Snowmobiling

Snowmobile - mechanical means of transport, designed specifically to run on snow-covered roads or off-road winter snow.

in the world the concept of a snowmobile - means any vehicle, allowing you to drive on snow, including all-terrain vehicles on wheels low pressure, snowmobile, snow tracked vehicles, etc.

We understand tracked by snowmobiles ski mechanical means to control the structure of the motorcycle.

in the USSR and later in Russia was in vogue term "motonarty." It can still be found in some official documents.

History snowmobiles

Snowmobile

In 1903 he developed a snowmobile, which subsequently find quite popular. They were described in the journal in 1905, "aeronaut" called "sleds equipped with a propeller, which serve to move the snow." Design Engineer of the sled was SS Nezhdanovsky.

first snowmobile model was built based on conventional sled, where to install the propeller, rotating internal combustion engine. Later in 1907, the factory" Dux " Moscow was tested "Ski Car" constructed Yu A. Muller, together with AD Dokuchaev. A little later, the car was named as the same - snowmobile.

This development was almost priceless for snow, vast Russia. This design has been successfully used snowmobiles and the Soviet Red Army in the Civil War and then World War II. However, we do not snowmobile usually attributed to snowmobiles, caterpillars and lack of air-screw drive.

Kegressa Caterpillars (Kegresse)

In tsarist Russia specifically for Tsar Nicholas II was an original system of caterpillars Adolf Kegressa - "Caterpillars Kegresse". These tracks have been put on some cars royal garage (including Rolls-Royce and even truck Packard).

Later caterpillar drive concept was the basis for the design of modern snowmobiles.

In developing caterpillars Kegress did not stop in the winter of 1909, based on the car "Nepir" he built the first snowmobile. Track was made of camel's hair, which stretched to the special drums. This design has been installed in place of the rear wheels. The front wheels are equipped with short wide skis.

To project such snowmobile machines was already started production of rubber bands at the "Red Triangle" in St. Petersburg. To ensure uniform ground pressure machine, was developed a complicated system of special rollers and levers.

The first run of the new car Kegressa held February 6, 1911 near Tsarskoye Selo. tests were successful. The car was on a snowy road about 12 miles. In 1913, the car was tested by the Imperial Society tracked "Mersedess" held on snow 1 km in 57.8 seconds.

In May 1914 Kegress a patent ą 26-751 on their "road sled." This patent was soon purchased by the owners of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Factory.

The design and patent-based car "Russo-Balt" begins mass production of motor sleigh. In February 1914, the plant experienced a motor sleigh Red Selo, which fixes the rate of about 30-35 miles/hr.-In this same month, motor sleigh Kegressa razogonyayut already up to 56 miles/hour. A year later, the ice r. Neva near the Winter Palace even more advanced motor sleigh Kegressa develop a speed of about 30-40 km/h

Sam Adolf Kegress not moving away from its design and in August 1916 for the first time in the world there is a semi-tracked armored vehicle for its development. Once operational (including off-road and snow) the tests are brought into service armored car.

idea Kegressa tracked military vehicle was moved and a motorcycle. The resulting constructive technique was first snowmobile. But she was not destined to develop further development snowmobile was continued from abroad much later.

Inventions Charles eleison

In 1924, Carl eleison made prototype of the modern snowmobile. His snowmobile is equipped with engine capacity of 2.5 liters.. Cooled. In Russia, at about the same time- Nikolai Kupriyanov offered his snowmobile, though they had big design flaws are not allowed to bring it to a successful implementation of development .

In his development, he received a patent in 1927. In that same year, Eliason was well as patented about 40 snowmobiles and later received an order for 200 snowmobiles from Finland.

After ordering, Eliyson able to sell the company's patent FWD Clintonville that's just releasing about 300 snowmobiles for military use, the patent transferred subsidiary of Canadian company.

Bombardier Snowmobiles

about the same time with Eliason, closely involved snowmobiles and Bombardier (Bombardier). Before him, snowmobiles were not suitable for use in areas with wet snow (such as Southern Quebec and New England). Joseph-Armand Bombardier in Valcourt in the state of Quebec, Canada, invented various systems of caterpillars (Caterpillar) suitable for use on all types of snow.

After developing several machines on metal tracks, he created a revolutionary system for the time of caterpillars toothed rubber wheels and rubber sheet, reinforced cotton cloth.

On the new tracks, Bombardier developed and applied in the production of large private snowmobiles (B-7, with 7 in 1937 and later in 1942, B-12 with 12 passenger seats) . on-7 established Ford Motor Company V-7 engines. At B-12 - 6-cylinder engines Chrysler produced right up to 1951.

snowmobiles are appropriate for many areas - from school buses to army vehicles for World War II.

Individual snowmobiles

In 1955-1956 in Roseau, Minnesota, Edgar Allen Hettin and Derrick Johnson have developed snowmobiles almost modern design. Then they were strongly heavy and slow. Was their company - Hetteen and Derrick was proroditelnitsey modern Polaris Industries.

Only in 1960 because of very light and powerful engines, a modern snowmobile - "Ski-Doo". After 10 years in the 70's had more than hundreds of manufacturers of snowmobiles. Many of them tried to make other types of products such as motorcycles or outboard motors. But more of them bankrupt or were sold during the fuel crisis , in 1973 and the subsequent economic downturn.

significant breakthrough in increasing sales of snowmobiles occurred only in 1997. However, now the market snowmobiles practically divided between 4 large companies (Arctic Cat, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), Polaris and Yamaha), specialized organizations (AD Boivin, producing Snow Hawk) and the European Alpina.

Snowmobiling today

Now Snowmobiles - powerful mobile machine created to move the snow and do not require roads and tracks. Thanks to the introduction of new technology and design improvements, snowmobiles have a large cross, able to cope with the deep drifts and can move to any snow or ice surface. For different applications, there are different types of snowmobiles.

Utility snowmobiles

Usually hardy and relatively inexpensive snowmobiles, can serve as tyagochey winter and all-terrain vehicles. Used by hunters, fishermen, hunters, and the rescuers.

main characteristics of the class include reliability, capacity, maintainability. To meet these requirements, they are usually equipped with petrol engines (often 2-stroke) with more resources (respectively, not the greatest power). These engines are maintainable even in the field, easily triggered at low temperature and have low fuel quality requirements. Engine cooling is usually air. Transmission usually V-belt CVT transmission with low to overcome the slopes of movement in difficult conditions and hauling cargo. Larvae in these snowmobiles are usually quite large, resulting in maximum low ground pressure. Snowmobile minimum number of options.

principle is to ensure equipment reliability and the ability to function in harsh conditions. The handles are equipped with heating, Built-in socket for connection of various devices. So as these snowmobiles have hitch for towing sleds or trailers and parts Capacity luggage grid.

Travel snowmobiles

These snowmobiles are comfortable and passable. now travel snowmobiles - the most difficult and expensive on the market. They usually have a 4-stroke powerful (170 hp), fuel-injected engine water-cooled, often involving electronics in managing the various features and functions. Such engines - High-performance, cost-effective and stable. However, the repair of the engine is not difficult to produce in a specialized center Repairs.

To ensure comfort and ergonomics, such snowmobiles have digital dashboards, handles with adjustable heating, comfortable driver's seat and the passenger. Travel snowmobiles generally well controlled, despite quite a lot of weight (about 300 kg). This is achieved through a well-designed lever adjustable suspension and reliable hydraulic brakes.

Sports snowmobiles

Sports snowmobiles can be divided into two-a subtypes and cross the mountain.

The crossover snowmobile as facilitate the design (including by eliminating the electric starter, transmission, and simplify the installation of small capacity tank). suspension redesigned to ensure good governance in its snowmobile low weight. highly accelerated engines are able to disperse crossover sled to a speed of 200-250 km/h To achieve such speeds, snowmobiles sacrificing maneuverability and comfort - they are simply a seat for the pilot and totally unsuitable for use for purposes other than motocross racing or entertaining ideas.

Mountain Snowmobiles - racing snowmobiles, modified to provide good stability on slopes. For this, they are narrow and long (up to 4 meters) rear track. The dynamics of their acceleration remains at crossover snowmobile, but they are far inferior in maneuverability.