On this Day:

In 1927, the 1st snowmobile patent was granted to Carl Eliason of Sayner, Wisconsin. Was Carl truly the first sledneck to take his snowmobile roaring across the snow?

In 1911 a 24 year old, Harold J. Kalenze (pronounced Collins), patented the Vehicle Propeller in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.

In 1915 Ray H. Muscott of Waters, Michigan, received the Canadian patent for his motor sleigh, or “traineau automobile”, and on June 27, 1916, he received the first United States patent for a snow-vehicle using the now recognized format of rear track(s) and front skis. Many individuals later modified Ford Model Ts with the undercarriage replaced by tracks and skis following this design. They were popular for rural mail delivery for a time. The common name for these conversion of cars and small trucks was Snowflyers.

In 1935 Joseph Bombardier assembled and successfully tested the first snowmobile. It was a vehicle with a sprocket wheel and a track drive system, and it was steered by skis.

The challenges of cross-country transportation in the winter led to the invention of the snowmobile, an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed for travel across deep snow where other vehicles foundered. During the 20th century, rapidly evolving designs produced machines that were two-person tracked vehicles powered by gas engines that enabled them to tow a sled or travel, initially at low-to-moderate speeds, depending on snow conditions, terrain and obstacles protruding above the snow like brush and trees. Where early designs had 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) two-stroke engines, there has been a move toward newer style two and four-stroke gasoline engines, some with over 200 hp (150 kW).

A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not require a road or trail, but most are driven on open terrain or trails. Snowmobiling is a sport that many people have taken on as a serious hobby.

Older snowmobiles could generally accommodate two people; however, most snowmobiles manufactured since the 1990s have been designed to only accommodate one person. Snowmobiles built with the ability to accommodate two people are referred to as “2-up” snowmobiles or “touring” models and make up an extremely small share of the market. Snowmobiles do not have any enclosures, except for a windshield, and their engines normally drive a continuous track at the rear. Skis at the front provide directional control.

Early snowmobiles used simple rubber tracks, but modern snowmobiles’ tracks are usually made of a Kevlar composite construction. The earliest snowmobiles were powered by readily available industrial four-stroke, air cooled engines. These would quickly be replaced by lighter and more powerful two-stroke gasoline internal combustion engines and since the mid-2000s four-stroke engines have re-entered the market.

The second half of the 20th century saw the rise of recreational snowmobiling, whose riders are called snowmobilers, sledders, or slednecks. Recreational riding is known as snowcross/racing, trail riding, freestyle, boondocking, ditchbanging and grass drags. In the summertime snowmobilers can drag race on grass, asphalt strips, or even across water. Snowmobiles are sometimes modified to compete in long-distance off-road races (per Wikipedia).

First, a Story:

What did the snowman and his wife put over their baby’s crib?

A snowmobile!

Second, a Song:

509Films, the four time Sledfilm Festival winner for Best Snowmobile Motion Picture, is back with a high-octane thrill ride. Volume 10 is their milestone tenth film in their award winning, backcountry, snowmobile series. This film features the industry’s top athletes including Chris Burandt, Brett Turcotte, Dan Adams, Cory Davis, Sahen Skinner, Ross Robinson, Joey Junker, Cody Borchers, Jay Mentaberry, Reagan Sieg, Dave McClure, Rob Kincaid, Riley Suhan, David Sharp Jr. and many more! Filmed in majestic backcountry locations across the United States and Canada, they state that Volume 10 is unquestionably their best snowmobile film to date (per YouTube.com).

Awolnation is an American rock band, formed and fronted by Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under the Influence of Giants, Home Town Hero, and Insurgence. The band is signed to Better Noise Music, formerly being signed to Red Bull Records, and their first EP, Back from Earth, was released on iTunes on May 18, 2010. They released their first studio album, Megalithic Symphony, on March 15, 2011; it featured their most notable hit, “Sail”, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart, and number 5 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The song has been certified 6× platinum by the RIAA and has sold 6,000,000 copies in the United States. As of February 29, 2016, the album has been certified platinum.

The band’s second studio album, Run, was released on March 17, 2015. The band’s third studio album, Here Come the Runts, was released on February 2, 2018. Their fourth studio album, Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders, was released on April 24, 2020 (per Wikipedia).

Here is 509Films official teaser for their film “Volume 10” set to “Jail Break” by Awolnation. I hope you enjoy this!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfiPGP7PJD4)

Thought for the Day:

“I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” – Mae West

Have a great day!

Dave & Colleen

© 2021 David J. Bilinsky and Colleen E. Bilinsky

Leave a Reply