Putting Wheels on a Snowmobile Makes for a Rowdy Off-Road Trike

Ever find yourself wondering just what sort of trouble you could get into with a snowmobile in the summertime? If you live in one of many parts of the country that winter has seemingly abandoned, you may find yourself pondering this more often these days. But what would it take to have some real fun on a sled when there’s not a snowflake in sight? How about sticking a set of wheels on it?

That’s exactly what the YouTubers behind mycustomgokart did with this beat-up, 600cc Ski-Doo Formula III. As builds go, this one’s actually fairly simple. The bulk of the fabrication work involved removing the snowmobile’s track and creating a new axle setup for the rear wheel. A set of wheels with nice, knobby tires went over a set of custom bearings designed for the front end, mounting where the skis were removed. It made for a simple swap, but it makes the Ski-Doo look a bit like a demonically possessed landscaping cart, especially once they fit the 12-inch-wide slick to the new rear axle.

With that all squared away, the Ski-Doo needed some mechanical attention. For starters, the engine was experiencing some sort of fueling issue that kept fouling the spark plugs, so a carburetor service was in order. The guys also suspected that the snowmobile’s stock cooling system wouldn’t be up to the task, so a new radiator was fabbed up and installed in the rear of the engine bay—not the best spot, granted, but it’s what they had to work with. And with that, it’s time for some testing.

Sure enough, it works. Their fearless test driver (hardhat and all) needs a little time to get acclimated to this squirrelly snowmobile-turned-street-rod, but after some trial and nearly spectacular error, he manages to string together a few five-star donuts. Fearing that they may be drawing unwanted attention, they retreat to private property for some more playtime. After some off-pavement foolishness, the gang reconvenes to see how the sled is holding up.

While it drives better than the team expected, the Ski-Doo is showing signs of distress after its first shakedown run. The mounting plates for the rear axle were welded to the rear tunnel of the Ski-Doo, which was clearly not designed to handle the kinds of load being thrown at it by sticky rubber on pavement. The entire structure has started to deform, so the guys set about shoring up their mounting plates with some lateral support, which they fab up from a piece of pipe. With a new, more terrain-friendly tire on the rear, it’s time for some proper three-wheelin‘.

Believe it or not, it handles a lot like a snowmobile. Getting power down with the single rear wheel is a challenge, and each test driver spends about as much time getting the Ski-Doo’s nose pointed someplace that won’t kill him as he does actually putting any power down. It looks like a laugh, but certainly not the most effective way to get around off pavement. As the guys point out, a rear suspension would go a long way—that and a longer battery cable.

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