the deck if I need to, then I've got 6 & a place to sleep)
Wanna buy a full lotus????
Last edited:
T
We have a Marathon deck and it the way to go, just a little biased seeing as we also rep them, but the quality cannot be beat.
They also put in a lot of little details that make life easier and safer like locking fingers on the ramp that hold it place so the ramp cannot kick out when loading or unloading. Had a ramp kick out once on a trailer, not much fun.
Ours is bolted in and stays there all year long.
For getting our stock decks moved around we use a engine hoist.
You'll find fueling on the deck will be a two person task to keep spillage to a minimum.
If cost point is an issue Marathon does have a model (Marathon Lite) that is less expenisve than the standard deck that was developed for use with quads but with the addition of some Superglides to the ramp can be easily adapted for snowmobile use.
They also put in a lot of little details that make life easier and safer like locking fingers on the ramp that hold it place so the ramp cannot kick out when loading or unloading. Had a ramp kick out once on a trailer, not much fun.
Ours is bolted in and stays there all year long.
For getting our stock decks moved around we use a engine hoist.
You'll find fueling on the deck will be a two person task to keep spillage to a minimum.
If cost point is an issue Marathon does have a model (Marathon Lite) that is less expenisve than the standard deck that was developed for use with quads but with the addition of some Superglides to the ramp can be easily adapted for snowmobile use.
0
A deck is a great thing, if you only have a half ton you may want to reconsider though, with 2 sleds on it will definetely make your truck crouch. If you get a deck, try and find one with a 1-piece ramp. They're way easier to load, and it'll last tons longer. You can simply lock the ramp, since it will stick out past your talgate just above the deck. There's an outfit here in Alberta that makes some really good decks (can't remember the name), my dad has one, and IMO the quality is better than marathon, but I don't consider marathon a very good deck.
Anyways, just my opinions, not trying to turn this into a "mine is better" thread.
Anyways, just my opinions, not trying to turn this into a "mine is better" thread.
J
Mission trailers is now making decks. They are really well built!
You need to watch a few things with a 1/2 ton IF that's what you have. 1, make sure the deck will fit in the box, I *think* you need a 6' box or bigger for them to fit. 2, watch out for the weight rating of the truck. 2 sleds fully fueled + gear + dudes can overload your rig in a hurry.
I
If you EVER see a Jet Trax deck you will throw rocks at the rest. I've had one for 15 years and put it on 3 trucks. Each side of the deck rolls off the back of the truck and each side has it's own winch. So you drive up TO the ramp and hook up the strap and the winch pulls the sled onto the deck and then pulls the deck up on the truck. No sweat even for a dead sled. You never have to ride up a ramp and you don't have to contribute to the stories about people ending up on their truck hoods. (I've seen it done). I don't know if they are even in business anymore. I was a dealer for a while and sold a few. They were originally made for personal watercraft and for that they were especially good because you could launch your boat on a boat ramp and not even get the tires wet. I still have the boat deck but not the boats. Anyway, Jet Trax was out of Idaho Falls ID and they were a division of RPM Sales. I saw a new one in West Yellowstone a few years ago so someone is making them. They were big in CA because trailers are limited to 55 MPH so you might look there. Occasionally they show up on ebay. I have some phone numbers and brochures etc. but they are probably no good. My two cents of advice about decks is don't put them on a 1/4 ton pickup. 3/4 T or larger. Another advantage of a deck is you don't need sled covers. Spray (most) stays down low.
S
[/IMG]
I run the same deck and there are no cons to it at all. all pros. Mine is setup for a short box pickup and the rear legs are adjustable for a longbox. Max capacity for the deck is 2000lbs so I haul all kinds of chit on it other than my sleds. The sides sled out and make for easy hauling of 1 sled on a permanent basis for storage if ya need to while the garage is full. They are sweet for turning a truck around on the backcountry roads in the mtns, not like a trailer. I paid $3600 canadian for mine 2 years ago. hope this helps
A
Only way to go! Like said above you can always tug the trailer for your buddies sleds to get blasted. 
R
I've been considering this also, my trouble is often we travel to ride and take our 2 mutts with us. I don't think the ride for the mutts would be nice under the deck, plus it might be hard to get my wife's huge arse suitcases stuffed under there.
Similar threads
