A caterpillar snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor is perfect for moving through a snowy forest, overgrown bumps, and frozen swamps. The machine is made during the summer, using simple tools: metal jigsaw, electric drill, chisel and hammer, welding, etc. You will also need electric welding. Bearings can be purchased at a car dealership, and shaft ends can be ordered at a workshop.
Do-it-yourself caterpillar snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
For the manufacture of a caterpillar snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor, simple materials are used. The frame is made of stamped channels and square tubes. For the manufacture of shafts, round water and gas pipes are used. The engine was used from the Neva walk-behind tractor.
In appearance, the snowmobile came out a little rough. But after conducting winter tests, good driving performance: speed, permeability. It is also light and compact, and in terms of fuel consumption it is quite economical. The original design assumed an asymmetrical engine layout. This gave a number of advantages: during maintenance - good access to the engine; convenient start and gear shift; redirecting the chain drive directly to the track drive shaft.
But during the tests, when moving on loose snow, when a turn was made, the snowmobile often fell over. Because of this circumstance, it was decided to place the engine in the center of the front of the snowmobile. The design has been finalized, and especially the front of the frame. An intermediate shaft was also installed, which transmitted torque from the engine to the caterpillar. In addition, modernization was carried out, which improved the driving performance, comfort and reliability of the snowmobile.
How to make a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
The scheme of drive units and the frame of a homemade snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor:
- homemade frame (1);
- second countershaft sprocket with 17 teeth (2);
- intermediate shaft (3);
- the first countershaft sprocket, 21 teeth (4);
- track driven sprocket, 37 teeth(5);
- track drive sprocket, 8 teeth (6); caterpillar drive shaft (7);
- two support ski racks, made of steel pipe 32x4 (8);
- two tension rollers caterpillars (9);
- idler axle made of steel pipe (10);
- hitch (11); tensioner (12);
- four drum flanges made of steel sheet (13);
- four track drive sprocket flanges made of sheet steel (14);
- steering puff (15).
In order to place the engine with the subframe in the center of the front of the frame, a platform was welded there, in which holes were prepared for the "legs" of the subframe. Similar holes are made in the traverse. The holes in the "legs" of the subframe were converted into longitudinal slots to tighten drive chain when moving the engine.
The seatpost frame has also been redesigned and moved back a little. Thanks to this, the engine is started on the handle. A big plus was the presence of a forced cooling motoblock on the engine. I used this to direct the air heated by the engine cooling to the carburetor. The gas tank was also moved to the body. It is installed there on racks in the corner, for supplying gasoline to the carburetor by gravity through a long hose.
Moving the engine to the center of the car, led to increased stability. Thanks to this, the track of the steering skis was reduced to 950 mm, which led to an improvement in the maneuverability of the snowmobile.
After the intermediate shaft was installed, the angular speed was reduced due to the increase in torque. The speed of the snowmobile was slightly reduced, but the traction characteristics were significantly increased. Now the snowmobile is able to carry two riders with cargo, and pull a light sled with luggage. The drive sprockets of the caterpillar mover were also replaced with the same smaller diameter ones.
Scheme of the steering rack of a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
- Steering rack diagram:
- front traverse of the frame (1);
- rack made of steel pipe (2);
- steering wheel support (3) made from a 25x25 corner;
- steering shaft made of steel pipe (4);
- crossbar made of steel pipe 28x28 (5);
- bipod (6); bronze washer (7);
- support sleeve with angle (8);
- nut, type M10 (9).
It was this small improvement that led to an improvement in the snowmobile's patency. There was a lifting of the sprocket above the supporting ski. As a result, the caterpillar reaches the upper layers of snow much easier, and it also overcomes bumps, sastrugi, etc. more confidently.
Scheme of the intermediate shaft assembly of a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor
Scheme of the intermediate shaft assembly:
- seat support made of steel (1);
- frame cross member made of steel pipe 28x28 (2);
- stand made of steel pipe 18x18 (3);
- a traverse made from a 45x25 corner (4);
- jib made of steel plate 40x5 (5);
- two bearings 204 in the housing (6);
- steel intermediate shaft made of pipe 27x3 (7);
- first sprocket with 21 teeth (8);
- frame spar (9);
- second sprocket with 17 teeth (10);
- rubber casing (11).
Checking the snowmobile before the upgrade revealed that the sprocket teeth frequently hit the wooden track. Therefore, it was decided to cut off all the teeth, making them rollers. After the upgrade, the caterpillar moves from skis to rollers smoothly, silently and without crackling. The tension mechanism has also been improved: now it has become a screw.
Scheme of the caterpillar block of a homemade snowmobile
Scheme of the caterpillar block:
- made of steel bar, two ties with M8 nut (1);
- track block drive sprocket (2);
- caterpillar drive shaft (3);
- tensioner and roller (4 and 5);
- track made of rail (6);
- spar homemade frame (7);
- driven sprocket of the caterpillar shaft (8);
- supporting ski (9);
- support ski suspension bracket made from a channel (10);
- bolts: M8 and M6 (11 and 12.13);
- brass guide (14);
- screw (15);
- support ski sole (16);
- fastening of the bearing housing (17);
- idler axle (18).
We did not forget about the alteration of the caterpillar. The number of tracks was increased to 33, and the distance between them was reduced to 38 mm. The dimensions of the tracks are 500x38x18 mm. To ensure the accuracy of mounting the tracks, a slipway template was assembled. This made it possible to avoid distortions.
The front steering skis have also been upgraded. From above, they were reinforced with spars. Springs have been introduced into the suspension of the skis, which allows the snowmobile to go smoothly on the snow crust. This increased the life of the skis and frame. A handle was attached to the body pillar, for the convenience of pulling out a stuck snowmobile. For the same purpose, a similar handle was attached to the wads.
Since the engine was going to use 6-10l / s, and the mass of the snowmobile should be small, from a genuine caterpillar for snowmobiles on the fly, categorically categorically refused. I was going to make myself a caterpillar about 4 meters long and 50 cm wide, but I could not get a suitable size conveyor belt in any way, I had to make the caterpillar shorter than about 2.7 meters long. track width came out 47cm. For the manufacture of the caterpillar, I made a conductor with the help of which I made holes in the conveyor belt with a feather drill.
In the store I bought four wheels from a cart with bearings, two soft stars from BURAN, and two 205 bearings for the drive shaft, a plastic pipe with a diameter of 40mm. 8 meters long, I found everything else for building a snowmobile in the barn, a square pipe 25X25mm, from an old office table for a frame, trimming corners, plumbing shackles and couplings.
I made drawings for a turner and a week later they made the necessary parts for me. The assembly process is clear from the photographs, everything is very simple, and the principle of operation of the future snowmobile is approximately the same on a hard surface (rolled paths) the snowmobile moves on wheels, the ski that is inside the caterpillar does not touch the tracks, only with its sides does not allow the caterpillar to move to the side, thereby there is no additional load and wear of the tracks without lubricating the tracks with snow, and in loose snow the emphasis is on the ski.
For the first day off, I made a caterpillar and a drive shaft, fixed it on the frame, since the turner did not have time to make the shafts for the wheels.
Turning the skis was very simple, I welded water couplings to the cross beam of the frame, they are screwed into the spurs with mounts for skis and tie rod. For this reason, everything is very simple and reliable, no bushings and turning work, only the presence of grease and a long service life is ensured, and by turning and screwing the spur, you can adjust the height of the ski rack.
The fastening of the front wheels is without adjustment, the fastening of the day wheels is made movably moving the axle, the track is tensioned.
Tie rod is solid and not adjustable (this is a temporary option)
Chain adjustment, motor displacement.
SEE THE PHOTO (CLICK ON THE PHOTO THEY WILL INCREASE)
That’s what I got, unfortunately I haven’t managed to install the support ski into the inside of the caterpillar yet, but I’ve already been riding the truth now on the snow surface and it’s too early to draw conclusions, but even without the support ski, the tracks hold the snowmobile and don’t break into axle boxes, which is clearly visible on photos, the result is still satisfied, the design turned out to be very easy. I haven’t cut the frame yet, I want to check how the short caterpillar behaves in deep and loose snow, the distance between the skis can be reduced, and I want to put the engine with a 125cm3 variator from a scooter, or 150cm3 in a day with a speed from an ATV, but of course, of course, work on the engine ynom, but this is probably by next winter, although who knows.
The snowmobile, about which the story will go, was assembled by tenth grader Sergei Sorokin from the Altai village of Ust-Kamanka. And this is not surprising. The guy has been fond of technology since childhood - for eight years he has been studying at the Central Children's Art Center (Center for Children's Creativity) in the "Small-sized Equipment" circle. In the selection of drawings and the design of the layout and transmission diagrams of the machine, the head of the circle, Viktor Aleksandrovich Kurbatov, helped. Responsible welding work was helped by his father, Boris Andreevich. Everything else, up to the processing of parts on the machines, he did himself. In total, Sergei built a snowmobile for about a year, it took almost four months to assemble it alone, from autumn to spring. And until the snow melted, he only had time to test it, "plowed" all the snowdrifts around the house. But now he has revealed some shortcomings, which he is going to eliminate by the next season.
Our edges are snowy, and winter lasts almost half a year. Therefore, every local boy dreams of a snowmobile - the ability of this machine to overcome deep snowdrifts is amazing. A friend advised me to build a caterpillar snowmobile - he himself began to make the same car in the winter (although he then cooled down and abandoned it). In addition, I already had a summer transport - a scooter. In the spring, I also started work, albeit slowly (besides, it was slowed down by problems with welding).
1 - guide ski (2 pcs.); 2 - silencer; 3- exhaust pipe; 4 - engine (from motorcycle K-125); 5 – steering shaft (pipe d22); 6 - steering wheel; 7 - gas tank; 8 - inclined seat post (pipe 20 × 20, 2 pcs.); 9 - vertical seat posts (pipe 20 × 20, 4 pcs.); 10 - seat cushion (s50 foam rubber, sheathed with leatherette); 11 - caterpillar; 12 - tension axle assembly with two rollers); 13 - subframe with supporting ski and skids; 14 - frame; 15 - caterpillar drive shaft assembly; 16 – footboard (stamped steel grating, 2 pcs.); 17 - seat frame trim (plywood s5)
It turned out to be easy to decide on the design - since there was still not enough experience, I decided to build in the likeness of those that were in the circle: tricycle (with a caterpillar made of wooden bars on two strips of conveyor belt and two front steering skis). To simplify the design, it was considered expedient to perform these support units without shock-absorbing suspensions. In the summer, I prepared a tape and bars for a caterpillar, bought a "second-hand" (used) power unit from a Minsk motorcycle. The engine had to replace the piston and rings. And in the fall, when we bought a welding unit, the work on creating a snowmobile quickened.
The frame of the snowmobile, although spatial, is simple - rectangular in plan. Its main power elements (spars and crossbars) are welded from steel pipes of rectangular section 40 × 20 mm, auxiliary - from square pipes - 20 × 20 mm. The front traverse is made of a pipe with a section of 60 × 30 mm and is welded to the front ends of the side members at an angle of 15 degrees (the angle between the longer wall of the pipe and the horizontal). In fact, all crossbars, except for the first one, are made in the form of portals (U-shaped, only on short racks). At first, I made the racks of the portal cross members slightly inclined inwards (it seemed to me that it would be more beautiful), but, as it turned out during the tests, the ends of the tracks began to touch them. It was necessary to shorten the already short tracks, so I decided that it was better to digest the portals, making them rectangular.
The details of the frame can also be attributed to the body of the steering knuckles of controlled skis. The bodies are made of a steel pipe with an outer diameter of 32 mm and a wall thickness of 5 mm and are welded to the ends of the traverse at an angle of 15 degrees to the vertical.
1 – front bumper (steel pipe 20×20); 2 - bushing of the steering knuckle of the guide ski (pipe 022, 2 pcs.); 3 - front mounting eye power unit(steel sheet s4); 4 – spar (pipe 40×20, 2 pcs.); 5 - rear eye for fastening the power unit (steel sheet s4); b - strut (steel pipe 20 × 20); 7 – support post of the steering shaft bushing (pipe 20×20); 8 - steering shaft bushing (pipe 028); 9 - backing plate of the seat (steel sheet s2); 10 - spinal jumper (pipe 20 × 20); 11 - portal racks (pipe 20 × 20, 6 pcs.); 12 - rear bumper(pipe 20×20); 13 - scarf (steel sheet s4, 4 pcs.); 14 - bracket for fastening the drive shaft and the tension axle of the caterpillar (steel sheet s4, 4 pcs.); 15 - footboard frame (pipe 20 × 20.2 pcs.); 16 - portal jumper (pipe 20 × 20.3 pieces); 17 - support cross member (pipe 20×20); 18 – traverse (pipe 50×30)
1 - frame (steel corner No. 2); 2 - sole (polyethylene s5); 3 - base (steel sheet s2); 4 - bracket (2 pcs.); 5 - rivets (bottom - flush heads, set)
1 - skid (steel sheet s3); 2 – ridge (steel pipe 20×20); 3 - bushing (steel pipe d26x2)
The caterpillar drive is similar to what most do-it-yourselfers use. Its caterpillar is a pair of parallel endless strips (with riveted ends) of a 65 mm wide conveyor belt, uniting tracks made of wooden bars with a section of 50 × 40 mm, attached to them in 100 mm increments. The total length of the caterpillar is just over two meters, the number of tracks on it is 20 pieces. So that the caterpillar does not “move out” to the sides, corners are fixed at the ends of the track bars (after one or two) on the free side. Each corner is a welded part, and their vertical shelves-walls are made rounded (from a pipe) so that the corners themselves cannot wedge on the support ski or drive gears.
1 – drive sprocket of caterpillar drive shaft (z=32); 2 - bearing housing No. 205 (2 pcs.); 3 - key; 4 – drive sprocket hub (pipe d40x7.5); 5 – gear wheel z=8, t=50 (duralumin); 6 - flange for fastening the gear to the shaft (steel sheet s4, 2 pcs.); 7 - shaft (steel, circle 25); 8 - bolt M8x25 (8 pcs.); 9 - bearing No. 205 (2 pcs.); 10 - caterpillar; 11 - bracket for attaching the shaft to the frame
Caterpillar (a-front view; b - track docking unit; c - top view of the left along the track):
1 - track (birch beam 50 × 40, set); 2-strip (conveyor belt 65×10, 2 pieces); 3-limiter (steel sheet s4, set); 4 - plate (steel sheet s4, set); 5 - M6 bolt with plain and spring washers, set)
The lower branch of the caterpillar is supported by a support ski, and the upper branch is not allowed to sag by two skids made of wooden bars with a section of 50 × 50 mm. The ends of the skids are beveled for easier entry and silent descent of the caterpillar from them. The support ski is made of 5 mm thick polyethylene sheet on the basis of a 2 mm steel sheet with a frame made of angle No. 2. It has upward folds in front and behind. Snow itself serves as a lubricant when the tracks slide on the support ski and skids, which, as practice shows, ensures the service life of parts for one or two seasons (depending on the intensity of operation), after which they have to be changed. The support ski in the subframe is pivotally attached to a pair of uprights welded at other ends to an additional frame cross member made of a 50×50 mm rolled corner. But on the very first tests, the rack began to bend. I had to reinforce them with struts from a steel strip with a section of 30 × 4 mm. The skids are installed parallel to the spars and are fixed to the additional cross member of the frame rigidly with M10 bolts.
The power unit, as mentioned above, was used from the Minsk motorcycle (two-stroke, working volume - 125 cm3 and power - 10 hp). He was placed in front, in the middle of the frame. This arrangement made it possible not to think about the weight distribution of the unit, but forced the steering shaft to be made “curved” so that when turning it bypasses the engine cylinder without touching it. The engine was fixed to the frame with a pair of eye brackets made of 4 mm steel sheet and cut out in the form of regular ones, which are welded to the motorcycle frame. The motor was not subjected to any alterations, even the output shaft sprocket remained regular, fifteen-toothed.
1 - steering wheel (from the motorcycle "Minsk"); 2 – steering shaft (steel pipe d22x2); 3 – steering arm (steel sheet s4); 4 - steering knuckle lever (steel sheet s4, 2 pcs.); 5 - transverse rod (steel sheet s4.2 pcs.); 6 - kingpin with a fork (2 pcs.); 7 - housing of the steering knuckle (steel pipe d32x5.2 pcs.); 8 - plain bearing (kapron, 4 pcs.); 9 - traverse
1 – the case of a rotary fist; 2 - kingpin (steel, circle 16, 2 pcs.); 3 - fork (channel No. 5); 4 - the axis of the fist (steel, circle 16.2 pcs.); 5 - axle plain bearing (kapron. 2 pcs.); 6 - nut M16 with a spring washer for fastening the axle (2 sets); 7 - steering knuckle lever (steel sheet s4); 8 - nut M16 with a spring washer for fastening the lever; 9 - sliding bearing of the king pin (kapron, 4 pcs.); 10 - frame traverse; 11 - ski stiffener (ski spine); 12 - ski runner; 13 - ski sleeve
Fuel (mixture of gasoline with engine oil for two-stroke engines) is supplied to the engine carburetor by gravity, from a home-made gas tank with a volume of 5 liters, located above the engine between the steering wheel and the seat.
The snowmobile transmission is also the simplest - without an intermediate shaft and gearbox. A chain drive from the output shaft transmits rotation directly to the drive sprocket of the caterpillar shaft, on which a pair of drive gear wheels of the caterpillar is fixed. The gear wheels were cast in a mug from aluminum melted in an electric furnace into a cast iron mold. They are connected to the shaft through round steel flanges welded to it, each with four M8 bolts.
The shaft rotates in two bearings No. 203, the housings of which are fixed on the plate frame brackets intended for them (welded to the spars). In the likeness of the drive shaft, the tension axle is also made, only instead of the drive gear wheels, two rubber-coated rollers with a smaller diameter are installed on it.
The chain is tensioned (or loosened for dismantling) by moving the drive shaft away from the power unit, and the track by moving the rear idler axle further back.
Guide skis (there are two of them) are made of steel sheet 3 mm thick and reinforced with a longitudinal stiffener welded on top from a steel pipe with a cross section of 20 × 20 mm. The ski is pivotally connected to the steering knuckle strut and has the ability to turn in a vertical plane - to run into obstacles and run around them. In the horizontal plane, the ski turns with the fist from the action of the steering rods when the steering wheel is turned. Skis do not have undercuts (or, as they are often called, “knives”), but this does not affect handling much, since the skis themselves are quite narrow.
Steering is typical for snowmobiles with two steering skis and ATVs: a motorcycle-type stag handlebar, a steering shaft with a bipod, and lateral rods with knuckles- already by the type of automobile. The peculiarity of the steering shaft was noted above - it is “curved”.
In many regions of Russia in winter, the only means of transportation is a snowmobile. However, in times of financial crisis, not everyone can afford to buy expensive equipment. Why not remember the possibilities of a home-made designer with a universal motor installation "UMU", which will allow you to make a snowmobile with your own hands.
Our snowmobile consists of two parts. The first - driven - rests on skids in the form of skis with a driver's seat. The second - the leading one - consists of a motor unit "UMU" with a wheel drive. Both parts of the snowmobile are connected by a vertical hinge, which allows them to take different angular positions relative to each other.
The driven part includes supporting frame with driver's seat and control levers. It pivotally rests on the brackets of the runners. With a swivel stand, the carrier frame is rigidly fastened.
The runners are a pair of wide wooden skis connected in parallel to each other. Swivel brackets are installed in the middle part of each ski.
The frame design provides attachment points for a removable foot platform equipped with brake pedals.
The snowmobile control levers are connected by a single sleeve and are fixed with screws under the driver's seat.
Rubber tips are put on the handles of the levers. The right handle is equipped with a cable-operated gas adjustment mechanism from a serial motorcycle.
Steering rods will have to be made by yourself. Thin-walled steel tubes with a diameter of 16 ... 18 mm are suitable. At their ends, it is necessary to install connecting hinges capable of operating in two angular planes.
In the second part of the snowmobile, a drive axle is installed with homemade wheels low pressure. The best solution- apply pneumatic chambers from cars; when inflated, their outer diameter is approximately 80 mm.
It is best to make the supporting frame (see Fig. 2) of the driven part of the snowmobile from a thin-walled steel pipe with a diameter of 40 mm. It is difficult to bend a pipe of this diameter without a special device, so the swivel rack of the frame in its lower part will have to be assembled from two straight pieces by welding. If, nevertheless, it is possible to bend the pipe qualitatively without violating its cross section at the bend, then we recommend starting the manufacture of the driven frame from this operation.
Rice. 2. Frame design
1 - turntable, 2 - support beam, 3 - bushing of the lever axis, A - dimensions of the central part, B - general view of the carrier frame.
Cut the rest of the tubular blanks with a hacksaw. File the joints with a semicircular file. Lay the turntable with the bent (or welded) end on a flat horizontal surface (concrete floor) and tack the mating parts with gas or electric welding. Make sure that all tacked frame parts are exactly in the same plane. To do this, tap the pipe along its entire length with a hammer. Only after this operation, weld all the parts together.
The next step is the manufacture of flanges and plates of the support beam. Weld one of the finished flanges to the end of the support beam, keeping perpendicular to the pipe axis. Put two plates on the beam and weld the second flange to the opposite end, observing the alignment of the holes in both flanges. To install the support beam on the supporting frame, weld the lining on both sides of it, as shown in Figure 2.
Make sure that the beam is tacked perpendicular to the plane of the frame.
After that, weld the lining. Make sure that the beam moves freely along its axis and simultaneously rotates in the plates. Moving the beam along the axis, select such a position that the distance from the plates to the flanges is the same both on the left and on the right. Mark this position with risks.
Now, according to Figure 2, set the angle of the flange so that the free holes look straight down. Once again check the position of the marks and weld the beam pipe to the lining by welding. Make the final adjustment and only then weld the seam clean.
To install the arm axle bushing detailed description not required. It is much more difficult to install the brackets of the rotary axis, treat this work very carefully, because here you need to maintain maximum accuracy in the alignment of the holes with each other, as well as the location of the plane of the centers of these holes with the center of the rotary rack and the axis of the middle section of the frame.
The frame assembly is completed by welding the seat brackets and stiffeners.
For a pair of skis (see Fig. 3), you will need to make two identical spacers, two identical brackets with axles and the actual pair of skis.
Rice. 3. General view of the ski pair
Rice. 4. Control details
1 - left control lever, 2 - control lever mounting, 3 - lever bushing, 4 - hinge end parts (8 pcs.), 5 - central hinge parts (4 pcs.)
As for the spacers, they will have to be cut from pipe sections with a diameter of 22 mm. Weld corners made of sheet steel 3 mm thick to them. The brackets will have to be bent from the same steel, and the axles will have to be machined on a lathe.
Skis are best made by yourself from sheets of 3 mm plywood in 9 or 10 layers. The best glue is epoxy. Drying is carried out on a mandrel using powerful clamps. You can read more about this operation in "Lefty" No. 12 for 1997 (article "In the snow, like on asphalt").
The levers and control rods (see Fig. 4) are simple in design, even though they require welding and turning during their manufacture. Pay great attention to the accuracy of the articulated rods. Eliminate all backlashes, if possible, during assembly.
We will not describe in detail the manufacture of the foot platform, brake pedals and seat either - their design is clear from Figure 5.
To connect the driven part of the snowmobile to the driving part, a steering axle is required. Make it from a piece of steel pipe with a diameter of 22 mm and a length of 140 mm. Weld a square sheet steel flange on one end and drill a hole for the end washer stopper on the other end. For the exact dimensions of the axle, flange and end washer, see page 10 in "Lefty" No. 4 of 2008 - the lower part of the universal handlebar.
By the way, from the same issue of the magazine, use the design of the drive axle, taking it as a basis in your snowmobile, replacing only the flanges shown in Figure 6.
Rice. 5. Foot platform device
1 - brake pedal, 2 - brake cable, 3 - platform, 4 - platform bracket, 5 - brake lever.
Rice. 6. Wheel flange
For the final assembly of the snowmobile, you will need to slightly modify the micro-bike footrest bracket (see "Lefty" # 9, 2008), which is used to attach the snowmobile's swivel links. The completion of the bracket is shown in Figure 7.
Rice. 7. Connection of swivel rods
1 - swivel rod, 2 - hinge, 3 - locking hole M-6 (2 pcs.), 4 - stiffening scarf
For the simplest homemade snowmobile, you will need an old moped, welding and some scrap metal to create a snowmobile frame.
As you can see from the photo, the main alteration is the installation of skis instead of front wheel and the manufacture of saddles based on skis.
It is better to buy ready-made skis, after all, skis are the basis of a snowmobile, but if it doesn’t work out, then you can make it yourself from duralumin. Just teach, duralumin cannot be boiled by ordinary welding, argon is needed. Anyone who claims that duralumin cannot be boiled is wrong. Argon-arc welding can easily weld duralumin without violating its durability.
The motor mount is also redesigned for a wider snowmobile base. Here you can get by with the usual metal corners and arc welding.
A grouser drive wheel is just as easy to make yourself. The transmission of rotation from the motor to the wheel is chain. Do not try to make huge lugs, if frozen ground gets under the lugs of a homemade snowmobile at the moment of full throttle, then there is a high probability that the chain will break.
The muffler can be made by hand. You can’t achieve special qualities in noise reduction, rolling the bear through the taiga with the chirp of the engine of a makeshift snowmobile, you still won’t wake up the bear, and other animals will beware of messing with the rumbling miracle.
Moped launcher is being converted to a manual start. All the same, in felt boots it is impossible to start by pulling the clockwork lever with your foot.
A box welded under a harness on a homemade snowmobile is good to use for storing keys and spare parts. But it’s better to put a bottle of vodka in such a glove compartment of a snowmobile made by yourself. In case you break the chain. Without vodka it's hard in the cold, but you can live with vodka.
As you can see, making a snowmobile with your own hands in the garage is quite simple. It remains only to wish good luck to home-made people who love to ride on the snowy plains of our Motherland on home-made snowmobiles!
How to make a homemade snowmobile with your own hands: diagram, photo and device
Such a homemade snowmobile was made in a few weeks with his own hands in his own garage. As you can see, its device is very simple, and it will be quite within the power of many home craftsmen.
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 years winter operation There were no breakdowns and severe wear of the pipes. This inspired me to create a light snowmobile for myself with the same homemade track.
In the photo above homemade caterpillar snowmobile- at the top single and at the bottom double option.
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 Buran snowmobile.
With an engine from a conventional walk-behind tractor with automatic clutch with a capacity of only 6 Horse power 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.
Caterpillars for a homemade snowmobile
First I made a caterpillar. I cut a plastic water pipe with a cross section of 40 mm 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.
Figure 1. Drawing diagram of a homemade snowmobile
I attached the lugs to the conveyor belt with two 6 mm furniture bolts with a large semicircular head. When manufacturing a 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.
Figure 2. Plastic pipe cutter:
1. wooden block;
2. plastic pipe;
3. metal corner.
To drill holes in the conveyor belt for mounting bolts 6 mm, the conductor made. 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 25 × 25 mm.
Since the hinge axes of the skis and the rudder are on the same line and in the same plane, you can use a continuous tie rod without ball joints.
Ski turn bushings are easy to make. I welded 3/4" female plumbing couplers to the front cross member of the frame. He screwed pipes with external threads into them, to which he attached the tie rod bipods and ski racks 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 the tracks along the manual circular saw on the tree, 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 was 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.
In the photo, the stages of manufacturing a snowmobile according to the above diagrams-drawings:
- Preparations of lugs for the future caterpillar.
- Special drive sprocket from the Buran snowmobile.
- Homemade track drive shaft with chain and track sprockets installed.
- Jig for drilling holes in the conveyor belt.
- Track rollers with axles and mounting brackets to the snowmobile frame.
- The drive from the engine of the drive shaft of the caterpillar is carried out by a chain from the motorcycle.
- Snowmobile frame with drive shaft and track rollers.
- Ski steering mechanism.
- I put plastic skis from children's Chinese sleds on this snowmobile. But the plastic from which they are made turned out to be very fragile and by the end of winter one of the skis broke.
- Skis from the snowmobile "Argomak" with an installed undercut (ridge) and mounting brackets for installation on a snowmobile.
- Ski swivel bushings. It's very simple: no bearings. It is only necessary to apply lubricant to the threads, and a long service life is guaranteed. In addition, by screwing in or out of the pipes, you can change the clearance of the snowmobile.
- The axle of the front wheels (track rollers) is fixedly attached to the frame, and the axle of the rear wheels-rollers can be moved by turning the bolt to adjust the tension of the track.
In regions with heavy snowfall in winter, use two-wheeler impractical. But a car is not always needed. In such cases, a snowmobile comes to the rescue, but this mode of transport is expensive. If you wish, you can make a snowmobile with your own hands, and there are many ways to do this.
How to make a snowmobile
You can make a snowmobile from different Vehicle that are in the garage.
From a motorcycle
You can make a snowmobile out of a motorcycle using different models for this. The most popular are IZH and Ural. The advantage of this alteration is that no special changes need to be made. With good preservation of the funds, you can even leave your native frame.
The conversion technology is as follows:
- From metal pipes or appropriate corners, make a rectangular frame. Its optimal dimensions are 150 * 43.5 cm.
- In addition to the IZH motorcycle, it is necessary to make a steering beam. It is made from metal corners. Optimal dimensions— 50*50*5 mm. Additionally, the beam is sheathed with metal plates.
- After that, it can be installed horizontally on the drilling machine. Process the junction. Do the same with the frame. In these places, you need to make special grooves for secure fixation. In addition, attach a corner to the front frame.
- Now you can attach the motorcycle seat.
- You need to make holes in the spars.
- Between the front and middle part of the frame, it is necessary to place a channel to strengthen the structure.
- Regardless of whether a snowmobile is made from the Ural or another motorcycle model, it is necessary to select a caterpillar sprocket and a rubber band in advance. The optimal dimensions are 220 * 30 cm with a thickness of not more than 1 cm.
- Before installation, it is recommended to sheathe the caterpillar with nylon, which will allow the material not to delaminate during operation.
- Now you can move on to the transmission. It consists of two parts. First - front axle, is leading. It is made from a tubular shaft, caterpillar sprocket and roller. Second - rear axle. It is made from a caterpillar drum and a tubular shaft.
- You need to finish the process of making a snowmobile by welding sheet metal skis.
When converting a motorcycle to a snowmobile, it is important not to change the steering system. In the final product, this part must perform its original functions.
The principles of rework are the same, they do not depend on the model of transport. But a snowmobile from a Ural motorcycle will be heavier.
From Zhiguli
The design of the car is characterized by simplicity, ease of control and high maneuverability. For manufacturing, you need to follow the instructions:
- Frame assembly. It is better to make it from pipes. The frame consists of a front and a central beam (steel pipes with a diameter of 5 cm), two lower diagonal elements (bent pipes with a diameter of 3 cm) and a rear strut. Welding is used to fix the elements.
- Installation of steering columns. To do this, two bushings must be placed on the front beam.
- Half shaft fixing. It is located on the rear frame, you first need to weld the body under it. It is made from a metal pipe with a diameter of 6 cm. Fix the axle shafts with bushings and electric rivets.
- Installing the engine from the car. First you need to make the front and rear fasteners on the central beam of the frame. First they need to be placed on the engine itself, and only then welded to the frame.
- In a homemade snowmobile, you can install large diameter wheels or sheet metal skis. In the first case, the rear and front wheels must be connected in pairs with a metal pipe. At the same time, make grooves in the hub for bearings, which are subsequently fixed with spring rings. Additionally, install a spacer between the bearings.
- On each wheel, install an asterisk, depending on the intended top speed. This snowmobile can be used at any time of the year. For a snowy winter, a design is suitable in which the front wheels are replaced with skis.
- Steering system installation. It is taken whole from a car, for example, from Zaporozhets, or a motorcycle. The choice depends on personal preference. In the first case, gas, clutch and brake pedals are additionally installed. The gearbox is controlled by a lever and a rigid link.
- Installing the cabin of a snowmobile, the role of which is performed by the body of the car.