The sled is a very important part of dog sledding as well as everything
else. The dog sled has many different forms but have a lot of the same
features. Two runners, handle bar or drive bow, a break and some sort
of basket.
The Brush Bow: Personally I think
all sleds should have a bush bow to lessen the impact of a tree or bush.
The bush bow is usually a bit flexible also so unlike the basket it has
a big of give. I've had a bush bow break (when I ran into a tree), I was
glad I had it so I only broke the bush bow and not my sled.
The Runners: The runners are about
the hardest thing to build when building a dog sled. The pair of runners
must be as close to perfectly alike. The curve in them and the length
and thickness are all a key part. Getting the bend the same is usually
the hardest part. When the runners are on the sled they have plastic over
them to protect the wood, changing the plastic on the runner is more than
a 100% easier then changing the runner it self.
The Drive Bow or The Handle Bar:
There's not much to say but the handle is the thing you hold on to for
dear life. I use it to help me through my weight around when turning corners.
There are different designs of handlebars but the one in the diagram above
is the most common.
The Break: The break is an extremely
important part of the dog sled. While it's not mandatory, the dogs will
still pull the sled with out a break on the sled, anyone with sense wouldn’t
go out with out it on. Even if one never uses the break it's always nice
to have incase you run into a moose or over flow ice.
The Foot Board: If one does not have
a proper foot board, as I have experienced, the whole run can be a horrible
for the musher mainly. With out proper footing one cannot steer properly,
break properly, peddle or stand. Unless you have awesome grip on your
boots, unlike me, you need some sort of foot board. Many mushers use used
skidoo track cut into lengths and screwed or bolted on to the runner.
There are foot boards for sale too but why spend money when you don't
need to? I find skidoo track works very well and is a cheep to come across
also.
The Basket: The difference between a sprint
sled and a long distance sled is in the basket. A sprint sled has a very
short basket, mine is 4 feet, and others are as small as 3 feet. All the
basket is used for in a sprint sled is for an injured dog and maybe a
minimal amount of equipment, like booties and such. A few years ago friends
of mine bought a sled that they nicknamed "the limo" the basket
was over nine feet. They used their "limo" for firewood hawling
with their larger dogs. Most long distant sleds are 6-8 feet long. They
have to be so big for the large amount of equipment like in a race like
the Yukon Quest. |
Dog Mushing
Equipment
