The Potato Farm

So this Christmas, an old friend of mine and his nephew went sledding. This rarely consists of sliding down a hill. It mostly consists of tying a rope to a sled and attaching it to my Jeep.

Cheap plastic sleds have gotten even cheaper, and perhaps more plasticer. Needless to say, the sleds which we obtained from Wal*Mart were not up to task and broke apart within minutes. This also led to the issue of extreme ass breakage. I vowed then and there to design and construct a new sled. Luckily, I built a workbench.

So far I'm just through the first part of construction, the frame and skids. Most of the intermediate work was fairly boring, so I just took a picture of the frame completed. The frame boards, I attached in recessed joints which should add some strength.







The skids are to be lined with tin sheet metal that will be cut with tin snips and fastened with flaps on the sides of the skids. I'm also going to install tortion spring loaded digger brakes on each side that can be used for braking and rudimentary steering. The top will be covered with 1/4" plywood.

Very cool. Glad to see you're getting use out of your workspace and table! Eagerly anticipated the next update.

Very awesome.

May I suggest footholds at the stern of this vessel?

Sure Chris. Actually at the front, another cross board will be put in which will double as a foothold and tow bar.

As long as you're taking suggestions, I would offer up the idea of expansions at the back and sides to accommodate waist and tail gunners.

Because after all, what good is a homemade sled if it can't be readily converted into an implement of war?

I'd probably position guns on the aft, port and starboard and mount a rotating turret seat to the frame enabling the passenger access to all three.

Merry Christmas son, I got you this BATTLE SLED!

You show me one kid that wouldn't like a Battle Sled for Christmas and I'll show you the most boring and stupid kid on the planet.

If your kid doesn't want a Battle Sled for Christmas, do me a favor and hold him back a year.

If that's the route you plan to take, I suggest mounting a single gun to the rotating turret, and use the space you're not using for two extraneous guns to store more rounds.

Duly noted.

Chris, your footrest has been installed along with the towing hook.



I also started on the braking system.

Both sides will be mounted with these.





The tortion spring will be placed under tension after the top plywood sitting area is installed. Handles will be placed at the front of each lever. When a force is applied, the levers will dig down and create friction thus slowing the vehicle. Asymmetrical application of the brakes will also cause directional motion. Once the force is removed from the levers, the tortion springs will return the levers to their horizontal position.

Luckily Casper Tin allowed me to look through their junk pile, and I was able to find a piece of sheet metal that should work well for the skids. Now I have to see how good I am with a pair of tin snips.

I'd suggest tin footings for the brakes as well, since that wood'll wear down pretty quick unless it's applied to snow alone. And even the tin probably wouldn't stand up more than a winter. Ultimately, it may be best to have a strip of tin over the edge of the brakes fastened by metal banding which would enable switching out the tin strips when they wear out without repeatedly putting holes into the wood for new fasteners. Or bolt them on, I guess.

I also envisioned the rider kneeling with his feet at the back. I am now concerned about inertia throwing the rider off the back during startup. Will there be a backrest of some variety?

I think the wood should hold up fairly well since cellulose is remarkably resistant to wear and tear. Also, the pieces of wood themselves could be switched out easily enough. But I've got plenty of sheet metal, so I'll give it a shot.

I thought about adding a back support to this, but that would involve having support beams connecting near the front for strength, and that would add more weight and bulk to this thing. Also, I'm not sure if you've ever been on a sled that's being pulled behind a vehicle (you're from MN so I'll assume Yes) but the ability to be able to bail out is kind of necessary. I want a completely open cab giving the ability to ditch at a moments notice off the sides or the back. Maybe next year I'll attempt a fully enclosed sled with roll bars and shit.

Hanging on to the front of the seating area should suffice to keep someone on the sled during the initial jerk.

Here's where I am thus far. I put the plywood on top, and put the tortion springs in tension. Really all that's left is putting handles on the brakes, and cutting up a shitload of sheet metal and attaching it to the skids. Fun fun.

I have to wonder how secure that spring is, particularly in connection with the screw. Have you considered soldering it, wrapping it around the screw, or perhaps both, or is it pretty secure as it is? Perhaps something simple, like wire brads would be a good addition.

eta: apparently brads are just small nails and not what I thought they were. I'm thinking of arch-shaped fasteners, like the kind used to secure coax cable to studs in a house, or heavy staples.

It's actually pretty secure as is. It's constantly under tension, so it's not going anywhere. In fact you'd be surprised at how hard it is to take it off.

Cutting of the sheet metal.



Application of sheet metal



Applied sheet metal before sanding and buffing.



After sanding and buffing



Chris' idea



View of the undercarriage



Side view with brake handles



Front view



Done. But with the mild winter we're having up here, I think I'd have a better chance of using it in Florida rather than here.

That conjures up a visual of towing the thing behind an airboat with the sled rider playing not-always-successful games of Dodge the Gator.

At least, it does for me...

Amber: I want a sled!
Justin: You need snow first.