Making an ice rink

[Tig]

A very unfortunate accident.

ottawasun.com - National/World - Father who tried to make rink for kids dies after Bobcat plunges through ice

"A father''s attempt to turn a frozen dugout into a skating rink for his kids turned tragic on Thursday when the Bobcat he was driving plunged through the ice, trapping him inside and killing him."

I live far from this accident but local conditions are odd and very dangerous. Our lake has 7" of ice but it is peppered with large holes that froze over yesterday. It's like swiss cheese with vehicle sized holes where the ice is 1" thick. Today we have an inch of snow covering it up and 0C weather.

 

[Wheatland KB]

Thanks for pointing this out Tig. DV is my hometown and I hadn't heard about this. Time to make some calls

KB

 

[JB4310]

Don't know what to say besides it's pretty sad, I'm sure it's common practice to operate equipment on ice up there so can't say he shouldn't of done it but I would not want to be in that trapped environment of a skid steer, a heavy compact machine with no easy way out, probably the worst choice.

 

[Renze]

For everyone to remember: NEVER trust ice with SNOW on it... snow has little air pockets inside that insulate the ice from freezing deeper.

A friend of mine in Finland said wanted to go logging, but he sank a foot into the mud: So he decided to just drive ruts in the snow with the empty trailer, then came back 2 days later and the compacted snow was frozen all the way into the soil: now the soil was frozen deep enough to carry a full load of timber...

 

[brandoro]

Even here there are some winters that I won't go on the ice with the tractor and it is lighter and has a bigger footprint than a Bobcat. And no cab to trap me. If we get a big snowfall early in the year the ice never gets very thick. One fall the lake had only been frozen a few days when I saw a guy driving on the ice with a car!! I hadn't even walked out on it yet to see how thick it was. I watched, phone in hand, until I saw him drive back up on shore. I was sure I would be calling the fire rescue team out for him. I then went out and checked the ice and still didn't think there was enough for the tractor never mind a car.

 

[Tig]

Thanks for pointing this out Tig. DV is my hometown and I hadn't heard about this. Time to make some calls

KB

I hope your family and friends are not touched by this tragedy.

 

[keeney]

I use my 2000 lb JD 4100 to blow off a skating rink on the lake in our back yard here in MN. I wait until the ice is at least 12 inches (checked by boring a couple of holes with an ice-fishing auger). Thats usually not until the end of December. Usually by then, others are driving their trucks all over the lake.

I stay close enough to shore where I know the water is less than 6 feet deep. I figure if the tractor does go through the ice, recovering it will be much easier closer to shore where it can be simply winched out with a tow truck.

I am careful NOT to wear my seatbelt. On the open tractor, I feel confident that I would not get trapped, but still, it could rapidly tip or roll if the ice gives way under one side. That could certainly lead to getting pinned or trapped in the water.

Its kind of scary those first few times, especially as you hear the ice creaking and popping, and reading this story here now makes me think I am being crazy.

Even with the ice 12 inches in the area I make my rink, there can be thin ice on other parts of the lake. The other day, I saw a 4-wheeler go partially through in a spot that is always thin due to currents in a narrow channel under a bridge. The guy was OK, and him and his buddy winched it out with their other machine. Every year a couple-few 4-wheelers or snowmobiles go through under the bridge, so I would never drive anything there, and probably wouldn't even walk there!

- Rick

 

[Tig]

I've never seen a tractor drop through but other vehicles I have seen. Usually one end breaks through and the other follows. I would not want to get pinched between a tractor and the ice at the edge of the hole.

 

[Renze]

Every year a couple-few 4-wheelers or snowmobiles go through under the bridge, so I would never drive anything there, and probably wouldn't even walk there!

When i was a kid, i was allways told to NEVER trust ice under bridges.
We usually dont skate on the wide channel, but on a smaller side waterway which is no more than 3 feet deep, so you can step back on the ice without assistance, when you go through...

 

[jgrreed]

I'm in DV right now..... It is very sad. We didn't know him, nor did my Wife's family.

Apparently he had done it many times before, and it's been cold as all-get-out for over 3 weeks here (below -30), so I can't really find fault in what he was doing. Maybe the dugout was spring fed?? Who knows, just everyone be careful.

-Jer.