After reading the thread about the boat frozen to the trailer, i wanted to get some advice from the guys up north. Buddy of mine and I leave out of Tulsa heading toward Muskogee last Sunday morning. The wind was blowing 20-25 mph and blowing blizzard like snow. Got a 4x4 Jeep and we head out. Temp is 12-14 degrees ambient. Long story/short, we get to the ramp and nobody is there and no evidence of any vehicle traffic....perfect! I start the motor up and let it warm up and then continue on with my normal preparations...My buddy walks off and then a few minutes later comes up and says, "you better come check this out" Walk over to the ramp and take 1 step onto it and it is a solid, thick, sheet of ice...buddy takes 2 steps out and then starts sliding toward the water...slips, bust his ass and has to crawl over to the side of the ramp and then walk up the rocks on the side. No possible way to launch the boat.
So what do you guys do up north when the ramps freeze up and are slick?
Here are some pics of when we got back to the house.



Woody

holy shit

Yeah that's cold!!!!

You stay at the house....

Nothing man. If the ramp ice is thick enough that the trailer won't break through, you go home.

For slick ramps with open water that's not too bad. Carry rock salt and sand bags in the truck. Also pull the trailer out very slowly so you don't cake the ramp with water.

X2

All you need to do is back your rig down the ramp once the trailer gets on the ice it should break through especially if you could see open water. Bring a bag of salt and salt the ramp sand works as well. Where there is a will there is a way. Ive broke through over an inch of ice in a .062 riveted hull for 600+ yards down a channel to the main lake no problem. You just gotta reach down grab your sack and make the hunt because you can be rewarded quite well in these conditions.

Think they walk outside and say "nope...not today"

Sometimes we go down to the ramps with ice chisels and slope the ice so we can drop the trailer in, otherwise poly on the bunks help and so does gator glide, slide the boat on the ice and walk along side it till it breaks through then jump in and go, We have to do that a lot up here late season trapping

You can get water softener salt to melt the ice on the ramp but then you open it for everyone. I usually use chaines on my rear tires. I launch a 2072 dual rig with hard blind this way no problem. If nothing else remember you'll stop when when your back wheels hit the water if you cam keep it strait on the way down. Also remember if water is froze at the bottom it may break your trailer lights so you.might want to break open a hole before you back down.

i was going to mention that as well....ive had to replace a few trailer lights in my day usually it just breaks the red cover which is cheap to replace.

I need to clarify something...there was no ice in the water! I have put in at this same place last year and busted ice all the way to spot. However, we had a mix of rain/freezing rain, and then temps that low so that any precip quickly froze. I think had i started to back down, i would have just slid all the way into the water until hopefully my back tires hit the pavement under the unfrozen water...but then what? No way i would be able to get back up that ramp with the ice rink that would be under me. I even contemplated backing down with half the trailer on the ramp and half off, but there are some big rock in the water on the sides of the ramp. Just wondering if ice melt/salt would do the trick? I've used some in my driveway, but it sure didn't seem to work very quickly...more like you needed to put it down before the precip starts.
I'll hang up and listen...
Woody

lift that jeep put some 38's on it and make a set of chains for them. / bring a propane bottle and torch and a sledge / winch jeep down and up / salt is for when you get back after the hunt / go somewhere that you can paddle/ stay in bed with mama

gotta get the stuff with ammonia sulfate works pretty dang fast add sand for traction get a heavy duty ice chisel bout the only way even if you have to spend an hour clearing the ramp its worth it. with an ice chisel you should be able to bust up and scrap the ice build up on the ramp. Make a heavy duty ice chopper out of some 1/8" steel plate and some black gas pipe. Weld it up and sharpen the plate a little the weight of the chisel really makes fast work of even thick ice. I get build up around the downspouts on my driveway often a little salt and the heavy ass chopper will do the trick.

Around here in the late season the city sands all our landings and even leaves a 55gal drum of sand with a scoop too throw extra down if we need it, It helps that my brother in law is the mayor and makes em do it..

Just start pissing on it make sure u drink plenty beer the night before


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With chains you dont need to mess with the ramp just throw em on n back down.

That's what i was saying in my other post where the boat flipped off (still can't beleive that one). You can get really screwed when the ramps are pure ice. It's really bad when a bunch of guys launch in the morning, get the ramp nice and wet and then the temp drops. I remember one time, we had to drop a guy off and he had to meet us at a different launch that wasn't concrete (and was narrower).

Sometimes, there's not much you can do. I've thought having a winch on the front of your truck (or chains like above)

I know exactly what you're talking about Woody. What I have done in the past can be a little sketchy if your not all paying attention, and it must be done in a protected launch area with very little current. What we do is take two vehicles and more than enough tow strap. Take the vehicle that's hooked to the boat and square it up backing down the ramp and stop about a foot before the trucks rear wheels hit any ice. Then take the second truck and hook up the straps and have it TIGHT. You then put the lower truck in neutral and let the top truck do all the work. Its is absolutely key that 1 you have enough strap to launch the boat and the top trucks tires never come close to touching the ice! and 2 that the strap is TIGHT. If not the truck rolls down and jerks hard causing the trailer to angle over. This only works on a handful of long straight launches. Some times it's a big pain and can take a long time. But when you have the whole WMA or lake to your self it's freaking awesome.

Tire chains for concrete launches.... I like gravel launches though!

Carry a bag of masonry sand in the truck. Sand it then back her down nice and easy. You can get the sand in a bag at Home Depot or Lowes.
Salt will sometimes make it more slippery for the first little while but would break the ice down real well if it was kept up with.

All of our launches or for the most part are gravel. Still have a set of chains though... And for the ice at the launch as long as you know how deep it is use a chain saw its easy and pretty fast.. Cut you a hole and away you go..

We use oil dry I've seen my work truck at 40k lbs. come out of a few spots i was unsure about more than once with just oil dry for traction.

Just a thought

GG and launch anywhere you want!

Don't really run into icy ramps in the fall because all the launches I hunt are gravel. In the spring walleye run up here we deal with ice and snow on the concrete launches. You've got 2 choices really, either stand on it until she grabs or burns through to the pavement underneath, or bring another truck with a tow strap to help pull you and the boat out

Where I'm at in MN, we've never really dealt with frozen ramps. The lakes usually freeze over before you ever deal with a slick ramp. Not saying it doesn't happen but when it gets cold up here I venture its a bit different than it is for you boys down south. It gets cold real real quick usually and you go from huntable one day to not gonna happen the next. It was -50 on Monday here, winter doesnt fuck around up here. Once the lakes freeze they build ice quick usually too. That's when ya turn to field hunting for a couple weeks then duck season is over. Geese you get another month but that's pretty much fields only at the end. They pretty much have our seasons lined up to end as the lakes freeze up. We have 3 staggered ends to duck season in MN. The northern 1/3 closes first, the middle 1/3 a week later and the southern 1/3 another week later. Basically cuz as the lakes freeze over the mallards get the hell outta dodge.

Just gonna leave this here....


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[quote="Joey p"]Nothing man. If the ramp ice is thick enough that the trailer won't break through, you go home.

I always bring a chainsaw if there is any question about the ramp being frozen. I've cut it open dozens and dozens of times over the years. Cut enough to get it off the trailer and turn it around so you can get going.

Slick ramp... two trucks and a chain.

I usually back up to the edge of the launch where the slope starts, unhitch the trailer, connect a 30' tow belt to the trailer and the truck. Drive forward until almost tight, Have your buddy give the trailer a little budge down the hill then back down once the tow strap is tight. That way the truck never leaves flat land. Our parking lots/approaches are usually plowed and salted up here in upstate NY. but the launches are always frozen, I will eventually invest in a winch for the hitch of my truck. Getting back up is just as easy. Also, ice cleats for the bottom of your waders are essential if your the guy guiding the trailer in and out.

Just lock it in 4wd and launch off the bank