Summerizing your Ambush Skid House

Summer is coming, and with it, rodents are waking up and temperatures are rising. This does not bode well for your ice fishing skid house if it has not been properly “summerized”. Read on to make sure you aren’t missing any steps when it comes to preparing to store your skid house over the summer and make sure it is ready to go once the water freezes.

Clean it Up

Make sure your skid house is properly cleaned before storing it over the summer. Any debris or smells will attract rodents over the summer, so make sure you don’t miss this step. Add dryer sheets or mothballs to help repel rodents.

Quick Tip: Speaking of rodents, when storing the skid house make sure nothing is dangling from the skid house to the ground, mice can use it as a ladder!

Add Some Grease

When it comes to our skid house options, there are fewer lubrication points on Ambush ice houses and no maintenance on wheel bearings or axle parts. This saves you time and money! However, it is a good idea to lubricate the door and hitch locks. As long as you are in maintenance mode you might as well winterize your augers. Depending on gas or electric, they also need some TLC before being stored over summer. Sharpen your auger blades and spray with a lubricant to prevent rusting and charge the batteries (electric augers). When it comes to a gas auger, make sure you change the oil and clean the spark plugs. You should also drain the gas, and add a fuel stabilizer.

Quick Tip: Adding grease or oil to your reels is a cheap and easy way to increase the longevity of your favorite skid house fishing reel!

Battery Care

Ambush ice houses can come with solar panels as an option. Make sure you disconnect those batteries! All batteries should be stored in a cool, dry, place over the summer. Heat will kill your skid house and auger batteries faster than the cold will. Store the batteries on a full charge, rather than a low charge.  They will last longer and be ready when you need them.

About Ambush Icehouse Skids

Ambush offers two insulated options of icehouse skids to take out onto the ice. The Slayer Ice Fishing House weighs only 880 pounds, while the Stryker Ice Fishing House weighs even less at 620 pounds. The all-aluminum frame of both houses is built without wood and seams, keeping everything lightweight so that you can get out onto the ice earlier and stay later in the season.

Still have questions about prepping your skid house for summer? Read more about making your skid house last as long as possible. Want to know more about Ambush’s lightweight ice houses? Contact us here to get in touch today!