Yesterday I received a lesson in snow sleds. This lesson is important since many producers use the red plastic sleds for dead pig removal in their production facilities.

With winter weather upon us, now is the time to shop for replacement sleds. It turns out there is a difference in quality among sleds. In most facilities I visit the sleds are made of a relatively thin red plastic material. This material tends to end up cracking and breaking with repeated use.

Yesterday I was at a producer’s site where the sleds were a heavier plastic which means it stands up to the abuse we give the sled in removing a 250 pound dead butcher pig. If you haven’t done it yet I suggest you shop around while there are a variety of sleds to chose from.

At the same time, make use of the sled easier on your hand. I’ve learned from producer visits that running the rope through a piece of garden hose makes it easier to pull the loaded sled. Another option that was shared with me yesterday was 2 PVC elbows with short pieces of PVC piping. Again, make it easier to tow a pig.

Another option that I have seen used in production facilities is a dead game sled from an outdoor outfitter like Cabelas or Granger Mountain. Deer hunters used the sleds to tow their dead game from the woods. I’ve seen prices on these sleds as low as $39 during sales. Again, producers say these work very well since you only have to roll the dead animal onto the ‘sled’ versus some type of lifting to get it in place for removal.