Alright snow is just beginning to fall where I live, and Christmas is coming up... perfect time to start a diy project. Since things that move are always fun I was thinking of making some sort of bad ass snowmobile or snow scooter (http://www.trendtimes.com/43snscwifrsh.html)

Now that I think more into it those look pretty expensive and hard to make.

But I'm still up for any ideas

-snow scooter
-ski bike
-what about a motorized snowboard?! kind of like a motorized skateboard

Motorized snowboard would be really difficult. The problem with things like snowmobiles and the like is that you need a lot of power to turn the tracks. So you need a big honkin' gasoline motor to drive the track, plus the track structure itself is pretty large. That would seriously jepordize your maouverability on a snowboard. How about a hovercraft? Snow won't stop one of those.

But, if you're heart is set on track-driven vehicles, here's what you do:

If you can get your hands on a small snowmobile (like they make for kids: http://tinyurl.com/5qfuqh), you can cannibalize it for the track. The motor will probably be too big and powerful for a scooter or something. But the best way to get one of these cheaply is to find a broken one. Every winter, plenty of kids will ram their mini-snowmobile into a tree, wrecking the motor. Fortunately for you, all you care about is in the back. Call up a local snowmobile retailer and see if they'll tell you what happens to the snowmobiles people wreck every winter. Or, better yet, pretend that you are the parent of a child who crashed their snowmobile into a tree, and you want to get rid of it now.

Chainsaws are a good source of small, powerful gas engines. Gas, by the way, is really your only option (sorry, tree-huggers).

A gas track driven type vehicle was what I had in mind. I could probably find a chainsaw engine.

Wow I just checked ebay and had no idea the track was so expensive. Good hills are hard to find around here so motorized is my best option. Is their some sort of diy cheapo way to substitute for a track? I'm thinking something like tire chains?

I forgot to mention I'm a little short on money so keeping this under a couple hundred is my goal. So maybe this isn't a realistic project for me, especially since I have very little knowledge of mechanics.

But I could still try and get the motor for Xmas and start off with a normal scooter or gas powered bike.

Actually since I'm realizing that most of the projects I suggested are too difficult for me. My goal is now a gas powered bike. How fast could a chainsaw motor move the bike? With a 130lb person?

Something like this was just what I had in mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEF0Z7TkMhc&NR=1

But could somebody with experience go into detail about whats involved and some basic instructions for what I need to do - a link works too.

Better idea- build a rope with a handle on it, then tie it to the back of your car. Grab the handle while a friend floors it down the edge of a parking lot, and zoom along through the snow on the side towards a big booter you just digged. Seems to fill your requirements of fast, fun, and flat.

Aside from whatever a big booter is? I've done this with my friends go kart. It would be a lot more fun to do something that you have more control of/can steer.

Aside from whatever a big booter is? I've done this with my friends go kart. It would be a lot more fun to do something that you have more control of/can steer.

Snowbanks in parking lots. When the plow the lots, there are huge piles of snow on the side. Carve something into that? And you can't steer a snowboard, or even a go kart for that matter?

Maybe just figure out how to put tracks on your friends go kart...

Go buy an old, barely running 4 wheeler. I just sold my 1983 Suzuki LT125 for $150, and I bought it for $65. This thing was pretty much just motor, frame and steering components (the damn thing didn't even have suspension stock!), so the price is probably a little lower than what you might be able to find in your area, but on CL you can find $300 dirtbikes/ATV's all day. Good knobbies work fine in the snow. I suggest bearclaw tires, they'll go through damn near anything, it's what I had on mine (yes, I had tires that cost 4x as much as my machine, blow me) and they never disappointed me.

Well buying an atv defeats my purpose of building something...

So I kind of want to change the topic to a gas scooter project:

I want to buy a scooter like this: http://www.amazon.com/Kent-Super-Scooter/dp/B001DZ1JTC. My friend has one but with a flat tire, maybe I can just buy his cheap. And I found some cheap chainsaw motors.

Right now I'm wondering about the sprockets, will I just mount a bike sprocket onto the chainsaw crank? and how difficult is it to put a sprocket on the rear wheel?

And when I use the hand accelerator with the chainsaw motor will it instantly give full power? (probably a stupid question)

Buy a different back wheel with a sprocket attatched, like $8 at harbor freight. Yes, the chainsaw will go full throttle, you will need to hook a cable up to the carb. It should be pretty simple. As for the chainsaw sprocket, got a welder and have them weld it to the crank if there isn't a standard thread. Shouldn't cost more than $40 not counting the motor and scooter.

Yes, the chainsaw will go full throttle, you will need to hook a cable up to the carb.

again I don't know much about motors, can you explain the carburetor business to me?

They have 'Downhill snow bike racers' here in NZ during the snow festival.

Its just a old pushbike with a old cutdown skis attached to where the wheels were.

Its a novelty race, nothing fancy, pretty dangerous, theres all ways someone getting hurt a bit.

You can tow someone behind a 3wheeler on a tractor tube on the snow.

pussy. there's no such thing as 'to powerful'

Oh, I just meant that it would be too large, size-wise. Their 'aint no such thing as a DIY vehicle that goes too fast!

pussy. there's no such thing as 'to powerful'

haha, a snowmobile engine on a scooter? not too powerful, just unwieldy .

again I don't know much about motors, can you explain the carburetor business to me?

How did you expect to DIY some of the projects you described without even knowing how a carb works?

I started this reply with every intention of saying it may be easier to put a drive spindle on the chainsaw engine and you wouldn't have to worry about getting the right sprocket sizes but then I realized that if you were riding it in the snow, you may not have enough friction on the back wheel to utilize that. Just keep in mind the power of the engine you will be using and your weight in deciding the sizes because if you make the wheel sprocket smaller and the chainsaw sprocket bigger it will go faster (theoretically) but there becomes a point where you will just flood the engine out trying to move yourself along.

Kind of a random blurb, but I hope it helps if you decide to follow through with the scooter idea.

How did you expect to DIY some of the projects you described without even knowing how a carb works?

I figured I'd learn.

Just keep in mind the power of the engine you will be using and your weight in deciding the sizes because if you make the wheel sprocket smaller and the chainsaw sprocket bigger it will go faster (theoretically) but there becomes a point where you will just flood the engine out trying to move yourself along.

So just like how a bike works?

gearing wise, yes, exactly as a bike works.

Carb has a float that lets in more or less air, there is a cable that attaches to this float. This is called a throttle cable, aka gas pedal/thumb throttle/ twist throttle. The more the float opens the more air= more power and increased revs from the motor. Hook up a twist throttle from a dirt bike to this and you have a way to power the motor.

I explained as simple as I can, let me know if you need more info.

Build a snowman:

http://www.tensionnot.com/images/images/Terrorism512.jpg

heres my new piece of junk its a 1981 Arctic Cat Jag 4000 with a 440 in it.
even though it looks like shit, it runs decent and is actually a really rare sled, the 4000 model with the 440 in it was only made for one year
and its only got 970 original miles on it. not bad.

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