Towing a cargo/gear sleigh...... what G-4 bumper hitch are you using?

[Rick E]

Each season we ride into one of several lodges for a 4 to 5 day stay in their cabins.
One is a ten mile trek, the other is a three mile trek.
The Snow Cat shuttles have become expensive and require a scheduled pick-up time.
(any travel delays can throw this off)

I have built 4 sleighs. My son has built 2.
Prior to us having G-4 machines, the Tricked-Toys (Canadian company) "Quick Connect" bumper hitch system worked very well.



The G-4 bumper profile is quite different.
Tricked-Toys has not yet designed a clamping system for the G-4 bumper profile.

Here is what I have designed for a Tow-Behind cargo sleigh.

 

[Rick E]

The Tricked-Toys hitch works very well on either the square or the rectangular bumper profiles.
However, it does not work well (in my opinion) with the 5 sided G-4 bumper profile.

I've had my machinist friend build a set of proto-type aluminum blocks for the TT's main plate.
You would simply remove the original blocks and install the new blocks using the same bolts, the same threaded rod and the same tightening knobs.

What are you guys using for a G-4 bumper hitch?

 

[tmk50]

We pack in to our cabin 11 miles up the trail, it is groomed to the driveway so usually no 'drag' from snow on the toboggans and an easy pull. We use the ice-fishing plastic toboggans and just the ski-doo bumper hitches. We spread the load between three toboggans and haven't had any issues with the bumpers.

 

[Rick E]

Here is a tow bar that I had purchased on-line a few years ago.
It was too short, and the telescopic spring system was sloppy.
It had weak springs and with very little pre-load, and no way to increase the pre-load.

 

[Rick E]

My primary question:
Have any of you used the Tricked-Toys bumper hitch?
If so, have you tried it on the G-4 bumper?

T-Ts says that it works as-is.
I say that it doesn't work, at least not without a risk of tweaking or damaging the G-4 profile.

My new aluminum blocks allow it to fit the G-4 profile perfectly.

One very nice aspect of the Tricked-Toys hitch, is that it is easily removeable once you reach your destination. This removes unwanted weight from the bumper.

Also, my machinist is going to gear up to make more via CNC, bringing the cost down considerably.
If any of you are interested, PM me.

I don't yet know what the cost will be for the blocks.

The Tricked-Toys hitch will run you about $160 US, of which is rather expensive.
However, it is truly a piece of art, rather than a cheaply built hitch unit.


Any thoughts would be appreciated!

.

 

[paul babcock]

i have a 19 850 summit i use the ski doo HEAVY DUTY rear bumper with the ski doo hitch,have had no problems with it pulling a otter sled.4 day trip into montana cabin gas fuel supplies beer.25 miles in trail and no trail.hitch is like one above only little longer.did not have much luck with stock bumper.heavy duty one comes with pre drilled holes for hitch.

 

[Rick E]

i have a 19 850 summit i use the ski doo HEAVY DUTY rear bumper with the ski doo hitch,have had no problems with it pulling a otter sled.4 day trip into montana cabin gas fuel supplies beer.25 miles in trail and no trail.hitch is like one above only little longer.did not have much luck with stock bumper.heavy duty one comes with pre drilled holes for hitch.

Please post a few photos of your bumper and hitch for us.

And if you are able to, a few photos of your sleigh tow bar arrangement.


By the way, I eventually plan to build a suspended sleigh using one of my more recent designs.
(final design pending!)

.

 

[Motorbreath_]

The two ski design will work good on a groomed trail or hard pack in general. They can be a little cumbersome in deep snow. I use a flat bottom sleigh all year, and it serves me well.

Pelican sleigh.

 

[Rick E]

Motorbreath, if it wasn't for the Nytro-Glycerin that we pack in to the cabins, I'd be OK with a non-suspension type sleigh. But as it is, I don't dare take that chance!


Seriously though, I am contemplating building another sleigh with suspension.
It won't happen this year, I'll probably tackle that next summer.


But back to the hitch issue and my original question:
.....What are you guys using on the G-4 profile bumper???

Any pictures would be appreciated.

 

[Trashy]

The SkiDoo HD bumper works really well and works with the same attachments I have been using since the XP. For some reason the price has shot up since it was released in 2016, not sure what the story is there. After towing heavily loaded sleighs long distances into mountain lodges for years and seeing every possible kind of failure imaginable I am quite certain that the BRP heavy duty bumper will always be near the top of your list as long as they continue to offer one for their current-model of mountain sleds. They fit well and are plenty strong without being much heavier than the stock one. I also prefer the flat-bottom plastic skiffs. How you pack it/load it is the deal breaker. Pack canned drinks upright in a tightly filled (as in “totally filled with no room to move”) solidly-built cooler. Pack everything else in sealed bags or snow will get in. As far as securing everything in the skiff, skip the ratchet straps, they don’t work, lots and lots of good bungees is the solution. Like many things in life, why over-complicate it? Simple is best, and put the energy and money you saved to better use somewhere else. Just my $0.02...

 

[Trashy]

Here is a tow bar that I had purchased on-line a few years ago.
It was too short, and the telescopic spring system was sloppy.
It had weak springs and with very little pre-load, and no way to increase the pre-load.


View attachment 364998

As for the hitch assembly I started with one similar to what is in your picture here. It was better than a solid bar but it literally wore out the area where the spring is. I repaired it (permanently so far) with a setup I built with a SR Suntour mountain bike fork I had upgraded on a mountain bike (Fox to the rescue!) I used the springs and bushings from the fork so the hitch is sprung when the sled as pulling as well as when the skiff is “pushing” such as when you are going downhill or on deceleration. It isn’t truly “dampened” with a gas or a fluid but the rubber pieces inside the springs do add some ability to slow everything down. I can get you a pic but it literally looks like a 1”-ish pipe welded in between the sled hitch and the “Y” on the trailer, all the moving parts are inside and both ends are welded up. Kind of like the “closer” device on a screen door but HD version. It was originally to be nothing more than a prototype but that was 6 or 7 years ago, it worked great and hasn’t been replaced yet. Has a lot of miles on it tho and eventually it’ll wear out because they take an absolute beating. On that note towing is without question hard on the sleds too, the bumpers have held up fine but you can tell how hard the sleds are working by the fuel consumption as well as heat in less than fluffy conditions.

 

[Rick E]

​

MoutainTrashCat, I understand where you're coming from.
However, I'm not on a budget, and the idea of a suspended sleigh is appealing to me.
Plus, it will be a great project.

My previous suspension type sleigh worked very well. I have towed it in excess of 45 mph, and it was extremely stable.
My new design will hopefully work even better.

As for the tow bar, my newly designed tow bar (much longer I might add) incorporates a well fit steel inner tube into the outer tube.
No excessive slop.
The dampening/cushioning springs that I chose are a near perfect match.
With the threaded shaft and nyloc nut on the one end, the spring tension can be adjusted.
This new one telescopes in/out near perfectly.

As said earlier... don't waist your time/money on the ones that you find on-line. Way too sloppy and lousy and non-adjustable spring tension.
Build your own!


Now... back to that picture of the BRP bumper hitch.... where are those pictures?????

As they say.... no pics and it didn't happen! LOL


.

 

[Rick E]

By the way..... what are the group's thoughts regarding the OEM bumper -vs- the heavier duty bumper?

I'm thinking that if there was an issue, I'd rather bend the OEM bumper than to risk having the HD bumper tweak the tunnel.

.

 

[Trashy]

I really don’t think you would ever bend the tunnel due to the heavier bumper. And in fact I have seen the opposite happen where the lighter bumper failed and the sleigh came crashing into the back of the sled doing some serious damage.

 

[simnil]

There are a few bolt on G4 "pull-bumpers" in the BRP accessories, (at least here in Europe)
Easy bolt on, fits in the same tunnel side holes as the stock bumper

# 860201942
# 860201471
# 860201612
# 860201424

Aren't they available on your side of the pond?

 

[Rick E]

I will say that with the Tricked-Toys hitch, there is no drilling holes required.
Once you reach your destination, it can be removed in less than a minute, and without any tools.
No extra weight to pack around while out riding.

 

[Hawkster]

Their 5 piece bumper needs a weld at where it curves going into the piece on the tunnel , do that and it makes a really solid bumper .

 

[turboless terry]

I've tried about everything from bought hitches to homemade and seems like they all broke at one time or another. I just tie it on with a rope and never had problems.
Had the best luck with otter pull behind sleds because the bridge the moguls. The suspension sleds we've tried drop down in everyone and jump all over the place. Been going to the box y lodge for over 20 years with 28 miles to get in there and this has been the best for me. An otter with their hitch tied on with rope and no more broken hiches or sleds or problems. Just can't slam on the brakes. The tricked toy hitch does look nice though.

 

[simnil]

Towing with the tilted up thin metal standard bumper is going to be a short experience! You put almost all of the load on the two small bolts furthest back due to the up angle at the rear of the bumper. All of the tow bumpers are straight, some even tilted down a little, and for a reason and that is spreading the load on all the bolts.

Guestimately half the sleds over here are fitted with the appropriate BRP tow bumper, they work and they hold up.

 

[Rick E]

Gentlemen, I did not intend for this thread to turn into a contest re; who's system is best, I only use this or that, or that won't work, etc.

I only intended to share my thoughts regarding the Tricked-Toys hitch, the G-4 bumper, my concern about the TT G-4 attachment, my own sleigh build ideas, etc.

I then asked for some pictures of what you guys are using/doing with the G-4 bumper attachment.

As for the bumpers becoming damaged, are your tow bars NOT equipped with some version of a shock absorbing apparatus?
As mentioned.... I built a decent spring system into mine.

(I apologize for the fuzzy spring images)