Snowed in? Check this out!

[sugarnut]

here is a link to a video of a 1924 concept snow machine from the Armstead Snow Motor Company. it is built on the frames of a fordson tractor and a chevrolet car. i bet this thing could haul some sap out of the woods!

http://www.flixxy.com/snow-vehicle-concept.htm (11 minute video)

[NH Maplemaker]

Now I would like to have one of those!! Even if it didn't haul sap!! Just for fun!! I wonder how many the old boy sold?? Any body ever seen one?

Jim L.

[mapleman3]

that is the coolest thing ever!! I wonder if any are around

[maple flats]

Great idea. I want one too. Would work good for getting firewood out and hauling sap too.

[maplehound]

My son and I just watched this and we both want one. Maybe somebody could build one themselfs. Might be fun to try any way.

[benchmark]

Wow, that thing is really neat!! Wonder what the tire thingy's are made of??

[Russell Lampron]

If I could figure out what to use for the pontoons I could turn my Model AA into one of those. That thing is awesome!

[tom jr.]

galvinized culvert pipes Russ !!!!!!!!

[Russell Lampron]

The culvert pipes that I have seen aren't spiral and they would have to be to get traction.

[Dennis H.]

That is such a cool thing I wonder why they never caught on back then. I just couldn't imagine swapping them for the axles each year though.

[sugarnut]

it's hard to imagine that it floated as well as it did. i guess maybe the depression put an end to that company.

[tom jr.]

Russ, I checked into galvinized pipes and the ones I saw were spiral ,But probably not aggressive enough. maybe do a little welding and some fab work to the front and we would have a winner!

[NH Maplemaker]

Guess it was a case of wrong place and wrong time! It was just 6 years after world war 1 and 5 years before the great depression, so poor guy was up against it! There surly wasn't a lot of money around back then.
Russ, I wonder if you could modify pontoons off of a party barge? Weld spirals around them, Put cone on the front! There would haft to be a shaft from front to back Thur the center !!Gear box would take a little thought. Think of the press you could get if it worked !!

Jim L.

[Amber Gold]

I'm sold...where can I find one? One of those technologies I'm surprised it didn't catch on. I can't get over the pontoons...so cool!

[dano2840]

i like it alot but i would never buy it because its a ford
now if it were a deere..........................

[sugarnut]

dano...you missed the chevrolet? :)

[gmcooper]

Have to say that was pretty neat. Never heard of anything like it. Wonder if there is still one left. Probably scapped them years ago. Only big issue I saw is watching the video if the driver fell off the tread spinning in towards the frame is going to make coleslaw of of him or maybe hamburger.

Thanks posting the link!
Mark

[lpakiz]

On the transmission question, I bet 2 hydraulic motors driven by a good-sized pump would do it. Vary the oil volume to each motor for turning and a hydraulic valve for forward and reverse...
Really cool---

[michiganfarmer]

pretty cool

[Jim Brown]

I think someone needs to do a project and see what they can find out about that thing.It is really something! With todays technology we should be able to build one better and stronger, I really like the concept!and can think of 100 things a person could do with it. There has to be some plans or drawings some where.

Jim

[caseyssugarshack93]

I want one of thoes Snow machines!! :D

[MERIDIAN MAPLES]

If you made the pontoons water tight you could use it on the lake in the summer. Just imagine the looks you'd get pulling up to the dock!!

[few trees]

In the 1960's the military had some thing similar but they tested it as a swamp buggie. They only made a couple of test models but you could research that and maybe come up with the steering system. There is video of it and I would think the plans are somewhere.

[DS Maple]

Here are some more related vehicles.

http://fulgerica.com/en/2007/07/04/in-soviet-russia-cars-screw-you/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2909902484_d8ea16de2e.jpg

[KenWP]

If I remember right there is one of these gizmo's in the Museum in Wetaskiwan Alberta.