The best snowmobile for hunting

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

Hunting is a hobby. Winter is both a beautiful and cold season. Literally everything is covered with a snow-white cloak around - houses, cars, roads. The trees even take on an elegant look, putting on a shining hoarfrost.

In the midst of winter, the long-awaited holidays, weekends and vacations come for adults and children. Adults and kids are making plans for an active and exciting weekend. Someone chooses to ride on slides with buns and ice cubes, someone gets on skis or skates. Others choose an extreme pastime - downhill from a steep slope on a snowboard. Some will prefer multiple types of hunting.

In our time, in a world of convenience and comfort, for amateur trackers, the market provides the necessary equipment for every taste: thermal suits, guns, shoes and the most important means of transportation and an indispensable assistant - a snowmobile for hunting.

Sledge

The first kind of snowmobile was invented in 1907 and it was called the snowmobile. This is a vehicle designed to move on snow and ice. They are sledswhich installed an internal combustion engine.

Designed by their domestic engineers Yu. A. Meller and AD Dokuchaev. During the war, snowmobiles were used as a means of transportation. In narrow circles, there is still a debate whether snowmobiles were the first snowmobiles. After all, the first ones did not have tracks, like modern snowmobiles. At that time, snowmobiles moved on skids.

Kegress Caterpillar

In 1909, an engineer from France - Adolf Kegress, on the orders of Tsar Nicholas II, developed unusual caterpillar systems. To do this, Kegress used the car "Nepir", in which he changed the rear wheels to caterpillar tracks made of camel skin and pulled them on specially prepared drums. He screwed medium-sized skis to the front wheels.

The caterpillar went through a lot of tests before its founder, A. Kegress, got a patent. Later, in 1914, the owners of the B altic wagon enterprise became interested in his brainchild. They acquired his patent and, on the basis of the Russo-B alt car they produced, began work on finalizing the snowmobile. After numerous works on the car, they managed to reach speeds of up to 40 km per hour on it.

In 1916, Kegress created the world's first armored caterpillar car. And in wartime, they tried to combine the invention with a motorcycle. Then the world's first snowmobile appeared.

Modern snowmobile prototype

Inventor Carl Eliason in 1924 brought to life the first example of a modern snowmobile. It was equipped with an enginewater-cooled and had a power of 2.5 horsepower. K. Eliason patented his business. But after he received an order from Finland to build snowmobiles, he decisively sold the patent to them.

Bombardier

In 1928, the Canadian company for the production of Bombardier machines, led by its founder Joseph-Armand Bombardier, improved C. Eliason's snowmobile. Since the snowmobile was also used in winter, its open cabin was not suitable for moving in cold areas.

Then Bombardier created closed armored cabins that could accommodate 6-7 people at once. The closed caterpillar was one of Bombardier's best inventions at the time, as it was later used to transport bedridden patients, deliver packages and letters, served as a school bus for students, and was even used as a snowmobile for hunting.

Snowmobiles today

Since 1970, the production of snowmobiles began to develop rapidly and does not continue this work until now. Today, a snowmobile is a vehicle designed to travel on ice and snow. It is equipped with rubberized tracks, and ski skids are installed on the front wheels, which are responsible for control.

The case is made of metals - aluminum or steel. An internal combustion engine is built into the vehicle, it regulates the rotation of the tracks. As a rule, a 2-stroke type of engine is operated on a snowmobile, which comes to work at the expense of gasoline. But recently, some manufacturers are introducing a 4-stroke engine into the snowmobile system. Current prototypes skillfully reach speeds of up to 140 km per hour and move along slopes without tipping over or slipping.

Types of snowmobiles

There are many models and types of snowmobiles on the market, which makes it possible to choose the most suitable one, but before you make a purchase, you need to understand for what purpose it will be used. Which snowmobile is best for hunting:

• Utility is equipped with a voluminous caterpillar, with which the machine overcomes even the most snowy areas in the forest. The snowmobile is equipped with two seats with a heating function and accelerates to a speed of 90 km per hour. It is this type that is more often chosen as a snowmobile for hunting, as it pulls a load weighing up to half a ton, thanks to the towbar installed on it.
• Sporty has an advantage over utility in terms of speed, because it has a stronger engine that has the ability to generate speeds up to 200 km per hour. This type of transport should be used in deserted and safe areas. On a sports snowmobile, the caterpillar is thin and short, and therefore the car cannot overcome places heavily covered with snow. This unit is always equipped with one seat.

Mountain refers to a variety of sports snowmobile. This unit is equipped with a special caterpillar with large gears, which allows it to easily cope with steep slopes. The use of such a snowmobile is recommended if you have the skills to manage such vehicles

Children's snowmobile is quite safe. Suitable for use by children aged 9 and over. It has a small speed - up to 40 km per hour. However, you should not travel long distances on it

Overview of foreign hunting snowmobiles

Manufacturers from Russia, Finland, Japan, America offer a wide range of snowmobile models. For amateurs or professionals in activities such as hunting and fishing, the best option would be utilitarian.

As mentioned above, this type of units easily overcomes snow-covered barriers and is able to drag a load of several hundred kilograms. Of all the foreign offerings of numerous species, from which the eyes run wide, the question arises which snowmobile to choose for hunting?

The leading position here is occupied by the Yamaha Viking 540 snowmobile from the Japanese manufacturer. The car is a beast - that's what the owners of a similar model say about it. Yamaha is equipped with an old and proven two-stroke engine that runs on gasoline. Its tracks are equipped with powerful lugs and an anti-slip mechanism. It also features comfortable passenger grips and heated seats.

Of the minuses, one can single out a noticeable consumption of gasoline, which can end unexpectedly. Therefore, it will be better if there is a spare can of fuel in the trunk.

Second place deserves the Swedish model Lynx 59 Yeti 600 ACE. It has a 4-stroke engine, radiator andfan, which ensure the smooth operation of the cooling system. Great for use in cold weather and as a snowmobile for hunting in the woods. However, it has the only negative, concluded in heavy management in the snow.

America-made Polaris WideTrack LX 550 in third place. Such a device belongs to the classics of a utilitarian snowmobile. It has a two-stroke engine with an additional cooling system. Able to withstand even the most severe frosts. It also has negative aspects in the design. Often the owners of this model complain about the rapid wear of spare parts, the replacement of which is expensive.

It is worth noting that all three models are among the best snowmobiles for hunting and fishing.

Review of Russian snowmobiles

Snowmobile developers in Russia are in no way inferior to their competitors from other countries. To date, the domestic market offers the following best models to choose from.

1. "Buran AE". The AE snowmobile is a modified version of the previous model A. Thanks to the existing two tracks, a carrier and a turning ski, it is able to overcome all obstacles in the way in the form of pits, protruding branches and trees. It is allowed to operate the machine in any weather and even over very long distances. Equipped with heated steering wheel and seats. The owners of this model are satisfied with the comfortable and maneuverable transport and highlight it as one of the best snowmobiles for hunting. Of the minuses, the average thrust for the load was revealed - up to250 kilograms.
2. "Taiga Patrol" 800 SWT has a powerful battery up to 45 Ah, a multifunctional metering panel that can regulate the temperature of the coolant, display engine interruptions. Unlike Buran, it is capable of carrying more cargo by weight - up to 500 kilograms. The only negative characteristic of the model is its noisiness.

Which is the best snowmobile for hunting?

And so, the top five snowmobiles included the following models from foreign countries: Yamaha Viking 540, Lynx 59 Yeti 600 ACE, Polaris WideTrack LX 550, and from domestic ones: Buran AE, Taiga-Patrol 800 SWT. All of the above units have established themselves as one of the most powerful and comfortable vehicles designed to move on ice, snow, and forest, and are in great demand on the market.

As for the price category of snowmobiles (depending on the configuration):

1. Yamaha Viking 540 from RUB 400,000
2. Lynx 59 Yeti 600 ACE from 700 000.
3. Polaris WideTrack LX 500 from 390,000.
4. "Buran AE" from 300 000.
5. "Taiga Patrol 800 SWT" from 450 000.

After reviewing the characteristics and price, it remains only to decide which snowmobile for hunting is right for you.

Budget options

Not everyone can afford to pay the cost of one of the best snowmobiles. Therefore, manufacturers have created a line of the cheapest units. Of these, it is worth highlighting:

1. Snowmobile "Tourist" - RUB 89,000
2. IRBIS SF150L - 120000.
3. ENFORCER 300 - 180,000.

It is worth noting that the characteristics are noticeably different from expensive models, but budget options do not badly cope with their main task - snow and ice flotation, and are great as a snowmobile for hunting.