“From the material presented you will learn how to independently assemble a snowmobile with an engine from a walk-behind tractor. Step-by-step assembly photos and a video of the mini-snowmobile running in are provided. Every avid fisherman and hunter knows perfectly well that in winter it is not very convenient to travel on loose snow on skis, and when it is necessary to cover a distance of several tens of kilometers to a farmstead, winter hut, hunting hut, or to a reservoir, then there is generally a “pipe)) For To cover long distances you need a snowmobile, but the prices of factory-made cars are beyond the means of the common man; again, repairs and spare parts will cost a pretty penny. So we do it ourselves, with our own hands))
This snowmobile is very compact and at the same time quickly assembles and disassembles, literally in 5 minutes. It also easily fits disassembled into the luggage compartment of a car.
The caterpillar is made from BURANovskaya caterpillar cut in half; aluminum tracks made from profiles are additionally installed.
Here's a snowmobile)
In the harsh Russian winter, it would be nice to have a snowmobile. Previously, such a car was a luxury and could only be bought abroad. Today, this vehicle can be found in almost any motorcycle dealership. You can buy a snowmobile just for fun (for winter fishing and hunting), and sometimes you can’t do without it at work (for rescuers, foresters, surveyors). The cost of a snowmobile depends on the manufacturer, modification, power and other factors. The simplest model can cost about 100,000 rubles, and the price of a more advanced snowmobile reaches 1,000,000 rubles. Of course, if this equipment is necessary for work, then there is no point in saving, because people’s lives may depend on the reliability of the snowmobile, especially if it is operated by rescuers. But for fun, you can assemble this miracle machine at home.
A homemade snowmobile can be built by anyone with a little knowledge of technology. Before you start making a snowmobile, you need to understand what benefits you will get from it.
Pros of self-assembly:
- Price. For some, this may be the biggest advantage. The price of a homemade snowmobile will be several times cheaper than if you buy it in a store.
- Characteristics. When making a snow machine, you control the entire process yourself, choosing the configuration, power and appearance.
- Reliability. When assembling the device yourself, you will use the best components and parts.
A well-made car with your own hands can be used not only in the city; it is quite safe to travel outside populated areas, to ski resorts and to travel off-road.
Where to begin?
It is best to start assembling the device with your own hands from the drawings. To create a drawing, engineering skills will not be superfluous. However, if you are not successful in this, then you should use the Internet and print out the finished diagram. On the World Wide Web you can find drawings of snowmobiles of various modifications, from the simplest and cheapest options to complex ones, which only an experienced mechanic can construct. The drawings are publicly available, and by printing them you can easily build your dream car.
When studying the drawings, pay attention to the weight of the unit; the lighter it is, the higher its maneuverability will be. The snowmobile will easily maneuver through loose and deep snow. However, not only the mass of the finished product affects cross-country ability; the supporting area of the track is no less important.
What does a snowmobile consist of?
Any snowmobile consists of basic parts that will not change regardless of the modification of the device, such as:
- Frame. You can use a frame from an old motorcycle or scooter; if you don’t have one, you can weld it to order. A turner can easily cope with such a task.
- Engine. You can use a motor from a walk-behind tractor, although it is worth saying that with its power, the resulting product would be better called a children’s snowmobile; it will not be possible to accelerate it to a decent speed. There is an alternative to using a motor from a motorcycle or scooter. The choice of engine also depends on the weight of the snowmobile.
- Caterpillars. The most important and at the same time complex part of a snowmobile.
- Drive unit. Connects the engine and the track. A chain from a motorcycle is perfect for the drive.
- Steering wheel. Here you need to build on personal preferences and convenience, but most often it is also taken from a scooter or motorcycle.
- Skis. Here we use a ready-made option, if available, or you can make skis from plywood. It is better to give preference to sheets of plywood with a thickness of at least 3 mm.
- Fuel tank. For this part, you should choose a container made of plastic or metal. The capacity of 15 liters is quite sufficient to cover long distances without taking up much space.
- Seat. It is best to make it to order, since a homemade snowmobile will be used in harsh conditions, preference should be given to durable, wear-resistant materials. Don't forget about convenience, you should feel comfortable on it.
Is it possible to make caterpillars yourself?
This is the most difficult element to make yourself. The tracks of the machine play a decisive role in what speed the unit will develop and what grip it will have on the ice surface. High-quality homemade caterpillars can last for quite a long time. Most often, car tires are used for tracks. First you need to free the tires from the beads, leaving only a flexible track. Now you need to make the lugs. To do this, use a plastic pipe with a diameter of 4 cm. It needs to be cut into pieces 50 cm long, and the resulting blanks should be sawed further along. These parts are attached to the tire with bolts. It is important to maintain the same lug mounting interval, otherwise the caterpillar will jump off the roller. It is optimal to mount them at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
Caterpillars are made using a similar method. To make them, you need to use a conveyor belt, which should be cut to the optimal length for a homemade unit. It is important to connect the cut tape correctly and securely. To do this, its ends overlap each other by 5 cm and are fixed with bolts.
Alternatively, you can use V-belts to make tracks. They are fastened with lugs, forming a track with ready-made recesses for the gear.
When making tracks with your own hands, you need to take into account the following nuance: the larger the track area, the better the device will pass through snowdrifts, but the control will be worse. In stores, finished products are most often presented in three versions, with standard tracks, wide tracks and extra-wide.
To make your task easier, instead of making it yourself, you can purchase tracks in a store. Thus, you will have the opportunity to purchase tracks suitable for the terrain and travel conditions.
Assembly Features
A finished frame, welded by yourself or borrowed from other equipment, must be equipped with a steering wheel using welding. The engine is installed strictly in accordance with the drawing. It is best for it to be located as close to the carburetor as possible. On the finished structure you need to install tracks that were made in advance.
When the main work is done, you can start connecting the tank, gas and brake cables, and installing the seat.
The easiest way to make a snowmobile
Taking a walk-behind tractor as a basis and modifying it into a snowmobile is probably the easiest way to create a unit for moving on snow. It can be used completely, you can only take some parts.
If the walk-behind tractor is used in its entirety, then a frame with a rear axle must be welded to it and the working shaft must be modified into a drive, which must transmit rotating movements from the engine to the track.
If you do not use the walk-behind tractor completely, then only the engine and steering fork should be taken from it. You will need to install tracks on the bottom of the fork.
In this case, you must also take into account that the power of the walk-behind tractor is designed for the weight and pressure of the wheels, which are smaller than the tracks. In order to avoid unnecessary waste of gasoline and depreciation of parts, snowmobile wheels should be of low pressure.
The mini homemade snowmobile is easy to operate. By the way, if a homemade snowmobile is not very powerful and reaches speeds of up to 15 km/h, then it is not necessary to equip it with brakes. To stop a homemade snowmobile, simply reduce the speed, and it will stop on its own.
Having approached the work seriously and studied all the available information, you will probably be proud of your unit assembled with your own hands!
Instructions
First, sketch the intended design. In this case, provide two components of the device: slave and master. The first should consist of runners, a steering column and. The second part should contain the power plant, frame, drive and driver's seat. However, if necessary, you can change the design to better suit the intended purpose.
Identify the parts and assemblies of the snowmobile that you cannot make yourself. Purchase them and roughly estimate the location of the units, the dimensions of the structure and its individual parts. Taking a professional approach to the layout, make a plaz - a life-size model of a snowmobile from plywood or thick cardboard. Make mock-ups of all purchased parts, a mock-up of the frame and assemble a plaza from this. Then determine the dimensions and location of the parts that you intend to make yourself.
Self-manufacturing of the frame requires the presence of a pipe bender, welding equipment and appropriate skills. If all this is not available, order the production of a frame in the nearest workshop according to a pre-drawn drawing. Start making your own frame by selecting the necessary pipes. Prefer pipes removed from motorcycle frames to water pipes. Special frame tubes are generally more durable.
Bend the pipes as needed. Before assembling the frame, connecting the parts by spot welding. Make preliminary adjustments to the frame elements and parts of the snowmobile attached to it. This will avoid design errors. Carry out the final welding with a single seam, preferably without breaks or other flaws. Weld the engine mounting brackets, skids, wheel drive, seat, steering column and other parts.
Make the runners in the form of two wide skis. Weld the steering column and secure the skids to it using hinge brackets. A more complex option involves the use of shock absorbers in the ski suspension. If the design of the snowmobile provides for widely spaced front skis, then lever shock absorbers from Ural are more suitable as shock absorbers. Attach controls from any motorcycle model directly to the steering wheel.
Attach the engine and gearbox to the second part of the snowmobile. Take them from any light motorcycle too. For the rear wheel (or wheels), use self-made low-pressure tires. They can be made from suitable rims and pneumatic tubes of car tires. When inflated they will make good low pressure wheels. To drive on loose snow, snow hooks located around the entire circumference of the wheel(s) are required.
If the design of the snowmobile requires one rear wheel, make the rear suspension according to the motorcycle model. To do this, in addition to the frame, weld the rear swingarm and attach it to the frame through a hinge. Using motorcycle shock absorbers, make a swingarm suspension. Consider and install a chain drive from the engine to the rear wheel. After adjusting the drive, install the rear wheel.
If you want to install two rear wheels, attach a shortened drive axle to the rear of the frame. For this purpose, find the rear axle from the Ant cargo scooter or shorten the axle from a passenger car yourself. When using soft, low-pressure wheels, the need for rear suspension is partially eliminated. The use of motorcycle shock absorbers technically greatly complicates the task. The use of automotive-type shock absorbers will not make the suspension soft, since they are designed to carry much more weight than a snowmobile.
A snowmobile is a unique vehicle for daily use in winter. It is used for movement across snowy terrain during scientific expeditions, excursions, hikes, hunting animals, and protecting the territory. Such a product can be purchased at a specialized store or made with your own hands. If ready-made structures have a fairly high price, and not every person is able to afford such a purchase, then homemade ones are a more affordable alternative, made from scrap materials and equipment.
You can make a homemade snowmobile with your own hands using available equipment. For these purposes, experts recommend using:
- chainsaws;
- walk-behind tractors;
- motorcycles.
Important! To make a portable snowmobile at home, you must have skills in working with plumbing tools.
Drawings, options for finished work
The design of a snowmobile must begin by creating a drawing of the desired product. He will help in the process of making practical and functional equipment that will serve for many years.
Finished work option If you can use ready-made drawings to create a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor or a motorcycle, they are not provided for a design from a chainsaw, since each tool has its own technical characteristics and features.
Chainsaw snowmobile
Advice. The snowmobile can be made as either a tracked vehicle or a ski vehicle.
Before you start making a snowmobile from a chainsaw, you need to choose equipment that will have all the necessary characteristics. The best option for this purpose is the Druzhba, Ural and Shtil chainsaw (the power of these tools is ideal for creating high-speed snowmobiles).
Important! The engine and gearbox are the main parts of the chainsaw that are used during operation.
The snowmobile design consists of four parts:
- Caterpillars.
- Transmissions.
- Engine.
Chainsaw Ural The assembly of a homemade snowmobile is carried out not according to some proposed scheme or standard drawing, but based on the materials and tools that the master has at his disposal.
Instructions for assembling a snowmobile from a chainsaw
Assembling a product is quite an interesting job. It consists of several successive steps that must be performed carefully and responsibly.
- The first stage is the assembly of the frame base of the future homemade snowmobile. For work you will need steel corners (size - 50 x 36 cm) or steel sheets (thickness - at least 2 mm). The middle part of the structure is made from the corners, and the front and back are made from sheets.
Advice. To give the necessary rigidity to the structure, the metal is bent at an angle of 90 degrees.
- Carefully make two through holes to accommodate the track shaft and track wheel guides (tensioners are installed on both sides of the side members).
Important! The front device is specifically designed to tension the second stage of the idler gear, and it also helps in adjusting the track itself.
- Special brackets are carefully welded to the bottom of the side members (they are attached at the same distance from each other), support rollers are installed in their open grooves.
- The rollers (in rubber covers) are placed on five axes, each of which is attached to the underside of the open grooves.
- Between each of the elements special bushings made of duralumin are installed (they are made from a suitable pipe).
Advice. In order not to waste time making rollers and axles for them, they can be borrowed from old equipment for digging up potatoes.
- The bracket axles themselves are secured using nuts and locknuts (they are designed to strengthen the snowmobile frame and hold the side members at a certain distance from each other).
- Three metal corners are used to make racks for attaching the prepared chainsaw gearbox, and install the intermediate shaft of the chain drive.
- A seat for the user is installed on the prepared frame (a suitable box or car seat is used for these purposes), it is fixed in the area between the middle and rear parts of the structure.
Chainsaw snowmobile - A hole is made in the front section of the frame to accommodate the steering wheel; it is made from a pipe with welded control handles.
- Metal gussets are installed in the places where the snowmobile racks are attached (they strengthen the structure, make it stronger and more reliable).
Important! In order for the future homemade snowmobile to have good maneuverability in snowy terrain, it is equipped with a caterpillar mechanism.
- A snowmobile drive shaft is made from a metal pipe, and a special round flange is inserted into it for attaching gears.
- To create the steering, equipment from old motorcycles or mopeds with three-lever control is used.
The finished snowmobile is light in weight and can easily be placed in the trunk of a car for transportation over long distances. Its controls are so simple and intuitive that even a child can easily use it.
Snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
A walk-behind tractor is another option for equipment that is used in the process of making a snowmobile with your own hands. Its design practically does not need to be altered, since it is initially multifunctional.
There are three types of walk-behind snowmobiles:
- wheeled;
- on tracks;
- combined.
Walk-behind tractor Before you start working with a walk-behind tractor, you need to decide on the type of future design. The complexity of the master’s work, as well as the duration of the entire process, will depend on it.
Construction of a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
Important! To create a wheeled snowmobile, you do not need to redo the steering system; special attention needs to be paid only to the frame of the device and skis.
- The snowmobile frame is made of metal pipes or angles (it should be rectangular in shape).
- A box or chair is attached to the finished base to accommodate the driver.
- Skis are made separately from angles and sheet metal and welded to the frame.
- The finished structure is attached to the walk-behind tractor and used for its intended purpose.
Drawing: snowmobile made from a walk-behind tractor Snowmobile from a motorcycle: a guide for masters
Making a snowmobile from a motorcycle is not so easy. If the assembly of previous products did not cause any difficulties, then with this design you will have to suffer. The work will require not only tools, materials and equipment, but also skills in working with a welding machine and other equipment.
Important! Motorcycles "Ural", "Izh" and "Dnepr" are the most suitable models for making a snowmobile with your own hands.
Snowmobile design technology
- A suitable frame is made from metal pipes of different diameters and steel corners. Its base is made in the form of a rectangle (its dimensions are 150 x 43.2 cm).
- The steering beam is constructed from metal corners (its dimensions are 50 x 50 x 5 mm), its parts are sheathed with dense metal overlays. The finished structure is installed in a horizontal position on a drilling machine.
Motorcycle Izh - The frame and the finished beam are processed at the joints, special grooves are prepared for reliable fixation of the elements.
- The front crossbar of the frame is equipped with a strong corner.
- The seat is attached to the frame of the structure.
- Make holes in the side members.
- A channel is welded between the steering and middle sections.
- Select a suitable track sprocket and rubber band for further installation (suitable dimensions - 2200 x 300 mm, thickness - no more than 10 mm).
- The caterpillar itself is carefully sheathed with nylon so that the material does not delaminate during use.
Snowmobile from motorcycle - A transmission is installed, which consists of a front and rear axle. The front one is the drive one, it consists of a tubular shaft, a track sprocket and rollers (the sprockets themselves are fixed with through bolts). The rear axle structure consists of a track drum and a tubular shaft.
- The skis are welded to the structure of the snowmobile (sheets of steel and metal corners are used for their manufacture).
The control system of a homemade snowmobile from a motorcycle is quite complex to design. It consists of:
- longitudinal traction;
- lateral thrust.
From the information presented we can conclude: a homemade snowmobile from elements of a walk-behind tractor, chainsaw or motorcycle is a reality. Any craftsman can make it. For productive work you will only need certain skills, equipment, tools and materials.
Homemade snowmobile: video
After people see the prices for snowmobiles in a store, they ask the question of how to make a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor yourself, how expensive and difficult is it? How do you start making a homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor? First you need to determine what engine power to use. We used a 6 horsepower walk-behind tractor engine as the engine. Typically, four-stroke engines with forced air or water cooling are installed on walk-behind tractors.
From the walk-behind tractor you can also use a reverse gearbox, a centrifugal clutch, steering and a fuel tank. Next, you need to think about the snowmobile's propulsion system. Most of them are equipped with a caterpillar drive.
The best homemade products - a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
When making a homemade snowmobile, they use tracks from other snowmobiles, or homemade ones assembled from scrap materials. After choosing a track, you need to decide what type of suspension to use. You need to choose from two main types: roller suspension and skid suspension.
Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. After this, it is important to decide what kind of layout the snowmobile will have. Typically, a snowmobile is equipped with two steering skis at the front and a track block at the rear.
The engine can be installed either at the rear or at the front of the snowmobile.
How to make your own snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
This snowmobile can be made in a few weekends at the dacha in the garage. At first glance, its design looks very simple. If we compare its cross-country ability in wet or loose snow, it will not be inferior to many industrially produced snowmobiles.
The creation of a snowmobile was based on the principle: the lighter the weight and the larger the size of the caterpillar, the higher its cross-country ability in deep and loose snow. Therefore, the design will be as light as possible.
How to make a homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor on tracks
Four wheels are installed inside the track. When movement occurs, they roll along a conveyor belt with fixed lugs. The caterpillar drive is carried out by a chain from the motor, special drive sprockets, through the driven shaft. They were taken from Buran.
The engine is taken from a conventional walk-behind tractor with a power of 6 hp. You won't be able to accelerate quickly on it. The soft ski and track suspension have been removed because the sled is designed to ride on powder. This simplified the design and reduced the weight of the snowmobile.
Making tracks for a snowmobile
Let's look at the process of making a caterpillar. Plastic water pipe 40 mm, cut to length 470 mm. Blanks for lugs will be made from them. After which each of them is sawn lengthwise into equal parts with a circular saw.
The lugs are attached with furniture bolts to the conveyor belt. When making a track, it is extremely important to maintain the same distance between the lugs. Otherwise, there will be a “running” on the teeth of the drive sprocket, as a result of which the caterpillar will slip and slide off the rollers.
To drill holes for the mounting bolts in the conveyor belt, a jig was made. To drill the holes, a wood drill with a special sharpening was used.
This jig allows six holes to be drilled simultaneously into the conveyor belt to attach three track lugs. Drive sprockets (2 pcs), an inflatable rubber wheel (4 pcs), sealed bearings No. 205 (2 pcs) were also purchased.
The turner made a support for the bearings and the drive shaft of the track. The snowmobile frame is made independently. For this, square pipes 25x25 mm were used. The articulated axes of rotation of the steering wheel and skis are in the same plane and on the same line, so a continuous steering rod without ball ends was used.
Ski turning bushings are quite easy to make. A plumbing coupling with a 3/4-inch internal thread is welded onto the front cross member of the frame. The pipes with external threads are screwed in there. I welded the bipod of the ski rack and steering rod to them. Angles are installed on the skis, which serve as an attachment to the snowmobile's rotating stand. A metal undercut is made at the bottom to better control the snowmobile while driving on compacted snow or crust.
Chain tension is adjusted by motor offset
Driving a snowmobile is quite simple. To increase engine speed, use the gas handle, which is located on the steering wheel. This engages the automatic centrifugal clutch, causing the snowmobile to move. Since the engine power is low, the speed of the snowmobile is 10-15 km/h. Therefore, brakes are not provided. To stop you need to reduce the engine speed.
Tracks are manufactured in any width. Choose what is more convenient to make: a narrow but long track, or a wide but short one. It is important to remember that a larger track will put more strain on the engine and make the snowmobile more difficult to control. If the caterpillar is made small, the car may fall through in deep snow.
The weight of the snowmobile with all parts was 76 kg. It included: steering wheel and engine (25 kg), skis (5 kg), wheels with axles (9 kg), drive shaft (7 kg), caterpillar (9 kg), seat with racks (6 kg).
You can reduce the weight of some parts. For this size of a snowmobile with a caterpillar, the weight indicator is quite satisfactory.
Characteristics of the resulting homemade snowmobile
frame length 2000 mm;
track width 470 mm;
the axial distance of the support rollers is 1070 mm.
Homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor video
