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Std Snowmobile racer conversion

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:30 pm
by oehrick
For those in snowy climes (and others!) have a look at this Fordson Snowmobile conversion, must have come as a hell of a pace change when the snow melted and they had to stick the wheels back on................

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo31_3UzTTY

:clap:
Edit
Just found the blurb under the video
"In the 1920s the Armstead Snow Motor was developed. When this was used to convert a Fordson tractor into a screw-propelled vehicle with a single pair of cylinders, the combination became known as the Fordson Snow Devil. It's cool because it ain't got wheels. You can't speed & get a DUI with that."

Re: Std Snowmobile racer conversion

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2014 2:06 am
by Dandy Dave
This film has been around the states for a while. There are some of these that still exist in the Pacific North West and north to Canada and Alaska. Normally they were put together and stayed together and not swapped for wheels in the spring. Archimedes would be proud to see how far his screw has come. :D Dandy Dave!

Re: Std Snowmobile racer conversion

Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 12:08 am
by oehrick
It implied it was an evaluation model Dave, good to know they made it into some sort of production and there are survivors :P

Looks a wee bit top heavy for any degree of side slope but even after having had an Industrial Standard (my first tractor restoration) which had a far turn of speed compared with the agricultural models this seems insanely fast and manouverable :idea:

I see there were some other vids of more modern versions with lower C of G and apparently buoyant enough to use on swamp or similar - sort of part way to hovercraft utility but with more tractive effort and less 'backsplatter'

Well, its a clear night here, lets hope the Indian Summer we've been having lasts tommorrow as I'm of to Skeyton Trosh, a local village event with steam threshing and sawing various old vehicles and engines on display and a good few acres for gas tractors to disturb the post harvest soil.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend :beer:

Rick