Plaschem Sled

Plaschem has been wonderful to us Serum Runners by giving us a discount on their sleds!!! We are looking forward to many miles of reliable hauling! There will be several 'Seal Hunters' on this years run.

This is a heavy duty fiberglass molded sled. It is 8' long, 28 1/2" wide, (approx 24" of inside width) with walls from 11.5 to 18.5" high. It weights in at approximately 88 pounds. It is a heavy duty rigid sled that has a history of holding up well hauling heavy loads for thousands of miles. I am told this sled was designed to be used as small boat, and that the raised rear of the sled will accommodate a small boat motor.

Click on image to see larger view

The sled will hold 4 Rubber Maid 24 gallon tall Action Packers in the bottom.

For the Serum Run a toboggan type sled capable of hauling 500-600 pounds over rough trail is required. Two sleds where recommended, one a flexible low walled sled made by Siglin Sleds in Fairbanks, the other was the Seal Hunter by Plaschem. I was told that folding sleds, culvert sleds and lighter duty sleds may work well for most general use but, they may not withstand the trail and where not recommended for the Serum Run.

With the Serum Run input the decision was narrowed down to Siglin or Plaschem. The Siglin sleds are light and can be folded in half for transport or storage, they also flex when going down the trail. You can strap an enormous amount of weight on them and they will slide great. However I chose the Plaschem Seal Hunter. The biggest factor was that the Seal hunter is rigid and has higher side walls make it easier to secure the loads I plan to carry on more frequent shorter trips. I also like the design of the bottom. It has two wide runners that have a raised tub bottom between them. When you are on a firm trail you have less surface area on the snow making for more efficient towing. In deep powder the runner sink in a few inches and the sled ride on the under belly if need be. The 24 gallon Rubber Maid Action packers fit sideways in the sled, 4 of them may be loaded in the sled. I'll be carrying 3 Action Packers, plus fuel cans with some space left for straw or another bag. The tent and other gear will be in large duffle type bags strapped on top of the Action Packers.

Humm, maybe the weight. At about 80 pounds, it is heavier than the Siglin Sleds and some others.

Rope tie downs come with the sled, but they can be difficult to work with when frozen or caked with ice.

Need to plan large loads with the bulk of the weight as low as possible in the sled to lesson the chances of the sled rolling onto it's side.

Rear Hitch: I added a heavy duty Pintle type type hitch to the back of the sled. Simply drill the fiberglass and bolt through it. (A backing plate should being installed just to be safe. The hitch is from JR Graham, it is the heaviest hitch I've ever seen. It is the Pintle Type Sleigh Hitch #KX121121 $23.25. They list it as fitting all Arctic Cats, but it a simple two hole plate mount which can be attached to the Plaschem sled. I called in my order and it was at my door in 3 days!

Tie Downs: The sled comes with a rope running around the sled through holes in the side rail. Wayne Oxford, the Serum Run trail boss has suggested replacing the rope by running conduit under the rail and then drilling holes and mounting eye bolts. The rope if stiff and strung tight, which makes it somewhat difficult to hook to at times. So I modified my sled with the eye bolts and rope, which worked very well!

Pictured to the right is my sled after changing the Tie downs to 3/8" eye bolts fastened thought 3/4" conduit. I laced the rope thought the eye bolts for now, but not sure if it will remain.

Click to enlarge

It was also recommend by someone that I add a cross brace to the hitch between the V bars, which I have done. Doing so would help prevent the hitch from twisting if pull to the side.

On the 2002 Serum Run the sled worked well. However I did discover that you have to plan your load right to avoid having the sled roll onto it's side on the trail. On the Serum Run I found I was packing a waist to chest high load, and it was real important to keep the bulk of the weight as low in the sled as possible. I think everybody pulling the Seal Hunter sleds had them tip over at least once, probably more, but I didn't keep count. I know I saw the bottom of my sled several times, but it got me and all the gear to Nome.

I must confess I envied those pulling the Siglin sleds, so much so that I now own one! I don't recall ever seeing a Siglin sled tip over. Plus being a little wider and longer, they had a little more room. And they were much lighter than the fiberglass sleds.

While I don't have any major complaints about the Plaschem sleds, and feel confident that they are hard working sleds, and work well for the Serum Run, I'll be taking a Siglin on the 2005 Serum Run. (Having some remote property and the need to haul building materials, including 4x8 sheets of plywood, I found the Siglin to be more conducive to hauling the larger materials.)

The 8 foot Seal Hunter sells for $715.00. As far as I know the only source is the manufacturer here in Anchorage. Plaschem also makes a variety of other sleds in various sizes. They also carry hitch parts and provide warranty and repair services. They have a nice show room and are more than willing to provide all the information you may want in selecting a sled. Plaschem has been very helpful by giving Serum Runners a reduced price, which was much less than the $715.00!

Plaschem Supply & Consulting

1415 Spar Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99501

907-274-5505