Drawings of homemade snowmobiles. How to make tracks for equipment from tires with your own hands. Steering wheel and skis

Many lovers homemade equipment are engaged in the development and production of all-terrain vehicles on caterpillar tracks.

A variety of solutions are used to bring ideas to life, but the most big problem Enthusiasts of this type of transport were and remain caterpillars. Of course, no one forbids using factory-made movers in your samples, but you would like an all-terrain vehicle (or snowmobile) made by yourself to have homemade tracks. Let's look at some methods for making tracks that have shown fairly good performance.

The simplest option

A caterpillar propulsion system for snowmobiles and light all-terrain vehicles can be made on the basis of an ordinary bushing-roller chain and conveyor belt. To make such a caterpillar, there is no need to have special tools or equipment; everything is done “on the knee”.

Transport tape caterpillar

To extend the service life of the tape, it is advisable to sew its edges with fishing line in increments of about a centimeter (just as seamstresses do overcasting the edges of fabric), this will protect the tape from fraying. Connecting the tape into a ring can be done in any available way, for example, using a hinge like a piano loop, or sewing the ends of the tape (a less reliable method).

The thickness of the tape should be selected based on engine power. When using motorcycle engines domestic production, good results shows a tape with a thickness of 8 - 10 millimeters, which is used on agricultural conveyors.

Despite the ease of manufacture, such homemade caterpillar for a snowmobile has a decent resource and is also easy to repair if necessary.

Tire tracks

It is quite common among DIYers to make tracks from car tires. For this purpose, tires from trucks, preferably with a suitable tread pattern (will less work with the bus in the future).

Tire caterpillar

To make such a caterpillar, it is necessary to cut out the beads from the tire, leaving only the treadmill. This work is quite labor-intensive and requires a lot of patience, since the only tools used are a well-sharpened shoe knife.

To simplify the work, you can wet the blade in a soap solution from time to time, then the rubber will be cut more easily. Alternatively, one could consider using homemade devices for cutting, or use a jigsaw on which a file with a fine tooth is attached (it is also better to moisten the file with soapy water).

First, the beads are cut off from the tire, then, if necessary, excess layers are removed from the underside of the resulting ring (if the track is too hard). After this, if the tread pattern does not satisfy the designer’s requirements, a new lug structure is cut.

A homemade caterpillar made from a tire has an undoubted advantage over the model described above, since it has an initially closed circuit, which means its reliability will be many times higher. The downside is the limited width of the finished track, but if necessary, you can use a double and triple-width option.

Belt tracks

An attractive option because of its relative simplicity is to make a caterpillar with your own hands.

Belts with a wedge-shaped profile are connected into a single unit using lugs attached to the belts using rivets or screws.

Thus, you get a caterpillar track with already existing holes for the drive sprocket (for this you only need to leave gaps between the belts).

There are many ways to make caterpillars - the main thing is to have desire and patience, and then everything will work out.

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 walk-behind tractor engine as an engine. horsepower. Typically, four-stroke engines with forced air or water cooling are installed on walk-behind tractors.

You can also use a reverse gearbox from a walk-behind tractor, centrifugal clutch, steering And 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 less weight and larger size caterpillars, the higher its maneuverability 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. Soft suspension skis and tracks were removed because the snowmobile is designed to ride on loose snow. 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.

Caterpillars 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

A snowmobile is a unique vehicle for daily use in winter period. 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 more affordable alternative option, made from scrap materials and equipment.

Homemade snowmobile You can do it yourself using available equipment. For these purposes, experts recommend using:

chainsaws;
walk-behind tractors;
motorcycles.

Important! To make a portable snowmobile at home, you definitely need to 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.

Option finished work

If you can use ready-made drawings to create a snowmobile from a walk-behind tractor or a motorcycle, then for a design from a chainsaw they are not provided, since each tool has its own technical specifications 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 - the Druzhba, Ural and Shtil chainsaws (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 (for these purposes, use a suitable box or car seat), 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 modify the steering system, special attention You only need to pay attention to the frame of the device and the 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 corners and sheet metal, weld them 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.
Attach the seat 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

Install a transmission, 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

During cold weather, transport on two wheels becomes irrelevant, and sometimes it is impossible to drive through snowy expanses even by car. What to do in a situation where there is no money to buy a vehicle more adapted to the harsh winter?

In this case, you can make a homemade snowmobile. Winter vehicles are most often equipped with a tracked drive and steering skis are installed at the front. The snowmobile has high cross-country ability, light weight (70-80 kg), which allows it to drive both on valuable snow and on compact snow-covered roads. Driving this vehicle is easy and the speed is low. So riding a snowmobile in the countryside in winter is not only convenient, but also safe.

Features of homemade snowmobiles

A huge number of companies sell snowmobiles in the CIS. But their prices are high even for families with decent incomes. If you don’t want to overpay for advertising and are a hardworking and creative person, then try making a homemade snowmobile.

A self-propelled gun made by yourself costs 7-10 times less than the cheapest factory-made models.

The success of making a snowmobile yourself depends on several factors:

your personal skill;
your engineering and design thinking;
availability of parts and assemblies from other snowmobiles, motorcycles and other things.

It should be borne in mind that riding a snowmobile, like riding any vehicle, is associated with increased danger. Despite the fact that homemade devices, as a rule, are not capable of reaching speeds of more than 15 km/h, the quality of parts, welding, and bolting of elements should be approached with the utmost seriousness. The issue of operational safety and reliability of the final unit should be the main one for any person who intends to make a snowmobile with his own hands.

Preparation

Before you start making a snowmobile, you need to calculate the basic parameters of the device. If you are a bit of a design engineer, then it is appropriate to make a drawing of the unit. In principle, all snowmobiles are designed the same and simply. Your task is to make a reliable device modeled after all other variants of this class of vehicle.

What you will need for production:

Pipe for the frame, for pendants and other frame elements.

It was experimentally found that the optimal pipe diameter is 40 mm. If you are using a profile, then 25 x 25 mm will be enough. Wall thickness – 2 mm. With smaller parameters, the resistance of the device to deformation will be reduced. If they are large, the car will become heavier, which, accordingly, will affect the already not brilliant driving characteristics.

Wheels with rubber on the axle.

Wheels from ATVs (small models with a wheel diameter of 30-40 cm), some carts, etc. are suitable. A total of 2 axles with 2 wheels on each are required.

V-belts or conveyor belt.

The main element of the "caterpillars". The optimal thickness is 3 mm. This is enough for stability and wear resistance.

PVC pipes.

They are used to make lugs - the second element of the “caterpillars”. Optimal diameter 40 mm with a wall thickness of 5 mm.

Propulsion system.

As a rule, they use an engine, a carburetor, or a fuel tank from a motorcycle.

Transmission mechanism.

As a rule, they use sprockets and a chain from a motorcycle, sprockets from snowmobiles. Drive shaft from any unit, suitable in size.

Guide skis.

It is optimal to take skis from another snowmobile. Since this element must be as reliable as possible, designed for the load of the unit itself, plus the driver and possible passengers.

Steering wheel.

As a rule, they use a motorcycle handlebar, respectively, with a gas handle and a cable.

Platform, seat, body.

In principle, you can do without a platform by attaching the seat(s) and the body (optional) directly to the frame. But sometimes an additional platform is constructed on the frame, for example, from wooden boards, which provide slight cushioning, allow you to place several seats, and at the same time lightly weight the structure.

Shock absorbers.

This element adds additional complexity to the design. Therefore, they often do without it, especially if they plan to drive on uncompacted snow. Shock absorption is installed on the front suspension and driver's seat. You can take it from an old snowmobile or motorcycle.

Small details.

In addition to those listed above, other standard parts will be required to make a snowmobile: bolts, studs, nuts, hinges.

How to make: instructions

First, the frame is welded. Obviously, the larger the frame, the heavier the device will be and the slower it will move. The optimal frame length is 2 m plus/minus.

The following are sequentially fixed on the frame:

drive shaft with receiving star;
power plant with a transmission star and gas tank;
front wheel axle (fixed fastening to the frame by welding or bolts);
rear wheel axle (fixed with a movable guide element);
front suspension with steering structure and guide ski(s);
seat(s) and body.

Caterpillars are made of drive V-belts or conveyor belts. The optimal track width is from 40 to 50 cm. With a smaller width (40), the snowmobile will be more maneuverable and better controllable. With a higher value (50+), the patency of the device improves.

The function of lugs is performed by PVC pipes of the diameter indicated above, sawn in half lengthwise. They are attached to the rubber base using bolts and nuts. Insufficient width V-belts can be fastened to each other with metal grousers.

In order to be able to adjust the tension of the track, the rear wheel axle is attached using a movable guide element, which allows you to fix the position of the axle in a certain position.

Additional notes:

The center of gravity should be approximately the center of the structure. Since the power plant is mounted at the front, the driver's seat should be centered over the front axle or slightly offset to the rear.
Distance between drive shaft and power plant should be minimal to minimize losses of energy transmitted to the shaft.
If you install a shock absorber under the seat, then the front seat support is rigidly mounted on a profile arch, and the rear seat rests on the shock absorber.
If you are making a snowmobile with a heavy load in mind, then to remove some of the weight from the tracks, it is advisable to install an additional ski in the middle of the base (between two tracks). This ski, 50-70 cm long, is attached directly to the frame. However, this design requires a more accurate preliminary calculation with subsequent leveling of the height of the “leg”, which complicates the manufacture of the snowmobile.
It is advisable to maintain low pressure in snowmobile tires to avoid rapid wear parts and high fuel consumption.

The considered version of the snowmobile is the simplest in design. If you have the tools and a welding machine, it can be assembled in the garage without any problems.

Snowmobiles sold in stores have a fairly high price and often do not fit into the budget. But you still need to move in the snow. Fishing, hunting and just active recreation in the wild require cross-country ability. Therefore, we will look at ways to make a snowmobile with your own hands.

Snowmobile from motorcycle

The first model was assembled at a service station from scrap parts, plus a little welding. The engine is from a Voskhod 1 motorcycle, the sled is welded from metal pipes.