Very well done video. I have been looking to buy this unit and this video is by far the best walk through about what it can do. I intend to use it for fishing.
Utilitarian/FUN!! Got the compact which has 13.5 HP engine and Just fits in the bed of my pickup. Never drove a snow machine. No experience at all, except skiing... First run deep drifts with wind scored ridges....a little bumpy but compact was light enough never broke through the crust....then came wind blown to bare dirt...texture change under foot but easy ....then rather than another huge drift took off across snow with tops of grass sticking up....lovely smooth & turning easy.... Then drove in tractor tracks/ uneven snow ...was fine then coming to the gate there was deep mud and standing water where someone got stuck...also at the gate and rest of road was glaze ice.....went thru and up hill as if none of these things were even there! Being in my 70s my arms were a little tired but that was because I was trying to not let the machine tilt....learning! No reverse was OK, I just used a quad fold wheel chair ramp and tow strap and 2 come alongs. EASY to load...put handles down and walked beside the ramp...it loaded itself! This was all in Wind 65+ gusts which did not affect the Snowdog at all, or my riding. Ranchers out there can't wait to see it....everyone has been getting stuck...the snow is slush like spring snows...tires moving turn the snow to deep water that hydroplanes....then it all turns to smooth ice. It IS Fun but also a liberating feeling!! It is not that I think I can't get stuck.....I just know I won't be stuck long or wear out, get wet with sweat and endanger wind chill hypothermia and be in danger..getting Unstuck! The Snowdog is Freedom. Snowing right now...4 inches and building and wind will come...OK. Not a problem any more!! Don't need the road open either... Yet in less than 5 min I can load it all up and drive away! Love It!!! Wish it was here the last 20 years!!
I have been wanting one of these for trapping. They had them here in town for sale for around $3,000 not including the sled you ride on. ($200 more with the seat) Since they are basically a snowmobile track and a lawn mower engine, I bought a 14 horse engine to put on an old snowmobile track and try to make one. I haven't had time to build it yet, but already I see advantages to the real thing over the home made one. First, these are wider than a snowmobile track, making them more stable, and cutting a better track for the riding sled to follow behind. Then, these have electric start, not just a pull cord. The boggie wheels allow for summer use, or patchy snow/dirt conditions....much better than a standard snow mobile that uses a rail to keep the track straight. The rail needs to have snow for lubrication. The biggest plus I can see with these is size. They can be carried on one of those racks that plugs into a receiver hitch on your truck. No trailer needed. Also, none of that $50 per gallon snow mobile oil! Just straight gas......Yep! I need one of these. If my homemade version doesn't work out, I will buy one! This is a Russian invention. Those Russians know a thing or two about living in the snow!!
Well this comment is a year old, and I finished my home made "Snowdog". It works great! I have several videos building and using it if you care to look them up.
I can see this unit being useful especially as our winters appear to have less snow. I watched another demo where two guys lift it into the back of an SUV. That's nice! Hey Louie, how long before you mod it with a 800cc turbo, Van Amberg tunnel, REV suspension and Power Madd protectors?LOL Cheers
.. i'm thinking more on the lines of $800 ... I don't get the point of this device that much.. but maybe a few people would have use for this? I think most people would just buy a proper snowmobile though..\
Our local dealer has ordered 13 units in September and run out just before Christmas ... I think the model would be more of a tractor if they would have stretch the track 4 to 5 inches... Thanks for the info..
Hell you could build a ice fishing shanty on skids and just pull the whole dam thing to the fishing spot. I bet you could rig something up to where you could drive it remotely from inside, that way you could stay nice and toasty on the way to the fishing hole.
Looks like a good toy for someone under 30 with a good back.lol Cool toy with a limited target market. You’ll have to make some chairs with some HD shock absorbers for the older riders. You can send me The dividends.
It would be good for people that are in the middle of nowhere cheap on fuel probably very reliable a great machine for the right person I'm sure Trapper's Hunters fisherman people that live way out in the bush want to haul and firewood I think that would be a great little machine and like I said Jeep on fuel and seems like it goes fast enough to get you there. I know they've had them out for many years now my buddy had one from the 60s that use it for hauling wood out of the forest and if the track wasn't rotted off it it still ran fine.
i have been trying to find another cheap POS sled all winter to toss a Diesel Engine into just for Low Speed fun , But cannot find anything cheap! Wish i never sold my sleds last year.
Thank you for the video. I was curious if the maker made a plow mod and was surprised that they didn't advertise for one on there website. In your opinion would any of the snowdog modules make a good walk behind plow for light to moderate accumulation?
I wonder how useful this would be for pulling out a stuck snowmobile. If you were heading out solo, you could tow this behind your "real" machine as an emergency back up.
Looks fun, but not sure if it's something that someone needs other than another toy to add to your collection? What can this do that a normal sled cannot?
COmpletely awesome man! Looks like SErious fun! How much are they going for ? They look like a good strong machine! Any chance u could show the drive train clutching and motor? Let me know i will add it to my website For sale section if your selling em!
Sorry but for less than what this machine you could put a track kit on a four wheeler and make this thing look stupid in comparisson, the track kit on my 2007 Yamaha 700 grizzly with power steering cost just a tad over $4000, they work in swamps as long as the water aint over about 2 and a half feet deep, they work on sand, really bad mud, hard packed, and I have had them in over 10 feet of snow (I live in Idaho and ride all over the rocky mountains in winter)(as long as you keep moving and don't try to spin the tracks when starting out by going easy on the throttle)and they will blow your mind where they will go with tracks on, and you can climb stuff with the tracks on that you would never even attempt with just tires on, and it will do so while hauling or pulling way more than this machine will, and you have a much more comfortable ride in the process with your heated seat, thumb and hand warmers, and plug in heated snowmobile suit, and windshield like I have on my grizzly, sorry but this machine is a joke really unless you are going into very narrow tight trails that just won't allow anything wider and the snow aint too deep, otherwise I just don't see any good in it.
looseballs1966 I agree. I live in Wyoming and we elk hunt deep in the bighorn mountains. We have two yamaha grizzly 700s with track kits, and they are by far the most useful investment we’ve ever made. They have the power to tow or climb over anything, and they’ll go over some incredibly deep snow. They’ve saved our camp and our hunting trips quite a few times because a regular 4 wheeler could never make it up there after a snow storm, and snowmobiles don’t have the torque or storage space of a track machine. There’s been times where the track machine would have to tow the wheeled machines all the way to camp, while still packing a load of gear on the front and back racks. These little snowdogs are damn near worthless if you ask me. They seem like more of a novelty item than an actual workhorse.
Interesting. I can see a lot of use for this. One thing though is on screen, it sounds really loud. How bad is the volume on this thing? Also they said it would be good for swamps on the official site, but I don't see it handling more than mud. Do you see this handling mud under a couple inches of water?
Ok, I have to ask the question. I saw one of these at my local dealer which made me come to RU-vid and find this video to see how they work. So here is the question. Why is this MORE advantageous than buying something like,,,,, an Elan, or like a Bravo,,,, or like and indy 440,,, something fairly cheap and used that still runs great and you can easily work on. The ride is far more comfortable and you can easily pull one or two slays full of gear. I mean I can pick up a used Indy 440 in good shape for like 500 bucks. If all your doing is using this thing as a snow mulethen I don't see any major advantages over a perfectly good used snowmobile. And I have to say, I quite prefer the looks of an Indy 440 over this. Don't get me wrong, I think it's neat. I just don't know why anyone would prefer this option over a snowmobile. An Indy 440 can't weigh a hell of a lot more or take up a hell of a lot more storage space. I doubt they cost a hell of a lot more either.
I don't agree...if you saw the components you'd know what mean. if you cobbled one together and used a crappy old engine you'd still be just short of the price of buying a new one. I build lots of stuff....sometimes I should have just bought new. thanks for watching
@Josh Frank lol, if i did it it would be as nearly as good as the snowdog but i could cobble one together - if you want to build them, have components made that will actually last, mass produce, ship them all over the world and then put a little bit of money in your pocket your 1500 won't do it. Compare apples to apples.
