The Snow Trac is a small personal Snowcat that is roughly the size of a modern compact car . Aktiv Snow Trac were manufactured in Sweden between 1957 and 1981, with additional vehicles manufactured in Scotland.
87-461: In 1954, Lars Larsson, the chief design engineer for a Swedish farm equipment company, AB Westeråsmaskiner, decided to develop a tracked vehicle to take him and his brother on fishing trips in the winter. The company put his snow vehicle into production in 1957. It uses a unique steering mechanism called a variator that allows a tracked vehicle to be steered using a traditional automotive steering wheel instead of levers. The Aktiv Fischer Snow Trac
174-409: A drive wheel , or drive sprocket , driven by the motor and engaging with holes in the track links or with pegs on them to drive the track. In military vehicles, the drive wheel is typically mounted well above the contact area on the ground, allowing it to be fixed in position. In agricultural crawlers it is normally incorporated as part of the bogie. Placing suspension on the sprocket is possible, but
261-413: A "thrown" track). Jammed tracks may become so tight that the track may need to be broken before a repair is possible, which requires either explosives or special tools. Multi-wheeled vehicles, for example, 8 X 8 military vehicles, may often continue driving even after the loss of one or more non-sequential wheels, depending on the base wheel pattern and drive train. Prolonged use places enormous strain on
348-564: A Lombard log hauler shipped out to a western state by people who would later build the Phoenix log hauler in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, under license from Lombard. The Phoenix Centipeed typically had a fancier wood cab, steering wheel tipped forward at a 45 degree angle and vertical instead of horizontal cylinders . In the meantime, a gasoline-powered motor home was built by Lombard for Holman Harry (Flannery) Linn of Old Town, Maine to pull
435-411: A closed chain. The links are jointed by a hinge, which allows the track to be flexible and wrap around a set of wheels to make an endless loop. The chain links are often broad, and can be made of manganese alloy steel for high strength, hardness, and abrasion resistance. Track construction and assembly is dictated by the application. Military vehicles use a track shoe that is integral to the structure of
522-509: A continuous track, which he called a "universal railway" in 1825. Polish mathematician and inventor Józef Maria Hoene-Wroński designed caterpillar vehicles in the 1830s to compete with the railways. In 1837, Russian army captain Dmitry Andreevich Zagryazhsky (1807 – after 1860) designed a "carriage with mobile tracks" which he patented the same year, but due to a lack of funds and interest from manufacturers he
609-460: A farmers' exhibition in 1896. Steam traction engines were used at the end of the 19th century in the Boer Wars . But neither dreadnaught wheels nor continuous tracks were used, rather "roll-out" wooden plank roads were thrown under the wheels as required. In short, whilst the development of the continuous track engaged the attention of a number of inventors in the 18th and 19th centuries,
696-571: A farmers' exhibition in 1896. According to Scientific American , Charles Dinsmoor of Warren, Pennsylvania invented a "vehicle" on endless tracks, patented as No. 351,749 on November 2, 1886. The article gives a detailed description of the endless tracks. Alvin O. Lombard of Waterville, Maine was issued a patent in 1901 for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler that resembles a regular railroad steam locomotive with sled steerage on front and crawlers in rear for hauling logs in
783-507: A helicopter without the need for special cargo carriers. The Snow Tracs utilitzed by NATO were later replaced by the 4-track amphibious articulated Volvo BV202 Bandvagn 202 , and those were later replaced by a more evolved Hägglunds BV206 Bandvagn 206 . Snow Tracs were also called Sand Tracs and saw use in the Sahara Desert as over-sand transport vehicles. The crawler track design was well suited for either sand or snow use but
870-878: A memorandum of 1908, Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott presented his view that man-hauling to the South Pole was impossible and that motor traction was needed. Snow vehicles did not yet exist however, and so his engineer Reginald Skelton developed the idea of a caterpillar track for snow surfaces. These tracked motors were built by the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company in Birmingham, tested in Switzerland and Norway, and can be seen in action in Herbert Ponting 's 1911 documentary film of Scott's Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition . Scott died during
957-567: A merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and the C. L. Best Tractor Company , an early successful manufacturer of crawler tractors. With the Caterpillar D10 in 1977, Caterpillar resurrected a design by Holt and Best, the high-sprocket-drive, since known as the " High Drive ", which had the advantage of keeping the main drive shaft away from ground shocks and dirt, and is still used in their larger dozers. In
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#17327903019841044-454: A nine-foot steel v-plow and sixteen foot adjustable leveling wings on either side. Once the highway system became paved, snowplowing could be done by four wheel drive trucks equipped by improving tyre designs, and the Linn became an off highway vehicle, for logging , mining , dam construction, arctic exploration , etc. Modern tracks are built from modular chain links which together compose
1131-617: A patent in 1901 and built the first steam-powered log hauler at the Waterville Iron Works in Waterville, Maine, the same year. In all, 83 Lombard steam log haulers are known to have been built up to 1917, when production switched entirely to internal combustion engine powered machines, ending with a Fairbanks diesel-powered unit in 1934. Alvin Lombard may also have been the first commercial manufacturer of
1218-607: A rear sprocket, the idler wheel is placed higher than the road wheels to allow it to climb over obstacles. Some track arrangements use return rollers to keep the top of the track running straight between the drive sprocket and idler. Others, called slack track , allow the track to droop and run along the tops of large road wheels. This was a feature of the Christie suspension , leading to occasional misidentification of other slack track-equipped vehicles. Continuous track vehicles steer by applying more or less drive torque to one side of
1305-598: A score of engines fitted with dreadnaught wheels. In April 1858, the journal The Engineer gave a brief description of a Clayton & Shuttleworth engine fitted with dreadnaught wheels, which was supplied not to the Western Allies, but to the Russian government for heavy artillery haulage in Crimea in the post-war period. Steam tractors fitted with dreadnaught wheels had a number of shortcomings and, notwithstanding
1392-525: A single bogie that includes the idler-wheel and sometimes the sprocket. Many World War II German military vehicles, initially (starting in the late 1930s) including all vehicles originally designed to be half-tracks and all later tank designs (after the Panzer IV ), had slack-track systems, usually driven by a front-located drive sprocket, the track returning along the tops of a design of overlapping and sometimes interleaved large diameter road wheels, as on
1479-463: A small fleet of Snow Tracs and Snow Masters for tourists in the winter months. The fleet at The Roughwoods Inn is probably the largest fleet in ownership today. Other resorts and hotels also use Snow Tracs and other models of snowcats to provide tours to remote snowbound areas. Snow Tracs in use today are often modified and it is common to find overheating problems plaguing these machines because heat shield have been removed to make it easier to work on
1566-437: A small number of relatively long 'longitudinal' treads. Further to Fowler's patent of 1858, in 1877, a Russian, Fyodor Blinov , created a tracked vehicle called " wagon moved on endless rails". It lacked self-propulsion and was pulled by horses. Blinov received a patent for his "wagon" in 1878. From 1881 to 1888 he developed a steam-powered caterpillar-tractor. This self-propelled crawler was successfully tested and featured at
1653-462: A smaller jockey/drive wheel between each pair of wheels, to support the 'track'. Comprising only eight sections, the 'track' sections are essentially 'longitudinal', as in Boydell's initial design. Fowler's arrangement is a precursor to the multi-section caterpillar track in which a relatively large number of short 'transverse' treads are used, as proposed by Sir George Caley in 1825, rather than
1740-513: A system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles , running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking. Modern continuous tracks can be made with soft belts of synthetic rubber , reinforced with steel wires, in
1827-699: A toy maker in Melbourne, Australia, produced a snap together model kit of the Snow Trac. The company, ROSENHAIN & LIPMANN, more commonly referred to as R&L, specialised in the manufacture of cereal premiums. The Snow Trac was part of their "Polar Base" series that took inspiration from the ANARE activities in Antarctica. The toys were issued as a free cereal premium inside boxes of cereal in Australia by
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#17327903019841914-402: A track laying mechanism, although these designs do not generally resemble modern tracked vehicles. In 1877 Russian inventor Fyodor Abramovich Blinov created a horse-drawn tracked vehicle called " wagon moved on endless rails", which received a patent the next year. In 1881–1888 he created a steam-powered caterpillar-tractor. This self-propelled crawler was successfully tested and showed at
2001-402: A vehicle's cross-country traction, in theory they prevent damage to any pavement. Additionally, the loss of a single segment in a track immobilizes the entire vehicle, which can be a disadvantage in situations where high reliability is important. Tracks can also ride off their guide wheels, idlers or sprockets, which can cause them to jam or to come completely off the guide system (this is called
2088-588: A vehicle's cross-country traction, they prevent damage to any pavement. Some pad systems are designed to remove easily for cross-country military combat . Starting from late 1980s, many manufacturers provide rubber tracks instead of steel, especially for agricultural applications. Rather than a track made of linked steel plates, a reinforced rubber belt with chevron treads is used. In comparison to steel tracks, rubber tracks are lighter, waste less power on internal friction, make less noise and do not damage paved roads. However, they impose more ground pressure below
2175-516: Is a tracked vehicle , which was manufactured from 1957 to 1981 in Sweden. It runs on two rubber tracks powered by a Volkswagen flat 4 industrial boxer style engine and is suitable for both deep snow and soft surface use. The engine developed about 40 horsepower, but that varied from year to year as the earlier models developed 36 hp, and later models developed 54 hp. With a length of approximately 12' (3.6 meters) and width of 6'2" (1.9 meters)
2262-442: Is made up largely of off the shelf automotive and industrial parts supplied by Volkswagen including an air cooled flat 4 industrial version of VW Beetle engine, a VW Bus transmission, and hundreds of surplus parts including steering wheels, shift knobs, and lighting components. A proprietary drive variator was adapted to the transmission to allow the use of a steering wheel to control the tracks. The variator steplessly changes
2349-405: Is mechanically more complicated. A non-powered wheel, an idler , is placed at the opposite end of the track, primarily to tension the track, since loose track could be easily thrown (slipped) off the wheels. To prevent throwing, the inner surface of the track links usually have vertical guide horns engaging grooves, or gaps between the doubled road and idler/sprocket wheels. In military vehicles with
2436-777: Is open to anyone who has travelled to Antarctic or subantarctic regions with the Australian Antarctic Program . The club has thousands of members. Its emblem is the emperor penguin on a map of Antarctica. A sub-organisation is the Antarctic Family and Friends Association, originally established in 1965 by Nel Law as the Antarctic Wives' Association of Australia. Anare Street in the Aurora Village in Greenwith, South Australia
2523-464: Is retained by his surviving family. Frank Beamond (1870–1941), a less-commonly known but significant British inventor, designed and built caterpillar tracks, and was granted patents for them in a number of countries, in 1900 and 1907. A first effective continuous track was not only invented but really implemented by Alvin Orlando Lombard for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler . He was granted
2610-537: Is slightly more complex, with each link connected to the next by a bushing which causes the track to bend slightly inward. A length of live track left on the ground will curl upward slightly at each end. Although the drive sprocket must still pull the track around the wheels, the track itself tends to bend inward, slightly assisting the sprocket and somewhat conforming to the wheels. Tracks are often equipped with rubber pads to improve travel on paved surfaces more quickly, smoothly and quietly. While these pads slightly reduce
2697-565: The British Army on several occasions between 1905 and 1910, but not adopted. The Hornsby tractors pioneered a track-steer clutch arrangement, which is the basis of the modern crawler operation. The patent was purchased by Holt. The name Caterpillar came from a soldier during the tests on the Hornsby crawler, "trials began at Aldershot in July 1907. The soldiers immediately christened
Snow Trac - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-695: The Canadian National Railway , and Snow Tracs were also located at each of the microwave sites along the length of the ALCAN ( Alaska Canadian Highway ). At least 400 more Snow Tracs were known to have been shipped to the Lower 48 states of the United States. At least 200 were known to have been shipped to Scotland. The ability to configure the basic vehicle in many different ways allowed it to be suitable for multiple uses. In addition to
2871-632: The Crimean War , waged between October 1853 and February 1856, the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich manufacturing dreadnaught wheels. A letter of recommendation was signed by Sir William Codrington, the General commanding the troops at Sebastopol. Boydell patented improvements to his wheel in 1854 (No. 431) – the year his dreadnaught wheel was first applied to a steam engine – and 1858 (No. 356), the latter an impracticable palliative measure involving
2958-556: The Kellogg Company . They may have also been issued as a cereal premium in the USA. They were produced in at least five colours and built up into a model 45 mm in length. In 1975, R&L produced a large order of toys for use by Aurora in the USA. The Snap-A-Roos series by Aurora, included an "Antarctic Explorers" box set that contained the Snow Trac model. Tracked vehicle Continuous track or tracked treads are
3045-646: The Snow Trac was called a Trac Master , and later renamed a Snow Master . The Trac/Snow Master was equipped with a longer and wider track that made it more suitable for the deepest soft snow conditions. Optional hydraulic implements were available for the Trac/Snow Masters for grooming ski trails. Implements for grooming were capable of being mounted on both the front and the rear of the Snow Master and were powered by an auxiliary hydraulic pump that
3132-531: The leopard seal as a simplified ANARE symbol. "I was struck with the possibility of formalising a sketch of the creature to produce a geometrical pattern of straight lines....I drew it in the national colours of gold and green." That symbol served until 1985, when a new 'globe' logo based on the Australian and Antarctic continents was developed by the AAD . At the same time the term ANARE fell out of official use
3219-847: The 'globe' logo was also discarded in favour of the Australian coat of arms to bring the livery of the AAD in line with the rest of the Australian Public Service. However like the ANARE name the logo continues to be used on an informal basis by expeditioners each year in the production of Antarctic Station badges, T-shirts and other memorabilia. The ANARE Club is a membership organisation established in 1951 for current and previous members of Australian Antarctic expeditions. Its headquarters are in Melbourne, Australia , with branches in most Australian capital cities. Membership
3306-506: The 70bhp No.2 machine the 'caterpillar'." Holt adopted that name for his "crawler" tractors. Holt began moving from steam to gasoline-powered designs, and in 1908 brought out the 40-horsepower (30 kW) "Holt Model 40 Caterpillar". Holt incorporated the Holt Caterpillar Company, in early 1910, later that year trademarked the name "Caterpillar" for his continuous tracks. Caterpillar Tractor Company began in 1925 from
3393-667: The American Mattracks firm of Minnesota since the mid-1990s. ANARE The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions ( ANARE / æ n ˈ ɑːr i / ann- AR -ee ) is the historical name for the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) administered for Australia by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). Australia has had a long involvement in south polar regions since as early as Douglas Mawson 's Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911. Further Australian exploration of
3480-591: The Antarctic continent was conducted during the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), which was conducted over the years 1929–1931. The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions were established in 1947 with expeditions to Macquarie Island and Heard Island . In 1948 the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) was established to administer the expedition program. The name ANARE fell out of official use in
3567-672: The British Commandos of the Royal Marines to carry a L6 Wombat anti-tank weapon. The Snow Trac was used successfully by NATO forces during the cold war between NATO and the USSR. The REME Museum at MOD Lyneham in England has a Royal Marines Snow Trac on display as part of its Military Tracked Vehicle collection. Military units are differentiated from civilian units by utilizing a 24-volt electrical system instead of
Snow Trac - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-725: The Lord Mayor's show in London, and in the following month that engine was shipped to Australia. A steam tractor employing dreadnaught wheels was built at Bach's Birmingham works, and was used between 1856 and 1858 for ploughing in Thetford; and the first generation of Burrell/Boydell engines was built at the St. Nicholas works in 1856, again, after the close of the Crimean War. Between late 1856 and 1862 Burrell manufactured not less than
3741-741: The Northeastern United States and Canada. The haulers allowed pulp to be taken to rivers in the winter. Prior to then, horses could be used only until snow depths made hauling impossible. Lombard began commercial production which lasted until around 1917 when focus switched entirely to gasoline powered machines. A gasoline-powered hauler is on display at the Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine . After Lombard began operations, Hornsby in England manufactured at least two full length "track steer" machines, and their patent
3828-555: The Royal Marines and N.A.T.O. versions of the Snow Trac, it may also have been used in civilian versions. The horizontal heat shield is the most commonly found on Snow Tracs. So popular and unique was the Snow Trac that a line of toys from Matchbox was introduced. Lesney MATCHBOX of England made 3 different versions of the Aktiv Fischer Snow Trac ST4. All were very similar in appearance, 2 of them used
3915-591: The Snow Trac ceased when VW stopped European production of the engines that were used to power these vehicles. Additional vehicles were manufactured in Scotland bringing the total to over 2300 units produced. Numerous accounts from Antarctica related successful use of the Snow Trac by research organizations such as ANARE in Antarctica. Snow Tracs were used at all major Antarctica research bases by numerous government research bodies and several examples now reside in museums with Antarctic research exhibits. The Snow Trac
4002-531: The Snow Trac uses a traditional steering wheel instead of levers. Early brochures describe it as follows: As easy to drive as a car. While manufactured in Sweden, the Snow Trac proved to be a successful export with over half sold to North America. Approximately 550 Snow Tracs were shipped to Alaska. At least 200 units were shipped to Canadian telephone utility Northwest Telephone in the Yukon Territory , Canada . Approximately 200 Snow Tracs ended up at
4089-451: The case of lighter agricultural machinery . The more common classical type is a solid chain track made of steel plates (with or without rubber pads), also called caterpillar tread or tank tread , which is preferred for robust and heavy construction vehicles and military vehicles . The prominent treads of the metal plates are both hard-wearing and damage resistant, especially in comparison to rubber tyres. The aggressive treads of
4176-433: The chain in order to reduce track weight. Reduced weight allows the vehicle to move faster and decreases overall vehicle weight to ease transportation. Since track weight is completely unsprung , reducing it improves suspension performance at speeds where the track's momentum is significant. In contrast, agricultural and construction vehicles opt for a track with shoes that attach to the chain with bolts and do not form part of
4263-530: The chain's structure. This allows track shoes to break without compromising the ability of the vehicle to move and decrease productivity but increases the overall weight of the track and vehicle. The vehicle's weight is transferred to the bottom length of track by a number of road wheels, or sets of wheels called bogies . While tracked construction equipment typically lacks suspension due to the vehicle only moving at low speeds, in military vehicles road wheels are typically mounted on some form of suspension to cushion
4350-409: The civilian 12-volt system. Military units also had the fuel tank moved outside the cabin area and mounted over the left (driver's side) track on the cargo ledge. Many military Snow Tracs were used by NATO forces as well as British Royal Marines forces. Military Snow Tracs were also often equipped with special hooking points so they could be transported quickly to remote regions by being carried under
4437-463: The common use of Volkswagen engines, transmissions and other critical parts, the Snow Trac is still a very popular vehicle with many 30- to 40-year-old vehicles being used daily during the winter months. Snow Trac vehicles are commonly used as personal vehicles for transport, and are often used for providing tours to tourists in remote areas. The Roughwoods Inn, located in Nenana Alaska, runs
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#17327903019844524-420: The creations of the late 1850s, were never used extensively. In August 1858, more than two years after the end of the Crimean War , John Fowler filed British Patent No. 1948 on another form of "Endless Railway". In his illustration of the invention, Fowler used a pair of wheels of equal diameter on each side of his vehicle, around which pair of toothed wheels ran a 'track' of eight jointed segments, with
4611-567: The damage that their all-steel versions cause to the surface on which they pass: They often cause damage to less firm terrain such as lawns, gravel roads, and farm fields, as the sharp edges of the track easily rout the turf. Accordingly, vehicle laws and local ordinances often require rubberised tracks or track pads. A compromise between all-steel and all-rubber tracks exists: attaching rubber pads to individual track links ensures that continuous track vehicles can travel more smoothly, quickly, and quietly on paved surfaces. While these pads slightly reduce
4698-531: The development of tanks in several countries. The first tanks to go into action, the Mark I , built by Great Britain, were designed from scratch and were inspired by, but not directly based on, the Holt. The slightly later French and German tanks were built on modified Holt running gear. A long line of patents disputes who was the "originator" of continuous tracks. There were a number of designs that attempted to achieve
4785-641: The distinctive and enduring circular emblem that Dr Law described as "...a circular badge whose centre is the Antarctic Continent with the Australian sector shaded. Surrounding this is an annular set of designs depicting flora and fauna of Antarctica and the Sub-Antarctic Islands". The main ANARE emblem was, in Dr Law's words, "too complex to reproduce as a lapel badge or as a logo on aircraft, vehicles or flags." Dr Law saw potential in
4872-769: The drive transmission and the mechanics of the tracks, which must be overhauled or replaced regularly. It is common to see tracked vehicles such as bulldozers or tanks transported long distances by a wheeled carrier such as a tank transporter or train , though technological advances have made this practice less common among tracked military vehicles than it once was . The pioneer manufacturers have been replaced mostly by large tractor companies such as AGCO , Liebherr Group , John Deere , Yanmar , New Holland , Kubota , Case , Caterpillar Inc. , CLAAS . Also, there are some crawler tractor companies specialising in niche markets. Examples are Otter Mfg. Co. and Struck Corporation., with many wheeled vehicle conversion kits available from
4959-412: The early 2000s. However current and former Australian Antarctic expeditioners continue to use the term informally as a means of identification with the long and continuous history of Australian expeditions to Antarctica. Soon after being appointed Antarctic Division director in 1949, Dr. Phillip Law saw the need for a recognisable symbol for the fledgling ANARE. His wife, Nel, was an artist and produced
5046-502: The engines. There were 2 primary types of heat shields that were installed in Snow Tracs, a vertical heat shield that divided the engine compartment fore and aft or a horizontal heat shield that separated the muffler area from the rest of the engine compartment. In either case the function was ultimately the same, to keep the exhaust and muffler heat away from the engine. The vertical heat shield seems to have been commonly utilized on
5133-462: The equipment wagon of his dog & pony show, resembling a trolley car only with wheels in front and Lombard crawlers in rear. Linn had experimented with gasoline and steam-powered vehicles and six-wheel drive before this, and at some point entered Lombard's employment as a demonstrator, mechanic and sales agent. This resulted in a question of proprietorship of patent rights after a single rear-tracked gasoline-powered road engine of tricycle arrangement
5220-604: The expedition in 1912, but expedition member and biographer Apsley Cherry-Garrard credited Scott's "motors" with the inspiration for the British World War I tanks, writing: "Scott never knew their true possibilities; for they were the direct ancestors of the 'tanks' in France." In time, however, a wide array of vehicles were developed for snow and ice, including ski slope grooming machines , snowmobiles , and countless commercial and military vehicles. Continuous track
5307-487: The general use and exploitation of the continuous track belonged to the 20th century, mainly in the United States and England . A little-known American inventor, Henry Thomas Stith (1839–1916), had developed a continuous track prototype which was, in multiple forms, patented in 1873, 1880, and 1900. The last was for the application of the track to a prototype off-road bicycle built for his son. The 1900 prototype
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#17327903019845394-427: The lifting one or other of the driving wheels to facilitate turning. A number of manufacturers including Richard Bach, Richard Garrett & Sons , Charles Burrell & Sons and Clayton & Shuttleworth applied the Boydell patent under licence. The British military were interested in Boydell's invention from an early date. One of the objectives was to transport Mallet's Mortar , a giant 36 inch weapon which
5481-438: The load over the track. The choice of overlapping/interleaved road wheels allowed the use of slightly more transverse-orientation torsion bar suspension members, allowing any German tracked military vehicle with such a setup to have a noticeably smoother ride over challenging terrain, leading to reduced wear, ensuring greater traction and more accurate fire. However, on the Russian front, mud and snow would become lodged between
5568-485: The overlapping wheels, freeze, and immobilize the vehicle. As a tracked vehicle moves, the load of each wheel moves over the track, pushing down and forward that part of the earth or snow underneath it, similarly to a wheeled vehicle but to a lesser extent because the tread helps distribute the load. On some surfaces, this can consume enough energy to slow the vehicle down significantly. Overlapped and interleaved wheels improve performance (including fuel consumption) by loading
5655-422: The production between 1917 and 1952, approximately 2500 units, was sold directly to highway departments and contractors. Steel tracks and payload capacity allowed these machines to work in terrain that would typically cause the poorer quality rubber tyres that existed before the mid-1930s to spin uselessly, or shred completely. Linn was a pioneer in snow removal before the practice was embraced in rural areas, with
5742-568: The ride over rough ground. Suspension design in military vehicles is a major area of development; the very early designs were often completely unsprung. Later-developed road wheel suspension offered only a few inches of travel using springs, whereas modern hydro-pneumatic systems allow several feet of travel and include shock absorbers . Torsion-bar suspension has become the most common type of military vehicle suspension. Construction vehicles have smaller road wheels that are designed primarily to prevent track derailment and they are normally contained in
5829-493: The right to produce vehicles under his patent. At about the same time a British agricultural company, Hornsby in Grantham , developed a continuous track which was patented in 1905. The design differed from modern tracks in that it flexed in only one direction, with the effect that the links locked together to form a solid rail on which the road wheels ran. Hornsby's tracked vehicles were given trials as artillery tractors by
5916-475: The same molds. All of the Matchbox toys are modeled after the 2 large wheel Aktiv Snow Trac; this version has 2 large rubber tires, one at the rear, and the third about 24" aft of the drive sprocket. Lesney designated their toy #35 in the Matchbox series. Matchbox also produced a very limited run of cardboard puzzles featuring agricultural equipment and vehicles, one such puzzle featured the Snow Trac. In 1967,
6003-462: The speed of the left and right tracks, accelerating one track while slowing the other to effect a turn. Unlike traditional tracked vehicle steering, the brakes are not used to turn, increasing efficiency and reducing brake wear. Production of the air cooled VW engine ceased in 1981 in Europe and this effectively led to the demise of the Snow Trac, which ended factory production in Sweden. Because of
6090-454: The standard 7 person cabin, the Snow Trac was also available with a two-person enclosed cabin which had an exposed cargo area. Alternately, it could be ordered with only a windshield and side wing windows and a canvas top. (Most of the military versions were equipped in this fashion). A fully open-top version was also available and this version was used on sand in Texas oilfields, as well as by
6177-531: The suspension systems of the Tiger I and Panther tanks, generically known by the term Schachtellaufwerk (interleaved or overlapping running gear) in German, for both half-track and fully tracked vehicles. There were suspensions with single or sometimes doubled wheels per axle, alternately supporting the inner and outer side of the track, and interleaved suspensions with two or three road wheels per axle, distributing
6264-420: The track more evenly. It also must have extended the life of the tracks and possibly of the wheels. The wheels also better protect the vehicle from enemy fire, and mobility is improved when some wheels are missing. This relatively complicated approach has not been used since World War II ended. This may be related more to maintenance than to original cost. The torsion bars and bearings may stay dry and clean, but
6351-456: The tracks provide good traction in soft surfaces but can damage paved surfaces, so some metal tracks can have rubber pads installed for use on paved surfaces. Other than soft rubber belts, most chain tracks apply a stiff mechanism to distribute the load equally over the entire space between the wheels for minimal deformation, so that even the heaviest vehicles can move easily, just like a train on its straight tracks. The stiff mechanism
6438-522: The tractor crawler. At least one of Lombard's steam-powered machines apparently remains in working order. A gasoline-powered Lombard hauler is on display at the Maine State Museum in Augusta. In addition, there may have been up to twice as many Phoenix Centipeed versions of the steam log hauler built under license from Lombard, with vertical instead of horizontal cylinders. In 1903, the founder of Holt Manufacturing, Benjamin Holt , paid Lombard $ 60,000 for
6525-428: The vehicle is the size of a small car. In the standard cabin configuration, only the driver is facing forward. The interior is equipped with side-facing bench seats and there are enough seats for 7 people (including the driver). The entrance is by a door attached at the tail. There are no other entrances, but many are equipped with a large sunroof, which could double as an emergency exit. Unlike most other snow vehicles,
6612-410: The vehicle than the other, and this can be implemented in a variety of ways. Tracks may be broadly categorized as live or dead track. Dead track is a simple design in which each track plate is connected to the rest with hinge-type pins. These dead tracks will lie flat if placed on the ground; the drive sprocket pulls the track around the wheels with no assistance from the track itself. Live track
6699-413: The wheels and tread work in mud, sand, rocks, snow, and other surfaces. In addition, the outer wheels (up to nine of them, some double) had to be removed to access the inner ones. In WWII, vehicles typically had to be maintained for a few months before being destroyed or captured , but in peacetime, vehicles must train several crews over a period of decades. Transfer of power to the track is accomplished by
6786-539: The wheels, as they are not able to equalize pressure as well as the stiff mechanism of track plates, especially the spring loaded live tracks. Another disadvantage is that they are not disassemblable into tracks and therefore cannot be repaired, having to be discarded as whole if once damaged. Previous belt-like systems, such as those used for half-tracks in World War II, were not as strong, and during military actions were easily damaged. The first rubber track
6873-569: Was an option on the Snow Master units. Shipping records show that Japan was a popular destination for Snow Masters and many are still in use by private owners in the northern regions of Japan. Snow Trac and Snow Master units were used during the Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan as trail groomers and for transportation. The Swedish made Aktiv Snow Trac of which approximately 2265 were manufactured in Sweden between 1957 and 1981. Production of
6960-481: Was built to replace the larger motor home in 1909 on account of problems with the old picturesque wooden bridges. This dispute resulted in Linn departing Maine and relocating to Morris, New York, to build an improved, contour following flexible lag tread or crawler with independent suspension of halftrack type, gasoline and later diesel powered. Although several were delivered for military use between 1917 and 1946, Linn never received any large military orders. Most of
7047-470: Was first applied to a military vehicle on the British prototype tank Little Willie . British Army officers, Colonel Ernest Swinton and Colonel Maurice Hankey , became convinced that it was possible to develop a fighting vehicle that could provide protection from machine gun fire. During World War I , Holt tractors were used by the British and Austro-Hungarian armies to tow heavy artillery and stimulated
7134-429: Was first given a physical form by Hornsby & Sons in 1904 and then made popular by Caterpillar Tractor Company , with tanks emerging during World War I . Today, they are commonly used on a variety of vehicles, including snowmobiles , tractors , bulldozers , excavators and tanks . The idea of continuous tracks can be traced back as far as the 1830s, however. The British polymath Sir George Cayley patented
7221-400: Was invented and constructed by Adolphe Kégresse and patented in 1913; in historic context rubber tracks are often called Kégresse tracks . First rubber-tracked agricultural tracked was Oliver Farm Equipment HGR in 1945-1948, which was ahead of its time and only seen small-scale production. The disadvantages of tracks are lower top speed, much greater mechanical complexity, shorter life and
7308-408: Was later purchased by Holt in 1913, allowing Holt to claim to be the "inventor" of the crawler tractor. Since the "tank" was a British concept it is more likely that the Hornsby, which had been built and unsuccessfully pitched to their military, was the inspiration. In a patent dispute involving rival crawler builder Best, testimony was brought in from people including Lombard, that Holt had inspected
7395-476: Was not generally suitable for rocky all-terrain use. The track required loose ground to properly function so it was able to work equally well on gravel, sand, snow, or other loose material like tall grass. Because of their ability to be used in many conditions and climates, the Snow Trac was used world wide and still is in use today by emergency organizations and some commercial enterprises, although large utilities no longer use Snow Tracs. An industrial version of
7482-532: Was unable to build a working prototype, and his patent was voided in 1839. Although not a continuous track in the form encountered today, a dreadnaught wheel or "endless railway wheel" was patented by the British Engineer James Boydell in 1846. In Boydell's design, a series of flat feet are attached to the periphery of the wheel, spreading the weight. A number of horse-drawn wagons, carts and gun carriages were successfully deployed in
7569-557: Was under development, but, by the end of the Crimean War, the mortar was not ready for service. A detailed report of the tests on steam traction, carried out by a select Committee of the Board of Ordnance, was published in June 1856, by which date the Crimean War was over, consequently the mortar and its transportation became irrelevant. In those tests, a Garrett engine was put through its paces on Plumstead Common. The Garrett engine featured in
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