We’ve been trying to find a sled that will work for Eric in the wintertime. When he was little, there were lots of options, but now that he has grown, we haven’t been able to come up with anything. He needs a firm backrest and his feet need to be off the snow. I know of others who have used a dog sled, so I’ve been watching eBay for a good deal. These dog sleds are not cheap.
We were driving around one Sunday and saw a dog sled at the side of the road with a “FREE” sign on it. Great price, so we grabbed it! It was a rusty old thing made of steel with a wooden seat that was rotting. I took the sled apart, sanded it down and primed and painted it. The seat had to be replace with new wood. Here is a before and after photo.
The good news is that it came out nice; the bad news is that I don’t think this will work for Eric. This sled is made of steel and is very heavy. I can’t imagine being able to push this heavy thing with Eric in it (add 120 lbs), and I have no intention of getting dogs to pull it! I know nothing about dog sleds and don’t know why this particular sled is so heavy. Maybe it was made to slide on ice? Most of the sleds I’ve seen online are made of wood and look much easier to push.
I think I’ll have to keep hunting for a light-weight sled or some other solution. Will give this one a try when the snow flies, but I have a feeling this will just be a conversation piece and maybe a Christmas decoration in December.
Anyone need a big, heavy, newly refinished dog sled;-)