Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help removing the dock for winter

hey all, i need help
will have to remove floating dock for the first time 8 X 16 with 32 foot walkway and one 4x6 floater holding the middle of walkway up

any ideas would be gratefull

do i just hook a chain and pull it up on the bank or do i need to place pvc pipe under it to help it roll, i know i cant be the only one who has to remove dock every winter thanks

I'm in Northwest Missouri, and everyone around here leaves them in the water over winter.

doesnt the ice put pressure on the plastic and break it?
causing water to get inside the float?

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj231/GARTON13/DSC_0355.jpg?t=1226382243

http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj231/GARTON13/?action=view¤t=DSC_0356.jpg

here is pic of the dock

IF you decide to pull it out, pipe rollers underneath would make it a whole lot easier (given flat ground).

iowanagofishin -

I can't tell for sure from the pics, but I'm assuming that you have encapulated foam floats. They should be fine. I actually have our 18 foot pontoon boat sitting on foam floats (non-encapulated foam floats) for the winter. That foam is pretty durable and can obviously withstand a great deal of pressure. Technically, even if one of the plastic shells were to crack (which is very unlikely), you would have no issue with floating. The plastic shell just protects the foam from damage. The worst risk actually comes during ice out in the spring. If wind pushes all the ice up against your dock, it could end up doing some damage. However, it's quite rare, especially in a pond. A large windswept lake might be another story.

I intend to put a floating dock in my 12 acre pond next spring, and it won't come out for winters.

thanks for the help to all who posted