Homemade tire tracks. Homemade snowmobile track from a conveyor belt. Tire tracks

the main / Machine Reviews

Those who like to go fishing often in winter often face the problem of cross-country ability. After all, it is not always possible, even in an off-road vehicle, to drive directly to the bank of the river, and even more so to the very place of fishing. The way out of this situation is a tracked snowmobile. However, the price of such equipment in stores is sometimes not affordable, and therefore there is a need to make such a device with your own hands. In today's article we will look at how it is done on tracks and what you need to have for this.

Caterpillar

The first step is to start with the most difficult piece of snowmobile construction - the track. Along with the motor, it is the main driving element of all equipment. In order to do it, you first need to draw up drawings of homemade snowmobiles on tracks (similar to our second photo).

This way you will know the exact sequence of the work performed and will not forget about any small detail. And now about how to make a caterpillar in practice. To do this, we need to take a plastic pipe (about 40 millimeters in diameter) and 2 strips. The number of pieces of strips depends on how long your caterpillar will be. Working with these parts, or rather, their processing is easily done on a circular or (grinder). In this case, you need to cut through the part one wall at a time. This is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the work performed. How to connect the conveyor belt to the cut pipe halves? To do this, we need two, while the diameter of their thread should be about 6 millimeters. If you combine this value of the elements with the manufactured structure, the step between the lugs at the exit will be 93 millimeters.

When "baiting" parts of pipes with their cut side outward, be sure to maintain a step distance between them. If the displacement is 3 or more millimeters, this will lead to inconsistent operation of the teeth of the drive gear and the belt itself, which will cause overshoot in the snowmobile. And this already leads to a loss of control. This discrepancy can lead to the fact that the belt can simply slide off the rollers.

It is also important to observe the dimension of the caterpillar. How long it will be depends directly on the power of the engine on which the homemade snowmobile will work. On the tracks, it is necessary to calculate the nominal pressure of all equipment on its plane. Thus, the curb weight of the snowmobile relative to the roadway should be no more than 0.4 kg / cm 2.

How to drill the tape?

Homemade snowmobiles on caterpillar work quite well on tapes drilled with a conventional drill. However, in order for the device to work as long as possible, you need to re-sharpen the drill to work with rubber in advance. You should first purchase a tool designed for processing wooden surfaces. Never use metal drills.

Other chassis parts

The rest of the units will be easier. For example, units such as axles and rubber wheels, Buranov sprockets and protected bearings can be purchased at any specialized store. By the way, it is better to buy inflatable wheels. This technique will be softer on the go. The axle can be taken from a simple garden cart (biaxial). If necessary, you can cut it off or, conversely, expand it to the appropriate values ​​of the technique. If you are unable to purchase a drive shaft from a store, you can try making one on a lathe. When making your own shaft, make sure that it fits the bearings well in size.

Homemade snowmobile on tracks: frame

We will have it perform the main load-bearing function and hold all the parts, including the engine, in one whole. By the way, as a motor you can use power plant from the motorcycle along with the gearbox. But back to the frame. We will make it from a steel section with a diameter of 25x25 millimeters. In this case, it must be welded in such a way that it has two longitudinal and three transverse beams. The presence of these parts on the frame will significantly strengthen its structure.

We finish the work

Finally, on how to install on a homemade snowmobile on tracks During the assembly of the snowmobile, here you need to make two swivel sleeves. This will be your steering gear. How it's done? Weld a 1/3 ”female water socket to the front beam and screw the male threaded connections into them. The branch pipes already have track racks and welded bipod for the tie rod. By the way, you can use skis from an ordinary children's car "Argamak". But before that, first prepare them for installation: attach the angles for attaching the swivel stand and cut the metal. This will greatly improve the handling and handling of the snowmobile at high speed.

With the arrival of winter, some people successfully replace two-wheeled vehicles with home-made snowmobiles. This technique is able to overcome large snowdrifts and it is convenient to move on it on snowy roads. It is expensive and not everyone can afford to buy it, so many people assemble snowmobiles on their own using scrap materials.

General structure of the snowmobile

A snowmobile is a sled that is powered by an engine. They are agile, agile and capable of speeds in excess of 85 mph. Middle class vehicles can climb up to 20 ° slopes. Steep slopes up to 65 ° can be traversed by snowmobiles of a higher class. General device snowmobile:

  1. The equipment is controlled by means of steering levers. The handles are connected to the skis in front.
  2. The steering wheel is equipped with drives: gas and brakes. These levers control the speed and braking of the snowmobile.
  3. The rear wheels are absent, and instead of them there is a one-piece rubber band (caterpillar), which moves the snowmobile. It is connected to the engine through a chain and belt.
  4. Some models can be made on chambers from tractor wheels.

Thanks to their design, snowmobiles can overcome difficult terrain that vehicles cannot pass. With their help, food is delivered to snow-covered areas in which there are no roads. But most people are used to using them for entertainment.

Manufacturing of structural elements

Before proceeding with the manufacture of structural elements, prepare a drawing, the required materials and tools. You can take ready-made drawings based on the Bullfinch or Vepr snowmobiles. Of the tools you will need:

  • welding machine;
  • pipe bender or finished frame;
  • a hammer;
  • screwdrivers.


Since the construction of the mini snowmobile is low, the seat is made of durable waterproof material. The fuel tank is made of metal. Its volume should be between 10 and 15 liters. A chain from a motorcycle can be used as a drive.

How to make a snowmobile track

A snowmobile track is created from tires or a conveyor belt. The work will be difficult and time-consuming if tires are used as a basis. Bumpers are cut out of them, so a sharp boot knife or an electric jigsaw is required for work. To facilitate the process, tires are chosen with a suitable tread pattern. Making a homemade caterpillar:

  1. The sides of the tire are cut with a knife. If the knife blade is periodically moistened with soapy water, the cutting process will become easier. When using an electric jigsaw, set a blade with small teeth and moisten with water.
  2. If, when cutting, the track turned out to be solid or extra layers formed on the seamy side, they are also cut off.
  3. The cutting of the new structure is done when there is a mismatch in the tread pattern. The structure made must cling to the ground, so the pattern structure must be correct.

Many residents of northern latitudes and places with poor traffic are engaged in the development and assembly of various equipment with increased traffic. Tracked all-terrain vehicles are no exception. There are many different options creating a similar technique. But the most problematic issue for ATV designers is the manufacture of tracks.

You can, of course, use their factory production, but having completely assembled an all-terrain vehicle with your own hands, you also want to have tracks of your own production. Today, there are several options for creating such propellers, which practically do not differ in their technical characteristics from the factory.

Simple track variant

The simplest version and snowmobiles, is made from a conventional roller-sleeve chain and a conveyor belt. Moreover, its production does not require any special equipment and tools. In this case, the work can be done almost in the middle of the living room.

In order for the conveyor belt to serve for a long time, it is necessary to sheathe its edges with fishing line with a distance between the stitches of about one centimeter. This activity is very similar to sewing a fabric with a seamstress. In any case, this stitching will prevent the ribbon from unraveling while driving. You can fasten the ends together in any suitable way. For this, it may be suitable swivel joint, resembling a piano loop, or simply sewn, but it is unlikely to last long.

The thickness of the conveyor belt depends on the power power unit... If an engine from a Soviet-made motorcycle is installed in an all-terrain vehicle, then a 0.8 - 1 cm thick tape used on conveyors in agriculture... To stiffen the track, it is necessary to attach a sleeve-roller chain at its inner part. This can be done using bolts or stiff steel wire. The main thing is that the chain fits snugly in the surface of the conveyor belt.

Tracks made in this way are distinguished by their long-term operation, although they are easy to manufacture. In addition, if necessary, repairs can be carried out with ease, even in the field.

Tire propellers

Many owners and snowmobiles use ordinary tires from a car as tracks for their equipment. For these purposes, tires from trucks are needed, while it is worth choosing them with the required pattern, so as not to complicate your work in the future.

To make a caterpillar drive from a tire, it is necessary to cut off the sides from it, leaving only the part with the tread. This event takes a lot of effort and requires patience, since only a well-sharpened boot knife is needed for work.

In order to slightly simplify the manufacture, it is necessary to periodically wet the knife with soapy water, which will facilitate the process of cutting the rubber. Some people use specially designed devices for these purposes. You can also use an electric jigsaw with a fine-toothed file attached to it. It also needs to be watered with soapy water.

The first step is to cut the beads from the tire. Further, if necessary, it is required to remove several inner layers in the resulting caterpillar. This is done to give it softness. If the tread pattern does not suit you, then you should start cutting a new one, which is quite a painstaking task.

This type of tracked lug has one distinct advantage over the previous version. Since it is one-piece, without connections, then its reliability is much higher. Of the negative points, a small track width can be noted, but to increase it, two or three tires can be spliced.

Belt tracks

The simplicity of the manufacture of such tracked propellers is increasingly attracting the owners of all-terrain vehicles to use them on their equipment. Belts with a wedge-shaped profile are assembled into a single structure using lugs, which are riveted or screwed to the belts.

As a result, it turns out that the track blade already has holes for the sprocket. To do this, the belts must be stacked at close intervals.

Making a caterpillar for an all-terrain vehicle

The name of the all-terrain vehicle is understood vehicle with increased cross-country ability. These include tractors, snowmobiles, SUVs and tanks. Since it is often from improvised vehicles. Conceptionally, motorcycles or scooters are used for this, but the end result is a vehicle that is not afraid of either off-road or dirt. Increased cross-country ability The all-terrain vehicle is mainly dependent on its tracked propellers, which are put on the wheels.

In this version, the caterpillar will have four stripes of 5 centimeters wide. They must be cut from a conventional conveyor belt. Then make the connection with the lateral sides using a profile in the shape of the letter P. Next, you need to make the balancers. Using a stamp, you need to make parts into the floor of the wheel from sheet steel. After that, it is necessary to make the hubs from bronze. The half wheels should be connected with six bolts. The balancers are made.

The next step will be the production of shafts for the track support drums. Holes for bearings should be made in them. Drums can be made from duralumin blanks. Connecting them together, you must insert a rubber sprocket. It turns out that the caterpillar is driven by a drive sprocket with a chain drive. It is installed on the rear fork.
After that, you should collect the entire caterpillar into a single whole.

The vertical bow must be fitted with a steel bushing through which the wheel axle passes. A mechanism is attached to the lug on this bushing, which fixes the structure of the rear fork. Tracked balancers are attached to the remaining ears of the all-terrain vehicle. The propulsion unit is ready for use.

As you can see, you can make a caterpillar different ways, the main thing is to have patience and desire.

Many people engaged in the manufacture of home-made equipment also develop tracked all-terrain vehicles and home-made tracks for a walk-behind tractor. When translating this idea into reality, people use a variety of solutions. But the manufacture of tracks remains a big problem for fans of this type of transport.

After all, if an all-terrain vehicle or a snowmobile is made by hand, then the caterpillars should be homemade.

How to make homemade tracks for a walk-behind tractor

Here we will consider several methods of making tracks with our own hands, with good performance characteristics.

The easiest version of homemade caterpillars

For light all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles, the tracks can be made from a conveyor belt and a sleeve-roller chain. To make such a caterpillar, it is not necessary to own a special tool, everything can be done “on the knee”.

To extend the service life of the tape, it is necessary to stitch it along the edges with fishing line, observing a step of 1 centimeter, which will protect the tape from fraying. To join the tape into a ring, you can sew the tape from the ends, or use a hinge.


Choosing the thickness of the tape should be based on the power of the engine. If you use engines from domestic motorcycles, it is enough to take a belt with a thickness of 8-10 mm, used on conveyors in agriculture.

This DIY snowmobile track has a good resource and can be easily repaired if necessary.

Homemade track for a motorized towing vehicle

It is very common among home-builders to make tracks using car tires. For this, tires are selected, which have a suitable tread pattern, from trucks.

To make such a caterpillar, you need to cut the beads from the tire, and leave the treadmill. This is a rather laborious work that requires good patience, because the tool used is a sharpened boot knife.


To make the work easier, from time to time the knife blade can be moistened in a soapy solution to cut the rubber faster. One option is to use a homemade cutting attachment, or use a jigsaw with a fine-toothed file.

After cutting off the beads, if the track is too hard, you can remove the excess layers of rubber inside the resulting ring. If the tread pattern is not suitable for the conditions of use, then a new lug structure is cut.

The undoubted advantage of a self-made caterpillar from a tire over a caterpillar from a conveyor belt, in an initially closed circuit, and therefore reliability. The disadvantage of this track is in the limited width of the workpiece, which can be corrected by using a double-width option.

Belt tracks

This caterpillar manufacturing option is attractive for its relative simplicity.
To do this, you need to connect the belts with V-shaped profiles into one piece with screws or rivets, using lugs attached to the belts for this.


To make holes for the drive sprocket in such a track, you need to make gaps between the belts.
You can find many ways to make caterpillars with your own hands - the main thing is to have patience, desire and perseverance - then everything will work out.

The best homemade products from a walk-behind tractor on tracks photo

Related Posts:

    Attachment to the walk-behind tractor snowmobile description and reviews

    Homemade gadgets for walk-behind tractor, description, video, photo
    How to make lugs for a walk-behind tractor with your own hands, photo description and dimensions
    Do-it-yourself hitch to a walk-behind tractor, photos, drawings
    Motoblock Agros and homemade products to it
    Seeder for walk-behind tractor with own hands
    We do homemade all-terrain vehicle from the walk-behind tractor photo, video

Caterpillars seem to be, and may be, the most difficult to manufacture component of a homemade tracked vehicles... It does not matter what you want to make caterpillars for - a small all-terrain vehicle for hunting, a motorized towing vehicle for fishing or a crawler-mounted walk-behind tractor for household work. In all cases, you need a lightweight and easy-to-manufacture home-made caterpillar, which would later serve for a long time and would not require close attention to itself during operation.

Who can afford to buy serial caterpillars in one of the online stores - they do it and do not think. But for most skilled craftsmen, the budget for building appliances for home use does not allow this. They come to the aid of ingenuity or the Internet!

There are several ways to make them, and one of the most common among garage craftsmen is making tracks from car tires trucks. With a boot knife, periodically moistening it in ordinary soapy water for easier sliding on the rubber, cut out the tire beads, leaving only the treadmill. It is only here in the article that you can describe this process in one sentence. In fact, this is a very laborious and traumatic job that requires patience and attentiveness. The result of this painstaking process will be a high-quality and not tattered cut.

For those who want faster results, there is another option - take a jigsaw with a fine file.
Remember! Regardless of the chosen cutting method, the result is always up to you. One can carry it with a knife, injure himself and cut everything crooked, while the other will do everything quickly and accurately with a jigsaw. It all depends on your skills, abilities and experience - choose the method based on them.

After you have cut the beads from the tire, you need to check the resulting ring for elasticity and, if necessary, remove the excess, inner layers of rubber. Next, you need to figure out whether the existing tread pattern is suitable for you, and if not, then cut a new one, because the tracks, depending on the operating conditions, may require good lugs. Someone may need a regular long drive on the highway and do not need to make changes, but fishermen and hunters driving through swamps and deep off-road would benefit from good grip.

Homemade tracks from car tires can be used on various equipment, they are quite reliable and inexpensive to manufacture. Of course, they have pros and cons, and indeed, undoubtedly, everyone has something to add to the described manufacturing process.

Video of a small tractor with homemade tire tracks:

You can make amendments to the article or supplement it, as well as express your opinion, in the comments to it without registration.

© 2021 bugulma-lada.ru - Portal for car owners