How to assemble a homemade snowmobile with your own hands on different types of tracks

Fishermen, hunters and winter sports enthusiasts use snowmobiles to travel to the best vacation spots. Even inexpensive models of such equipment cost about a hundred thousand rubles, often more. Those who want to save money can assemble a homemade snowmobile on tracks in a regular garage workshop. The cost of parts for construction does not exceed 40 thousand rubles.

Snowmobile device

Homemade snowmobiles are built on caterpillar tracks. The tracks are driven by an internal combustion engine mounted on a rigid metal frame. They are supported in working position by wheels and special rollers. Main options:

With a solid or fracture frame.
With rigid or shock-absorbed suspension.
With an engine from a walk-behind tractor or from a stroller.

Short skis are used for steering. Light snowmobiles (weighing up to 100 kg), designed to travel at a maximum speed of up to 15 km/h, do not necessarily require a braking system. They stop easily when engine speed drops. make a homemade snowmobile on tracks using the following algorithm:

Selection of engine, calculation of frame and chassis.
Frame assembly by spot welding.
Steering device.
Installing the engine in the design position on a temporary mount.
Checking the structure for resistance to capsizing.
If the test is successful, the frame is completely welded and the engine is installed.
Installation of drive system, axles.
Assembly and installation of tracks.
Installation of body parts.

After this, final tests are carried out. If the snowmobile drives normally and does not tip over, then it is driven into the garage and disassembled. The frame is cleaned of rust, painted in 2 layers, the remaining elements are finished, and then a homemade snowmobile on tracks is assembled with your own hands.

Making a snowmobile using a chainsaw

A chainsaw is a universal tool for working with large wooden beams that are difficult to deform.

With this tool you can make a real snowmobile.

Let's figure out how to make a snowmobile with your own hands from a chainsaw. First of all, pay attention to the 2nd subtitle of the article, which indicates all the necessary materials for construction. So let's get started:

Based on the dimensions of the future snowmobile, start adjusting the dimensions of the bars with a chainsaw.
Next, using a chainsaw, we begin to cut out small parts that will be needed to securely fix the lower support.
Next comes the same sequence of actions as already written earlier.

Engine selection

Gasoline engines are used for walk-behind tractors or strollers. Engine speed is controlled by a throttle handle located on the steering wheel. To make a homemade tracked snowmobile with your own hands, the easiest way is to use ready-made small-volume engines for walk-behind tractors with pre-installed:

Fuel tank.
Ignition system.
Reduction gearbox with a ratio of 1:2.
Centrifugal clutch, automatically activated when the speed increases.

The power of these engines does not exceed 10 horsepower, but they are easy to install: the technician does not need to separately assemble the ignition system, connect fuel pipes, adjust the clutch, etc. There are different options on the market:

Brand	Model	Power, l. With.	Volume, cm3	Weight, kg	Approximate price, thousand rubles.
Kipor	KG160S	4,1	163	15,5	20−25
Sadko	GE-200R	6,5	196	15,7	15−20
Lifan	168 FD-R	5,5	196	18,0	15−20
Zongshen	ZS168FB4	6,5	196	16,0	10−15
Nomad	NT200R	6,5	196	20,1	10−15
Brait	BR-177F-2R	9,0	270	30,0	10−15
Honda	GX - 270	9,0	270	25,0	45−50

If it is not possible to purchase a ready-made engine from a walk-behind tractor, then you can use an engine from a stroller. Such engines are 10-15 horsepower more powerful, but require self-assembly. The system includes:

Engine.
Clutch.
Gearbox.
Gas tank (volume 5-10 liters).
Muffler.
Generator.
Electronic ignition switch and coil.

Some of the elements will come from old motorcycles (“Minsk”, “Vostok”, “Java”, “Ural”). The gas tank is located as close as possible to the carburetor to reduce the length of the pipes.

Hanging equipment

To make a snowmobile fast and strong, you need to put a good engine on the frame. If you install a low-power motor, then such a structure will move poorly. You also need to correctly calculate the caterpillar. If the area is too small, it will drown in large snow and will not pull even on flat terrain. Particular attention should be paid to skis, which should create good stability and safety when moving at high speed.

DIY rubber caterpillar

To easily move through the snow, it is very important to give your homemade snowmobile a good rubber track. It is not easy to make such a device with your own hands and it is better to purchase it in a store completely with rollers. Installing a standard factory track on a homemade structure is not difficult. To do this, you just have to secure the drive shaft and rollers with bearings to the frame. If your financial situation does not allow you to buy the entire device, then the most expensive parts can be easily made yourself. For this you will need:

Conveyer belt.
Plastic pipe.
Bolts, washers and nuts.

A cheap homemade snowmobile track is usually made using a thin conveyor belt. To do this, plastic pipe blanks are sawed off to fit the width of the rollers. Then they are cut lengthwise into two equal parts and holes are drilled for small bolts. After this, the halves of the plastic pipes are secured to the conveyor belt with bolts, washers and nuts. The caterpillar is ready and further construction needs to begin .

Read also: Plastics for soldering bumpers

Homemade skis

It's no secret that in winter it is much more convenient to travel on deep snow on skis. They also serve well as a control device on a snowmobile. It is not difficult to make a wooden structure, but only strong boards made of birch or oak are suitable for this. They need to be well dried, planed, and then heated and the ends bent. It's no more difficult to make metal skis. To do this, you will need to cut two plates from sheet steel and weld a thin corner on the sides.

In order for the skis to turn freely, metal pipe stands are welded to them. In working condition, they are held in the front bushings of the frame, where they rotate easily .

Washers or large nuts are welded to the top of the racks, into which rods are inserted to control the snowmobile.

The steering wheel itself is easy to make with your own hands, or it’s easier to remove it from an old motorcycle. Thus, all that remains is to install the motor, as well as the driver’s seat, and you can hit the road.

With the arrival of winter, some people successfully replace two-wheeled vehicles with homemade snowmobiles. This equipment is capable of overcoming large snowdrifts and is convenient for moving on snow-covered roads. It is expensive and not everyone can afford to buy it, so many assemble snowmobiles on their own using scrap materials.

Frame and body

Before work, it is recommended to draw up a drawing of the frame. The structure is welded from a square pipe 25 x 25 mm with a wall thickness of 2 mm. For a payload of over 150 kg, the section size is increased to 30 x 25 mm. The loading area and body elements are covered with plywood. The seats are selected with a hydrophobic coating.

In the center of the fracture frame there is a hinge that allows rotation around a vertical axis. The maximum rotation angle is limited by welding metal plates. The front half is used for steering, and the engine is placed on the rear half frame.

The solid frame is welded in the form of a rectangle, inside of which axles and tracks are located. The engine is placed in front on a special platform, rigidly welded to the rest of the frame. In both cases, the motor is installed in the transverse direction (the shaft faces the end).

Why does the rear suspension need modification or replacement?

Whether a snowmobile needs tuning, in particular changes to the rear suspension parameters, is determined by the purpose for which the vehicle will be used.

Are there two types of snowmobile suspensions? connected and unrelated. A connected suspension has two main advantages:

she shares the toughness;
controls weight transfer if the vehicle picks up speed.

Often this type of rear suspension is installed in snowmobiles that will be used for sporting purposes or for transporting cargo. This is necessary in order to cope well with sharp turns, strong shaking and frequent redistribution of weight.

Unconnected pendants have their own characteristics. Their front and rear elements are independent. Therefore, if the front part deviates, the rear either deviates only a little or remains in place.

Unlinked harnesses are best attached to snowmobiles that are used in deep snow or have long tracks. They are more capable of increasing traction and also distribute weight well. Also, improving the performance of the suspension may be necessary if the snowmobile engine has been tuned. After all, in order for a vehicle to cope with new loads, a comprehensive modification is necessary, and the suspension in this case? not an exception.

First of all, suspension tuning includes replacing shock absorbers. The main types of shock absorbers for vehicle suspensions:

simple shock absorber;
telescopic shock absorber;
shock absorber for enduro;
shock absorber for crosses.

In case the main purpose of the snowmobile is? normal riding, then enduro shock absorbers are needed. They are applicable in production 440 Pro vehicles, but the price of such shock absorbers is also considerable. Shock absorbers for tuning sport snowmobiles are often equipped with additional volume gas chambers that allow them to be tuned for specific applications.

Also, the rear suspension often needs adjustment. The choice of adjustment level depends on what kind of physical load is planned for this vehicle, what the weight of the driver and passengers is, how the driver is used to driving the vehicle, what his personal preferences are, the speed mode and the condition of the roads. Each part of the rear suspension is responsible for specific functions. Therefore, in order to know what you will achieve by adjusting the suspension, you need to decide which part needs to be adjusted.

The job of the rear springs is to ensure smooth movement.
The purpose of the extension cord? provide reverse movement, taking into account the loads and condition of the snow paths.
The shackle is adjusted taking into account the condition of the snow path and what the loads will be.
How comfortable it will be to drive the snowmobile depends on the adjustment of the central spring.
The tape limiter controls the redistribution of weight.
Thanks to the shock absorbers, the snowmobile is easy to control and comfortable to ride and sit on.

Drive system

A small diameter drive sprocket is installed on the engine output shaft. From it, torque is transmitted through a chain to the driven shaft, located under the engine seat. On the driven shaft there are:

Large diameter driven sprocket.
Gear wheels that drive the tracks.
Guides for tracks.

The driven shaft is mounted on the frame using bearings. Gear wheels push the tracks, causing the tracks to move. The chain and sprockets are removed from one device. Old motorcycles and snowmobiles (Buran) are suitable donors. Gear wheels for tracks can only be removed from other tracked vehicles.

The guide rollers rotate with the shaft, are attached next to the gears and serve to tension the belt. They are made of wood or plastic and have a layer of soft rubber at the ends. Rubber prevents damage to the track. It is easy to make such rollers yourself by securing the edging with a furniture stapler.

Calculation and assembly of caterpillars

The caterpillar is a tape, on the outer surface of which tracks are attached. Tracks are rigid lugs installed along the entire length of the tracks. Track options:

Made from 3mm thick transport tape.
From a car tire.
From V-belts.
Ready-made factory-made tracks.

The conveyor belt must be looped. Its strength is only sufficient for light snowmobiles with engines no more powerful than 10 liters. With. Car tires are stronger than tape and are suitable for powerful engines. Solid tires do not need to be looped, so the likelihood of a rupture is minimal. It is more difficult to choose a tire of the required length than a tape.

Finished tracks are removed from other similar equipment (snowmobiles “Buran”, “Sherkhan”). They are equipped with lugs from the factory. The products are not suitable for use with low-power motors from walk-behind tractors. Homemade snowmobiles made from Buranovsky tracks must have gears from the same “donor”.

The size of the caterpillar is selected according to the required driving characteristics: the larger the width, the lower the handling, but the higher the maneuverability. The minimum area of the contact patch from the snowmobile (skis and tracks) must be such that the pressure from the equipped vehicle does not exceed 0.4 kg/cm2 of surface. Light snowmobiles use a 300 mm wide conveyor belt, cut lengthwise into 2 strips of 150 mm each.

Preparing the Tape

The tracks are attached to homemade tracks with M6 bolts with a wide head. The bolts are fixed with a nut, a washer and a groover are used. Before fastening, leading holes with a diameter of 6 mm are drilled in the tape and tracks. When drilling, use a jig and wood drills with special sharpening.

The conveyor belt is also looped with M6 bolts. To do this, the edges of the tapes are overlapped with an overlap of 3-5 cm, the connection contains 1-2 rows of bolts. For a 150 mm wide track, the following distances are maintained:

From the edge of the tape 15-20 mm.
Between bolts on tracks 100-120 mm.
Between the bolts when banding 25-30 mm.

In total, one track requires 2 bolts, and one belt connection requires 5-10 bolts, depending on the number of rows. When using car tires, only the tread is left, and the sidewalls are removed with a shoe knife.

Homemade lugs

The tracks are made of polyethylene pipe with a diameter of 40 mm with a wall thickness of 5 mm, sawn in half in the longitudinal direction. The entire section of the lug is adjacent to the tape. In light snowmobiles, one track connects the tracked pair. With a track width of 150 mm, the track length is 450-500 mm.

The lugs are cut using a wood circular saw. They use a special machine with two guides (metal and wood), rigidly fixed on a fixed tabletop. The walls of the pipes are sawed one by one.

The distance between the tracks depends on the parameters of the gears on the drive shaft. Typically 5−7 cm. The specified distance is maintained with an error of no more than 3 mm. Otherwise, the operation of the drive is disrupted: the lugs “run” onto the teeth of the drive wheels, the caterpillar begins to slip and fly off the rollers.

Manufacturing of structural elements

Before starting to manufacture structural elements, prepare a drawing, required materials and tools. You can take ready-made drawings based on the Bullfinch or Vepr snowmobiles. Tools you will need:

welding machine;
pipe bender or finished frame;
hammer;
screwdrivers.

Since the design of the mini snowmobile is low, the seat is made of durable waterproof material. The fuel tank is made of metal. Its volume should be from 10 to 15 liters. You can use a motorcycle chain as a drive.

How to make a snowmobile track

A snowmobile track is created from tires or conveyor belt. The work will be difficult and time-consuming if tires are used as the basis. The sides are cut out of them, so the work requires a sharp shoe knife or an electric jigsaw. To facilitate the process, tires are selected with a suitable tread pattern. Making a homemade caterpillar:

The sides of the tire are cut out with a knife. If the knife blade is periodically moistened in a soapy solution, the cutting process will become easier. When using an electric jigsaw, install a blade with small teeth and moisten it with water.
If, when cutting, the track turns out to be hard or extra layers have formed on the wrong side, they are also cut off.
Cutting a new structure is done when there is a mismatch in the tread pattern. The structure made must cling to the soil, so the structure of the pattern must be correct.

A caterpillar made according to this design is quite reliable due to the fact that it has a closed loop. Its disadvantage is its narrow width. To make a larger size, it is doubled. If the caterpillar is made from a conveyor belt, then it is combined into a single ring. This can be done in 2 ways:

like a piano hinge (with a hinge);
ribbon stripes.

You need to choose the appropriate thickness of the tape if it is sewn on. Its thickness should be suitable for the engine power. A homemade snowmobile from an IZH motorcycle requires the use of a 10 mm thick tape. To increase the service life of the snowmobile, the edges of the conveyor belt are stitched with fishing line. The seams are made according to the method of overcasting the edges with an interval of 1 cm.

Tackles

A trolley is a movable platform that protects the chassis of equipment from unnecessary mechanical loads. The platform is used when it is necessary to drive a snowmobile into a garage. For its manufacture, a metal pipe of medium diameter (6×6 mm), rollers and a bearing system are used. The wheels are installed with rubber coating and metal discs. Their diameter must correspond to the weight of the equipment.

Snowmobile skis consist of a base, a shock-absorbing part, a rod, a fork and bipod, and a link leg. Skis can be made in different designs from different materials. If plastic linings are used for the base, they are supplemented with expanders. The extensions are mounted with fastenings to the snowmobile chassis. The plastic design is suitable for small equipment. For large and medium-sized snowmobiles, you will need metal skis.

To give the skis a shape, cut out the base from a cardboard stencil. At the same time, a bend is formed in front. The amount of bending is done at your own discretion. A ski track with a large bend glides poorly and collects snow. And this creates unnecessary braking. Therefore, you should not make it too large. The approximate size of the ski track is 2.5 cm wide and 100 cm long.
A pipe is welded along the edges of each part. This gives additional rigidity to the product and protects it from stones that come along the way.
Where the bend passes, the pipe is welded along the contour.
Shock-absorbing parts are fixed to the skis. Bolts are used as fastening elements.
The platform and the nose of the skis are connected by a hydraulic pipe. The top part is ready.
For the lower part, the hydraulic pipe is fixed at 4 points and compressed.
Then the polyethylene pipe is attached with self-tapping screws, having previously cut it. Instead of a polyethylene pipe, you can use polypropylene.

Slimes

Slides are removable guides along which the snowmobile track slides. They prevent the track from sagging between the wheels and protect it from abrasion. Snowmobile slicks can be purchased at a store or made from a water pipe. The thickness of the pipe should be about 10 mm. Strips are made from it and mounted to the runners.

Rollers

Rollers are the supporting elements of the tracked undercarriage system. They create tight contact between the track and the surface of the ground support. Steel sheets are used as supports.

Variable speed drive

A variator is a special mechanism that allows you to smoothly regulate speed in mini snowmobiles. Safari is the most popular CVT. It consists of 2 pulleys: driven and driving, therefore it is capable of adjusting 2 parameters. These are revolutions and movement resistance. The pulley will operate like a clutch if the engine speed reaches 2200 rpm. In this case, the engine and the reverse shaft are disconnected.

Engine

To make a snowmobile powerful, you need to choose a powerful engine. The best engines for assembling a snowmobile are Lifan type engines with a power of 15 hp. With. This model is equipped with a reduction gearbox and has a centrifugal automatic clutch.

Chassis and suspension

The rear and front suspensions are the shock-absorbing system of the snowmobile. The front suspension creates smooth movement for the chassis. At the same time, the driver does not feel any vibrations on uneven roads.

If you choose a suspension based on the principle of operation, then the telescopic one is the most popular.

It consists of a shock absorber and a spring. These parts are located in the rack and eliminate shock loads. Snowmobiles equipped with this suspension are agile in conditions with dense vegetation and trees.

Each snowmobile is equipped with a frame. This part can be borrowed from a moped, scooter or ATV, or welded from pipes. The pipe diameter must be more than 40 mm.