snow minibike

delray

Well-Known Member
#1
hey guys i pulled some parts out today and just moch up a snow minibike with a large track unit. i believe this is the biggest unit that i have found so far? and it fits real good with the wards/gilson frames, as you can see. i pulled out a 5hp tecumseh snow blower engine that comes with a heater box set up to keep the carb from freezing and primer button and a on/off key set up and snow shield on the recoil. i won't be building the snow bike this year. i just wanted to moch it up and see what you guys think.




drive train will be easy to figure out. but what i am looking for is some input on running a front ski. if any of you guys do alot of snowmobiling i would like to know what type of ski would work the best. for example short mild or wide with a single runner on the bottom. i have my pick of different ski's that i can get for free from my sisters boyfriend(barn full) if i have to cut and fab one, no problem for me. i can do it:hack::weld:
here is a vintage snow bike ski that spark my eye,maybe something like this? and i was thinking of fabing heim ends on the end of the forks to allow the bike to roll/steer better?
 
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#3
cool set up .on your ski the ones i have seen for mini bikes were short and wide , now i have question when you say roll/steer do you mean that the ski can move the tip up and down like in the direction the tire rolls , or side to side movement ? i would think if you had the ski move side to side it would be rotten to steer like a loose wheel . but never had the parts to play with one , no one has those tracked snow blowers around here .:sadcrying4:
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#4
metal man, the end of the forks would have heim joints fab to them. allowing the ski to stay more flat on the ground when the bike is turning/or leaning over. also have seen mini shock mount on the front of ski's before,but i don't think i will need that? for a low speed bike..............:scooter:
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#7
good example jesse8931 is my avatar picture. you can see the front tire is coming off the ground when it leans. with the heim joints and coil front shocks i would think it would help keep the ski flat on the ground. making it steer little better too. thing is i have seen some snow bikes made in the past and it looks like it takes alot of area to turn them. hoping this would help that problem? and handle better too.
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#8
JustEnough,thats what you call hard tailing..ha..ha....
no really i got a kenny:punk: seat ready to go on it.:thumbsup:
 
#9
ok i see what your thinking . i maybe wrong but i dont think it would work all that well . if the ski is flat and your leaning in a turn that would mean that the ski, when its sliding side ways it could roll away from you and dig in and that may flip you over . im thinking it would be like riding a bike with a very loose wheel . it could compress one shock and extend one putting more force on one fork leg over the other. a good way to think about it when you ice skate if you side slide and the blades are 90 to the ice you fall over and twist your ankle .now with the ski fallowing the line of the forks when you turn it would push the ski in to the snow .. the idea with the shock on a ski at least in the older sleds was that if you went air born the shock would pull the tip of the ski up a little so that when you landed it wouldn't dig in nose first .that's what i was told and it did seem to be true .mine did not have them and my buddy's did his lifted the ski mine let them drop
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#11
yes i think you could be right. maybe with the ski lifting with the bike when turning it would keep it from digging into the snow. i can get a ski with a shock,but i don't think i will be doing any jumping. still good option to put on maybe. i was thinking of making the rear track move up and down for going over small bumps. it will still be fix in the center. only the front and back could travel little up and down. i just haven't had no time to study a real snowmobile set up. especially new models.
input from you guys helps:thumbsup:
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#12
maybe next winter minibikedude. i will post project if do it.:punk: just want some input on ideals,so i am not building it twice...ha..ha..:doah:
 
#13
i went to look at at a bike same as that today. The guy wanted 50 buks for it pretty much all that was saveable was about what you have original on yours. I passed.
For the front ski id run a spring front and back so that it had some flex and fixed in the middle
 
#14
not sure the tierod ends are going to help that much i think you'll be ok just leaning the bike just like we doin the summer with a tire but mabe im missing somthing?& when ever i think bout putting a ski on something i picture a leif spring style but not sure y probly cuz there so abundant. i really like the 1 pictured though... is that a craftsman track? & how do ya hook a chain up to it? i cant wait to try it some day i get all the parts rounded up
:hammer:
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#15
no not going to use the heim joints:doah: i think that would just cause more problems .
go with more the solid mount ski and let the springs in the forks take the inpact. i may still mount a small shock to keep it from bouncing up and down? or just fab couple small rubber stoppers. something like the silver ski that i have posted
i have a old rupp ski that i want to fab a bracket on it.
something like this


making my bike a live shaft setup with a 5/8 grade 8 bolt that i machine a keyway thru it.
i will mount a 60 tooth #35 bs keyway sprocket on the outside and that will turn the shaft and in the center of the shaft there will be a small sprocket that is hookup to a chain to a sprocket that is mounted in the center of the track wheel.
here is two different size tracks. i will be using the larger unit





i have replace the bronze bushings and mount some high speed bearing with a flange mount.
 

Oldsalt

Well-Known Member
#16
delrey

You obviously know what you are doing. The only advice I can think of is to be sure that the front ski is 'pivoted' from a point, on it's long axis, that is somewhat forward of the center of the effective ski length. I'm sure you can imagine what would happen if the portion of ski forward of the pivot were substantially longer than the rear portion. It also occurs to me that snowmobiles, utilizing two steerable skis, don't have any rake [caster] in the steering 'king pins'. A minibike has commonly 20 or 30 degrees of fork rake. Therefore it seems that articulation of the front ski, as you planned, will be necessary. How about a Earles type front fork which would allow the ski to joust and rebound in an almost vertical manner? The pic you posted of the ski has a 'stand' that seems to point out a pivot point rather high above the lower surface. Typical dual ski snowmobile practice. Wouldn't a pivot point be better if its attachment point was as low as possible?
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#17
oldsalt, think your right. been looking at some factory built snow bikes and they do have the the mounting point much lower. for example the chrysler snorunner. it should be easy enough to make the lower fork tubes longer. they are a two piece design from factory with coil springs in them. thanks for your input,kind of wondering about that?
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#19
fab a disc brake behind the rear torque converter.
i had two #25 chain sprockets laying around. one small and one larger sprocket. took the larger unit and turn down the teeth and turn it into a disc.:thumbsup:
 
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