Snow Bike

[eljefino]

I agree with the two wheeled bike principle; the front wheel will cut a path for the rear through the snow.

You need to ask yourself if you'll always be able to dig down on ice or do you want to float over it, like a mud bog. This will decide thin vs wide vs really wide tires.

I did my paper route in all kinds of snow and ice as a kid; the wheels as long as they're spinning offer substantial gyro help in staying upright. If you have no pride you can ride splay legged, using your boots as outriggers for balance.

With the trailer/sled, try to rig it so you have a bunch of tongue weight if you want it to push your rear tire down for traction... and vice versa if you need to float.

Lots of variables to consider.

 

[nsideus]

This may not be what your thinking of but and interesting idea.

 

[Alaskavan]

That one looks a lot like one of the projects I hope to get back to this summer.



I figure an 8 hp B&S should get me aroung the back country okay.

 

[DougC]

Someone on another forum bought a kTrak kit, and said that it did work pretty well in the snow--but I wonder if he ever tried good studded tires. I haven't seen one first-hand, but it just looks suspect to me,,,, in strength, overall durability, ect. And I don't even know what it costs.

The thing about building a snow-bike that uses a front ski instead of a wheel is that you lose the functionality of your front brake. If you use studded tires, the front brake still works, and is useful....

If you buy good carbide-studded tires they cost $100+ each but last a long time and the studs rarely come out if you're just casually riding (and you can buy extra studs and replace the ones that do come out). There's an ice-bike site somewhere that shows how you can make your own studded tires by driving screws outwards through a tire and if you do it this way it's cheap and they won't fall out, but then, the screws wear down--they don't last nearly as long as the carbide studs do.
~

 

[Alaskavan]

Doug, I don't think Snowman or I are talking about riding on paved roads with these things. Tires, other than possibly the most extreme, wouldn't get it. As for brakes, I plan to incorporate one on the rear, but I wouldn't want one on the front. I almost never use the brakes on a snow machine anyway.

 

[ghettobiker]

snowbike idea

hi, i don't know if this helps, sorry i don't have any pics, but i remember seeing in a old popular mechanics (circa 1970s) it was a two stroke powered skier tow. basically it's two aluminium tubes in parallel, with a corkscrew-type of blade around the tube. the tubes counter-rotated driven by a chain,with the motor in the middle. the skier would steer with tow ropes (kind of like a horse reins) i pretty sure it would work well on powder,as for the tow weight,ithink it would pull 500lbs as long as it's on a sled. fred.