Baller jedgell Posted September 24, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 This is our first season with a roll-in type dock and a Shoremaster lift. Wondering if anyone on here that lives in a place where their lake freezes has any experience with a similar setup? We’re trying to figure out if we should leave it in the water or pull it. The rep from Shoremaster said that the freeze by itself won’t hurt the lift, but ice floating in the water in the spring when it stars to thaw could damage it. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller fu_man Posted September 24, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 Not sure where you are on your lake. If your shore is on an open part of the lake where large sheets of ice will move, I would remove it. I am tucked in a small dead end channel where the ice won't move in large sheets/chunks so I leave the lift in. My pier sits on pallets so I remove it. If you are new to your lake, ask your neighbors what they think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixball Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Yeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The freezing is not the killer. The spring ice floats can kill A lift with no problem!!!!!!!!!! If you are in an area that is protected you can do it but I would not and don't. My lake can look open one day and a wind can move an ice float in and it may look completely closed in an hour. To costly to even think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixball Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Oh ya it could just take it and drop it in the lake. Ice floats can crush or move most anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef23 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Pull it the moving ice could turn it into a pretzel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members APB Posted September 24, 2018 Members Share Posted September 24, 2018 i agree pull it! the ice has power! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jedgell Posted September 24, 2018 Author Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 Forgot to mention we’re on a private ski lake, but sounds like we should pull it. What I figured, just hoping we wouldn’t have to. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members APB Posted September 24, 2018 Members Share Posted September 24, 2018 Get a wheel kit. Makes life so easy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j2nh Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Our local ski club does dock/lift removals and installs in NE Wisconsin as a fundraiser. We'll do around 160 units this fall so I have a lot, too much, experience with this. If you're a gambling person and the loss of either or both your lift and dock is not a big deal then leave them in. We have customers who should remove, don't, and have been lucky for years. But it only takes that one breakup with the right wind conditions to take out everything. The power of moving ice, even if it is just barely moving, is staggering. It will bend aluminum like it isn't there and the same goes for steel. As others have mentioned, a wheel kit can be a real back saver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef23 Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 You could install bubblers/aerators around it but ice could still slide into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jmoski Posted September 24, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 If you have trees along your shoreline you can move the lift such that the front legs are on shore and then use a pulley system/come-along to lift the backend up and out of the water and leave it on a 45 degree angle. This is how some of my ski buddies handle it given their shoreline is so steep there is nowhere to put it. I can grab a picture of the setup if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller BraceMaker Posted September 24, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 A fan works wonders. On a small private lake you could get away with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jordan Posted September 24, 2018 Members Share Posted September 24, 2018 Ice can damage your dick several ways. 1) ice jacking...ice firms around your dock and if the water level goes up or down while the ice has hold of your dock, it will easily mangle it. 2)ice movement...if the ice moves while it has hold of your dock, it can twist and turn your dock into a pretzel. This is especially true at break up. 3) ice expansion...if the snow cover melts and there is hot sun hitting the ice, the ice can expand up to 10 feet per mile. This will crush anything in its' path. All of this depends on the local conditions in your location. FWIW, I have a large steel floating dock specifically designed to be left in the ice over the winter. It has a ramp that connects it to a large fixed dock. The ramp gets disconnected and the dock floats with loose lines tying it to the fixed dock so that it can move with the ice. One year the guy putting it away for winter did a poor job tying it up. A rope broke and the dock swung out to where it froze in the ice bridging a pressure crack. Anyhow, the two portions of the ice on either side of that pressure crack moved independantly cutting one of the fingers in half. The steel looked like someone had taken a cutting torch to it. If I were you I would take it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jercrane Posted September 24, 2018 Share Posted September 24, 2018 This was sent to me by my Sunstream dealer when I was buying. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller fu_man Posted September 24, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 24, 2018 @Jordan "Ice can damage your dick several ways." LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jordan Posted September 25, 2018 Members Share Posted September 25, 2018 @fu_man Indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller B_S Posted September 25, 2018 Baller Share Posted September 25, 2018 When in doubt, pull it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jedgell Posted September 25, 2018 Author Baller Share Posted September 25, 2018 @B_S That’s what she said. Thanks for all the responses, convinced me that we need to take it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harddock Posted September 28, 2018 Share Posted September 28, 2018 I pull mine out with a crank up pontoon trailer. One man operation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mopowpow Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 We are on a private ski lake in Iowa and leave our Shore Station lift in during the winter. Never had any issues. It does have a heavily braced VW dock on 3 sides. On a public lake in north Iowa, all lifts were pulled for winter to keep the ice floes from destroying them, but in the small habours & canals they were able to leave them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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