A Study of Snowmobile Drive Systems

Snowmobile powerplants are generally highly tuned 2-cycle engines and usually have a narrow band of operation. Depending upon the type of track used and the design of undercarriage, different snow conditions produce different load resistance on the machine. In order to give the operator maximum enjoyment and utility, the snowmobile drive system should perform satisfactorily by delivering optimum power to the track under all environmental conditions and load demands. In this paper, a study of torque and speed controlled variable ratio V-belt transmission has been performed by analytical and experimental methods. Usefulness and limitations of results obtained by analytical methods are discussed.