Home built sled deck.

[Adrenaline Revolution]

These are all good ideas but jeeze...

I don't want it to weight a TON!

I'm thinking saving weight by not even having a plywood deck. Just use cross supports under some plastic ski guides. And more spaced cross bars for where the track sits. Almost like continuing the ramp. If the ramp can take the jaring of a sled riding up it. Then the same building technique should work for the deck.
These are my thoughts.

This would eliminate the slippery, wet and Heavy plywood deck.

I thought about trying to build one and I was concidering doing the same thing.
One problem is that you'll wish you had a solid deck when/if you want to put covers on or just getting on or off your sled when it's up there.
Plus a deck gives you a place to stash covers and other stuff underneath, out of sight. With just rails all the snow, ice, mud will end up down in the bed on whatever is under there.
just my .0197

 

[SylvanLaker]

I just finished building this, very light... Real nice deck. I drew it up too..

 

[SylvanLaker]

PS the steel weight is in the tittle block. With 1/2" plywood I bet it's under 200 lbs. I'm gonna make a post about it after Xmas. With pics and All..

 

[NWGooser]

If you start looking for material.

Flakey - We closed up the fab shop years ago. I haven't been there for ages but I think I may have a couple hundred feet of 1x1x1/4 tube. If you get down to making a deck and need this for fillers, etc. give me a PM. I'll see what's let and we can work out a trade or something. It is inside so it should be in like new condition and ready to go.

 

[devilrmk]

A buddy of mine built one and is now in the process of installing a large winch with sprockets and a drive train to move the upper part of the deck back and then tilt down off the truck to avoid having to use a ramp.
It's set up with a rack and wheel guide system that the whole deck moves on.
It should be pretty slick when he's done.
I've loaded up my sled on his deck before the winch was installed with a ramp and it was a scary situation.
Ramp was too short and the truck sits too high! Hello slider window





(I still think this thing looks like a fat naked chick bent over while standing in a bucket )

Hey if your buddy wants some pointers on how to do this, pm me. Pretty much what I did. I drop mine all the way to the ground for loading then winch the entire deck with sleds up onto the truck. Added benefit is I leave the sleds on the deck and drop it in the shop at the end of the day. No off loading sleds to put them away. Mine is set up similar to a boat trailer with rollers.

Biggest thing is it takes a much bigger winch than you would think.
I started with 2000lb, then 3000lb and now I got a 6000lb.

 

[dog breath]

SylvanLaker, thanks for the plans. I was thinking of making one next summer and this one looks fast to make.

devilrmk, if you have any more pictures of the loader with the rollers, please post more. It would very sweet to have.

 

[devilrmk]

This was basically a prototype with plans of making an all aluminum one next year. There is things I would do a bit different next time, but this one is fully functional.

The back piece is removable to close the tailgate.

 

[johndeere8420]

These are all good ideas but jeeze...

I don't want it to weight a TON!

I'm thinking saving weight by not even having a plywood deck. Just use cross supports under some plastic ski guides. And more spaced cross bars for where the track sits. Almost like continuing the ramp. If the ramp can take the jaring of a sled riding up it. Then the same building technique should work for the deck.
These are my thoughts.

This would eliminate the slippery, wet and Heavy plywood deck.

So...you are telling me that your are willing to put aproxamatly $24,000.00 worth of sleds on a sled deck that weighs only 149.5 pounds. I'm obviously not a rocket scientist... but a heavy duity sled deck sounds like CHEAP insurance to me... Build it how ever you want, but i'm nonna ROFLMFAO when one day I come onto snowest.com and see a thread called ' My sled deck broke and now my insurance company won't cover the sleds because I was a cheap scate and didn't build a strong enough deck'

 

[devilrmk]

It all depends on how you build it. I can build a deck out of steel and no plywood decking that would weigh less than 150lbs and run apex's on it all day for years without it coming apart. Not too hard if you know anything about building a structure.

Now if you are just welding tubing together to make it shaped the way you want it with no thought about structural integrity then thats a different story.

 

[Cyle]

So...you are telling me that your are willing to put aproxamatly $24,000.00 worth of sleds on a sled deck that weighs only 149.5 pounds. I'm obviously not a rocket scientist... but a heavy duity sled deck sounds like CHEAP insurance to me... Build it how ever you want, but i'm nonna ROFLMFAO when one day I come onto snowest.com and see a thread called ' My sled deck broke and now my insurance company won't cover the sleds because I was a cheap scate and didn't build a strong enough deck'

You really have no idea what your talking about. You could use .5" wall steel and the deck could snap like a twig if it's not built right. The strength of the steel is a VERY small part of it, quality of welds and design are most of it. No decking would NOT make it weaker, I think the only downside would be you don't have a huge place to keep gear dry underneath. Also the fact that your assuming everyone has 2 brand new sleds to load on the deck is retarded at best, i'm going to say that most people who spend 24k on sleds alone will also buy their own deck and not bother making one.

 

[Flakey]

You really have no idea what your talking about. You could use .5" wall steel and the deck could snap like a twig if it's not built right. The strength of the steel is a VERY small part of it, quality of welds and design are most of it. No decking would NOT make it weaker, I think the only downside would be you don't have a huge place to keep gear dry underneath. Also the fact that your assuming everyone has 2 brand new sleds to load on the deck is retarded at best, i'm going to say that most people who spend 24k on sleds alone will also buy their own deck and not bother making one.

Thank you !




Man, I bet I could post a thread titled: "I'd like to give eveyone a hundred dollar bill." And still get reemed by someone...

 

[Dirtydude]

I'm going to make one I think, I'll buy me a welder and this single project will pay for the welder

next up is a sled lift with wheels

I've built lot's of hay trailers and other stuff, don't see why a deck would be any great challenge...

sure can't see 3k for a deck

I'll be making mine expandable though

 

[dog breath]

This was basically a prototype with plans of making an all aluminum one next year. There is things I would do a bit different next time, but this one is fully functional.

The back piece is removable to close the tailgate.

Does the legs extend and come down to guide the deck up and does the tailgate get in the way?

 

[WCTHEMI]

Thats a sweet set-up, looks like I have found my first project for when I get the garage done.

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

Thank you !

Man, I bet I could post a thread titled: "I'd like to give eveyone a hundred dollar bill." And still get reemed by someone...

Well sure you would and who'd blame them.
What they really wanted, for nothing, was two fifty's

God, the nerve of some people

BTW...I wouldn't reem you at all.
My address is 35627 15.......

 

[Adrenaline Revolution]

This was basically a prototype with plans of making an all aluminum one next year. There is things I would do a bit different next time, but this one is fully functional.

The back piece is removable to close the tailgate.

I may be missing something in the photo....
What holds the deck down to the roller frame when it's loaded on the truck with your sled on it?

I'm sure you have a way of keeping it from bouncing off the rollers but I just don't see it in the photo.

Looks great BTW.

EDIT....Oh, I see it now. The winch holds down the front and you have plates and I'm guessing pins for the aft part?

 

[yamaguy]

This is my homemade deck and it was a lot more than a days work and way more than a few hundred dollars. If your are going to do this add up all the costs before you start. You might find a used one for less.

 

[Flakey]

yamaguy, thats a nice deck! good job.

Yeah I'm going to start pricing out steel and other costs. I'm already surprised to hear how much the cost has risen.

 

[Polar Express]

Yamaguy's looks really nice. I built one last year out of aluminum. PM me if you want, and I'll take and send you some pics, and tell you what I learned, and what worked, and what i'd do different. Mine's a little different than his, I actually have a small railing around mine, about 4" high, and I put some lights on top for loading at night. Mine also ties down to the inside of the bed. Its light enough that wo guys can pick it up and put it on, the steel ones I've seen are heavy enough they require some sort of jack or hoist system.

I'm glad I did it, and I need to still add up the recipits, but I think I spend under $1100 on materials, and it took me a few days. It was my first aluminum project (welded lots of steel before) so I was going slow. I think a second one would go a lot faster. It works good so far.

 

[X-it]

I built mine out of wood, it works great.