Do-it-yourself snow scooter at home. Homemade snow scooters
As you can see on the example of this children's snowmobile, making it with your own hands is very simple - the main thing is to think over a design in advance in your head that will be easy and inexpensive to bring to life. and after that it is easy to transport it in a car, as well as store it in the garage (so that it takes up as little space as possible in disassembled form. This is the 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, it is not necessary to 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 sledges with riders.
Engine from a 6 hp walk-behind tractor with. for such a snowmobile will be just right, besides, the walk-behind tractor has been idle in my village all winter, waiting for spring arable work in the garden. I was going to make the caterpillar drive myself, using suitable ready-made parts for this purpose, for example, half of the caterpillar from the Buran snowmobile.
There are many descriptions on the Internet explaining how to independently make a motorized towing vehicle for fishermen from parts from a snowmobile.
On one of these sites, I discovered that there is a special installation kit for a motorcycle on sale - a ski instead of a front wheel and a track propeller with two small tracks. After installing this kit on a motorcycle, according to the seller, it turns into a full-fledged snowmobile. I very much doubted this: the track support area was too small for a motorcycle weighing more than 150 kg.
But for a small collapsible snowmobile, such a caterpillar propeller is just right, I just have to install the engine from the walk-behind tractor, a seat and a collapsible front part with skis for control on it. If I independently made a caterpillar propeller from ready-made parts and tracks from the Buran snowmobile, it would have cost me less, but winter was already in full swing. two guided skis.
I made a collapsible frame from square tubes with a cross section of 50-215.50 and 25-215.25 mm, and also used a two-seater scooter seat and a handlebar from a children's bike. Since the weight of the tracked mover is 20 kg, and the weight of the engine with an 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 front wheel forks from old bicycles, shortened to the required size, as swivel ski racks. For better handling of the snowmobile on rolled snow, I installed special undercuts made from an 8 mm metal bar on the plastic skis from below, and aluminum corners with holes for attaching to the steering pivots on top.
The details of the collapsible part of the frame were fastened together with the help of pins and bolts with wing nuts. The assembly takes only a few minutes, and no tools are required. The engine is installed on a quick-detachable platform, the drive from the engine to the rear shaft of the caterpillar propeller is carried out by a chain from the motorcycle.
The gear ratio is selected so that the maximum speed of the snowmobile does not exceed 20 km / h. In this case, the snowmobile can tow several sledges or snow scooters with riders behind it. The front part of the snowmobile - with the skis and the rear - with the caterpillar drive - are articulated, which made it possible to abandon shock-absorbing springs in the suspension of skis and tracks.
And the wide and soft scooter seat provides a comfortable ride on a snowmobile even for two adults. Since the speed of the snowmobile is low, and it practically does not roll due to the high resistance of the transmission and track. the snowmobile is not equipped with a brake; only the emergency stop button of the engine is sufficient.
Driving the snowmobile is very simple: after starting the engine, you need to turn the motorcycle throttle grip mounted on the handlebar.
As a result, the engine will rev up, the automatic clutch will engage, and the snowmobile will begin to move. As the engine rpm increases, so does the speed of the snowmobile, and when the throttle is released, the speed decreases and the snowmobile stops.
Do-it-yourself snowmobile: photo of a phased assembly
1. Disassembled snowmobile.
2. Assembling the snowmobile begins with installing the engine onto the tracked engine.
3. Two rods are attached to the caterpillar propeller, connecting it to the transverse beam, on which the swivel skis and the rudder stand are installed.
4-5. The front pillar and the seat support arc are inserted between the rods.
6. A beam with swivel skis and a rudder is connected to a caterpillar drive.
7. The connection between the parts of the snowmobile is carried out using pins and bolts with wing nuts.
Below are other entries on the topic "How to do it yourself - a householder!"
A self-contained child's snigokat with a dvigunom as a petrol mower
To date, we do not present any problems to purchase alpine skis or snowboards. They are sold in every sports store, however, you can always stand out from the crowd and ride down the slope on a homemade sports equipment for descending from the mountain.
In addition, the mass-produced equipment for roller coasters is not very suitable for teenagers and for entertainment. It is this gap that can be filled by making snow-scooters for descending from the mountain with your own hands.
Separately, it should be said about the sliding surface, the factory uses plastic, it glides 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 on snow just as well as branded plastic!
The winter sports equipment that you see in the pictures allows even a beginner, after a short training, to become a real slalomist. And this is despite the fact that on one apparatus they slide down the hill while lying down, on the other - while sitting, on the last one it is even more difficult - while standing.
Do you want to build yourself such shells?
Then get down to business! You have probably already paid attention to 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. We will tell you how to achieve this 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 movably interconnected brackets (assembly with parts 1-6) and two wooden skis. Some brackets are fixed to the platform, others to the skis. Special axes allow the fixed arms to swing in the plane of the transverse main centerline. The angle of inclination of the movable bracket, and hence the platform, depends on the elasticity of the rubber shock absorbers, therefore 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 is from a board. The thickness of the workpiece for the platform is at least 25 mm, and the ski is 20 mm. Choose solid, even, knot-free boards. Oak, elm, birch will do. If you are unable to 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 reinforced with steel plates. To be able to bend the ends of the blanks, boil them in a bucket for at least two hours. Hot fix them 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 shape. Collect it from planks and blocks. On the upper curved surface, one after the other, glue the veneer sheets using epoxy resin. When the glue is dry, the workpiece should be processed so that it looks as shown in the figure. The thickness of the multilayer workpiece must 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.
There are four swinging suspensions. They are the same, so here's how to make one. Cut out parts 1, 3, 4 and 7 from steel sheet (material thickness is shown in the figures). File sharp edges and burrs with a file and drill holes. To make the steel workpieces (parts 4 and 7) easier to bend, first heat the bend points, and only then start bending.
Make the axis 6, on which the bracket swings, from a steel bar with a diameter of 8 mm (its length is 130 mm). At the ends of the axle, you can cut a thread, 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 strip (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 attached to 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, you need to tilt the body in the direction of rotation. The center of gravity moves, so 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 rotate relative to the fixed ones, rigidly fixed to the board. The skis are turned in the direction the athlete is leaning towards.
ON THE BOARD Lying
This projectile is shown in the picture above. As we noted earlier, the main detail is the wide, curved ski board. To make it easier to lie, a support board is provided. Notice how it is attached to the ski: at the front with two door hinges, and at the back with two springs. The springs serve as shock absorbers - they soften the shock when descending an uneven hill. The same purpose is served by the foam mattress, which is tied with straps to the support board. In the supine position, it is difficult to change the position of the body and thereby make turns. A wide transverse board will help to facilitate this. There are handles on top of the board, and wide runners on the bottom. The board acts as a rudder. Holding these handles, the athlete easily moves his body to the right and left, shifts the center of gravity and makes a turn.
The figure shows: 1 - ski; 2 - T-shaped keel; 3 - loop; 4 - support board; 5, - runner; 6 - handle; 7 - steering board; 8 - screw MB; 9 - foam mattress; 10 - spring; 11 - bar; 12 - slipway.
Let's draw your attention to the technology of manufacturing 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 T-shaped duralumin corner. To give it an appropriate bend, place the workpiece with the upper shelf on the anvil and with short hammer blows on both sides of this shelf "pull out" the metal. Control the curvature of the bend as often as possible by placing the keel on the ski.
Springs can be taken off-the-shelf from an old bike saddle. The method of attaching the springs to the ski and to the support board is shown in the figure.
ON THE BOARD SITTING
This projectile is the simplest (Fig. 3). Cut the ski out of a 40-45 mm thick board with a narrow-blade hacksaw (detail 1). Its outlines are shown in the figure. Give the required curvature with a semicircular file. A steel plate 2 with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm and a width equal to the width of the ski will serve as a runner. The runner is attached to the ski with short screws. Seat 6 has dimensions of 300 X 200 mm, and low back 5 is 200X80 mm. Saw these parts out of a 20 mm thick wooden board. The seat and backrest are fastened to the ski with screws. Additional strength is given by the brackets 3 connecting the ski and the seat. For ease of use, the skis are equipped with handles 4.
You should only ride this projectile on a well-groomed slide, where the crust is strong enough. It is very difficult to sit on it, therefore your legs will help you maintain 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 up the hill.
- in armor we ride crating, in winter on 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 cross-country ability 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 a homemade track made of conveyor belt and plastic water pipes as lugs. At first I had doubts about the reliability of such a caterpillar and how the plastic parts would behave in the cold. But during the two-year winter operation, no breakdowns or severe wear of the pipes occurred. This inspired me to create a lightweight snowmobile for myself with the same homemade track.
Realizing perfectly well that the less the weight of the snowmobile and the larger the support area of the track, the better its passability on loose and deep snow will be, I tried to make the structure as light as possible.
The principle of operation of the snowmobile is very simple (fig. 1). Four wheels are installed inside the track, which, when moving, roll along the conveyor belt, on which the lugs are fixed. And the drive of the caterpillar 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 an automatic clutch with a capacity of only 6 hp. you will not accelerate quickly. I was going to ride a snowmobile not on rolled tracks, 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. A plastic water pipe with a diameter of 40 mm was cut into blanks for lugs with a length of 470 mm. Then each workpiece was sawn with a circular saw lengthwise into two equal parts.
Using the tool shown in fig. 2, with a circular saw on wood, I cut plastic pipes for lugs along the length.
The lugs were attached to the conveyor belt with two 6 mm diameter furniture bolts with a large semicircular head. When making 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.
To drill holes in the conveyor belt for fastening bolts with a diameter of 6 mm, I made a jig. He drilled the holes in the tape with a wood drill with a special sharpening.
Using such a jig, 6 holes can be drilled in the conveyor belt at once for attaching three track lugs.
In the store I bought four inflatable rubber wheels from a garden cart, two drive sprockets from the Buran snowmobile and two closed bearings No. 205 for the drive shaft of the caterpillar.
I asked a turner to make the drive shaft of the track and bearings for the bearings. The frame of the snowmobile was made by myself from square tubes of 25x25 mm.
Since the ski and rudder pivot pivots are on the same line and in the same plane, you can use a continuous steering rod without ball ends.
Ski sleeves are easy to make. I welded 3/4 ”female water pipe fittings to the front cross member. In them he screwed in branch pipes with an external thread, to which he welded the bipod of the steering rack of skis.
I recommend using skis from the Argomak children's snow scooter. They are lighter and more elastic, but they need to be fitted with corners for attaching to the pivot stand of the snowmobile and a metal undercut at the bottom - for better control of the snowmobile when driving on crust or packed snow.
The chain tension is adjusted by shifting the motor.
The snowmobile is very easy to operate. As the engine revs up with the throttle on the handlebars, the automatic centrifugal clutch engages and the snowmobile starts moving. Since the estimated speed of the snowmobile is not high (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 you may find useful when repeating this construction.
1. I cut the pipe for the tracks along the wood with a circular saw, first on one side, then on the other. So it turns out smoother than cutting both walls at once. It is more convenient to handle small workpieces. If you immediately cut a long pipe along, then in this case the plastic will melt and the saw blade will clamp.
2. Tracks can be made of any width. And each designer has the right to choose what is more convenient for him: to make a wide but short track or a narrow and long one. Just remember that with a large track, the snowmobile will not handle well and the engine is loaded more, and with a small track, it can fall through in loose deep snow.
3. Some of my photos show that there are plastic "barrels" installed inside the caterpillar. These are the guide stops for the skid, which should prevent the track from sliding off the rollers. But during the operation of the snowmobile, the caterpillar did not slide off the rollers even without a slip, so the "barrels" can not be installed, which will reduce the weight of the snowmobile.
4. At the end of winter, I completely disassembled the snowmobile to determine its weight. The weight of its individual units 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.
In total, everything together weighs 76 kg.
The weight of some parts can be reduced even further. Still, the weight for a sled 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; the distance between the axles of the support wheels (rollers) - 107 cm; track width - 47 cm. Track lug spacing depends on the thickness of the conveyor belt and it must be selected empirically (I got 93 mm).
I do not give the exact dimensions and drawings of the snowmobile parts, since everyone who is going to repeat the design will focus on those parts and components that they can purchase or make on their own.
For downhill skiing, instead of the usual sledges, it is better to use a snow scooter. Unlike a sled, it can be controlled. In addition, this technique can be used to slide down really steep hills.
There are several interesting Chinese options on sale. However, their quality usually leaves much to be desired: very thin tubes, flimsy welds and an uncomfortable seat. This applies not only to "adult" snow-scooters, but also to simple mini-constructions intended for children. The latter are generally not designed for real loads. Therefore, if you want to have a high-quality and comfortable snow scooter, you will have to pump the finished one or make a new one with your own hands.
A homemade snow scooter is not only convenient, but also has other advantages. You can make a model for two or even three people. In addition to durability, if you do the scooter correctly, you can achieve more controllability and maneuverability. You may find the following instructions helpful.
Materials used
With your own hands, a snow scooter can be made of wood, welded from metal tubes or using other kinds of materials. As the basis of a simple mini-snow scooter, you can use a regular sled or some other durable and lightweight metal frame.
You can also try upgrading or remodeling a purchased model or mini snow scooter for kids. Choosing the right materials will affect the integrity, quality and even speed of your snow scooter. If you make it out of wood, then, most likely, it will be a fragile and rather heavy structure.
How to make a homemade snow scooter correctly
Consider how you can make a strong and compact snow scooter for one person with your own hands. Its weight does not exceed 5 kg. As a basis, we need a U-shaped metal tube, for example, from the upper platform of a broken step-ladder or a tube from an old clamshell. The rest of the design is made even simpler from straight tubes. It is necessary to drill holes in the metal base tube and other details, through which the structure can then be bolted together. Therefore, the tubes should be taken quite wide with a diameter of 18–20 mm, but no more.When the main part of the snow scooter is ready, you need to make the steering wheel. In order not to make a handlebar with your own hands, you can take a ready-made one from a bicycle. To attach it, use the same principle as on a bicycle. Therefore, you will need a slightly wider tube, inside which a smaller tube will rotate on bearings.
It is unlikely that you can make skis with your own hands, so instead of them you can use ordinary ones made of wood, or parts from a snowmobile or a purchased snow scooter. The seat can be made more comfortable or simpler, according to your wishes. When the scooter is ready, the entire structure can be painted for aesthetics. This is especially true for wood parts. However, remember that paint should not be applied to the underside of the runners.
Those who are dissatisfied with purchased snow scooters, but do not want to do something with their own hands, often decide to just pump the finished branded model. You can improve the seat, strengthen the steel structure with additional struts, or put on "nimble" skis. For more comfort, some decide to "pump" the snow scooter by adding additional shock absorbers.
Winter always comes unexpectedly, even if you really expect it: one morning, waking up and looking out the window, we will see the long-awaited snow, which so entices the kids to frolic! And adults are usually not averse to having fun throwing a couple of snowballs, enjoying the clean frosty air and squinting at the sparkling white, not yet touched snow cover.
It would not be wrong to say that the main attribute of winter games for children (and often adults) is sledges.
You can't do without sledges and parents who have to take their kids to kindergarten; an important aid in the household is the sled, adapted solutions for various tasks. As a rule, any sled can be bought in a retail or online store: the choice of models is huge, the price range is very wide, the range of materials and colors used is also, as they say, for every taste. But what if you are a creative person, and artisan hands miss the tools? Of course, get down to business! And the money saved, the feeling of satisfaction with the result and the pride of the child for his father, who “can do anything!”, Will be a well-deserved reward. 
So, before getting down to business, you should choose the type of sled, think over their design and device, and also decide on the materials. Let's be honest, you can assemble a classic sled by yourself ("on your knee") 
or Finnish sleds, which are distinguished by the presence in the front of the seat with a backrest and elongated runners with small anti-slip foot platforms. 
As an option, you can consider a snow scooter with a front turning ski and a steering wheel, but this is somewhat beyond the scope of this article and, in the strict sense, is not a sled. 
The design and construction of children's sleds can be very diverse - from simple ones aimed at solving strictly utilitarian problems, to carved ones, using openwork elements and parts from bent wood, usually in a pseudo-traditional style. It will be no secret that every home craftsman chooses a design according to his capabilities and technical skills, often starting from the materials available. 
