As some of you know, I have been designing and building this machine for the last 6 years. It is a great sled to ride and I am sure that if development is continued, there will be a market for it. It has been in the December 2005 and November 2007 issues of Snow Tech magazine, and there has been interest by two of the Big 4 manufacturers. I will share the letters and other communications and tell you about the demonstrations. I have other projects I need to get busy with and I cannot put any more time or money into this one. The patent is issued so there is no question about the originality or patentability, and the first maintenace fees have been paid. The patent alone was over $20,000.

It is time for someone with vision and some resources to take this project and put it over the top. Someone with a machine shop and some engineering skills could turn this around very quickly. Bring this new machine to market and make a difference in the sport of snowmobiling. Pictures are attached, and there is a 10-second video as well. Don't let this die on the vine - make your mark. Have Fun!

Patent will be assigned with all rights for $50,000 USD.

sick sled!! or what ever you would like to call it. good luck with the sale. do you have any other pictures you could post up?

Glad you like it. It really is great to ride, and you don't need a lot of space to have a lot of action. I have tons of photos, and the computer mdel is in 3D, so I can get images from any angle. I cannot attach the video because it is 1 megabyte. Send your personal email to me at sledmaker1@yahoo.com and I'll make sure you get it and more images. Pass the word. Somebody could really turn this into something great.

Jim

do you have one built? cause computer drawings to me are not that impressive? and It looks to me like an ATV with tracks on the back and ski's up front, a 50,000 patent? I can buy tracks and put them on a fully modded raptor for under 10,000!!!

Yes, I have one built, but it is a rough prototype. Here are a couple photos. It isn't just a quad with tracks, although quad riders would love the way it rides. I tried to upload a video, but I am not able to do that.

your patent atty sure ripped you off. 20k for a patent is a way steep price. Perhaps 10 at the most.

Unless of course you are counting your own time.



Any desriptions on how it rides. And what the advantages of it are?

[quote name='in-mn' date='Oct 23 2007, 02:52 AM' post='3148478']
your patent atty sure ripped you off. 20k for a patent is a way steep price. Perhaps 10 at the most.

Unless of course you are counting your own time.

Yeah, live and learn, eh? My time is not included, but the thousands the USPTO charges for issue fees and maintenance are.

I think the ride is pretty good considering the early stage of development. The center of mass is just about at the rider's foot position, so the machine rocks or rolls on the axes centered at the rider. I had to use shocks I could afford at the time, so better ones are definitely in order. As you get farther in development, the more you can refine.

The advantages are based on my preferences; others may see them as disadvantages.

Extremely stable. Very flat cornering - not so good at carving. Narrow foot stance because you are not straddling a drive tunnel. The double-articulated rear suspension allows the tracks to follow the contour of the riding surface. This is most evident when you are doing wheelies - the tracks stay flat. The configuration allows the mass to be more easily centralized for better rider control. One limitation I had to work around was the availablity of tracks. Not much I could do about that, so I had to keep the weight under 300 pounds for floatation - this one wighs 295 right now, and while more strength needs to be added, there are many areas where weight can be saved. Because of the light weight, the rider's body position has a big influence on the handling. I like that, but somebody else might not. If you're a 250 pound guy, this sled might not be much fun. Better tracks could support more weight AND handle more power. The tracks I am using are for XC120s., and I don't want to rip out drive lugs.

There is more to say about this, but it would make a VERY long (and boring) post.

I was curious as to what modeling software you are using? As a mechanical designer/engineer I can appreciate the amount of time in development. Looks like ProE or something along those lines. Good Luck!

The program I used is Infini-D by Macromedia. It is not nearly as sophistacated as ProE, but it can get the job done. I'll see if the model can be exported as a 3d dxf; maybe you could play with it. I'm open to ideas.

Great, I use Inventor 11, so if it will export to a step or iges, or a sat extension I should be able to open. I also have a personal student edition of SolidWorks that is even betten than the Autodesk Inventor. Did you design the parts for this or did you just modify what you could buy or find reasonably affordable?

When a suitable product existed, I used it, Those were mainly standard things like handlebars, skis, Idler wheels, etc. The rest of the machine was built from the ground up. When I needed a part, such as 10.5 inch drive wheels, I had to find something close, and adapt (Yamaha secondary clutch sheaves, actually). When making those choices, money is always a consideration. If I had access to a machine shop and a foundry, I could have done a much better job.

This looks extremely similar to a machine built by a French (France/Quebec?) at least ten years ago. I read about it in high school, it was yellow and blue and featured twin independent tracks, i have not been able to find any mention of it since, it was in one of the major Sled magazines from that era? anyone else remember it?

SkiDoo had a twin-track oval racer at one time, but the suspension was completely different. Raider, Tracker, and Snow Traveler also had twin tracks, but the similarity ends there.

AD Boivin experimented with some twin-track designs = maybe that is what you saw. I saw them too, but again, the actual rear suspension principal is completely different. Also my front suspension is unique, and it works surprisingly well.

have you tried modifying the front suspension to fit a conventional snowmobile? looks like you could have a more desirable roll center with this design and also minimize the amout of chassis material to save weight.

It looks really cool, one concern may be how easily a rider could run there own foot over with those exposed tracks. A slip off a Icy Footpeg could ruin your day. A ATV like Aftermarket Safety Bar /Mesh could eliminate that ? What size engine powers it? Good luck with your creation.

Sorry for not getting back sooner. Of course I considered adapting to an existing sled, but there are so many other things to consider as well; overall length being one of the first. You are correct that the fron suspension allows greater freedom in the location of the vehicle's center of mass. It is one of the claims in the patent. The rear suspension plays an equal part in determining where the mass is situated. I placed it at the rider's foot. That way, the machine (theoretically) pivots at your footrest in any direction. It feels pretty good - a lot like a dirt bike.