The challenges of cross-country transportation in the winter led to the invention of the snowmobile, an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed for travel across deep snow where other vehicles foundered. Motor sled powered by a Coandă ducted fan Snowmobile running on the Mississippi River near Hastings, Minnesota, 1910 It was a vehicle with a sprocket wheel and a track drive system, and it was steered by skis. In 1935 Joseph Bombardier assembled and successfully tested the first snowmobile. In 1922, his conversion kit was on the markets and available only through Ford dealerships. Virgil White applied his patent in 1918 and created his own snowmobile. At the time, the conversion kit was expensive, costing about $395. He also copyrighted the term "snowmobile". White set up to create a patent for his conversion kit that changed the Ford Model T into a "snowmobile". ![]() Ossipee, New Hampshire claims to be the home of the first snowmobile. The common name for these conversion of cars and small trucks was Snowflyers. They were popular for rural mail delivery for a time. Many individuals later modified Ford Model Ts with the undercarriage replaced by tracks and skis following this design. Muscott of Waters, Michigan, received the Canadian patent for his motor sleigh, or "traineau automobile", and on June 27, 1916, he received the first United States patent for a snow-vehicle using the now recognized format of rear track(s) and front skis. Kalenze (pronounced Collins), patented the Vehicle Propeller in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. In Finland, a snowmobile driver's license is not required if the driver already has another type of appropriate driver's license (for example car or tractor).Įarly history Harry Kalenze, inventor of the Vehicle Propeller A specific snowmobile driver's license is required in, for example, Norway and Sweden. In some jurisdictions, a driver's license is required to operate a snowmobile. There may also be regulations regarding noise and wildlife. ![]() Snowmobiles are sometimes modified to compete in long-distance off-road races.ĭepending on jurisdiction, there may be penalties for driving outside permitted areas, without an approved helmet, without a driver's license, with an unregistered snowmobile, or while under the influence of alcohol or other substances. In the summertime snowmobilers can drag race on grass, asphalt strips, or even across water (as in snowmobile skipping). Recreational riding is known as snowcross/racing, trail riding, freestyle, boondocking, ditchbanging and grass drags. The second half of the 20th century saw the rise of recreational snowmobiling, whose riders are called snowmobilers, sledders, or slednecks. These would quickly be replaced by lighter and more powerful two-stroke gasoline internal combustion engines and since the mid-2000s four-stroke engines had re-entered the market. The earliest snowmobiles were powered by readily available industrial four-stroke, air-cooled engines. Skis at the front provide directional control.Įarly snowmobiles used simple rubber tracks, but modern snowmobiles' tracks are usually made of a Kevlar composite construction. Most snowmobiles do not have any enclosures, except for a windshield, and their engines normally drive a continuous track at the rear. ![]() Snowmobiles built with the ability to accommodate two people are referred to as "2-up" snowmobiles or "touring" models and make up an extremely small share of the market. Older snowmobiles could generally accommodate two people however, most snowmobiles manufactured since the 1990s have been designed to only accommodate one person. Common brand names in the United States include Arctic Cat, Polaris Inc. Snowmobiling is a sport that many people have taken on as a serious hobby. ![]() It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not require a road or trail, but most are driven on open terrain or trails. Land vehicle designed for travel on snow A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park First person view of a snowmobile driven through Yellowstone National Park.Ī snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow.
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