Making a DIY Pulk Sled Brake and Fins
Brakes
There are two types of brake systems people typically build to use on homemade diy pulk sleds:
- The simplest is to attach a loop of plastic chain to the front two corners of your pulk. Tie a line to the middle of it and run it through a loop on your poles to your waist belt. By bringing in the line the chain loop gets suspended over the front of your pulk. When you need to brake, just let the line go loose and the chain runs beneath the pulk slowing you down.
- The second type is a passive brake. This uses a barn door type hinge on the back of your pulk that simply drags the metal point in the snow but the minute you put any backwards force on the sled – the points drive into the snow providing some braking.
Fins
Fins can also be added to your diy pulk to provide control on side hills as well as some braking action for the pulk.
A diy retractable fin for the Paris Expedition pulk sled can be made using a semi circle curved piece of metal. Take the curved metal and bolt it at a pivot point. Then create a second series of holes or a slot that allows the curved metal to slide down and then bolt in place. One version of this idea is shown below:
