Anyone got their diesel out on the ice yet?

[D-Dub]

Once loaded up my rig weighs close to 8000lbs :scared:. How thick does the ice have to be before you would be comfortable venturing out with that kind of weight? Or would you lol? You always see those ridiculous parking lots on the ice around derbies ... :thinking-006:.. makes me feel a little better about taking the pig out on the hard water. It has been a pretty mild winter so far though..

[Dweb]

18" inches of good ice I'd send it

[Hilgy]

I have no idea how much ice there should be for that size truck but I know I’ve seen 2-3 parked together out on the 10-12” out in Gull the last few days. Still a little thin for me but I’m a bit of a whimp when it comes to driving on.

[RavYak]

I wouldn't drive on anything less then 12 inches of good clear ice with a big truck which would be closer to 15 inches most of the time(usually some snow ice, questionable layers or thin spots in areas).

The following page goes into a fair bit of detail and helps a guy understand risks associated with snow ice, warm weather, cracks, safety factor etc.

http://lakeice.squarespace.com/bearing-strength/

[PlayDoh]

Remember that what the ice is a point A is only partially relevant to point B. Certain lakes like Newell for example have springs and other conditions that swallow up unsuspecting travelers. Breaking Trail always comes with the risk of disaster unless you drill holes every 10 or 20 yards. Which nobody does, so don’t kid yourself.

Your insurance will very likely not cover you if you find trouble on the ice. And don’t completely trust a phone call to your provider. Get it in writing.

Even then, your risking more than your truck and gear, so weigh that into account. There’s no way I’d be driving a $40,000 truck on any lake south of the 40th parallel, if ever. Risk vs reward. Buy a beater, or borrow one. Quarter tons are perfect.

That said, 8 inches ‘might’ hold you, 10” probably would, 12” to be safe, and 15” to be certain. Only count the black ice, and if you don’t know the lake ice well on that lake, stay on the tracks. Don’t stop or park near other trucks or cars (so many people do that).

Best advice you’ll get is to stay off the ice in a car or truck, but we’re all lazy and want to fish ‘way over there’. A quad, SxS or sleds are the way to go, really. But who has the extra 15-30 mins? lol

[Cageyc]

Was out on gull Saturday and saw a diesel drive out a couple of hundred yards. There was only about 9” of ice where we were. Some people’s kids!

[Dubious]

There was 12” of ice on sylvan at the north end on Sunday and there was also a pile of trucks on the lake including 1ton trucks.

[fed]

If I remember correctly a early dodge diesel is a little over 8000lds dry weight. Now add a welder and gear to it and your probably close to 10-11. Probably need around 10 min to support that

[EZM]

I don't drive my half ton onto the ice unless someone has broken a trail AND there's at least 12"-14" of good solid ice with no recent ice heave/wind/freeze/flooding or thaw activity.

I am much more comfortable when the ice gets into the 14"-16" range.

For a 3/4 or 1 ton - I'd say 14"-16" just gets you to a safe zone. 18" is better.

Never mind the loss of your truck or gear - it's your life that is irreplaceable.

[tsmith196]

8" black ice will hold 8000lb truck no issues, problem is the changing ice conditions. 12" for 1 tonne truck to be safe.

[AltaBorn]

More than a few guys out there now that have to be heavier than that. Obviously depends on the lake and the kind of ice But 12''+ of the good stuff should be good to go at that weight. Lots of central lakes are 12-15" right now and have more than a few diesels on them.

[tight line]

Iseen several on the North end of Sylvan the other day, so decided to drive mine out- im 9700lbs.. i was suprised there was 18” there. Was not the case on Gull though, i measured 8” the orher day.. will be a while before i consider driving on there..

[Talking moose]

In other words, nobody really knows. I’ve been to gull, sylvan, Buffalo, pigeon, and buck. Buffalo has by far the most ice.

[Tigger72]

I'm a chicken.... I wait 16-18"... this year seems to be more of a walking year....

[Sooner]

I was happy to drive my old f350 crew when you needed an extension on the auger but I'm a chicken :) Thats why I use the sleds. I remember the old Pigeon lake derby days when a 100 plus trucks would park in one spot for the derby.

18 inches to 2 feet made me happy back in the day with my 1 ton

[CNP]

Remember that what the ice is a point A is only partially relevant to point B. Certain lakes like Newell for example have springs and other conditions that swallow up unsuspecting travelers. Breaking Trail always comes with the risk of disaster unless you drill holes every 10 or 20 yards. Which nobody does, so don’t kid yourself.

Your insurance will very likely not cover you if you find trouble on the ice. And don’t completely trust a phone call to your provider. Get it in writing.

Even then, your risking more than your truck and gear, so weigh that into account. There’s no way I’d be driving a $40,000 truck on any lake south of the 40th parallel, if ever. Risk vs reward. Buy a beater, or borrow one. Quarter tons are perfect.

That said, 8 inches ‘might’ hold you, 10” probably would, 12” to be safe, and 15” to be certain. Only count the black ice, and if you don’t know the lake ice well on that lake, stay on the tracks. Don’t stop or park near other trucks or cars (so many people do that).

Best advice you’ll get is to stay off the ice in a car or truck, but we’re all lazy and want to fish ‘way over there’. A quad, SxS or sleds are the way to go, really. But who has the extra 15-30 mins? lol


40th parallel. I agree with your comment but what in heaven does the 40th parallel have to do with a guy going ice fishing in AB.

https://i.imgur.com/fZGgyXI.png

[wolfhunter]

Found this in one of my fishing magazines.

Ice Load Bearing Capability

Thickness Maximum Load

5 cm One person walking on foot
7.5 cm A small group in single file, one metre apart
19 cm Passenger car: 1,800 kg gross
20 cm Light truck: 2,250 kg gross
25 cm Medium truck: 3,200 kg gross
30 cm Heavy truck 6.7 to 7.5 tonnes gross

* Loads given are for clear blue lake ice. Clear blue river ice with water current under it it is not as strong as the clear blue lake ice and therefore loads must be reduced by at least 15 per cent.