Snowmobile ski and method
AssigneeInternational Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorRobert Musselman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A runner for a snowmobile ski is fabricated from flat metal plate stock and incorporates mounting features for securing the runner to the ski and a wear strip of a relatively harder material provided on and projecting from a lower surface of the runner body. A quick release mounting system is provided for attaching the runner to the ski, including quick installation and release wedge mounting systems. The thin runner blade and wear strip are of the same thickness and are joined by a brazed joint. The invention contemplates a method of fabricating the runner and a method of mounting the runner.
Claims49
1-29. (canceled)
A method of fabricating a runner for mounting on a ski of a snowmobile, comprising:
- providing a flat stock plate of metal fabricated of a first metal material;
- cutting a runner body in one piece from the flat plate stock;
- forming mounting features as one piece with the runner body operative for mounting the runner on the ski;
- and
- joining a wear strip to a bottom surface of the runner body formable of a second material that is relatively harder than that of the first material.
50-53. (canceled)
A method of manufacturing a wear bar for mounting on the underside of a ski including the steps of:
- selecting a flat plate of metal lying in a plane and having a predetermined uniform thickness;
- severing the plate of metal to provide a one piece wear bar runner of uniform width including the steps of concurrently stamp cutting
- an elongate thin wear bar runner having opposite ends and upper and lower edges spanning said ends and lying in said plane, and
- a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart runner mounting members integrally extending from said upper edge and lying in the plane of said wear bar runner;
- said step of stamp cutting including the step of concurrently cutting an elongate slot in said lower edge of said runner;
- and
- mounting an elongate carbide wear rail, having a thickness substantially equal to said uniform thickness, in said slot.
A snowmobile ski assembly comprising:
- a ski member having a lower surface;
- a runner mountable on said lower surface of said ski having an elongate runner body fabricated of flat metal plate of a first metal material extending between longitudinally opposite ends, and including an upper surface, a lower surface, and opposing sides extending between said upper and lower surfaces;
- a wear strip fabricated of a second material that is relatively harder than that of said first material secured to and projecting from said lower surface of said runner body;
- at least two longitudinally spaced mounting holes formed between said ends of said runner body and between said upper and lower surfaces of said runner body;
- and
- mounting hardware received in said holes and securing said runner body to the ski wherein the assembly includes a wedge connection interacting between said ski and said mounting members to urge said upper surface of said runner body tightly against said lower surface of said ski.
A method of manufacturing a traction increasing wear bar for mounting on the underside of a ski of an ice-going vehicle, comprising:
- stamping an elongated flat runner body from a single piece of metal plate stock of generally uniform thickness having longitudinally opposite ends, an upper surface and a lower surface, and including at least a pair of mounting members projecting from said upper surface and stamped as one piece with the runner body of the same metal plate stock and being of generally the same uniform thickness as that of the runner body;
- and
- securing a carbide wear strip to the lower surface of the runner body.
67-69. (canceled)
A traction kit for a snowmobile ski, comprising:
- a plurality of planar runner bodies each having longitudinally spaced ends, an upper edge and a lower edge and being supportable in laterally spaced relation to one another;
- carbide wear strips secured to the lower edges of the runner bodies;
- and
- mounting members configured to mount said runner bodies releasably to an underside of the ski in said laterally spaced relation.
A method of mounting a traction increasing wear bar to a ski of a snowmobile having an elongated runner body with longitudinally spaced ends, an upper edge and a lower edge and including mounting features operative to couple the wear bar to the ski, said method comprising:
- moving the wear bar into engagement with the ski, and
- without tools securing the wear bar releasably to the ski.
A method of mounting a traction increasing wear bar to a ski of a snowmobile having an elongated runner body with longitudinally spaced ends, an upper edge and a lower edge said method comprising:
- positioning the wear bar adjacent the underside of the ski,
- forming mounting features, including a transverse aperture, as one piece with the runner body operative for mounting the runner on the ski;
- and
- coupling said blade to the snowmobile ski by passing a transverse pin transverse through said aperture and a portion of the ski to concurrently wedge said blade into snug engagement with said ski.
77-80. (canceled)
A runner mountable on a ski, having an underside, on an ice-going vehicle comprising:
- an elongate runner body fabricated of metal plate, having a predetermined thickness, of a first metal material having longitudinally opposite ends, an upper inner surface for contacting the underside of the ski and a lower outer surface and being of a predetermined hardness,
- an elongate wear strip, having a predetermined length and a predetermined width fabricated of a second material that is relatively harder than said predetermined hardness of said first material secured to and projecting from said lower surface of said runner body;
- and
- at least one transversely extending mounting hole formed between said ends and between said upper and lower surfaces of said runner body adapted to receive mounting hardware for securing said runner body to the ski,
- said width of said wear strip being substantially equal to said predetermined thickness, and
- means reacting with said runner body for forcing said upper inner surface into intimate contact with the underside of the ski;
- said elongate runner body having a U-shape.
A runner mountable on a ski, having an underside, on an ice-going vehicle comprising:
- an elongate runner body fabricated of metal plate, having a predetermined thickness, of a first metal material having longitudinally opposite ends, an upper inner surface for contacting the underside of the ski and a lower outer surface and being of a predetermined hardness,
- an elongate wear strip, having a predetermined length and a predetermined width fabricated of a second material that is relatively harder than said predetermined hardness of said first material secured to and projecting from said lower surface of said runner body;
- and
- at least one transversely extending mounting hole formed between said ends and between said upper and lower surfaces of said runner body adapted to receive mounting hardware for securing said runner body to the ski,
- said width of said wear strip being substantially equal to said predetermined thickness, and
- means reacting with said runner body for forcing said upper inner surface into intimate contact with the underside of the ski;
- said elongate runner body has an elongate base of a predetermined length and a pair laterally spaced apart upstanding walls integrally mounted on said base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.