How to get a 3wheeler to work in deep snow?

[hawaiirider]

despite it saying hawaiirider i live in alaska now and now ride a tri moto200. theres already 4 inches on the ground and up to 6 feet on the pass here. i tested the trimoto alot and it goes great in 4 inches, its fun! slips in 6 a bit and barley goes in a foot but still does, over a foot it wont go anymore unless its down hill of course.
it has big 25 inch tires with out chains but the prob seems to be the front wheels restistance and frame drag in the deep stuff.
has anyone tried skis on the front? or is deep powder just not gonna happen period? anybody know?
id like to motor around all winter but we generally have 6 feet at all times.
thanks

[D-dub]

They definatly have there limitations in the deep snow. hard packed trails are great, but for the deep stuff there is no replacement for a sled

[hawaiirider]

i hear that i have a big bad hillclimb sled. id like to hear if anyone has tried the skis out front the 3 wheeler tho, as i have a dead sled sitting in the yard

[Aka_am]

Personally, last winter, I couldn't go in the snow almost at all. My little trail I have behind the house, I had to shovel it then ride over it like 5-6 times and it was good to go. I'm hoping this year with my new tires it wont be so bad. 86 200x

[MTS]

Zip tie a crazy carpet on the bottom half...Less DRAG!!...

[harryredtrike]

i have a strap on ski for the front tire of a trike.it does help but has it limitations.once the snow hits the frame and rear carrier it will start to drag.too much drag and it stops going.best to wait for someone to pack the snow first then ride on their tracks,after a foot or so falls.

[Maico]

Back when I lived in MI, when the snow it the ground...the trikes went into hibernation and sleds came out to play. Only time we got the trikes out in the winter was drag racing on the frozen lakes.

[tommerp]

Back when I lived in MI, when the snow it the ground...the trikes went into hibernation and sleds came out to play. Only time we got the trikes out in the winter was drag racing on the frozen lakes.

OR also in MI, when we get our snow, then freezing rain, then snow, then freezing rain again, the roads are PERFECT for riding.... :naughty:

[hawaiirider]

i have a strap on ski for the front tire of a trike.it does help but has it limitations.once the snow hits the frame and rear carrier it will start to drag.too much drag and it stops going.best to wait for someone to pack the snow first then ride on their tracks,after a foot or so falls.


how you get that strap on ski? i figure between a ski, that carpet trick? and chains she outa go pretty good in snowmachine tracks at least!

[fabiodriven]

Already packed snow is the way to do it. You can try chains, skis, etc, but the packed snow is the only real way to enjoy it.

[atc350xer]

Making a full frame skid plate from slippery plastic would be a neat trick...

[D-dub]

Zip tie a crazy carpet on the bottom half...Less DRAG!!...

We do this all the time when dragging in broken down sleds, tie a crazy carpet under the track and go!

[Dirtcrasher]

I've seen those "4 snow" tires in action and they work awesome. Louis Mielke was using someone's trike with them at Brapps while DEEPA and myself kept getting stuck, and I had screws in the tires; But, screws are useless for snow............

[factoryX]

what about a snow board cut for the frame/swing arm? just bolt it where the skid plates usually are.

[MonroeMike]

Check with Tordeur, he may have some useful input.
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/member.php?16855-Tordeur

Him and his friends do a lot of snow riding.

Search for Tordeur4x4 on YouTube.

[coolpool]

Puck board from the local hardware store works great for skid plates and would make a good ski with support. It comes in different thickness' and is bendable with the help of a propane torch.

[CRAZY70MAN]

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo321/andyatc70/th_Picture288.jpg (http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo321/andyatc70/?action=view&current=Picture288.jpg) thought you may like this "Shovel head atc 70"....lol Ya it was a shovel with angle iron welded to the bottom to steer. Man that was a freakin scary test ride down the street:eek:!! After about 5-6 inches.....the wheelers are slowed pretty good. I plan to have a ski project as well this winter. Good luck, thought you may want to get a good laugh.:D:D while you got some real ideas..lol lol You never know till' you try!

[hawaiirider]

yea all the ideas seem good! where can i get that strap on ski tho? it seems that would be most effecient.

[hawaiirider]

im taking the ski off the snowmachine and strapping it to the front wheel, i guess ill tighten the brake down all the way so it cant move? i got a crazy carpet underneath it and have tirechains on the way. im only planning to follow behind snowmachines so hopefully it will work.

[factoryX]

could just do this

front
http://i55.tinypic.com/2dgnthy.jpg
rear
http://i56.tinypic.com/2d85n42.jpg

[CanadianThomas]

Or this:

http://www.ktracks.com/Products.htm

They look cool to me, giving them a good thinking about I am.

[Woodsrider]

I saw a picture once of a 250SX with what appeared to be pieces of snowmobile track just simply wrapped around the rear tires. The track was considerably wider than the tires, therefore giving better "flotation" as well as great traction. This does nothing for the front, but would be a relatively cheap and simple modification for the rear. I'm thinking of trying it this winter with a ski skin type of thing under my front tire. I really like the idea of the crazy carpet under the skid plate. If you could fabricate something slippery and smooth to cover the entire bottom of your frame(but ridgid also), it would do two things to help get you through the snow...it would eliminate most of the drag...AND...it would also help to keep the wheeler "afloat"on top of the deep snow. Maybe a double ski set-up on front would keep the front end afloat better.

[sugarhead]

Give it to me!:D JK What about snow tires w the paddles on them or chains?Screws only work for ice.have fun;) RUN IT and GUN IT!

[Pafrig]

haha i have the same problem with snow riding in Anchorage... just gotta start doing the chicken dance to get some traction! Just wait till spring comes and the snow starts developing that freeze/thaw crust on top of it. It sooooo fun to ride. Anywhere that hasnt been ridden on becomes a giant icefield, but with traction. and its all super smooth with gradual lumps everywhere! just head home before things start thawing.. heh heh

[hawaiirider]

ok i put the ski on the front, crazy carpet under the entire frame and chains on the rear the report: the ski floats the front tire and turns great in 2 inches or more of snow but does not work at all in any other condition it just wont turn!! its still 16 inches of powder here- i measured with no base other than the ground itself. the chains help but it just wont go very well in the deep stuff still, have to rock back and forth the entire time! im thinking of dual wheels or the snowmachine track trick next, any opionions?

[Thorpe]

Add a "flux capacitor"... 16" of snow, your asking it to work outside its designed parameters... Way outside...

[Jason125m]

yeah, 16" will stop it dead in its tracks.

[threeinthetrees]

ok i put the ski on the front, crazy carpet under the entire frame and chains on the rear the report: the ski floats the front tire and turns great in 2 inches or more of snow but does not work at all in any other condition it just wont turn!! its still 16 inches of powder here- i measured with no base other than the ground itself. the chains help but it just wont go very well in the deep stuff still, have to rock back and forth the entire time! im thinking of dual wheels or the snowmachine track trick next, any opionions?

Been there done that with the "snow machine track trick", looked cool and was fun in the making but it just did not do it for me. We had to of the same quads on the same hill, one with the tracks wrapped around the rear tires and one with "Pro-wedge 2's" on, the Pro-wedges made it further up the hill and was more fun to ride.

[Brockey]

I don't see the problem. I love driving in the snow. We get lots of snow here normally and I just stay on the beaten trails or make sure it's not too deep. But I do venture into the deep stuff and it makes a fine work out getting it out. Bouncing on the suspension makes the bike dig down when you are stuck tho. Lol
I would love to try the quad track system on a three-wheeler with a ski in the front!

[MTS]

Wonder how some Axle paddles Made out of some 2.5-3" paddle track would work...on Say an alum drum,,,Didn't even think of it till i seen another members pic of his 185' mud monster today....with big steel ones.....Anyone got an old track laying around ???

[hawaiirider]

yeah im just screwin around with the idea, i have a snowmachine w a 160 track so im good. i think next im going to try dual wheels in the rear both having chains and possibly axle paddles as well if i can find some? or are they a one of custom?

[Jon Boy]

yea all the ideas seem good! where can i get that strap on ski tho? it seems that would be most effecient.

you mean something more like this one i found here locally? http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php?122467-3wheeler-snow-ski&highlight=

[hawaiirider]

the ski setup was extremely easy, i just took a junked ski from a indy and deflated the tire the ratched strapped it, blew the tire back up and locked the front brakes, no problems! its not really that effective because the wheel is fine up to 6 inches and even with the ski and chains and skid plate it starts to spin the rear wheels even tho the ski works nice it doesnt matter if you aint moving!!

[H95Shooter]

^ put some ski skins on

[2Tim215]

The main problem is height, even some 4x4 wheelers get stuck in the deep stuff, actually some sleds do to that is part of the reason why they came out with extended tracks. The 4-Snow tires would help for sure as they expand giving you up 40% expansion when accelerating which increases your clearance. I like the K-Track set-up, haven't checked the pricing though but their videos look pretty good. Under plates would help prevent the snow from binding anywhere. I would prefer a front ski without the wheel/tire as that would require more push rather than letting the snow pass over the ski and through the forks. When I plow with my 2 wheel drive four wheeler I spray my blade with WD-40 and the snows slides off like its being tossed by a snowblower when I'm in 2nd! Hope to hear some more ideas!

[Freeway1]

You can make your own skid plate from a 55gallon plastic drum you know the big blue ones. I have a friend that swears by it and think about it there free most of the time. Cut what you need and design and keep the left overs to make more.Just my 2cents. Plastic will give you no drag or very little hope it works.Freeway1

[83honda]

you can make some tracks i made a set and they work great

[2Tim215]

you can make some tracks i made a set and they work great
Lets see some photos!

[big red hemi]

Lets see some photos!

me to

pics please

[83honda]

i will put some up when i get off work in a couple hours

[83honda]

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=116509&d=1297464008

click the url to see pic of the tracks

[big red hemi]

is the snowmobile track just wrapped around the tire.

[200SXRIDER]

Yes their are some good idea on youtube. I was impressed with the trike with snowmobile tracks on the rear. this seemed to compact the snow allowing traction not just digging in.

My suggestion is two wide skiis up front ( replacing the front wheel with a modified axle that would hold 2 ski on an axle in line with the rear tires)that would compact the snow for the rear tires. I seem to go fine till my skid plate starts tragging then the rear wheels start digging in. Front wheel tend to ride up better with weight transfer forward then back while standing on the pegs.

The nice thing is reverse is a definite saver. Just shift and back out of the deep.

[200SXRIDER]

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=116509&d=1297464008

click the url to see pic of the tracks

How did your trike handle in the +12" snow???? I assume you just cut the track a little short in circumference then bolted together then air up the tires to hold the tracks in place??????? That would stop my digging in problem.

Combined with a ski front should make it work........

Helpful advice is always welcome
Tks