Homemade snowmobiles. We make a snowmobile with our own hands - it doesn’t get easier! Mastering new transport

As you can see on the example of this children's snowmobile-snow scooter, it is very simple to make it yourself - the main thing is to think over in your head a design that will be easy and inexpensive to implement. and after that it’s easy to transport in a car, as well as store in a garage (so that it takes up as little space as possible when disassembled. It was this option that S. Khomyakov from Moscow made with his own hands.

It's nice that the whole process is simple, no expensive parts are required, and the result is quite decent.

True, one should not expect good cross-country ability in deep or loose snow from a small car, but it has enough power to tow two or three Argamaks or sleds with riders.

Engine from a motoblock with a capacity of 6 liters. from. for such a snowmobile it will be just right, besides, the walk-behind tractor has been idle all winter in my village idle, waiting for spring arable work in the garden. I was going to make a caterpillar mover myself, using suitable ready-made parts for this purpose, for example, half a caterpillar from a Buran snowmobile.

There are many descriptions on the Internet explaining how to make a motorized towing vehicle for fishermen from parts from a snowmobile.

On one of these sites, I found that there is a special motorcycle installation kit for sale - a ski instead of a front wheel and a caterpillar mover with two small tracks. After installing this kit on a motorcycle, according to the seller, it turns into a full-fledged snowmobile. I doubted this very much: the track area is too small for a motorcycle whose weight is more than 150 kg.

But for a small collapsible snowmobile, such a caterpillar mover is just right, I just have to install an engine from a walk-behind tractor, a seat and a collapsible front end with skis for control on it. At self-manufacturing a caterpillar mover from ready-made parts and a caterpillar from a Buran snowmobile, it would have cost me less, but winter was already in full swing-After some deliberation, I bought this set and one more ski, because for better stability and safety I decided to make two steerable skis in front .

I made a collapsible frame from square pipes with a section of 50-215.50 and 25-215.25 mm, and also used a double seat from a scooter and a steering wheel from a children's bicycle. Since the weight of the caterpillar mover is 20 kg, and the weight of the engine with automatic clutch from the walk-behind tractor is only 25 kg, I decided to install the engine on a quick-detachable platform for the convenience of disassembling and transporting the snowmobile.

I used the front longitudinal tubes of the frame and the forks of the front wheels from old bicycles, shortened to the right sizes. For better controllability of the snowmobile on packed snow, I installed special undercuts made of an 8-mm metal bar from below on plastic skis, and aluminum corners with holes for attaching to steering swivel racks on top.

The parts of the collapsible part of the frame were fastened together with pins and bolts with wing nuts. It only takes a few minutes to assemble and no tools are required. The engine is mounted on a quick-detachable platform, the drive from the engine to the rear shaft of the caterpillar mover is carried out by a motorcycle chain.

The gear ratio is chosen so that the maximum speed of the snowmobile does not exceed 20 km / h. At the same time, a snowmobile can tow several sleds or snow scooters with riders behind it. The front part of the snowmobile - with skis and the rear - with a caterpillar mover - are pivotally connected, which made it possible to abandon shock-absorbing springs in the suspension of skis and tracks.

And wide and soft seat from the scooter provides comfortable movement on a snowmobile even for two adults. Since the speed of the snowmobile is low, and it has practically no rolling due to the high resistance of the transmission and tracks. The snowmobile is not equipped with a brake, only an emergency engine stop button is enough.

Driving the snowmobile is very simple: after starting the engine, you need to turn the motorcycle throttle mounted on the handlebars.

As a result, the engine will increase speed, the automatic clutch will work, and the snowmobile will start moving. As the engine speed increases, the speed of the snowmobile increases, and when the throttle is released, the speed decreases and the snowmobile stops.

DIY snowmobile: step-by-step assembly photo

1. Snowmobile disassembled.
2. Assembling the snowmobile begins with the installation of the engine on the tracked motor.

3. Two rods are attached to the caterpillar mover, connecting it to the transverse beam, on which the swivel skis and the rudder are installed.

4-5. Inserted between the rods are the front strut and the supporting arc of the seat.

6. A beam with swivel skis and a rudder is connected to a caterpillar mover.

7. The parts of the snowmobile are connected to each other using pins and bolts with wing nuts.

Below are other entries on the topic "How to do it yourself - to the householder!"

Self-contained child's snow-scooter with a gasoline mower engine

Any boy can easily master this projectile in a few workouts, and it is not difficult to make it with your own hands.
As you can see in the figure, the projectile consists of three skis: the main, support, and two side - helmsmen. You can also use an old ski (as the main one), and plastic ones are also suitable for support skis (see photo. 1).

You can do everything yourself. Let's dwell on this in more detail. For the main ski, pick up a birch, beech or other hardwood board 200 wide and 22 mm thick. It should be smooth, without knots and chips. Depending on your height, the length of the board ranges from 800 mm (height 120 cm) to 1400 mm (height 170 cm).

Markup.

Draw a life-size template of the main ski on cardboard or thick paper. Cut out the pattern with scissors. Lay the template on the board and outline with a pencil. With a hacksaw, carefully cut the workpiece along the contour. File and sandpaper remove all bumps and burrs.

Now the end of the board needs to be bent at an angle of 30 °. Heat up a bucket of water. Immerse the front end of the board in boiling water for about an hour and a half. The workpiece steamed in this way can be easily bent. Clamp the end of the ski in a pre-prepared slipway and hold until the wood is completely dry. The ski is ready. Paint it with bright nitro enamel.
Two short steering skis are easiest to make from old cross-country skis or plastic ones, which are full in the store). Their length is approximately 300-400 mm.

Frame manufacturing.

Next, proceed to the manufacture of the frame. Pick up the pieces steel pipes outer diameter up to 20 mm and steel strips up to 2 mm thick. Assemble the frame from the pipes, and make brackets and an emphasis from the strips. On the figure 2 sizes are not given - they must be selected by yourself, depending on the height and length of the arms.

Rice. 2 Snow scooter, ski attachment option.

The finished tubular frame is connected to the brackets with rivets. The brackets and emphasis are attached to the skis with screws. It should be borne in mind that the lower support plane of the short skis is located 25–40 mm above the sliding plane of the carrier ski. It remains to attach the seat to the main ski, and you can go up the hill. The projectile is controlled by two short ski-rudders attached to a swinging frame.

Today, it is not a problem to buy skis or a snowboard. They are sold in every sports shop, however, you can always stand out from the crowd and ride down the slope on a homemade sports equipment for downhill.

In addition, mass-produced equipment for skiing is not well suited for teenagers and entertainment. It is this gap that can be filled by making snow scooters for descending the mountain with your own hands.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the sliding coating, plastic is used on the factory ones, it slides well on the snow, for homemade snow scooters you can use linoleum to cover sliding surfaces. It is cheap and easy to change as it wears out, and it glides in the snow like branded plastic!

Winter sports equipment, which you see in the pictures, allow even a beginner to become a real slalomist after a little training. And this is despite the fact that on one projectile they move down the hill lying down, on the other - sitting, in the last one and even more difficult - standing.

Would you like to build yourself such shells?
Then get to work! You have probably already noticed their design feature: the main detail is a wide board. And one more thing: none of the shells has a rudder. However, if you practice well, you can master all the elements of slalom. How to achieve this, we will tell in relation to each projectile. In the meantime, let's start our conversation with the most laborious.

STANDING ON THE BOARD

This projectile is assembled from a wooden platform board, two brackets movably connected to each other (a node with parts 1-6) and two wooden skis. Some brackets are fixedly fixed on the platform, others - to the skis. Special axles allow fixed arms to swing in the plane of the transverse main center line. The angle of inclination of the movable bracket, and hence the platform, depends on the elasticity of the rubber shock absorbers, so the suspension of our projectile is called swinging.
How and from what to make a platform and skis? The easiest way to make these parts from the board. The thickness of the workpiece for the platform is at least 25 mm, and the skis are 20 mm. Choose solid, even, knot-free boards. Suitable oak, elm, birch. If you cannot find the recommended wood, use the usual, most popular - pine or spruce. True, in this case, the board needs to be taken a little thicker, and the attachment points of the brackets should be strengthened with steel plates. So that you can bend the ends of the blanks, boil them in a bucket for at least two hours. Fix them hot in a bent state with sticks on the slipway, let dry.
There is another way to prepare the platform and skis. The figure (view B) shows the form. Collect it from boards and blocks. On the upper curved surface, glue the veneer sheets one by one using epoxy resin one after the other. When the glue dries, the workpiece should be processed so that it looks like the one shown in the figure. The thickness of the multilayer blank should be at least 10 mm.
On the finished parts, mark the attachment points, but do not drill the holes yet - it is more convenient to drill them in place, that is, when the suspensions are ready.
Four swinging pendants. They are the same, so we will tell you how to make one. Cut out parts 1, 3, 4 and 7 from a steel sheet (the thickness of the material is indicated in the figures). File sharp edges and burrs with a file, drill holes. To make the steel blanks (parts 4 and 7) easier to bend, first heat the bends, and only then begin to bend.
Axis 6, on which the bracket swings, is made of a steel bar with a diameter of 8 mm (its length is 130 mm). Threads can be cut at the ends of the axle, but it is easier to drill holes with a diameter of 2 mm for cotter pins. The finished axle should be welded to part 4, and the trim (part 1) and plate (part 3) to the upper bracket.
The suspension is assembled in the following sequence. First, fixed brackets are attached to the platform with screws. Movable brackets are fixed on the skis. Elastic rubber shock absorbers 5 are installed inside parts 4. Finally, the assembly is fastened with axles with a diameter of 6 mm and fixed with cotter pins.
The athlete slides down the hill in a straight line, he stands on the platform and, pushing off with one foot, trying to maintain balance, keeps the board in a straight position - the projectile rolls straight. Now you need to make a turn to the right or left. To do this, tilt the body in the direction of rotation. The center of gravity moves, thus the athlete presses with more force on the edge of the board. Under load, the rubber shock absorbers are compressed, the platform tilts and the supporting movable brackets turn relative to the fixed ones, rigidly fixed on the board. Skis turn in the direction where the athlete leans.

ON THE BOARD LYING

This projectile is shown in the picture above. As we noted earlier, the main detail is a wide curved ski board. To make it more comfortable to lie, a support board is provided. Pay attention to how it is attached to the ski: in front with two door hinges, and in the back with two springs. The springs serve as shock absorbers - they soften the blows when descending an uneven hill. The same purpose is served by a foam mattress, which is tied with straps to the support board. In a supine position, it is difficult to change the position of the body and thereby carry out turns. A wide cross board will help facilitate this. Handles are fixed on top of the board, and wide skids are on the bottom. The board acts as a rudder. Holding on to these handles, the athlete easily moves his body to the right and left, shifts the center of gravity and makes a turn.
The figure indicates: 1 - ski; 2 - T-shaped keel; 3 - loop; 4 - support board; 5, - snake; 6 - handle; 7 - steering board; 8 - screw Mb; 9 - foam mattress; 10 - spring; 11 - bar; 12 - slipway.
Let's pay your attention to the manufacturing technology of individual parts. The front end of the ski bends in the same way as in the previous case. A T-shaped keel is nailed to the lower surface of the ski with short nails. It is made of a dural corner of a T-shaped profile. To give it the appropriate curve, place the workpiece on the top shelf on the anvil and with short hammer blows on both sides of this shelf, "pull" the metal. Control the curvature of the bend as often as possible by applying the keel to the ski.
Springs can be taken ready-made from an old bicycle saddle. The method of attaching the springs to the ski and to the support board is shown in the figure.

SITTING ON THE BOARD

This projectile is the simplest (Fig. 3). From a board with a thickness of 40-45 mm, cut a ski with a hacksaw with a narrow blade (detail 1). Its contours are shown in the figure. Give the required curvature with a semicircular file. The skid will be a steel plate 2 with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm and a width equal to the width of the ski. The skid is attached to the ski with short screws. Seat 6 measures 300 X 200 mm and low back 5 measures 200 X 80 mm. Cut these parts out of a 20 mm thick wooden board. The seat and back are fastened to the ski with screws. Additional strength is provided by brackets 3 connecting the ski and the seat. For ease of use, the skis are equipped with 4 handles.
You should ride this projectile only on a well-rolled hill, where the crust is strong enough. It is very difficult to sit on it, so your legs will help you keep your balance.

See also:
- allow you to drive from the mountain "ahead of your screech" and are equipped with air rudders.
- allow you to ride across the expanses of our Motherland in winter and drag skiers uphill.
- we ride krating in armor, in winter we ride a snowmobile.

I made this snowmobile in just a couple of weekends in the garage in the country. Although its design at first glance looks very simple, nevertheless, in terms of flotation in deep loose or wet snow, it is not inferior to most industrial snowmobiles.

A few years ago, I made a snowmobile for my nine-year-old daughter with homemade caterpillar from a conveyor belt and plastic water pipes as lugs. At first, I had doubts about the reliability of such a caterpillar and how plastic parts would behave in the cold. But during the two-year winter operation, there were no breakdowns and strong wear of the pipes. This inspired me to create a light snowmobile for myself with the same homemade track.

Knowing perfectly well that the smaller the mass of the snowmobile and the larger the bearing area of ​​the tracks, the better its patency in loose and deep snow will be, I tried to make the design as light as possible.
The principle of operation of a snowmobile is very simple (Fig. 1). Four wheels are installed inside the caterpillar, which, when moving, roll along the conveyor belt, on which the lugs are fixed. And the caterpillar drive from the motor is carried out by a chain through the driven shaft with special drive sprockets. I took them from the snowmobile Buran.

With an engine from a conventional walk-behind tractor with an automatic clutch with a power of only 6 hp. don't accelerate quickly. I was going to ride a snowmobile not on rolled paths, but on loose snow, so I abandoned the soft suspension of the caterpillar and skis to reduce the weight of the snowmobile and simplify the entire structure.

First I made a caterpillar. plastic water pipe 40 mm in diameter cut into blanks for lugs 470 mm long. Then he sawed each blank with a circular saw lengthwise into two equal parts.
Using the device shown in Fig. 2, with a circular saw on wood, cut along plastic pipes for grouser.

I attached the lugs to the conveyor belt with two furniture bolts with a diameter of 6 mm with a large semicircular hat. In the manufacture of the caterpillar, it is very important to maintain the same distance between the lugs, otherwise they will run into the teeth of the drive sprockets and the caterpillar will begin to slip and slide off the rollers.

For drilling holes in the conveyor belt for fixing bolts with a diameter of 6 mm, I made a jig. The holes in the tape were drilled with a wood drill with a special sharpening.

Using such a conductor, 6 holes can be drilled in the conveyor belt at once for attaching three caterpillar lugs.

In the store, I bought four inflatable rubber wheels from a garden cart, two drive sprockets from a Buran snowmobile, and two sealed bearings No. 205 for the caterpillar drive shaft.

I asked a turner to make a caterpillar drive shaft and bearing supports. I made the frame of the snowmobile myself from square pipes 25x25 mm.

Since the axes of the hinges of the skis and the steering wheel are on the same line and in the same plane, you can use a continuous tie rod without ball ends.

Ski turn bushings are easy to make. To the front cross beam of the frame, I welded water couplings with internal thread 3/4 in. Screwed pipes into them with external thread, to which he attached the bipods of the steering rack of skis by welding.

I recommend using skis from the Argomak children's snow scooter. They are lighter and more flexible, but they need to be equipped with corners for attaching to the snowmobile's turntable and a metal undercut from the bottom - for better control of the snowmobile when driving on crust or packed snow.

The chain tension is adjusted by shifting the motor.

Driving a snowmobile is very easy. When the engine speed is increased by the handlebar throttle, the automatic centrifugal clutch is engaged and the snowmobile starts moving. Since the estimated speed of the snowmobile is low (only about 10-15 km / h) and depends on the density of the snow, the snowmobile is not equipped with brakes. It is enough to reduce the engine speed and the snowmobile stops.

I will share a few tips that may be useful when repeating this design.

1. I cut the pipe for tracks lengthwise with a manual circular saw on wood, first on one side, then on the other. So it turns out smoother than cutting both walls at once. It is more convenient to process small workpieces. If you immediately cut along a long pipe, then in this case the plastic will melt and the saw blade will clamp.

2. Caterpillars can be made in any width. And each designer has the right to choose what is more convenient for him: to make a wide but short caterpillar or a narrow and long one. Just remember that with a large track, the snowmobile will be poorly controlled and the engine will be loaded more, and with a small one in loose deep snow, it may fall through.

3. In some of my photos you can see that plastic “barrels” are installed inside the caterpillar. These are guide stops for slip, which should prevent the caterpillar from sliding off the rollers. But during the operation of the snowmobile, the caterpillar did not slip off the rollers even without slip, so the “barrels” can not be installed, which will reduce the weight of the snowmobile.

4. At the end of winter, I completely dismantled the snowmobile to determine its weight. The weight of its individual nodes turned out to be as follows: caterpillar - 9 kg;
drive shaft assembly - 7 kg; two pairs of wheels with axles - 9 kg; engine and steering wheel - 25 kg;
a pair of skis - 5 kg;
frame -15 kg;
double seat with uprights - 6 kg.
Total all together weighs 76 kg.
The weight of some parts can be further reduced. Still, the weight for a snowmobile with a track of this size is quite satisfactory.

The geometric dimensions of my snowmobile are as follows: the length of the snowmobile frame is 2 m; distance between the axes of the support wheels (rollers) - 107 cm; track width - 47 cm. The step of the caterpillar lugs depends on the thickness of the conveyor belt and it must be selected empirically (I got 93 mm).
I don’t give the exact dimensions and drawings of the parts of the snowmobile, since everyone who is going to repeat the design will be guided by those parts and components that they can purchase or make on their own.

So that the first-grader grandson, in his free time and on weekends, does not sit up with gadgets, but is more in the fresh air, I made a snow scooter for him. I took the design from my childhood as a basis and modernized it a bit.

It took: a sheet of plywood measuring 800x300 mm 8 mm thick two slats of sheet polyethylene 50x750 mm three pieces of pipe d 20 mm two bicycle handles two strips of sheet metal 60x20x4 mm rubber mat 220x250 mm.

Making a children's snow scooter

Prepared a design drawing (see fig.). One edge of the plywood rounded and bent it with blowtorch. To do this, he clamped the workpiece in a vise, heated the bend, bent the part to the desired radius and fixed it with a load.

Then I processed all the surfaces of the resulting ski with sandpaper, first large, then fine. On the outer side of the plywood, I fixed polyethylene slats (runners) with aluminum rivets along the edges.
I welded a steering rack from a pipe and metal strips and fixed it to the ski with rivets.

I glued a rubber mat in the place where the legs were installed. Painted the structure with waterproof paint for outdoor use.

Grandson liked it very much the new kind transport, and he immediately began testing.

Anatoly Matveychuk, Zavodoukovsk.
Author's photo

CONSULTATION of a specialist

Mastering new transport

In our time, snow scooters have gained considerable popularity, because they are an excellent tool for outdoor activities for children, compared to conventional sleds. But, like other designs, this winter type of children's transport has both pros and cons, which caring parents should be aware of.

Easy to carry;

High speed and fairly high maneuverability on descents;

It is easier to master than a wheeled scooter, since the wide ski provides stability;

Teaches the child to keep balance, develops the vestibular apparatus. Manufacturers claim that riding a snow scooter even lays the foundation for the further development of a snowboard by a child;

Not suitable for young children who do not yet have sufficient coordination of movements;

The child will need to practice and get their fair share of falls before this type of winter transport is mastered;

Suitable only for descent from the slides, and not suitable for transporting a child around the city.

Dmitry Maksimovets, sales consultant, Volgograd region