Homemade snowmobile: building an inexpensive structure with your own hands


General rules of constructions

Self-made snowmobiles are often completely different. But they are all united by the desire to give the snowmobile the following properties:

  • do not fall into the snow;
  • move in the right direction and at the right speed.

In order for a snowmobile to satisfy these conditions, its design must contain several mandatory elements:

  • supports (wheels, tracks, runners);
  • engine;
  • steering wheel that changes the direction of the snowmobile;
  • frame.

When making a homemade snowmobile, you can use a wide variety of elements and parts from other devices, which greatly simplifies the process.

Simple children's snowmobiles

If you want to make a snowmobile for a child, then you should not use a powerful engine. Homemade products must be created in accordance with the age, weight and height of the child.

It’s worth starting with the support - installing the skis under the frame. To make the process easier, you can use a snow scooter. Then you should install a motor with low power (about 2 horsepower). It can be removed from a chainsaw.

If you are planning a children's snowmobile, then there is no need to further strengthen the frame, but for transporting adults this procedure is required.

Ice motor sleigh

Movement in winter, especially on ice, is very difficult. Therefore, many fishermen who do not have the budget to purchase expensive equipment are thinking about making ice snowmobiles themselves.

Unlike a children's snowmobile, an adult's snowmobile uses a sled instead of a snowmobile.

Next, attach a chainsaw motor with a power of 4-5 horsepower (you can use a “Friendship” chainsaw). This design is well suited for icy surfaces, but is not suitable for moving on snow (especially loose snow).

Inflatable wheels

You can also make a snowmobile on inflatable wheels. To do this, take rims from a motorcycle or bicycle and wide inflatable chambers from the wheels of a truck or tractor. Chains or crossbars are attached around their circumference to increase traction. To give the cameras strength, liquid rubber should be applied to their surface or some kind of waterproof material should be glued. For such snowmobiles, you can take frames with engines from motorcycles (Ural or Dnepr).

On caterpillar tracks

Homemade snowmobiles on tracks have high speed and reliability, which is why they are popular.

Tracks can be made in several ways, for example, from truck tires or from conveyor belts.

Plastic tubes less than an inch in diameter, cut lengthwise, are screwed across the tape. Conveyor belt tracks can be reinforced with a chain.

If you cut the sidewalls from truck tires with winter tread, they can also be used as tracks. To do this, you need to sweep the edges with fishing line in centimeter increments.

Upgrading homemade snowmobiles

After using a homemade snowmobile for the first time, people notice some shortcomings that they want to correct.

To begin with, it is worth making it possible to use a snowmobile not only in the daytime, but also in the dark. You will need a lamp and a generator (you can take a bicycle one).

To prevent the wind from sweeping snow into your eyes, you can install ready-made windshields on your homemade vehicle or come up with something of your own.

Other options for a crawler snowmobile made from a walk-behind tractor

The example considered shows a snowmobile on one wide track. This model is considered the best cross-country ability in deep snow and difficult terrain. However, there are other homemade tracked snowmobiles made from a walk-behind tractor, which are assembled with your own hands from tractor tires and other materials.

A snowmobile can be made with two tracks

No less popular are models with two tracks, which use the same conveyor belt. The base and tracks are made from it. To do this, strips are cut and secured to the base with bolts or rivets.

If you cut the tread out of a tractor tire, the finished ring will act as a caterpillar. The chassis of a snowmobile uses wheels. They are placed on a walk-behind tractor from a passenger car. The tread from the tire is pulled onto the wheels.

How to make a snowmobile with your own hands: detailed instructions

Features of homemade snowmobiles

Self-propelled guns made by yourself have a number of features:

  1. Riding a snowmobile can be quite dangerous and this must be taken into account, so although most snowmobiles cannot go faster than 15 km/h, extreme care and caution must be taken when assembling a snowmobile.
  2. When riding a snowmobile, the user will not get stuck in a snowdrift, since the device is equipped with a crawler walk-behind tractor.
  3. The snowmobile is reliable and can easily overcome many obstacles.
  4. When making a snowmobile with your own hands, the creator carefully selects the parts and assembles them into a single system, so the designer is responsible for the quality of his device.
  5. The cost of snowmobiles is quite high, but its individual elements cost little; By assembling a snowmobile yourself, the designer also saves on labor, so a homemade snowmobile costs several times less than a purchased one.

Preparation

First you need to make a drawing of the device. If you do not have such skills, then simply calculate the parameters of the machine. The design of a snowmobile is quite simple, so you can easily make a device based on a sample or video.

To make a snowmobile, you will need:

  • pipe with a diameter of 40 mm. and a wall thickness of 2 mm. – needed for the frame and other frame elements;
  • conveyor belt 3 mm thick. (you can use V-belts) - this is the main element of the track mechanism; lugs with a diameter of 40 mm are made from them. with a wall thickness of 5 mm;
  • engine, fuel tank and carburetor from a motorcycle (for a snowmobile);
  • sprockets and chain from motorcycles and snowmobiles;
  • any drive shaft of suitable size;
  • skis from another snowmobile;
  • steering wheel with throttle and cable (from a motorcycle);
  • the platform is optional because you can mount all the parts directly to the frame (most people skip this part because it's a little tricky and has little payoff); Several seats can be attached to the platform;
  • seat;
  • body;
  • small elements (nuts, bolts, hinges, etc.).

Materials and manufacturing

When making a snowmobile on tracks with your own hands, you can follow this algorithm:

  1. Calculation of frame and chassis.
  2. Engine selection.
  3. Initial frame welding.
  4. Steering.
  5. Installing the engine on a temporary mount.
  6. Checking the design.
  7. If the test is successful, complete welding of the frame and installation of the engine.
  8. Drive system.
  9. Caterpillars.
  10. Attaching body parts.
  11. Final check.

You need to start work by making a frame on which the remaining elements will be attached. The frame should not be massive, otherwise the device will turn out to be heavy and lose maneuverability. It is desirable that its length be ±2 m.

Then the following are attached to the frame:

  • drive shaft and receiving star;
  • power plant with a transmission star and gas tank;
  • front and rear wheel axles;
  • front suspension with steering wheel and skis;
  • seat and body.

Then tracks 40-50 cm wide are made. They can be made from conveyor belts or V-belts.

Information on how to make lugs from plastic pipes is provided above.

The rear wheel axle is secured using a movable guide element. It allows you to fix the position of the axis in a certain position. This is done so that the user can adjust the tension of the tracks.

Choosing a walk-behind tractor for conversion into a snowmobile

The main purpose of the walk-behind tractor is agricultural work. Typically, such equipment is used for mowing grass, cultivating land, and transporting goods. With the onset of cold weather, the unit is sent to the garage. However, if the engine power allows, why not use the equipment in winter. The motor is adapted to a homemade snowmobile, and in the spring it is returned to its original frame.

A tracked snowmobile is considered the best in cross-country ability

To convert a walk-behind tractor into a snowmobile, it must meet the following requirements:

  • have a rear tow hitch;
  • have the ability to manually control;
  • have an air-cooled engine of at least medium power.

Motoblocks of the Neva brand meet all requirements. The traction force of the units varies from 6 to 9 liters. With. The motor is durable, since it is assembled in Japan.

Important! The engine power of the Neva walk-behind tractor is enough to transport a driver and one passenger on a snowmobile.

Useful tips

There are some tips:

  • self-propelled tracks can be made of any width, but with a large caterpillar the self-propelled vehicle will lose maneuverability, and with a small one it will sink in the snow;
  • you need to correctly calculate the center of gravity - if the power plant is located in the front, then the driver’s seat should be moved either back or to the center above the front axle;
  • to relieve the load on the tracks, you can install a front ski between two tracks about 50-70 cm long, however, this makes the snowmobile manufacturing process more labor-intensive;
  • it is necessary to minimize the distance between the shaft and the power unit to avoid loss of energy transmitted to the shaft.

Snowmobile made from a walk-behind tractor and simple wheels

A wheeled model of a snowmobile will require a trailer. It is connected rigidly to the walk-behind tractor frame. You also need winter wheels and a little ingenuity.

A channel is used for a rigid trailer coupling. A blank about 50 cm long is rigidly attached parallel to the axis of the future snowmobile. First, holes are drilled at the ends of the channel and clamps are installed. A crosspiece is welded to the axis of the snowmobile, the workpiece is secured with a bolted connection, and locknuts are installed. The unit will act as a stopper, preventing the trailer from moving to the side.

Important! A stiff clutch reduces maneuverability. However, the snowmobile's stability improves.

The trailer will be a homemade sled on skis made of stainless steel sheets.

The trailer is placed on skis and the driver's seat is equipped. The original wheels are removed from the walk-behind tractor. Winter tires are installed instead. Sometimes they are made independently in the form of ring attachments with tracks on the original wheels of the walk-behind tractor.

Modern model of the all-terrain vehicle "Metelitsa"

For quite some time now, different companies all over the world have been fighting to produce the most comfortable all-terrain vehicle that would truly be suitable for any time of year.
A kind of personal car specifically for off-road use. Vladimir Maltsev is an inventor from Chelyabinsk who has surpassed everyone else in this regard. Many videos will show that it was he who became the inventor of an all-terrain vehicle called “Metelitsa”. An ingenious, simple and cheap device is how you can describe this machine.

It is difficult to call a car a new type of transport. The videos serve as further proof of this. But thanks to this invention, the mobility of people who from time to time need to travel off-road has moved to a new level.

Advantages of a homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor

Externally, a homemade car is less attractive compared to a factory-made analogue. However, there are many positive aspects to be found. One of the advantages is the fact that the snowmobile is customized. That is, the owner clearly knows what he wants: to transport cargo, go fishing, to the forest, and do other things.

Externally, the homemade product is not attractive, but it meets all the owner’s requirements

Other advantages include the following:

  1. Buying a walk-behind tractor and a snowmobile for your farm is expensive. You will need space to store two cars, and each of them will be idle during the off-season. It’s cheaper to get one walk-behind tractor. Use it in winter instead of a snowmobile, and in summer for its intended purpose.
  2. A homemade design will not require large expenses. Many spare parts are suitable for used cars. At scrap metal you can cheaply buy scraps of pipes, channels and other metal.
  3. The snowmobile can be used even in summer. The tracked vehicle has good cross-country ability in mud.

Homemade products are a big plus for craftsmen who are accustomed to doing everything with their own hands. A person who shows interest in technology constantly improves it and comes up with new devices.

What other advantages does the development have?

Separately, you can purchase a special trailer to transport cargo from one place to another. The maximum permissible weight is one ton. Thanks to its small dimensions, the tracked module itself easily fits on any aircraft, rail, or road transport, including airplanes.

The special MHD electric generator will become an indispensable assistant for rescue and service services. Thanks to it, rescuers will be able to cut metal using additional electrodes with a thickness of up to five millimeters. This is a machine that has no analogues in the whole world. That’s why videos with her participation constantly attract attention.

More details about technical characteristics

The snow and swamp-going vehicle "Metelitsa" is intended for passenger cars and minibuses belonging to the middle class. The module has its own transmission and control system, but this does not change the basic characteristics of the vehicle itself.

  1. The width of the tracks reaches 800 mm.
  2. They themselves are made of an alloy of rubber and metal.
  3. Separately, it is worth noting the use of lever-spring suspension.
  4. As for the dimensions, they will be as follows. The width will be up to 2450 mm, length - 3950.
  5. It is also necessary to consider the angles to be overcome. The transverse is 17 degrees, the longitudinal is 30.
  6. The ground clearance is 350 mm.
  7. The Metelitsa tracked platform has a specific pressure on the surface of 0.07 kgcm3.
  8. The maximum speed level on water is 5 km/h, on land – 50 km/h.
  9. 2950 kilograms is the weight of the car when fully loaded.
  10. The module has a total weight of approximately 900 kilograms.

Economy, stability and cross-country ability are the main characteristics that developers pay the most attention to improving. In order to achieve the best results during operation, it is recommended to completely remove the rear and front drive wheels. The vehicle itself is installed directly on the tracked module. Even vehicles with a mileage of ten years or more can be easily installed.

Snowmobile with a walk-behind tractor engine and inner tubes

The walk-behind tractor practically does not have to be redone if you upgrade the original wheels. You will need lowered tubes from the truck. Five of them are pulled onto each wheel and secured with chains. The cameras are pumping. Due to the fixation with chains, their shape becomes like a daisy with segments in the form of an ellipse. The new wheels will handle deep snow well.

Chains, metal hoops, and strips of conveyor belt are used to tie the chambers together.

Another wheeled snowmobile can be built from a walk-behind tractor by putting steel hoops on the inner tubes instead of chains. They are equipped with tracks on the outside. The jumpers are welded from metal plates. The height of the track is about 2-3 cm. After inflating the chambers, the metal hoops will be securely fixed to the wheels.

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