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Tell us about yourself: “I was raised with a bit of farm background and we always had snowmobiles around as a kid. I became a backyard tinkerer in my teens and was always dreaming up things mechanical; not all worked but I learned more as the years and failures progressed. So, when this old snowmobile came to me it had a bad track and engine. After working on it for a while and not having any luck finding a track, I started to dismantle it for parts. The web was just getting interesting and while searching things out I came across someone that had the same machine but on a wheel kit. After some pondering, I thought I could build something like that after many trips to Princess Auto in Kitchener.”
Ever since the invention of the snowmobile, people have dreamt of adding wheels on it to make it more than a winter-only vehicle. Some of the early manufacturers produced wheel kits, but if you can convert an old snowmobile into a 4-wheeler by yourself, you could ride to your heart’s content all year long. That’s what Darius did, and the results are impressive. He also converted an old Honda 3-wheeler into another hybrid vehicle, which he named the Ski-Wheeler.
Great project, Darius! Thanks for sharing it with us!
What is it? A snowmobile put on four wheels. It wouldn't have been possible without key components purchased from Princess Auto.
I started this project in 1999 and had it on four wheels the next year; it has gone through a few changes/modifications over the years. The last major change was to put a different transmission in it (which has reverse), but I had to sacrifice some speed as the transmission was from more of a workhorse snowmobile. But as I get older, speed is not as much as a requirement as being able to move it around without wrecking my back.
What is it used for?Fun! When the fields are clear of crops it’s great fun, and for those low snow years it helps satisfy that snowmobiling itch.
What is the main power source for your project? (e.g. electric motor, gas engine etc.)A 440 2-Stroke Kohler snowmobile engine from a 1974 Skiroule that I grew up with, but sadly wrecked when I was older. I kept the engine which powers this machine to speeds up 70 mph when the carb is tuned right.
How do you control your project? (e.g. hydraulic control valve(s), electric switches etc.)Basically the same mechanics that moved the snowmobile make this machine move. The only major difference is I replaced the track with a chain attached to an axle.
What components are used to perform the work for your project? (e.g. hydraulic cylinder(s), hydraulic motor(s), sprockets, pulleys etc.)The entire rear axle is all bought from Princess Auto; the axle, the drive plates on either end where the wheels attach, the bearings, sprockets and drive chain. Most of the steel used in the rear axle frame was purchased at PA, as well as lot of the welding supplies and countless tools used to create this fine piece of work. The front fenders and headlight are straight from PA. I am sure if I looked a little more I could find more but it has been a number of years since it was first built.
What design/build challenges did you overcome?Getting the gearing just right between the drive axle and the rear axle, a lot of trial and error to get the right mix of gears with the clutching and engine to make it run smooth.
When I first started, I was able to get the driveline cobbled together and drove it out of the shop with the skis still on it. But once the skis hit the grass the wheels just spun, no weight or traction from the car spare tires that I had used, but even in that 20 feet I knew I had something.
So began the next chapter... I needed a front steerable axle, I was searching online for stuff; I could make something from go-cart parts, but I felt it was too flimsy for what I was envisioning. The planning went on for a while but then the solution finally presented itself while at work one day. Back then, I worked in crop research; during a long hot day harvesting in August and watching the small research combine doing its thing, I realized that the small steering axle on the back of the combine was the perfect solution. The perfect width, build strength and the perfect sizes wheels.
It helped that there was an old combine in the storage shed that hadn't been used in years, so I was able to swing a deal with the manager and purchase the axle off of that combine. A few days later (and at least one trip to PA) I had it on four wheels. With the original motor being junk, I transplanted a motor that I kept from one of machines that I grew up with that my dad bought new (the 1974 Skiroule).
I still use that same motor to this day, and nothing has ever been done to it, except switching the carburetor out for one that I can change the jetting easily to compensate for temperature changes through the seasons.
If you had to build it again, what would you do differently?I’d chose a more modern chassis that has suspension that could be incorporated into the functionality of the whole machine. The 1973 Moto-Ski chassis I used has no suspension; so between the tires, the thick foam seat and the operators back is all this machine has for suspension.
For the 15 years used on the farm it was always on the go, just about year-round... deep snow was a no-go, but packed snow and ice was just perfect. I have been amazed that it has worked so well from the beginning; nothing has ever broke and I have only had to replace the rear axle bearings once, and the drive chain.
I have since moved to smaller property; there are fields I can take it out on, but since it’s not my property I tend to limit the amount of tearing around I do with it.
Which Princess Auto location do you visit most? Kitchener, Ontario