"Things You Wouldn't Know If We Didn't Blog Intermittently."
28 January 2009
1926 "snowmobile" could pull a 20-ton load
In the 1920s, Fordson tractors were converted to winter use by adding screw propulsion via large cylinders. The result was a "snowmobile" - dubbed the Snow Motor or Snow Devil. The 11-minute (silent) video shows impressive performance, and not just "for its time." The last portion of the video shows the screw propulsion mounted on an automobile rather than a tractor.
They don't make them now because think about what would happen if you tried to drive one on the road or ice or basically anything other than 2 foot deep snow.
Did you actually watch the whole thing? It went on ice just fine, and even negotiated bare summertime ground (although they said this was for emergencies only).
Affirming what the last "anonymous" said, the video does show the vehicle traversing roads and dry farm fields without difficulty; it's basically a tractor with big wheels.
You need to watch all the way to the end of the video, even though it's a bit tedious. The latter part shows the machine navigating over dry farmfields in the summertime.
Absolutely amazing!
ReplyDeleteWhere do I get one of these?
ReplyDeleteLOOKS ALOT SAFER & MORE FLEXIBLE THAN TODAYS SNOW MOBILES. THEY SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT IN PRODUCTION, FOR TODAYS WEATHER SITUATIONS WE HAVE BEEN HAVING.
ReplyDeleteThey don't make them now because think about what would happen if you tried to drive one on the road or ice or basically anything other than 2 foot deep snow.
ReplyDeleteDid you actually watch the whole thing? It went on ice just fine, and even negotiated bare summertime ground (although they said this was for emergencies only).
ReplyDeleteAffirming what the last "anonymous" said, the video does show the vehicle traversing roads and dry farm fields without difficulty; it's basically a tractor with big wheels.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this. I am very impressed. I was wondering how it would have work in light snow drifts.
ReplyDeleteYou need to watch all the way to the end of the video, even though it's a bit tedious. The latter part shows the machine navigating over dry farmfields in the summertime.
ReplyDelete