When looking for the best possible option to store your snowmobile, you need to make many considerations. The space available (outside and the inside), the number of sleds you have, the value of the sleds you have, where you ride regularly, the safety and other local regulations, your budget and other personal preferences.
Now you store the sled outside if you have space restrictions inside. This is also the cheapest possible storage space you could ask for. What you need is a good quality cover, or a tarp. You may need a pallet if you have more than one sled. In such cases, you may rack up the sleds in the pallet. However, there are many drawbacks of storing your sled outside. In most cases, there is high chance that you may need to dig the snowmobile out of the snow. This can lead to a lot of wear and tear to the sled and a lot of money being spent in the repair. Also, storing the sled outside is not so safe. A snowmobile parked in the snow may require prolonged warm up sessions. And the other main drawback is security issues. A snowmobile parked outside can easily be stolen and so it is good if you have full insurance coverage of your sled.
Another way to store the sled is to build a shelter for it. Now for this you can try the market available built in options or you can try making a custom based one yourself. Shelter provides better protection to your sled and may reduce snow damage to some point.
If you have to regularly move your sled to the trails by using a trailer, then it is better to house the sled in the trailer itself. They offer all round protection to the sled throughout the season. You can place other related accessories also. Imagine having two or more sleds and loading and unloading it every day. It is not an easy task. So if you have a trailer, you can keep your sleds inside the trailer itself ad you are good to go. It is better to have an enclosed trailer than the open one. An enclosed trailer provides good protection from the outside elements. You can still use an open trailer, but use a tarp to protect the sleds from snow, rain, etc.
In the above three cases, you may need to get the sled into the warehouse for be it repairing or for summer storage, you may need packaging solution. Clip Lok offers stackable package options in this scenario. They offer transport box for the snowmobiles which is stackable. The base of the box has clamps to strap the snowmobile so they remain fixed during the transportation. There is also a ramp for easy loading and unloading. So you can carry more sleds at a time to the warehouse. This method has proven to reduce the damage cost to the snowmobiles and also warehouse cost due to the stackable feature. You can check out the website to know more about this stackable snowmobile transportation system.
Now, that would be the case if you are housing the sled outside or away from your garage. The best possible way is to store the sled in your garage. So they are in close proximity and be less worried about the security of your sled. They are also protected from the outside elements. You can also repair them as and when needed. Also, the additional cost of transportation to the warehouse can be cut out. But, the problem here is that the sleds can take up more garage space and it may be difficult to move around them. The studs in the snowmobile can eve damage the garage floor.
There are many methods to address these issues. You can use snowmobile dollies to move around the sleds. But they may still leave the sled on the garage floor. Also, when having multiple sleds, the storage space issue is still not addressed. In such cases, the best method to store your sleds is the snowmobile rack system.
The snowmobile rack system offers vertical storage. So you can be sure that the space constraints are solved. You can maximize the storage options with minimizing the garage floor it utilizes. What more can you ask for? If you can simply lift one sled and make room for the other. The conventional ones have been made from wood with had winches. The latest models involve those built in steel and having electric winches which provides the additional easy of working with these storage systems. You can build one by using the storage system plans available in Pinterest and YouTube. They provide detailed explanation of how you can build one. Other option is buying the storage system from the companies building them. Some may provide you customizable options too. Some of the companies providing storage options are listed below.
Super Lift offers customizable options if you want to build one of your own. Their SNOWMOBILE 1000 Model has 1000lb lower and upper capacities with storage available for two snowmobiles. They have hand winch or electric winch option. They have easy loading ramp.
Brock Lift offers lift garage storage platforms for ATV, UTVs, Motorcycles, Dirt bikes and Snowmobiles. The Brock Lift 1100 has 1100lb capacity and 4ftX8ft platform. The motor has a power of 1.5HP. They have an all steel frame.
The other model is the Brock Lift2000 offering heavy duty 6ftX9ft platform and lifting up to 2000lbs with the 2HP motor. They can lift up to two ATVs or snowmobiles.
Freestyle Projects offers storage systems with aluminum body and 12V electric winch.
Garage Evolution offers storage system with lifting capacity of 1500lbs, constructed from industrial grade steel.
With these options, you can indeed save a lot of space and keep the sled protected throughout the year. The right choice of the storage depends on your individual preferences.
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