🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <dsnoek.35kp@terapin.com> dsnoek@terapin.com (Daniel Snoek) writes:
>For those out there that have participated in a Klondike derby that required a
>sled to be built I would like to know which way the sled moved forward.  Did
>the boys push the sled or pull the sled with ropes?
>
>Last year I led our troop with a sled that was first designed to be pulled but
>I found that pushing was much more efficient and caused less problems with rope
>tie-ups.  Our sled rode low (No more than 3 feet), was surprisingly light (two
>skies, platform a few inches above the skies and triangle side boards) and had
>a PVC pipe on the back to push.  With a light sled (out smallest scout could
>lift it) I found that pushing it was fastest and could be done by just one
>person.
>
>How have others of you made their sleds - places for scouts to push on the
>side/back or ropes to pull?

I've gone to a couple of Klondike Derbies and will be going to my next in
a couple of weeks.  As for sleds we have usually had very heavy sleds,
this wasn't on purpose but they ended up being heavy.  

A couple of things that are nice are having skies on the bottom of the
sled.  You have to make sure they don't have any metal on runners on them.
It's nice to have something sturdy because the scouts usually tend to
abuse the sled while out on the trail.  We have had some made with I'd
guess they were 6x6 pieces going from back to front held together by
2x4's.  We had  a bottom of lexan so stuff could be put in the sled and
not fall out.  Then in the back just some more 2x4's to make a place
to push with.  

As far a pushing or pulling I would suggest a little of both.  It's hard
to get everyone to push at the same time but there can be 1 or 2 people
pushing and the rest pulling.

One thing that I would suggest that you avoid doing is keep away from
wide runners.  For example one year instead of trying skies as runners
we tried just a smooth flat bottom (rounded in the front) of lexan and
this was very bad, it was hard to pull even through it wasn't that
heavy because of the friction with the ground..

  Good Luck

  Dave Sugar
  udsugar@mcs.drexel.edu
  udsugar@impaqt.drexel.edu