Sled
dogs have been pulling sleds for thousands of years.
The purpose of the sled is to carry people and supplies
over the snow. The traditional materials for sled
construction included wood, bone, sinew, and rawhide.
Steel bolts came later, and were followed by plastics,
aluminum, and today, materials like Kevlar and carbon
fiber. Regardless of the materials, all modern
dog sleds have certain common characteristics. |
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Runners is the skis that slide along
the snow and support the rest of the sled. Runners
traditionally were made of wood or wood laminate,
but aluminum and other composite materials are becoming
popular.
Cargo Bed is the portion of the sled
designed for carrying the load.
Sled Bags are placed on the cargo bed
and serve as "backpacks" to hold and protect
equipment, supplies and injures or dropped dogs.
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Brushbow is
the "bumper" of the sled that deflects trees
and brush and takes hits in collisions.
Handle Bar is
for a musher holding on the sled.
Footboards
is usually made of rubber or some non-skid material,
these are the narrow boards mounted on the ends of the
runners where the musher stands.
Brake
is an aluminum or steel bar in a U-shape. Two
metal claws hang down from the bar. When the bar
is stepped on, the claws dig into the snow to slow and
stop the team.
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Snow Hook is an anchor
made of metal used to keep the team stopped.
The hooks are angled so that continued pulling digs
them deeper into the snow. This helps keep an
excited dog team stopped.
Track or Drag is a rubber
mat that is dragged between the runners. This
is a second braking mechanism. The advantage
of a drag is that the resistance it supplies is much
more uniform than the resistance supplied by a regular
claw brake. This is because the track drags
over the top of the trail to slow the team while the
claw brake digs into the trail. Many tracks
contain bolts that stick about an inch into the trail
to give them extra "bite."
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Snubline
is a rope that is used to secure the sled and team to
a tree or other stable object. This is very handy
when hooking up a dog team, or when stopping for extended
periods. Most snublines also contain a quick-release
snap, which eliminates the need to tie knots to secure
the sled. |
Two basic
types of dog sleds are in use today. The older,
more traditional version is the Basket Sled (shown
below), which has a cargo bed (or basket) raised off
the top of the runners by about 15 cm. The cargo bed
is often made of wood slats that run parallel to the
runners. The advantage to the basket sled was
that the basket did not drag in the snow when the trail
had fresh powder on it.
About thirty years ago,
the Toboggan Sled was invented. As the
name suggests, this type of sled is very similar to
a toboggan used for sledding on hills. Rather
than a raised cargo bed made of wood slats, the toboggan
sled has a plastic sheet for a cargo bed, and the bed
is attached directly to the top of the runners, not
suspended above it. The advantages to the toboggan
sled were that the cargo was lower, making the center
of gravity lower, and the solid plastic bottom allowed
the sled to "float" on top of deep, unpacked
snow.
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Towline (Gangline) Construktion
The towline is the term given to the
combination of the lines that are used to connect
the dogs to the sled.
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A towline has five
major parts:
Mainline (Centerline)
This is the central line that runs the length of the
team from the leaders to the sled. This part of
the towline is usually made of 3/8" or 1/2"
thick rope and reinforced with steel cable.
Tugline
This is the line that connects the dog's harness to
the mainline.
Neckline
This is the line that connects the dog's collar to the
mainline. This line is important as a safety measure
because it prevents a dog from going too far out to
the side and potentially going the wrong way around
a tree or obstacle in the trail. If a dog were
to go the wrong way around an obstacle or tree, the
snap on the neckline is designed to break away, allowing
the musher time to react and stop the team and move
the dog to the correct side of the obstacle. |
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Leader Lines
The center line ends at the swing dogs' necklines.
From there, two tuglines extend forward to connect the
leaders. A neckline not attached to the rest of
the towline is then used to connect the collars of the
two lead dogs. |
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Shock Cord
This is essentially a gigantic rubber band that is place
between the sled and the rest of the towline.
If the sled stops suddenly or hits a tree, the shock
cord absorbs the impact and prevents the impact from
jarring the dogs. A safety line accompanies the
rubber band and acts as a stretch limiter.
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Commonly,
a towline is made up of sections that consist of a mainline
with two tuglines and two corresponding necklines.
Loops at both ends of the mainline are connected to
similar sections. This allows a towline to be
lengthened or shortened as needed, and allows for replacement
of components without having to replace the entire towline. |
