A snowmobile tour at Yellowstone National Park, note the snowdust in the air (NPS Photo)Snowmobile with a single rider
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Snowmobiles

A snowmobile (or snow scooter, often referred to by enthusiasts as a 'sled' and in the Canadian north and Alaska as a 'snowmachine') is a land vehicle propelled by one or two rubber tracks, with skis for steering. more...

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They are designed to be operated on snow and ice, and require no road or trail. Most snowmobiles are typically powered by two-stroke gasoline/petrol internal combustion engines. Even though they are not designed for it, snowmobiles will skim on top of water if the speed is high enough, as demonstrated by the annual snowmobile river drag race in Kautokeino, Norway. Summertime occupations for snowmobile enthusiasts can involve drag racing on grass or even asphalt strips.

History

The earliest snowmobiles were modified Ford Model Ts with the undercarriage replaced with tracks and skis. They were popular for rural mail delivery for a time. This early history can be traced to Carl Eliason in Saynor, Wisconsin with his first hand built model completed in 1924. He was granted a U.S. patent in 1927. Polaris Industries in Roseau, Minnesota, in the United States Midwest, was a pioneer in the production of purpose-built snowmobiles.

The relatively dry snow conditions of the United States Midwest made the converted model Ts and other like vehicles not suitable for operation in more humid snow areas such as Southern Quebec. This led Joseph-Armand Bombardier of the small town of Valcourt in Quebec, Canada, to invent a different caterpillar track system suitable for all kinds of snow conditions. (The Kegresse track, a similar rubber track, was used on off-road halftrack military trucks before and during World War Two. It was developed by France and used in a variety of combat vehicles by the U.S. ) He started production of a large, enclosed, seven-passenger snowmobile in 1937, and introduced another enclosed twelve-passenger model in 1942.

It was only in 1959 that he invented what we know as the modern snowmobile in its open-cockpit one- or two-person form, and started selling it as the "Ski-doo". Competitors sprang up and copied and improved his design. In the 1970s there were hundreds of snowmobile manufacturers. From 1970 to 1973 they sold close to two million machines, a sales summit never since equalled. Many of the snowmobile companies were small outfits and the biggest manufacturers were often attempts by motorcycle makers and outboard motor makers to branch off in a new market. Most of these companies went bankrupt during the gasoline crisis of 1973 and succeeding recessions, or were bought up by the larger ones. Sales reached a peak of 260,000 in 1997 and went down gradually, influenced by warmer winters and the use during all four seasons of small one- or two-person ATVs. Bombardier Recreational Products, a former division of the first company, still makes snowmobiles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, and ATVs. The snowmobile market is now divided up between four big makers: Bombardier, Arctic Cat, Yamaha, and Polaris. Modern snowmobiles can achieve speeds in excess of 193 km/h (120mph). (Racing snowmobiles reach speeds in excess of 241 km/h ).

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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2006 Arctic Cat Firecat 700 F7 Sno Pro Efi $2,001.00 1998 Ski Doo 500 Formula Sl $355.00
2008 Ski-Doo Mxz 800R $2,750.00 1997 Arctic Cat 440 Jag / No Reserve / Clean Sled $202.50
Used Arctic Cat Zl 600 Efi Snowmobile Zl600 Sled $2,492.00 2008 Yamaha Rtx Nytro Snowmobile Factory Warranty 2012 $1.00
2007 Arctic Cat F10 F1000 F 1000 "Only 200 Miles!" $5,499.99 76 mercury 440 sno twister $1,750.00
98 Yamaha Srx 700 Snowmobile $700.00 2001 Polaris Xc 120cc $1,250.00
Yamaha Rx1 2003 Oval Race Snowmobile $1,200.00 New 2009 Yamaha Apex Mountain Full Warranty Free Ship $8,199.00
08 Polaris Dragon 700 Iq $6,300.00 2007 Skidoo Mxz X 800 -Great Deal $4,250.00
1999 Ski Doo Mxz500 Very Clean $1.00 2007 Arctic Cat F1000 Sno Pro Efi $5,000.00
2009 Yamaha Nytro Rtx Snowmobile New W/Warranty $8,599.00 2009 Yamaha Venture Gt Snowmobile New W/Warranty $9,299.00
1994 Ski-Doo MachZ $1,450.00 2001 Polaris Rmk 800 144" $305.00
Mxz800 Snowmobile Anniversary Addition $7,000.00 Nice! 2005 Ski-Doo Mx Z Renegade 800 Ho Crossover Sled $5,999.00
2007 Yamaha Apex Mountain Thousands Under Dealer Cost $100.00 2002 Artic Cat/Thundercat Modified $2,495.00
1991 Polaris trail deluxe 2up $50.00 New! 2009 Yamaha Rs Venture Gt 2-Up Touring Sled $9,497.00
skiroule snowmobile $500.00 powersports skidoo 500 Gsx 2008 1400 wife miles $6,400.00
Used Ski Doo Mxz 600 X Rev Blair Morgan Ski-Doo Se Mxzx $5,499.00 2001 arctic cat zr 600 efi and 2001 floe trailer $2,100.00
2005 Mach Z Ski-Doo, Straightline Performance $5,000.00 2009 SkiDoo 500ss 837.3 miles with accesories $4,000.00
2007 Arctic Cat Jaguar Z1 Z-1 Jag Green "140 Miles" $5,499.99 '88 Yamaha Inviter Cf300 w/electric start $152.50
2003 Ski Doo Rev Mxz X 800 Low Miles $2,795.00 1972 Arctic Cat Kitty Cat Original Owner Low Hours $950.00
Seized and Forfeited by Sheriff $355.00 2005 rev renegade 800, skidoo, ski doo,mxz $4,000.00
2002 Skidoo Ski Doo Summit 700 reverse 600 miles $1,225.00 New Ski-Doo Mxz Adrenaline 800R Snowmobile 800 Skidoo $8,192.00
1995 ski-doo Mach 1 670 M10 reverse 2366 miles No Reser $610.00 2006 Ad Bovin Sho Hawk Ski Doo Polaris Atric Cat Yamaha $1,000.00
1972 Arctic Cat Cheetah mint condition $1,000.00 Cool! 2005 Ski-Doo Mx Z 500Ss Adrenaline Trail Sled $3,650.00
06 Arctic Cat Z 370 $1,225.00 2006 Arctic Cat T660 660 Turbo Le "Only 750 Miles!" $4,899.99
2001 Sno Pro D&D 711 Mod Sled $2,000.00 2007 Arctic Cat F10 F1000 F1 1000 Black "300 Miles!" $5,999.99
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Prices current as of last update, 11/06/09 7:23pm.

See also...
Arctic Cat, Snowmobiles
Other Makes, Snowmobiles
Polaris, Snowmobiles
Ski-Doo, Snowmobiles
Yamaha, Snowmobiles

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