Gliding on the snowy trails while cutting the chill winter air, have you ever thought about who invented it? And who built the first snowmobile, or what does it look like? The history of snowmobiles goes way back into the early 1900’s.
Like other vehicles, snowmobiles have undergone many changes within the century since their invention. Most modern snowmobiles don’t resemble their ancestors or prototypes. Technology has brought significant advancements and changes in how they look or work.
If you want to know about how and when a snowmobile was invented and what it looked like, you are at the right place.
Let’s dig into the history of snowmobiles.
Why Was There A Need For Snowmobiles?
They say, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and that’s right. Snowmobiles were invented out of need rather than as a recreational activity or hobby. People needed a vehicle that could glide over snow during winter and provide transportation for them. These vehicles were specifically designed for areas with deep snow where other all-terrain vehicles couldn’t function.
The Prototype Of The Snowmobile
In the early 1920s, people made many attempts to make a vehicle that could offer transportation over snow-filled lands. However, the snow vehicle, regarded as the prototype of snowmobiles, was invented about 100 years ago, in 1922. It was the creation of J. Armand Bombardier from Canada. It resembled a large car placed on top of skis and tank-like tracks.
The First Engine-Powered Snowmobile
In 1924, Carl Eliason developed a motor toboggan- a snowmobile with an engine by hand. It was built in Sayner, Wisconsin, similar to what modern snowmobiles look like. Eliason received its patent in 1927, featuring a front engine and liquid coolant. He started commercial production in the later years.
The SNO-Cat
Emmit M. Tucker developed the tucker SNO-Cat in 1931. It serves as a precursor to all snow machines and trail groomers we see on the snow. Later, he founded Tucker Sno-Cat Corporation in 1946 to manufacture snow machines. The company manufactures customized snow machines of every sort and is regarded as one of the best companies to facilitate snow transportation.
Steps Towards Commercialization
After the successful invention, J. Armand Bombardier got a patent for his design in 1937 and later started his company in 1942 in Quebec for the commercial production of snowmobiles. Meanwhile, Carl Eliason continued producing snowmobiles at the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company. Later he shifted his company to Kitchener, Ontario, where the company continued the manufacturing process until 1963.
Autoboggan Entering The Market
Polaris built a company, “Polaris Manufacturing,” for producing snowmobiles in Roseau, Minnesota. he began the production of his first snowmobile, the Sno-Traveler, in 1956, 2 years after founding the company. He named it Autoboggan as it was a massive form of the snowmobile. In 1958, he shifted the production to America and sent it to Canada for sale.
The Foundation of Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls
A former Polaris Manufacturing employee Edgar Heteen left Polaris in 1961 to put the foundation of his own company, “The Arctic Cat.” The company was situated in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, and it manufactured its first model, the model 500, in 1962. The arctic cat introduced its first 2-stroke engine in 1964, which advanced the snowmobile industry. To date, the arctic cat is considered one of the best snowmobile manufacturers and provides the most technically advanced snowmobiles. They play a big roll in the history of snowmobiles.
Yamaha Jumps In The Bandwagon
Yamaha is a known name in the bike manufacturing industry. The company decided to enter snowmobile manufacturing in 1968. Yamaha developed a two-stroke twin-cylinder SL350 and introduced the first snowmobile with slide valve carburetors. Later, all snowmobile manufacturers included slide valve carburetors as an essential feature in their models.
Advancing The Snowmobile Game
With big names like Arctic Cat, Polaris manufacturing, and Yamaha in the snowmobile manufacturing race, the technology improvised, and snowmobiles advanced in their features. Liquid cooling technology became a part of snowmobile manufacturing in 1978, and many companies included it as a key feature. Gradually more and more advancements became part of snowmobile manufacturing.
In 1980, Polaris introduced his TXL Indy 34, an advanced snowmobile with independent front suspension. It was the first snowmobile of its kind.
Following the TXL Indy 34, Yamaha introduced Phazer, a snowmobile designed explicitly for mountain snowmobiling, in 1984. After years, Yamaha introduced 80 cc Sno Scoot. This snowmobile was designed to allow children experience snowmobiling.
In the year 1990, Arctic cat and Polaris introduced important technologies. Firstly, The Arctic Cat introduced the first electronic reverse and batteryless electronic fuel injection in snowmobiles. And Polaris developed Polaris Indy 650 RXL EFI OEM with fuel injection.
Again, in 2000, the Arctic Cat changed the snowmobiling industry by testing a 4-stroke engine-based snowmobile in Yellowstone National park. Two years later, the company started the full-production four-stroke trail, touring models, and rider-forward concept with Ski-Doo’s REV platform.
The competition for the snowmobile market sky-rocketed with the entry of Timbersled, who introduced snowmobiles in 2010. The 2015 model of Ski-doo had the first 174-inch projection sled, adding style and beneficial features to the present snowmobiles.
After the struggle and continuous gradual developments, the number accelerated to 120,000 snowmobiles worldwide. With growing time and advancing technology, we are sure that the snowmobile industry will soon experience more advance models.
If you found this article on the history of snowmobiles interesting, be sure to check out other articles on snowmobiles here.
