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Old 09-19-2010, 09:58 PM
rororor rororor is offline
 
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Default Thickness of ice and how much weight it can hold

just wondering what the ice thickness to weight ratio would be hm these southern alberta lakes...any help would be appreciated
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Old 09-20-2010, 05:05 AM
ice ice is offline
 
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Originally Posted by rororor View Post
just wondering what the ice thickness to weight ratio would be hm these southern alberta lakes...any help would be appreciated
4 inches will hold about 200 pounds making it safe to walk on
5 inches will hold about 800 pounds making it safe for an atv or snowmobile
8-12 inches will hold 1500 - 2000 pounds suitable for small car group of people
12-15 inches suitable for vans and light trucks
I'd give it a good foot nd a half 2 feet before larger trucks and deisels
remember
3 inches or less keep off
ice dose not always freeze evenly it coul be 4 inches in one place and 2-3 inches just feet away be carefully on fresh ice!
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Old 09-20-2010, 06:57 AM
noslack noslack is offline
 
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The quality of the ice is just as important as the thickness.

Black (clear) Ice is the safest. There's no air bubbles within the ice making the water molecules bond to each other with more strength then ice with air bubbles.


White (bubbly) Ice holds alot of air pockets. Making it weaker then Clear Ice.


It's all a pernonal preference. I will go on couple(yes 2) inches of solid clear ice. I'll go on about 5-6 inches of white ice.

That's a big factor in the early parts of the season when, like mentioned above, the ice doesn't freeze evenly throughout the lake or river. Current plays a big factor on how ice freezes. More current means crappy ice and is unsafe.

Anyways lots of information available through online sources.

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Old 09-20-2010, 10:06 AM
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Fisher_man#1 Fisher_man#1 is offline
 
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What about how close is to close to drill holes together. Like if i drill three holes a foot apart in 5inches of ice am i weakening it to much?

Thanks.
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Old 09-20-2010, 02:51 PM
Fishingnutter
 
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What about how close is to close to drill holes together. Like if i drill three holes a foot apart in 5inches of ice am i weakening it to much?

Thanks.
Yes, think of perforated paper. Whereabouts is the Lake (i.e, Prairies, Foothills, Pond, etc...)?

The two posts above are great info for learning ice type, also learn the lake/reservoir characteristics,,, a windswept lake tends to have the blacker/thicker/consistent ice,, whereas a mountain lake can vary considerably. We no longer drive on the ice but if you do, open your doors past the click (enough to kick open) and drive slow (you can actually force a small wave below the surface towards a weaker spot).

Be Safe, Have Fun, post pics of your catch.

Oh, if your ice is 5 inches, look for puddling, that's the slushy looking ice which is really open water, don't go exploring too much.
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Old 09-20-2010, 03:42 PM
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Sundancefisher Sundancefisher is offline
 
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Originally Posted by Fishingnutter View Post
Yes, think of perforated paper. Whereabouts is the Lake (i.e, Prairies, Foothills, Pond, etc...)?

The two posts above are great info for learning ice type, also learn the lake/reservoir characteristics,,, a windswept lake tends to have the blacker/thicker/consistent ice,, whereas a mountain lake can vary considerably. We no longer drive on the ice but if you do, open your doors past the click (enough to kick open) and drive slow (you can actually force a small wave below the surface towards a weaker spot).

Be Safe, Have Fun, post pics of your catch.

Oh, if your ice is 5 inches, look for puddling, that's the slushy looking ice which is really open water, don't go exploring too much.
Where most people run into problems is making assumptions on ice thickness. Areas without snow have thicker ice, areas with snow have thinner ice (snow insulates), also are there freshwater springs, inflow streams, rotting vegetation, also when driving on the ice you still create a bow wave just like if you were in a boat...and if waves hit other waves or weak parts at the wrong time and place...disaster can happen...and last but not least...pressure ridges. I see lots of problems in the past with people driving over pressure ridges. When the the weather temperature fluctuates...ice expands and contracts. This can lead to open water on a minus 35 degree day.
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