Already two seasons have passed by and it’s time to deliver my review of Zone Atomik 13’s Excursion Serie-2 sled deck. Spoiler alert: it’s been an amazing experience!
Features and Adjustments
The Excursion Serie-2 is an extensible sled deck. This means that it only uses the width of the pickup truck when loading a single snowmobile. If you need to load two snowmobiles, you can easily extend the platform’s width to accommodate the extra sled.
Last summer, I got a new pickup truck. This allowed me to compare how this deck fits on different brands. It also allowed me to see how easily the height can be adjusted. It was basically as simple as you’d imagine it to be:
- Unscrew a few bolts to allow the legs to move more freely.
- Make sure everything is levelled and has the right amount of clearance.
- All that’s left is to tighten back those bolts.
I really appreciated the massive holes allowing me to introduce my impact driver without any restriction. My only real complaint here was that if you unscrew too much and the bolt falls in the leg, you need a good (and flexible) magnet in order to fish it.
Personal Experiences and Usage
Just like with my previous truck, I noticed that once the platform is extended, telescopic mirrors (or extensions) are an absolute must. You can kind of get away with it if you drive in daylight, but it gets very sketchy when it gets dark.
Since we waited a long time for winter to show up last year, the Excursion Serie-2 sled deck stayed on my pickup truck for a long period. Hence, I got to use it for a lot of different tasks. First, I used it to load up a snowblower. The ramp, and its grips on the crossbars, came in super handy! I also used it for a move where we could take advantage of the storage in the bed as well as all the space on the deck itself.
Last year, one thing I found a bit challenging was storing things in the bed. You would constantly need to crawl in to go get them. For this season, I got a bit “DIY” and made my own drawer with a sheet of plywood and some leftover pieces of wood. It’s not pretty, but it works amazingly well! Of course, if you want an actual clean solution to this, Zone Atomik 13 sells a drawer that you can install on your sled deck. Dave, from Zone Atomik 13, also told me they’ve improved it for the 2024 model.
Pros and Cons
Using the Excursion Serie-2 sled deck to load and unload snowmobiles is a breeze. It takes a few seconds to get the ramp out and extended. Also, I cannot express just how great the SuperClamps make the experience. There isn’t a whole lot of space to move around in front of the deck. So, being able to simply pull on a lever on the SuperClamp and forget about it really adds to the simplicity of the deck. I highly recommend this option if you purchase a sled deck.
One Thing I’d Like…
After using the Excursion Serie-2 sled deck so many times, one thing that slightly irritates me is the ramp’s extensible system. It locks with a latch pin which you need to remove and put back every time you either collapse or expand the ramp. It might not seem like much, but it adds up. Not to mention that you need to find a place to store that pin while you operate the ramp. Do I need to tell you that I lost a few over the last couple of years?
Still Solid After Two Seasons!
I’ve been using the Excursion Serie-2 sled deck for two years now. After two seasons of wear and tear, the superglides barely show any sign of usage after having the snowmobile carbides run over them. And the same goes for the actual deck! It’s still solid, it looks brand new and all the welds hold strong.
The optional LED strip that spans the majority of the length of the platform is also a really great detail. On top of looking really cool, the extra light is super useful when securing the snowmobile in the dark. I would really have liked another LED strip under the deck around the tailgate area. I found myself wanting some more light as I was messing around with ratchet straps and storing random things in the back of the truck.
Conclusion
I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed loading snowmobiles over the last two years thanks to the Zone Atomik 13 Excursion Serie-2 sled deck. It’s a bit pricey, but its impeccable build quality totally justifies it. I would like to thank Zone Atomik 13 for allowing us to review their sled deck for the past two seasons. Go check them out!
