12-01-2022, 06:27 PM
I posed the same question on this board 2 years ago and ended up getting a snowmobile. No regrets but not 100% sure it's the best option for me. I didn't want a beater sled that required wrenching or stranding me on the lake. Low mileage late model trail sleds are very rare on KSL. Most are big mountain sleds, or old beaters. I got a low mileage 2015 Skidoo Summit 800. It is an absolute rocket. Talk about overkill, but it runs flawlessly, never gets stuck, and I don't have to do much to keep it that way. I got it for about the same price as a new SnowDog with a couple of sleds. I zip, with 2 or 3 sleds and one passenger, across Strawberry at 35+ mph. We can cover a lot of ground that way. BUT, with more that 1 friend I have to make multiple trips. So not really faster than a Dog. I realize I could put people in sleds behind my snowmobile and did so a few times at first. Sleds roost too much snow and its dangerous towing someone much over 15mph. I have plenty of space to store my sled but a smaller footprint in my shed would still be nice. I sometimes wonder how long my 800 will be reliable relative to a low hp Briggs and Stratton would be. Probably a freak think but I broke a front shock last year. Don't know when or how but it was a couple hundred to replace. I think there will be a learning curve with either machine. The Dogs look tippy in powder. My first time at Strawberry on my snowmobile was a disaster. My nephew and I had new to us snowmobiles and we tipped over, got stuck and ended up parking by my truck and walking down the ramp and fishing right there. Granted that was going overland thru deep powder to a nearby cove. I have never been stuck or tipped over, (on the ice) again. I figured it out and love it now and can't wait for the ice. If money wasn't an issue I'd get a 600cc trail machine. I think with a dog I would still be towing a trailer behind my truck. I don't think I could fit my sleds, fishing gear, and the dog in the bed of my truck. Good luck in your search.