In remote areas where it is necessary to overcome considerable distances, fishermen and hunters need to have their own transport. Due to the high price today, many cannot purchase it and are trying to design a homemade snowmobile with their own hands. It is not easy to build it, but if you apply maximum patience and diligence, then this problem will not be difficult to cope with.
Frame construction
Before you start building a snowmobile, you first need to select the material. The easiest way to make a homemade frame is from wooden bars. It will turn out to be a very light and fairly durable design, which is considered the cheapest and easiest to manufacture. For this you will need:
- Wooden bars.
- Sheet iron.
- Metal scissors.
- Drill and drills.
- Hand saw.
- Bolts and nuts.
The advantages of building such a structure are undeniable. In the event of a breakdown, the wooden model will be easy to repair away from the settlement. In the forest, it is easy to find improvised material that can be used for repairs. But the main advantage is that this snowmobile rarely falls through the ice and does not sink in the water.
Wooden structure
It is known that bars and boards made of wood do not have special strength in their places.
connections. Therefore, before starting construction, it is necessary to make additional metal corners. To do this, take sheet iron and cut out square plates with scissors along the width of the bars. Places for bolts are marked in them with a tape measure, and then four holes are drilled with a drill. After that, the plates are bent in half strictly at 90 degrees. These will be excellent fixtures for firmly fastening wooden bars in the corners of a homemade frame.
Usually they start construction after they make a drawing with exact dimensions. And already four bars are cut off with a hacksaw, and holes for bolts are drilled in the corners with a drill. Then they are placed on a flat floor surface in the form of a regular rectangle. Metal corners are applied to the joints, bolts are inserted and tightly tightened with nuts.
To mount the engine and caterpillars on the frame, an additional two more crossbars from bars with bolt holes at the ends are installed. But before that, corners for fastening are first made. They are cut out of triangular iron sheets and drill holes in the corners..
It is better to immediately make eight pieces and put them on top and bottom. Then the fasteners will be more durable and reliable in operation.
When they are ready, crossbars are inserted inside the frame and triangles are placed on top. In them, holes are drilled exactly in size with a drill through the bars. Then long bolts are inserted there and tightened tightly with nuts. On this, a solid wooden frame will be ready, which will last a long time on a homemade device.
It is much more difficult to engage in the construction of homemade metal products. It requires special tools and devices that not everyone may have. Significant costs will be required to purchase or rent them. However, this building will be much stronger and more durable than a wooden structure.. Here you will need:
In addition, more durable materials will be needed to build a metal frame. You will definitely have to buy them in the store, since today they are not found anywhere else. And I don’t really want to build a new home-made snowmobile from old parts because of poor reliability. Therefore, only good materials will be used here:
- Metal pipes.
- Iron corner.
- Sheet steel.
- Channel.
As a rule, before starting the construction of the frame, you need to make a simple drawing. According to its parameters, cut the pipes with a grinder and use a welding machine to connect them into a rectangle. Inside the frame, insert a couple more partitions from the corner for installing the engine and caterpillar. If you make them from a channel, then the design will be much stronger and more reliable in operation.
After that, you just need to cut off two small bushings from the metal pipe.
And then weld them to the corners of the front, where the swivel ski supports will be inserted. The metal frame is ready and you can start building, as well as installing the main units and assemblies.
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 this design will move poorly. And also you need to correctly calculate the caterpillar. If the area is too small, it will sink 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 driving at high speed.
DIY rubber caterpillar
In order to move easily in the snow, it is very important to make a good rubber track for a homemade snowmobile. 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 only have to fix the drive shaft and rollers with bearings on the frame. If the financial situation does not allow you to buy the entire device, then the most expensive parts are easy to make yourself. This will require:
- Conveyer belt.
- Plastic pipe.
- Bolts, washers and nuts.
A cheap homemade snowmobile track is usually made using a thin conveyor belt. To do this, blanks from a plastic pipe are sawn off along the width of the rollers. Then they are cut lengthwise into two equal parts and holes are drilled for small bolts. After that, the halves of the plastic pipes are fixed on the conveyor belt with bolts, washers and nuts. The caterpillar is ready and you need to proceed with further construction.
Homemade skis
It is no secret that in winter it is much more convenient to ski in deep snow. They also serve well as a control device on a snowmobile. It is not difficult to make a wooden structure, but only durable boards made of birch or oak are suitable for this. They must be well dried, planed, and then heated and bent the ends. It's not harder 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 racks 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, where the rods are inserted to control the snowmobile.
The steering wheel itself is easy to do with your own hands or it is easier to remove it from an old motorcycle. Thus, it remains only to install the motor, as well as the driver's seat, and you can move on.