MYOG – Pulk Update

[Bill Fornshell]

I have my MYOG – Pulk ready to use so now all I need to do is find some snow.

[John S.]

Hi Bill. What are the poles made of? I just made and used a pulk (cheapo variety) on a snowshoe trip, but didn't care for the noise made from constant sliding on the compacted snow.

[Bill Fornshell]

John,

For the set of poles:
1. Each pole is two 32.5" pieces of "Fibraplex" Carbon Fiber tubing. That is what looks black in the pictures.

2. I then slide a 32" piece of Easton Aluminum tubing over the Carbon Fiber tubes and center it over the area where the Carbon Fiber tubes are joined together. The aluminum tubes add a lot of strength in the center section of the poles with very little added weight.

[Alec Muthig]

Bill, is this made of rubber for suspension?

[Wayne Kraft]

Bill, I like your belt and poles. Can you tell us about the sled portion of the pulk?

[Bill Fornshell]

Alex.
Yes, my idea is that it would stretch or break and not something harder to replace if the sled hit something or got stuck by something I did not see. I was going to use sling shot rubber but had those things.

I will try them and see how they work.

[Alec Muthig]

Interesting. I ended up using multiple strands of elastic cord – not so much to absorb breaking forces but to absorb the shock of starting up.

How heavy will the pulk load be? I'll be interested in how that works for you.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Wayne,

I made the sled out of off the shelve aluminum from Home Depot and Lowes and a some cedar wood. It is a lot of small parts and went together about like a 10,000 piece puzzle.

The sled without the poles and belt weighs 3 pounds and 13.8 ounces. It is made to turn into a back pack.

I will try and find my construction photos and post a few.

[Bill Fornshell]

Alex,

When you say starting up do you mean as in starting to run?

This picture will give you an idea of the pack bag size. I made it large so I could carry my Down bag less compressed. The bag is self compressing so I can carry more or less in it. I made all this in the Fall of 2003 and BCF – Before Cuben Fiber. The weight of the load varies with how long I would be out at one time. I hope to be where there is some snow sometime this winter and I will try the sled with loads up to 25 or 30 pounds. If you have a weight you would like me to try let me know.

I have thought about making another version of the sled but much lighter. If I lived where I could use a pulk more I might make a lighter one.

[Bill Fornshell]

A few construction pictures and other details.

[Alec Muthig]

"When you say starting up do you mean as in starting to run?"

Yes. It does seem to ease me into it better. It also helps on the short hills like those found on snowmachine trails (mini-moguls that are hell on the back).

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