How to prevent ski wear on wooden bridges?

winter_rules said:

What do you guys use to prevent the skis from digging through the wood on bridges? One of ours is getting old and showing the wear from the carbides so we're looking for ideas for the skis to run on.

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Why not more wood?

I have seen several wooden bridges that they lay planks down and are bolted where the Skis and tracks (studs) run, and when worn out too bad, unbolt them and replace with new, this way the wooden bridge deck stays in good condition.

winter_rules said:

What do you guys use to prevent the skis from digging through the wood on bridges? One of ours is getting old and showing the wear from the carbides so we're looking for ideas for the skis to run on.

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I guess you could run 4 strips of wood, two on each side so the carbide wouldn't actually run along the bridge....

Winter rules idea is one I have seen a lot the only down side is on precision and simmons skis. They don't fit in the grooves to well. Jay

Find a old bedliner. Chop it up lay it down where the skis are.
Then just get some cows mats, or I even seen once a bridge that was cover with old tires. They just cut the tires in half and skrewed them down.

I would get something that covers the wood, because by just putting more wood down you will have to keep working on it. Put that makes and bedlinear down then you should be fine for a while.

Ryan

My father-in-law just screws down 4x8 sheets of chip board/plywood. He's been doing it for a few years now and it is really worth it to him because he has a covered bridge made out of lumber from an old barn his family owned. In the spring just take the boards off and store them until next winter. Drywall screws work just fine and hold them in place.

could just jump the gap.....

or i liek the idea about bolting and replacing the wood..

If you cover the hole floor of your bridge with the plywood you wouldn't have to worry about the carbides, studs, or the boards fading at different rates and then being different colors if you had just ran a copal were the carbides and studs ride. Then your wife gets pi$$ed because there’s strips and it’s knot all the same color. Go with the plywood even if it’s the thin cheep stuff.

hey - Where is the Bridge in you pic?
It looks fimiliar except for the lack of snow...

Chull said:

hey - Where is the Bridge in you pic?
It looks fimiliar except for the lack of snow...

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It's on C7B near Trout Creek, in Delaware County. I'd be impressed if you've been on it...mainly it's just the locals that ride near us.

Thanks for the advice...I'll tell the boss (Dad) the ideas and see what he says to do.

Take Oak Planks and run that at 45 Degree angles all the way, and the wear will be almost eliminated. Our local clubs did that 10 yrs ago and they're still in good shape and they easily get over 1,000 sleds daily on weekends.

big rubber mats do a great job and take a very long time to get chewed up

old conveyor belts work good for the studs. Then like Tug said, hang the skis on the way over. Any excuse to pin it I guess. Skis do slide good on old bed liners or the PowerMadd trailer slides

Polardoo said:

Winter rules idea is one I have seen a lot the only down side is on precision and simmons skis. They don't fit in the grooves to well. Jay

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Oh it can still work! You just have to ride the middle of the ski on top of one strip of wood instead of the two!

Our club uses old conveyor belting...works like charm.