Jump to content

Ski Saver dolly - are they safe for plastic skis?


Recommended Posts

Last year, I bought a set of Ski Saver dollies for driving sleds into the garage.  After looking at competitors, like the Caliber Sled Wheels, I went with the Ski Savers, because they looked stronger.  

Last weekend, I pulled my skis off to check for ski and carbide wear, and I noticed dents in both skis from the dollies, looks like someone took a center punch to the skis.  The rear part of the dolly has an arm that picks up the back of the ski.  On the many such dollies, that arm has spikes and I’m assuming those are meant to prevent the dolly from sliding off the ski while the snowmobile is moving.  

How concerned should I be in the long term about this damage?  Anybody grind down those spikes, and did that affect usability?

I really don’t want to scrap these after one season, because of how expensive they were.  Maybe it’s not a big deal and I can just keep using them the way they are.  If anyone has experience with these, I’d appreciate your input.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody uses these things?

I’m trying to find a way to keep the skis off the ground when the sleds are driven inside.  We poured a new garage floor a few weeks ago and if my skis carbides start marking up the floor, my wife will make me sleep out there…

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hear you about trying to protect a new pour.

I haven't used that style.  I like the concept, but I can see where those tips would dig into the ski.  I wonder if you could modify them to use something like the caliber rubber tips?  The tips do need some grip so they don't just let the ski slide. 

It would be a bummer to give up on them.  They are built better than the plastic versions.

The ski sliding issue is something to keep in mind if you do come up with a modification.  I use steerable dollies with those little cables that hook around the spindle.  If I do not use the cables, the ski will "drive" right off the dolly.  That works to my advantage for my situation.  When loading at home, I ride the sled to the ramp and drive right out of the dollies.  It works pretty slick for that purpose.  The dollies stop dead at the bottom of the ramp and the floor has no marks.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are sled skis.  They’ll be fine but I hear you….I don’t want anything marring up my stuff wow there’s.  I guess this “damage” happened by storing them on the ski savers?  Buy a stand or, some of those cheap metal 3 pack dolly set with wheels and ski saddles of you want to move the sleds around.  I think they are like $30 and work like a charm…or make your own.
 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but I can't say enough good things about those E-Z Mover setups .... highly recommend that!

Regarding the ski saver dollies .. how they keep putting pressure on the top of the ski when it's just sitting there?  I guess I was just picturing the pressure from being pushed, and the weight of the sled pushing forward / whatever direction it's being moved.  A rubber strip of some sort should be able to provide the grip you need vs. the spikes, no?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

These aren’t perfect but, for the money, they work really well.  I think I paid $30 or so from Menards last time I bought them.

F952DAAC-6D26-42F2-8A02-CDFEF7648EC4.jpeg

I had those a while back, and they're great if you're just moving a sled around in the garage for the most part.  But they kinda suck going from the garage out to the driveway - or anytime you need to go over a seam or decent sized crack or bump.  The front skis slide off super easy.  For $30 though, not the worst option out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

These aren’t perfect but, for the money, they work really well.  I think I paid $30 or so from Menards last time I bought them.

F952DAAC-6D26-42F2-8A02-CDFEF7648EC4.jpeg

That’s what I use to move the sleds around.  The Ski Savers have only used a couple of times to move the sleds from the trailer to the shed and back, I don’t leave them that way.  I might try grinding the tips down, just enough to round them off.  Then try that and see if they leave marks.  Those things were expensive, but I liked the concept and they do work pretty good for running down the driveway, or the grass for that matter.  
 

Thanks, guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Bontz said:

I had those a while back, and they're great if you're just moving a sled around in the garage for the most part.  But they kinda suck going from the garage out to the driveway - or anytime you need to go over a seam or decent sized crack or bump.  The front skis slide off super easy.  For $30 though, not the worst option out there.

Yeah, great on smooth surfaces but you aren't going to roll them over bumps and shit for sure.  I think I'd do some larger wheeled furniture moving dollies, modified for use, before I'd do those again but, for the price, these are nice.

47 minutes ago, p51mstg said:

That’s what I use to move the sleds around.  The Ski Savers have only used a couple of times to move the sleds from the trailer to the shed and back, I don’t leave them that way.  I might try grinding the tips down, just enough to round them off.  Then try that and see if they leave marks.  Those things were expensive, but I liked the concept and they do work pretty good for running down the driveway, or the grass for that matter.  
 

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, I modified mine by screwing a piece of 2X12 to carry the track better.  Still, it's been years since I've used any dollies.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess I'm not sure what a ski saver dolly is.

I have a dolly that picks up the whole sled, it's on two pneumatic wheels, it doesn't touch the skis, just lifts the sled under the belly pan with pads and at the back bumper with a strap.  It works awesome and is invaluable and I use it constantly.  My garage floor has too big of cracks plus occasional loose gravel where the little dollies like zambroski posted don't work for moving but I do store sleds on them sometimes.

I also have these big over sized plastic ski boot things that go around the ski and attached with a little strap that has a snap on it.  They would protect anything from carbides, I think I got them with a sled before, I used them back in the day because I had a sled that the carbides would catch on the trailer ramp.  They work real well for what you're doing and probably really inexpensive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve considered the ski boots but was swayed toward these, because of the ability to steer the sled.  They do work good on grass and pavement.  Watch the video to the end to see where the pokey bit picks up the rear part of the ski.  That’s where there are dents that look like center punches.  The individual dents aren’t deep enough to cause a problem with the ski, just concerned that years of use will eventually do progressively more damage.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see how that could leave some dents in plastic skis, but I don't think a couple dents would hurt them.

I think if you're concerned, you could add a piece to each piece to spread the load out over a larger area than the pin does.  It could be very simple.

Here I took a picture of an example of something you could use.  Drill a hole through this cross-ways and slide over the pin.  You could put a spring nut on the pin to keep it from falling off or a cotter pin or whatever.  You'd want whatever you put on there to be able to rotate on the pin though.  The picture is probably smaller than what you'd need, just scale up.  You could probably use a piece of hardwood also

PXL_20211126_205124960.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nevermind I didn't look closely the first time, I figured they just used a little horizontal pin that picked it up, but it uses little pointier pieces that go directly into it.  I'd probably rework the whole thing!  Get out the welder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Zambroski said:

These aren’t perfect but, for the money, they work really well.  I think I paid $30 or so from Menards last time I bought them.

F952DAAC-6D26-42F2-8A02-CDFEF7648EC4.jpeg

I ended up upgrading to the Cat plastic ones for the sleds we move the most.

Those and the HF dollies get all gummy and difficult to move after a year or two at most, making the sleds a PITA to move around.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Platinum Contributing Member
On 11/26/2021 at 11:18 AM, Zambroski said:

These aren’t perfect but, for the money, they work really well.  I think I paid $30 or so from Menards last time I bought them.

F952DAAC-6D26-42F2-8A02-CDFEF7648EC4.jpeg

I had those and the caster wheels all bent, but I did have a Yamaha at the time too..:lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold Member
On 11/26/2021 at 11:18 AM, Zambroski said:

These aren’t perfect but, for the money, they work really well.  I think I paid $30 or so from Menards last time I bought them.

F952DAAC-6D26-42F2-8A02-CDFEF7648EC4.jpeg

I had similar to those and they sucked ass every little grain of sand the skis come sliding off. I ended up buying some small ratchet straps to hold them on the skis. Worked good to move around garage in the summer but to much work for more every day use. I liked them so much a gave them to the poor bastard that bought my old sled 😂.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, 800renegaderider said:

I had similar to those and they sucked ass every little grain of sand the skis come sliding off. I ended up buying some small ratchet straps to hold them on the skis. Worked good to move around garage in the summer but to much work for more every day use. I liked them so much a gave them to the poor bastard that bought my old sled 😂.

Yeah, get what you pay for.  Great for smooth (and clean) concrete floors but, that it.  I gave mine away too but they worked well for what I needed.

I wish my sled stand rolled easier too.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Trying to pay the bills, lol



×
×
  • Create New...