Snowmobile Ski Wheel Attachment for Trailer Loading and Rough Ground
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Snowmobiles face challenges when transitioning from snow or ice to other surfaces, as their skis can be damaged by gravel, rocks, or mud, and loading onto trailers is friction-intensive, risking damage to the skis, surfaces, and equipment.
Innovation Solution
A snowmobile assistant device that raises the snowmobile above its front skis, using flat-free wheels and a non-malleable axle system, allowing for mobility on various surfaces without increasing the snowmobile's width, and includes a storage bracket for easy transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a snowmobile uses skis for transportation, then it can move efficiently on snow or ice, but it risks damage to the skis when operating on gravel, rocks, or muddy surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The snowmobile assistant device allows dynamic switching between ski-based propulsion on snow/ice and wheel-based support on harmful surfaces. The device transitions from a stationary attachment to an active mobility aid when encountering gravel, rocks, or mud, enabling the snowmobile to adapt its locomotion method to protect skis while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The assistant device acts as an intermediary between the snowmobile and harmful terrain. By introducing wheels that contact the ground instead of skis, the device mediates the interaction between the snowmobile and damaging surfaces, allowing the snowmobile to traverse difficult terrain without direct ski contact with gravel, rocks, or mud.
2Ease of operation
If a ramp is used to load the snowmobile onto a trailer, then the snowmobile can be transported, but friction may cause damage to the skis, surfaces, or equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The assistant device serves as a mediator during the loading process. By providing wheels that support the snowmobile's weight and enable rolling movement, it replaces direct ski-ramp contact with wheel-ramp contact, significantly reducing friction and the risk of damage to skis, trailer surfaces, and equipment during loading and unloading operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces the friction-intensive mechanical interaction between skis and the ramp surface with a rolling wheel-based system. This substitution transforms the loading mechanism from sliding friction (ski-ramp contact) to rolling friction (wheel-ramp contact), dramatically reducing wear and damage risk while maintaining ease of operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the snowmobile width is increased to improve stability, then it can handle various terrains better, but it may not fit on standard-width trailers
Solution Approach 1:
The assistant device provides stability not by increasing the snowmobile's width in the horizontal dimension, but by adding vertical support through wheels that contact the ground. This dimensional shift allows the snowmobile to maintain its original width for trailer compatibility while achieving enhanced stability through the elevated wheel support system.
Solution Approach 2:
The assistant device is designed to nest within or alongside the snowmobile's existing structure without increasing its overall width. The compact wheel assembly integrates into the snowmobile's frame or attaches to its sides, providing stable ground contact while maintaining a profile that fits within standard trailer width constraints.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device prevents ski damage and facilitates smooth transitions across different terrains and trailers by providing stable, friction-reduced mobility and easy loading/unloading, maintaining the snowmobile's width and preventing damage to surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
Within the surface of the wheel is an opening which the axle extends to, through, and out therefrom. The wheel unit additionally comprises at least one ball bearing, which is near the surface of the wheel opening and the ball bearing may be configured, attached, or otherwise connected to the center of the wheel unit itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A wheeled device for increasing the mobility of a snowmobile or ski-bound vehicle, wherein the wheeled device, having a cylindrical axle, is attached to the bolt on the interior of a sled ski underneath the snowmobile sled, which raises the skis off the ground and does not increase the snowmobile sled width. The wheeled device surrounds the interior sled ski bolts and nuts thereon and is tightened onto said bolts and nuts by way of a tightening wheel. The snowmobile is thus able to drive on the wheeled devices so that it can conveniently move from one location to another without damaging the bottom of the skis if on rough or unstable terrain.