Snowmobiles - Research Paper Example

?Snowmobiles Introduction Snowmobiles are popular vehicles used in countries which receive heavy snowfall during major part of the year. Hence, it isvery popular in North Americas (USA and Canada) and some European countries. These vehicles are used both as means of transport and for sports activities. These vehicles are basically sleds that are powered by engines and hence are used to travel through heavy snow (Mara 5). The powerful engines of snowmobiles are placed in the hood present in the front portion of the vehicle. Snowmobile users’ jargon for these vehicles is “sled”. An interesting feature of a sled is the fact that it does not move on wheels. It has a long belt of rubber moving along the bottom of its body which forms a track for the sled to move on. Because of this track the sled does not slip and slide in the snow as it provides it with sufficient grip to keep it in control of the rider (DuBois 30). Snowmobiles use large amount of gasoline to run (Mara 1998). Hence, their popularity was greatly reduced during the 1970’s when the prices of gasoline reached sky high. Today there are only four major manufacturers of snowmobiles – Polaris, Arctic cat, Ski-doo and Yamaha (Mara 7). In snowmobiler’s parlance, these companies are called “big four” (DuBois 7). These companies manufacture these vehicles for various purposes which could be for personal use like transportation or for racers. Snowmobile racing is a very popular sporting activity during the snow fall season in various countries. This can be seen from the fact that in North America alone there are more than 3000 clubs for snowmobilers (Mara 7). Major countries where people enjoy this sport are US, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The cost of snowmobiles manufactured for this specific purpose is twice the price of ordinary use snowmobiles. Brief history of snowmobiles Snowmobiles were born out of the need for means of transport in snow covered areas. In early days people used these crude forms of snowmobiles as taxis to ferry passengers from place to place. These were also used by doctors as ambulances to carry patients across snow covered pathways which were otherwise difficult to tread. Hunters and foresters also used these vehicles in the early 19th century. These were put to use for warfare in the World War II by the soldiers. Thus, though the early invention of this vehicle dates back to the 1920’s, it was mostly used for work and not for fun. It was only in the 1960’s that the idea of using them in sports caught the fancy of the inventors (Sommers 12). Carl Eliason built his first hand made Motor Toboggan in a small garage. He patented this machine in 1924. It was at that time made up of a long wooden sled and powered by 2.5 horse power engine which was attached on its outer board. Bicycle parts were used to make the dual trail track and it also had a radiator to cool the motor when it overheated (Sommers 11). Over a period of 15 years Eliason sold 24 such vehicles, each one being different from the other. His major buyers were the hunters and utility workers (Sommers 17). The biggest order of these vehicles (150 of them) was from the US army during the World War II. However, after this peak period there was a slowdown in demand. By the 1950s, Canada became the production base for snowmobiles. However by this time, Eliason had a strong competitor, a superior quality product Ski-Doos which was invented by Joseph-Armand Bombardier and had taken over the snowmobile market with its unique design. This product had a design which still sets standards for today’s snowmobiles. A lot of inventors started taking interest in finding better and more efficient designs and “by 1972, there were more that 100 snowmobile companies” operating in this business (Sommers 19). However, as mentioned earlier, today the “big four” are the major players in this arena after an intense activity of mergers and acquisitions over the past three decades. Evolution of the designs The earlier design of snowmobiles was that of a sleigh mounted with an engine. The engine powered a gear which pushed the vehicles by turning the tracks. However, these vehicles were very slow and the engines produced a very loud noise. These designs were changed and in the 1950’s the engines were much quieter and had higher power capacity than the earlier ones. However, one of the drawbacks of this design was that the engines were placed in the open and hence would many times catch fire. Thus, these designs were dangerous. 1960s saw a further change in designs of the snowmobiles. The manufacturers moved the engines from the back to the front and even covered them with a hood to provide them a protection from the open air. Thus, the vehicles became much faster and were also comparatively safer than their previous decade counterparts (Mara 7). Evolution of the snowmobile races With the improvisation in designs and speed of these vehicles, people started acknowledging their usefulness in racing sport. “The first races were cross country races through the countryside” (Mara 13). These consisted of racing through the open fields to a finishing line. The first race of this kind was organized in Minnesota in the mid 1960s (Mara 13). These races then evolved into more organized kind of competitions during the 1970s. Special arenas were built where these competitions were organized. The arenas were designed in an oval fashion with spectators sitting-area on the outer circumference of the area and racing track in the inner circumference. However, the fuel crisis of the late 70s and early 80’s resulted in a decline of these events (Mara 13). With the fuel situation coming back to the normal, the sport again got back its lost glory. Today it is one of the most popular winter sport event. This can be seen from the fact that “The World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wisconsin draws more than 30,000 spectators every year” (Mara 15). Types of snowmobiles and tracks available today Based on the types of uses for snowmobiles they are available in different categories – racing, mountaineering, trail, youth, touring and utility (Yirka). Let us look at the various features of these sleds and also see as to how they differ according to the activities they are expected to perform. Racing – These are very high performance machines and are endowed with high suspension so as to enable them to perform well under tough terrain conditions. They also have more powerful engines to provide them with speed and extra power to wade through tough terrains (Storeman). Trail or crossover – These are called entry level sleds and have engines with lower power as compared to the others we are going to discuss. Usually new riders start with these as they are safer to ride due to their lower power and speed. Mountaineering – To provide maneuverability in the mountainous terrain, the sled used for mountain climbing have longer body which is slender in shape. This design helps it to easily wade through the sharp curves of the mountains and at the same time keep the sled well balanced. Youth – The designs of snowmobiles are created to attract the young riders. These come in attractive color combinations with focus on comfort and safety. As most of the youngsters are first time riders, it is important to provide the sleds with adequate safety features. These are also much easier to handle as compared to the others. Touring – The main purpose of these sleds is to provide a comfortable ride to its passengers. Hence the main characteristic of a touring sled is that it focuses more on the comfort aspect rather than on speed. As passengers need to go on long drives, these snowmobiles are designed to provide adequate comfort. They also have a higher seating capacity to accommodate more than one passenger. They are thus slower and heavier than other category sleds. Utility – They are used for towing equipment between destinations. Hence, they are designed to carry weight. They are also provided with sufficient capacity to keep material on board for ferrying. As will be discussed in the later section, their tracks are designed to provide them enough strength and stability to carry heavy weight even on heavily snow covered pathways. The engines also have higher power to enable the sled to carry heavy weights. An important component of a snowmobile is its track. Earlier, the snowmobile tracks were made of rubber. However, now a day they are made up of “Kevlar” which is a “high strength, thermally stable nylon” (Yirka). Following are the 6 basic types of tracks available – Back Country/ Cross Country tracks – Usually cross country tracking paths involve sharp turns, uphill and downhill pathways and are laid with unfathomable snow. Thus snowmobile tracks for such terrains are fitted with paddles on the outer portion which provide the vehicle extra grasp. Racing – Snowmobile racing requires very special types of tracks. For snowmobile drag racing on Asphalt race tracks, sliders need to be replaced with wheels (Yirka). For racing on water laden race tracks, watercross or snowmobile skipping helps the rider reach speeds of 60 miles an hour (Yirka). Various variants of tracks called Snocross or Hillcross or Hybrid help the sleds to achieve high speeds and provide them with enough stability to resist very high jumps. Mountain – These are very strong tracks which help in climbing steep mountains which have hard surfaces and are characterized by strong snow winds. It is laden with lugs that can be up to 2.25 inches in height. Some models of tracks also contain paddles to help in cutting deep snow (Yirka). Touring or Exploring – As these snowmobiles are used for touring or for other leisure trips, they do not require very high speed. Thus, they do not have lugs but tire-tread-like grips (Yirka). Utility Ripsaw – Utility snowmobiles need extra power to tow heavy equipment. Thus the tracks are provided with teeth to provide extra grip to carry heavy weighing stuff. It also has lugs as high as 1.56 inches (Yirka). Snowmobile safety Snowmobiling gives a kick to the rider and hence many riders tend to ignore safety rules. Snowmobile accidents have been reported when a rider hits a tree or another vehicle unknowingly or because he was not been adequately focusing on the track he had taken. Thus, first safety rule for any rider is to keep his or her eyes and ears open to where he/she is going. Another important aspect to keep in mind before starting on a journey is to follow a predefined track and get familiar with it before hand by looking at the map of the area where the rider is going to ride. It is vital to keep away from regions that are not part of the track as they might be dangerous for snowmobile riding. For example, frozen river beds are dangerous locations to ride on as there might be thin sheets of ice in certain locations which might give way to the water inside. Venturing into unknown territories can also be taken as trespassing and legal action can be taken by the owner of the property for this offence. Hence, it is very important that the rider does not get very adventurous. Wearing a helmet is another safety requirement for snowmobiling. It is always safer to ride in a group. If one is planning to ride alone then it is better to have one co-rider so that in case of any emergency there is a help around. It is a good idea to carry a safety kit and basic survival gear (Brechlin 120). These include stuff like sleeping bags, flashlights etc. so that in case the rider gets stuck somewhere, he/she will have basic equipment to survive on. Safety kit should include medicines and other survival things. An important aspect to keep in mind before starting on the expedition is to check the mechanical condition of the vehicle. It should be ensured that the machine is checked for any defects and requisite maintenance work done before moving. Fuel tank should be well stacked and fueling decision should not be left for a later time during the journey as fueling stations are available only at very long intervals. Moreover, while maneuvering sharp turns there is extra fuel loss. Hence, it would not be a good idea to start with a half empty fuel tank and plan to fill it during the journey. At times, especially during peak snowmobiling season, due to heavy rush of riders, the fuel stations tend to exhaust their supplies by mid-day. Thus, a rider can land up in serious problem if s/he has started with less fuel supply in the first place (Brechlin 121). It is also very important to keep off the main road where automobiles are being driven. Thus, we can see that following safety norms while riding is as important as choosing the right snowmobile for your requirement. To experience the real thrill of a ride, it is important that the safety aspects of snowmobile riding are adhered to. Works Cited Brechlin, Earl. Adventure guide to Maine. New York: Hunter Publishing Inc. 1999. DuBois, Muriel L. Snowmobiles. North Mankato, MN: Capston Press. 2001. Mara, W. Snowmobile Racing. North Mankato, MN: Capston Press. 1998. Sommers, Michael A. Snowmobiling: Have fun, be smart. The Rosen Publishing Group. 2002. Storeman. Beginners guide to snowmobile types. Go Outdoor Sports, 24 Oct 2008. Web. 31Jan 2011. Yirka, Tonya. Types of Snowmobile Tracks, Ehow, 8 Oct 2008. Web. 31Jan 2011 Read More