Sled Dog Brake Repair

Having sled dogs is a popular past time in Wyoming. One of our neighbors brought in a dog sled that he uses frequently with his dogs. The sled had a malfunctioning break that made it difficult for the owner and dogs to maneuver the sled properly. Not knowing much about dog sleds, Tom first visited with our neighbor to find out how one worked.
He found out that there are different ways to control the sled when breaking. One way to stop the sled is to simply drag a foot along the ground to slow the sled down.
The operator can also dig his or her heals into the ground while standing on the runners of the sled. On this particular sled there were a couple of types of mechanical brakes as well. The first incorporated a small mat that is flipped down onto the snow and drug along so as to cause friction. The second would be employed as an emergency brake, if the sled needed to stop quickly. It was this emergency brake that needed to be repaired.
The brake is a “U” shaped pedal that fits on the floor of the dog sled. Off the foot pedal there are two small stakes that are designed to dig into the snow. The problems was that one of the two stakes was bent. The unevenness of the two stakes was causing the sled to brake in an uncontrollable way when stopping the sled. Some of the previous welds had been damaged due to ware and tear and the “U” shape in the pedal was bent as well.
Tom first straighten out the pedal using a vise attached to his large welding table. After fixing the pedal he also sanded a bevel to create a “V” groove in the top plate with a flap wheel before welding it for a better weld and stronger hold. Tom used a TIG welder for the project.