What are the advantages of “homemade”? According to the fermerinform specialist, a ready-made snowmobile can now be bought in the motorcycle show of almost any city, but the price of such equipment forces many people who like winter riding to make “home-made” tracks independently.
The device is equipped with a mechanical drive and motor, therefore, the risk of getting stuck in a snowdrift is reduced.
Driven by skis, the steering system is located in front, easy to maneuver.
The advantages of “homemade” compared to the factory:
- Price is a major factor for most people. The cost of ready-made snowmobiles of leading companies is higher than the cost of “homemade goods” assembled from improvised products and other details.
- Compact size.
- The ability to assemble a snow motorcycle of any suitable size, corresponding to the preferences of the owner. This applies, as a minimum, to the external shape, power reserve and type of chassis.
- Reliability – this is the category that is not inherent in all devices from popular manufacturers. In self-manufacturing, the owner uses more reliable materials and pays a lot of attention to the main elements of the mechanism.
- Benefit – the ability to use, for the benefit of the apparatus, materials lying in the garage and utility room, as well as elements and devices from other devices.
“Homemade” found application on the streets of cities, on the roads of suburban areas and mountain resorts.
A do-it-yourself snowmobile with a Chinese Lifan engine comes out at a price cheaper than ready-made counterparts from manufacturers, but the main advantages remain. Its design consists of separate units, which allows you to disassemble the device for quick transportation by car.
Specifications
Do-it-yourself homemade snowmobiles on tracks with the Lifan engine have the following parameters:
- 9l Lifan engine from. equipped with an electric starter;
- caterpillar (HUS) with rollers and stars, rollers and stars from Buran;
- frame of three elements: pipes, corners and scarves;
- steering wheel from a scooter;
- two stars: the first is the main, the second is the slave;
- chain from a motorcycle Minsk;
- the highest speed is 30 km / h and the average is 15 km / h.
The principle of operation of the Lifan engine: the torque is transmitted from the leading variator to the driven one, and from it directly to the shaft of the driving hub sprocket of the HUS.
Assembly preparation
Homemade snowmobiles are created on tracks that are driven by an engine from Lifan mounted on a rigid iron frame. They are maintained by wheels and rollers.
The main types of execution:
- with a solid frame or tipping frame;
- with a stiffer suspension or cushioned;
- with a Lifan engine or a motor from a motorcycle stroller.
For effective steering, small skis are used. Lightweight species weighing up to one hundred kilograms and are designed to move at speeds up to 15 km / h, usually do not require a braking system, as they simply stop when the speed is reduced.
It is easy to make a home-made device on the HUS, if you use the algorithm:
- selection of the power unit, calculation of the frame and running gear;
- collecting a frame of a spot type of welding;
- steering device;
- preparing the Lifan engine in design condition for mounting;
- design check for resistance to overturn;
- capital type of frame welding, installation of the Lifan engine;
- installation of drive equipment of the system and bridges;
- collection and installation of HUS;
- installation of body elements.
Perform additional tests. With normal driving and no tipping over while driving, drive into the garage and disassemble. Clean the frame from rust, paint. Upon completion of the repair, it is recommended to finish the other elements.
How to assemble a do-it-yourself snowmobile based on the engine from Lifan (step-by-step instruction)
For “homemade products” are used gasoline engines from Lifan. Revolutions are regulated by the gas control knob, which is placed on the handle of the steering wheel.
To create a home-made unit on a caterpillar, ready-made small-volume power components with such devices are used:
- fuel tank;
- ignition system;
- reduction gear with the number 1: 2.
- centrifugal clutch, which is automatically activated when the number of revolutions increases.
Lifan engine power for “homemade products” is not higher than 10 hp, but they are comfortable to install: they do not require mounting the ignition system, let the pipes in and adjust the clutch.
Lifan engine chart
| Manufacturer | Model | Power | Volume | Weight | approximate price |
| Kipor | KG160S | 4,1 | 163 | 15,5 | 25 |
| Sadko | GE200R | 6,5 | 196 | 15,7 | 20 |
| Lifan | 168FDR | 5,5 | 196 | 18,0 | 20 |
| Zongshen | ZS168FB4 | 6,5 | 196 | 16,0 | 15 |
| Nomad | NT200R | 6,5 | 196 | 20,1 | 15 |
| Brait | BR177F2R | 9,0 | 270 | 30,0 | 10 |
| Honda | GX270 | 9,0 | 270 | 25,0 | 50 |
If it is not possible to buy a ready-made Lifan engine, they use the motor from a motorcycle stroller, which is 15 horsepower more powerful, but self-assembly is required.
The system includes:
- motor;
- clutch;
- gearbox;
- muffler;
- gas tank not more than 10 l;
- generator;
- switch and ignition coil.
Some of the elements can be used from motorcycles: “Minsk”, “East”, “Ural”. The gas tank must be positioned so that it is as close to the carburetor as possible to reduce the length of the pipes.
Frame and body
To make a do-it-yourself snowmobile with the Lifan engine, make drawings.
Weld a structure from a metal pipe of square section measuring 25 by 25 mm, wall thickness 2 mm. With a payload of more than 150 kg, the size must be increased to 30 by 25 mm. Sew loading area and body with plywood. Seats should be covered with hydrophobic material.
In the middle of the tipping frame, position the hinge that allows rotation around the vertical axis. Limit the largest repetition angle by welding the metal plates. The front part is used for the steering wheel, the motor is mounted on the rear half frame.
Weld the central frame in the shape of a rectangle, arrange bridges and tracks inside. Place the motor on the front of the platform, which is rigidly welded to another frame. In two cases, put the power unit in the transverse direction so that the shaft faces the end.
Homemade Drive System
Install the main (leading) star of small diameter on the motor output axis. From it, the torque through the chain goes to the driven axle located under the Lifan motor seat.
On the driven shaft there are:
- the driven star is large;
- gears (ZK), which drive the tracks;
- guides for HUS.
Attach the driven shaft to the frame with bearings. Gears push the tracks, which drives the HUS. The chain and stars can be removed from the second device, a motorcycle or a snowmobile Buran will do. Gear wheels can be removed for trucks only with other tracked vehicles.
Attention! The guide rollers must rotate with the shaft, they need to be mounted close to the gears. Suitable for tensioning the tape, create them from wood or plastic. Make a layer of soft rubberized material at the ends of the parts to protect against damage.
Track design and assembly
This item is presented in the form of a ribbon. Tracks (rigid lugs) mounted along the length of the HUS are fixed on its outer part.
Types of execution:
- from a transport tape 3mm;
- from a tire;
- from belts of maple type;
- finished products of the factory type.
Ring the conveyor belt. Strength will be enough for a non-heavy unit with an engine of about 10 hp. Car tires of a strong ribbon – they are better to use for more powerful power Lifans. Integral there is no need to loop, as the risk of rupture is small. A tire of suitable length is selected more difficult than the tape.
Select the size of the HUS by driving data. If you like to ride in deep snow, it is better to choose a wide caterpillar. In homemade products, a conveyor belt 300 mm wide is usually used, which is divided into two strips of 150 mm each.
How to prepare a tape
Attach the tracks to the tracks using M6 bolts with a large hat. Fix the fastener in the form of a rod with an external thread using a nut using a washer and a grover. Before installing in the tape and tracks you need to drill the main holes 6 mm in size. When drilling, use a jig and a sharpened drill, which is designed for woodworking.
The conveyor belt needs to be looped with M6 size bolts. Put the extreme parts on top of each other (overlap should be up to 5 cm). The connection includes up to 2 rows of bolts.
For a HUS with a size of 15 cm, you need to withstand such distances:
- from the end of the tape 15 mm;
- between fasteners in the form of rods with an external thread – with banding 25;
- between the bolts on the tracks 120.
1 fastener will take 2 fasteners, 1 to 10, relative to the number of rows. Leave the treadmill while using tires, and remove the sides with a shoe knife.
Making lugs
Caterpillar track links are created from a polyethylene pipe with a diameter of 4 cm and a wall thickness of 5 mm, divided into two equal parts longitudinally. The whole lug position should rest against the belt. On light snowmobiles, 1 link of the belt combines a caterpillar pair. If the track width is 150, then the track length is 500.
Cut the lugs with a circular saw for woodworking. You can use the machine with 2 guides (metal and wood), which are rigidly fixed to a standing countertop. Saw the pipe walls one at a time.
The length between the links depends on the properties of the ZK on the drive axis. Usually, the distance is up to 7 cm – it must be maintained with an error of up to 3 mm to prevent disruption of the drive when the lugs “go” to the tracks of the drive wheels, and the caterpillar slips and flies off the rollers.
Chassis
“Homemade”, which are designed to ride on loose snow, equip a hinge-type suspension from a long M16 nut, so the design will turn out to be lightweight. The device is recommended to be equipped with shock absorbers (motorcycle or moped). They are installed in the mounting positions of skis and bridges to the “homemade” frame. Select the suspension travel so that the moving elements cannot touch the body during operation.
Steering element and ski
Take out the steering wheel for 2 skis, it is recommended to make them from a stud with a thread, which is installed in the M16 nut, tightly welded to the frame. Use a moped or motorcycle steering wheel brand Minsk.
The design uses 3 plastic skis from a small scooter or plywood up to a thickness of 3. Use two meter skis for taxiing. If necessary, increase strength with a steel pipe.
How to build bridges
Place them under the loading bay. On 1 bridge, 2 inflatable wheels from the cart and a metal rod will go. Normally, the wheels are in free rotation and are not equipped with wires.
If the snowmobiles are built on the basis of the engine from walk-behind tractors, then the wheels need to be inflated to ½ of the volume, and fixation devices are welded to the outer ends of the wheels, with which the bridges are attached to the frame.
The front axle is standing, its locking devices are welded to the frame. Check that the rear moves freely along the frame (it serves to tension the track). Its locking elements include M10 bolt puffs, which secure the bridge to working condition.
