Wood frame
The basis of a snowmobile made from a walk-behind tractor will be its frame, which can be made of different materials. One of the most popular options for creating a frame is wood.
Wooden blocks are perfect for the structure, as they are light and at the same time very durable. In addition, you can find the right amount of timber in the yard. Essentially making a frame means assembling a sled for a snowmobile.
If there is no or not enough wood on the site, its cost is not very high. In order to make a frame from wood, in addition to timber, you will need the following: iron in sheets, a metal cutter, a drill, drills, bolts, nuts, a saw.
In order to rid the frame of burrs and make it as smooth as possible, you will need sandpaper or a sanding attachment on a drill.
A homemade snowmobile made of wood has many advantages over other models except lightness. It is very easy to repair such a frame not only at home, but also on the road, because the material can be found in any forest belt.
This option is unlikely to fall through the ice, and if this happens, it will stay afloat.
Metal frame
Of course, a metal structure is not as practical as a wooden one. The material is very expensive and heavy, and creating a snowmobile will be more difficult.
In addition, the disadvantage of metal is its cold surface, which must be covered with something in order to move in it. But there is one big advantage of this option - the durability of the finished structure.
To create a metal snowmobile frame, you will need some materials and tools. The tools include welding and electrodes, a hammer, a grinder, pliers, a set of keys and fasteners for the system.
As for the material, here you will need to prepare metal pipes, a metal corner, steel sheets and a channel.
Before building the frame, be sure to make a drawing here with precise dimensions. This will help you select the quantity and type of material as accurately as possible.
Using a grinder, pipes are cut and welded into a frame. Fastenings for all parts of the snowmobile will be made from the corner. You can make them from channel wood.
Only after this is everything sheathed with sheet metal. In order to make a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor, it is necessary to provide a place to place the motor.
Manufacturing of structural elements
Before starting to manufacture structural elements, prepare a drawing, required materials and tools. You can take ready-made drawings based on the Bullfinch or Vepr snowmobiles. Tools you will need:
- welding machine;
- pipe bender or finished frame;
- hammer;
- screwdrivers.
Since the design of the mini snowmobile is low, the seat is made of durable waterproof material. The fuel tank is made of metal. Its volume should be from 10 to 15 liters. You can use a motorcycle chain as a drive.
How to make a snowmobile track
A snowmobile track is created from tires or conveyor belt. The work will be difficult and time-consuming if tires are used as the basis. The sides are cut out of them, so the work requires a sharp shoe knife or an electric jigsaw. To facilitate the process, tires are selected with a suitable tread pattern. Making a homemade caterpillar:
- The sides of the tire are cut out with a knife. If the knife blade is periodically moistened in a soapy solution, the cutting process will become easier. When using an electric jigsaw, install a blade with small teeth and moisten it with water.
- If, when cutting, the track turns out to be hard or extra layers have formed on the wrong side, they are also cut off.
- Cutting a new structure is done when there is a mismatch in the tread pattern. The structure made must cling to the soil, so the structure of the pattern must be correct.
A caterpillar made according to this design is quite reliable due to the fact that it has a closed loop. Its disadvantage is its narrow width. To make a larger size, it is doubled. If the caterpillar is made from a conveyor belt, then it is combined into a single ring. This can be done in 2 ways:
- like a piano hinge (with a hinge);
- ribbon stripes.
You need to choose the appropriate thickness of the tape if it is sewn on. Its thickness should be suitable for the engine power. A homemade snowmobile from an IZH motorcycle requires the use of a 10 mm thick tape. To increase the service life of the snowmobile, the edges of the conveyor belt are stitched with fishing line. The seams are made according to the method of overcasting the edges with an interval of 1 cm.
Tackles
A trolley is a movable platform that protects the chassis of equipment from unnecessary mechanical loads. The platform is used when it is necessary to drive a snowmobile into a garage. For its manufacture, a metal pipe of medium diameter (6×6 mm), rollers and a bearing system are used. The wheels are installed with rubber coating and metal discs. Their diameter must correspond to the weight of the equipment.
Snowmobile skis consist of a base, a shock-absorbing part, a rod, a fork and bipod, and a link leg. Skis can be made in different designs from different materials. If plastic linings are used for the base, they are supplemented with expanders. The extensions are mounted with fastenings to the snowmobile chassis. The plastic design is suitable for small equipment. For large and medium-sized snowmobiles, you will need metal skis.
- To give the skis a shape, cut out the base from a cardboard stencil. At the same time, a bend is formed in front. The amount of bending is done at your own discretion. A ski track with a large bend glides poorly and collects snow. And this creates unnecessary braking. Therefore, you should not make it too large. The approximate size of the ski track is 2.5 cm wide and 100 cm long.
- A pipe is welded along the edges of each part. This gives additional rigidity to the product and protects it from stones that come along the way.
- Where the bend passes, the pipe is welded along the contour.
- Shock-absorbing parts are fixed to the skis. Bolts are used as fastening elements.
- The platform and the nose of the skis are connected by a hydraulic pipe. The top part is ready.
- For the lower part, the hydraulic pipe is fixed at 4 points and compressed.
- Then the polyethylene pipe is attached with self-tapping screws, having previously cut it. Instead of a polyethylene pipe, you can use polypropylene.
Skis and tracks
In order for a snowmobile to be constantly on the move, it is necessary to make high-quality tracked wheels and skis for speed.
In order for the tracks to be of the highest quality, their area must be large enough. If they are small, they will simply sink even in shallow snow.
You can purchase ready-made tracks at the store or make your own from rubber pipe. The video shows how to make a snowmobile in detail.
As for skis, they must be strong. Skis serve well in deep snow, as they are very easy to control and their speed is not low.
To ensure a perfect fit, skis are mostly made of metal.
If you want to make a wooden structure, then it is best to make it from birch or oak. The wood is thoroughly dried beforehand. Here are the basic rules on how to make a snowmobile with your own hands.
Is it worth making homemade snowmobiles?
The question is very rhetorical, since most people do not have the time and desire to create equipment on their own. To make a snowmobile with your own hands, you need knowledge and skills, equipment, and materials. In theory, converting a motorcycle to skis and tracks isn't that difficult. But during operation, such a snowmobile will have poor handling and poor maneuverability. This is due to the fact that homemade products are thought out as work progresses, based on dubious projects.
Benefits of Buying an Arctic Cat Snowmobile
In terms of price, creating a homemade product from original components and assemblies will cost more than full-fledged equipment produced by the factory. Therefore, buying an Arctic Ket snowmobile from a dealer is not only advisable because of its quality, but also the economic part of the issue. The Kvadrodog dealer always has on sale all new models of snowbikes from the American brand, which can be taken out on credit or even in installments.
