These 1970s Snowmobile Conversion Kits Transformed Sleds Into Trikes

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      Snowmobiles are enjoyable until the snow disappears. Unless you reside in certain regions of the world (the list of which keeps getting smaller), your snowmobile likely occupies a considerable amount of garage space for much of the year. This issue has been around since the inception of snowmobiles, and creative individuals and entrepreneurs have devised several intriguing solutions over the decades.

      In the late 1960s and early 1970s, kits were available that could transform a snowmobile into a three-wheeled ATV during the warmer months. The emergence of dedicated ATVs in the 1970s appears to have overshadowed this concept, but the Internet allows all ideas to endure. If you browse Facebook long enough, you might encounter the Wunder Wheels/Skat Trak Registry and Help Line, a community focused on this niche segment of powersports history.

      This group also seems to serve as the primary source of information about Wunder Wheels and Skat Trak, the two brands of snowmobile conversion kits that were most prevalent back in those days. Wunder Wheels originated from Forward Ideas Limited, a Canadian company established in 1968 by Andry Balazs. A newspaper article from that era shared in the Facebook group reveals that Balazs sought to hire an inventor to create something innovative. The inventor was Brit Donald Sessions, who designed a steel frame that could be placed beneath a snowmobile, featuring steering mechanisms for two front wheels and a drive sprocket for the single rear wheel.

      Skat Trak began in 1952 under the name Acricast. Its snowmobile conversion was somewhat more straightforward, utilizing an independent front suspension attached to the pickup points of a snowmobile’s skis, rather than a completely different frame. However, Skat Trak also produced its own line of paddle tires that could convert a snowmobile into a sand rail. These tires are reportedly still available, although the company’s website is currently down.

      The practicality of these kits is evident—modified snowmobiles could even be operated on certain public roads in Canada back then—but their actual popularity remains uncertain. A member of the Facebook group, referencing discussions with former employees, claims that 1,751 Wunder Wheels kits were produced at Forward Ideas’ facility in Tillsonburg, Ontario. This scarcity could explain why they are seldom seen today. If you wish to add wheels to your snowmobile, you’ll likely need to undertake the project yourself.

      These kits are not just fascinating for their practical application in maximizing vehicle utility; they also reflect an era when starting a new niche business involved more than just confining software developers to a room to build an app. Unique concepts like this contributed to the growth of the aftermarket.