How to load a snowmobile

[tom_strickling]

I was using an open landscape trailer to haul my snowmobile with the skis on and had a rough time getting up on. I am also soon going to buy a new enclosed trailer. What do you snowmobile guys to for traction when loading and also for protection of the ramp and floor. I am guessing old conveyor belt or horse stall mats but need ideas. Thanks

[Luxford]

Tom, One of the mud retreival systems would work great to gain traction on the ramp and into the trailer.
A mat or other item would just tend to slip under the wheels/tracks.

A set of straps tied to the Tracks would allow you to drive the snowmobile up the ramp. As you obviously don't have a problem driving onto the trailer you should be able to use the straps to pull the vehicle along. No big heavy winches to worry about and it would be a fast way of getting up and into the trailer. If something needed to be put under the track to prevent damage it wouldn't slip either.
Google "mud retrieval systems".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXF3B28NQNs

[mtntee20]

I would suggest EXPANDED METAL. This is the stuff that looks like it has diamond holes punched into it. I suggest steel but there are other metals as well. An expansion giving, at least 3/8" height, or 1/2" height should work well. I have some with about 1" height I was planning on using to fill the spaces between the rungs on my trailer ramps.

The expanded metal has, somewhat, sharp edges for tires to get good traction with snow or mud on them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_metal

[Kaiser]

This is a tricky one, you want the ski to slide without damage to the ski, but you need traction for the tracks and you don't want to damage the ramp,
Hmmm.... can you make some sort of sleeve for the ski, or adapt some of those 'skates' they use to roll cars around in a workshop, you know these:

cm02c-fi-600x400.jpg (16.92 KiB) Viewed 3487 times

And then use rubber mats or old tires to run up the ramp, they use told tyres to move heavy diggers and even tanks to move over pavement that can't get churned up by the tracks, works really well

[KenHaverhill]

I am curious why you move your snowmobile around with the skies on? I don't know what kind of a kit you have so that may be an issue. What we do in NH is we leave the front wheels and tires on and after unloaded we pull the king pin and tie rod bolts and then mount the skies with spindles.makes moving them around and trailering a breeze. Your skies may be different? We run the ossipee skies

[tom_strickling]

Ken That is the type of ski I have. I guess I am being lazy not hauling a floor jack and changing out wheels for skis. I have it set up like you, just remove king pin etc. The time I save traveling with skis is lost trying to load. Just trying not to have to do the switch over in the cold, but maybe that's just the way it is.