Sorinex Root Hog Review

[ninjaneer]

the root hog is basically a sled modified to act more like a prowler. i went with the root hog, because it seemed like it would be more versatile than a prowler and i liked the smaller footprint.



dimensions (sorinex):
Length: 39"
Width: 22"
Weight: Unloaded ~70 lbs., ~100 lbs. with attachments

measured:
Length: 41" (including the wrap around bar)
Width: 21" (including the wrap around bar)
upright height: 30.5" from the floor

comes with a carabiner to attach a tow strap and also a lawn mower attachment that is held in place with a lynch pin.



pros:
- uprights can easily be moved to the other side
- lawn mower attachment allows for a much higher pushing/pulling height
- allows for quick direction changes
- any pull or drag motion with the lawnmower handle, straps, or whatever else you want to hook onto the root hog is great, acts just like a sled.

cons:
- not sure i want the center of gravity to be in the center. since the weights are loaded in the middle, any sort of push with the uprights will cause you to tilt the root hog forward. you compensate for this by either a. pushing lower on the uprights, b. loading weights on to the uprights, c. using the lawnmower handle.

now i realize why the prowler is designed the way it is. with weights on the uprights, it keeps the driving side down, so your force will push it forward, as opposed to up. the front end of a prowler ONLY allows for low handles, because anything higher and you'd flip it over. the root hogs uprights are the same dimensions as the weight loading upright, so you can throw weights on any of the three of them, though you can only get 35s on the drive uprights, anything bigger and they'll overlap. i assume the uprights were all designed to allow load, but the drive uprights don't have the circular platform for the weights to rest on like the center upright. instead, your weight will just be resting on the shaft.

for now, i'll just be adjusting the height from which i grab the uprights. adding more weight to the center does not help prevent tipping, though i haven't loaded it with any more than 100 lbs, just yet.

for those of you with a prowler, can you push from any position on the uprights when loaded or do you have the same issue?

[KBKB]

Looks interesting. Thanks for posting your review.

Repped!

[SDSammy]

the root hog is basically a sled modified to act more like a prowler. i went with the root hog, because it seemed like it would be more versatile than a prowler and i liked the smaller footprint.

cons:
- not sure i want the center of gravity to be in the center. since the weights are loaded in the middle, any sort of push with the uprights will cause you to tilt the root hog forward. you compensate for this by either a. pushing lower on the uprights, b. loading weights on to the uprights, c. using the lawnmower handle.

now i realize why the prowler is designed the way it is. with weights on the uprights, it keeps the driving side down, so your force will push it forward, as opposed to up. the front end of a prowler ONLY allows for low handles, because anything higher and you'd flip it over. the root hogs uprights are the same dimensions as the weight loading upright, so you can throw weights on any of the three of them, though you can only get 35s on the drive uprights, anything bigger and they'll overlap. i assume the uprights were all designed to allow load, but the drive uprights don't have the circular platform for the weights to rest on like the center upright. instead, your weight will just be resting on the shaft.

for now, i'll just be adjusting the height from which i grab the uprights. adding more weight to the center does not help prevent tipping, though i haven't loaded it with any more than 100 lbs, just yet.

for those of you with a prowler, can you push from any position on the uprights when loaded or do you have the same issue?

From the looks of it, and from what you've said, it seems like it would be difficult to use and not in a good way. Even with the weight evenly distributed, it looks like you would either struggle to or at least constantly be working to keep it on the ground or from tilting over. If not, it just seems as if it would be difficult to push once you got stronger and upped the weight. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it correctly, just that eventually, if you put too much weight on it, you would not be able to position yourself correctly to push that amount of weight.

In regards to prowlers, with mine at least, I've never had it tilt over. Now granted, if you don't have much, or any weight and you try to push it on thick grass you can lift it up when pushing from too high. However, if you are pushing on concrete or asphalt, you can get away with pushing from higher up while still having a lot of weight.

When pushing from the front, you obviously have to push low but you can get away with not being that low. However, as you add weight, you have to get really low otherwise you tend to sink the front (of the sled) rather than push it. Even when using the same amount of weight, pushing from the front (handle bar) is harder than when pushing from the back (uprights).

With all that said, I'm sure it gives you one heck of a workout. Have fun with it and repped for the review.

[ninjaneer]

From the looks of it, and from what you've said, it seems like it would be difficult to use and not in a good way. Even with the weight evenly distributed, it looks like you would either struggle to or at least constantly be working to keep it on the ground or from tilting over. If not, it just seems as if it would be difficult to push once you got stronger and upped the weight. I'm not sure if I'm explaining it correctly, just that eventually, if you put too much weight on it, you would not be able to position yourself correctly to push that amount of weight.

In regards to prowlers, with mine at least, I've never had it tilt over. Now granted, if you don't have much, or any weight and you try to push it on thick grass you can lift it up when pushing from too high. However, if you are pushing on concrete or asphalt, you can get away with pushing from higher up while still having a lot of weight.

When pushing from the front, you obviously have to push low but you can get away with not being that low. However, as you add weight, you have to get really low otherwise you tend to sink the front (of the sled) rather than push it. Even when using the same amount of weight, pushing from the front (handle bar) is harder than when pushing from the back (uprights).

With all that said, I'm sure it gives you one heck of a workout. Have fun with it and repped for the review.

my first session with it was a bit herky jerky. a prowler forces you to use it one way, not too many options. if you want to push from the rear, you got the uprights that are weighted, if you want to push from the opposite end, you have to use the low handles. the root hog, gives options...but those options aren't really viable. if your drive side isn't weighted down, you will end up lifting it if you're not low enough (applies to uprights only, lawn mower attachment is fine). the more weight you load it with on the drive side, the higher you can hold the uprights. it seems like about 3" for every 20#. completely unweighted, you can push it from wherever you want, but that doesn't give much resistance. i'll have to do some more testing.

SDSammy makes a good point about it being harder with more weight. other than the obvious reasons, there's a larger friction factor you have to account for with more weight, since the surface area on the root hog is much larger than on the prowler. that friction factor changes from surface to surface, but on cement or asphalt, you can be assured it's a lot. getting the initial momentum with a lot of weight takes some digging in.

i'll post more comments once i've had a few weeks with it. right now, the plan is two sessions a week after lower body days. another thing to note is that after one session, it has noticeably left a mark on my walkway's cement. time to take it to public streets.

[slimneverdies]

I made two of these sleds off the measurments from their website and ended up cutting them down shorter cause I noticed the same issue with the weight centered. Its very difficult with the sleds on grass with the lawnmower handles. I think I'll try putting the weights over the uprights also when I take them out tomorrow...



Photo of the first round when I made them and they were to long.



Then I made them 6'' shorter, which made them a lot more grounded and less likely to tilt up when pushing

[ninjaneer]

I made two of these sleds off the measurments from their website and ended up cutting them down shorter cause I noticed the same issue with the weight centered. Its very difficult with the sleds on grass with the lawnmower handles. I think I'll try putting the weights over the uprights also when I take them out tomorrow...

Photo of the first round when I made them and they were to long.

Then I made them 6'' shorter, which made them a lot more grounded and less likely to tilt up when pushing

very cool. did shortening it help? seems like it wouldn't have enough of an impact to correct the issue. every time i see pics of someone using a root hog or prowler, they're always really low on the handles, so perhaps that's just the best position. i emailed sorinex to see if they had any comments.

[slimneverdies]

very cool. did shortening it help? seems like it wouldn't have enough of an impact to correct the issue. every time i see pics of someone using a root hog or prowler, they're always really low on the handles, so perhaps that's just the best position. i emailed sorinex to see if they had any comments.

It only helped with the leverage issue when pushing with the lawnmower handles. Before I cut them it would always lift from the side being pushed especially on grass. I did notice that most of the issues was when we used them on grass and I really havent had any issues with them on concrete even with a considerable amount of weight

[ninjaneer]

It only helped with the leverage issue when pushing with the lawnmower handles. Before I cut them it would always lift from the side being pushed especially on grass. I did notice that most of the issues was when we used them on grass and I really havent had any issues with them on concrete even with a considerable amount of weight

no help with tilting when pushing the uprights? i've got another session with it scheduled for tomorrow. i'll take a few more pics.

[slimneverdies]

no help with tilting when pushing the uprights? i've got another session with it scheduled for tomorrow. i'll take a few more pics.

The uprights are easier and thats only because you can push at a lower postion. Im pretty strong and it was pretty ruff with 2 45's on the sled in the grass so I opted to only use it on concrete at the park a few blocks from my house. Dont even think about it on grass with the lawnmower handle unless its turf...

[ninjaneer]

sorinex said they don't recommend loading the exterior uprights, though i don't see any issues with it. there's no formal weight ring like the center upright, but prowlers don't have any sort of weight ring, either. a few more comments about surfaces, cuz all the youtube videos i see are all on asphalt (there are pics of a guy on grass, but posing doesn't count).

awesome on cement, asphalt, and dirt tracks. anything flat and uniform. if it's not, you'll probably get stuck. built like a tank, moves like a plow. levels whatever is in its way. if you've got small rocks scattered over your surface (like my street), it's loud as hell, but it'll keep moving, just fine. grabbing the uprights about 5" from the top or lower is best, but changes depending on surface and weight.

on grass, i'm pretty sure you're limited to pulls/drags. if you want to push, you should consider cleats. getting low in itself (no cleats) wasn't enough. i'm a relatively strong guy (total 1200) and i couldn't get it to go more than 5' with a 45# plate. tried several times and always stopped after a few feet. maybe i'm weak, maybe our grass is too green, but i won't be pushing on grass, any more.