He Restores Old Snow Planes

He Restores Old Snow Planes AG WORLD Ag World Ten years ago in need of a project to occupy his time and his shop Cliff Gleason Tolna N Dak bought an old snow plane     For those unfamiliar with snow planes they re propeller-powered sleds used for winter travel in the days before snowmobiles They look like a shortened light plane with the propeller mounted at the rear They sit on three wide ribbed skis and are steered with the front center ski Snow planes were popular in the late 50s and 60s in the Northern Plains since they were capable of negotiating snow-covered terrain when roads couldn t be kept clear or where there were no roads      They were used for hauling mail getting people to the doctor checking power lines hunting fox and coyote and just for fun Gleason says     The first snow plane he bought was in pieces To rebuild it he had to do a lot of fiberglass work to repair the body He also rebuilt the Lycoming 125 engine and put on new skis     Once he had it back together and out on the snow he fell in love with the sport and the old machines It s turned into a winter hobby and I have bought and fixed about 20 of these machines over the past 10 years he says     While most were put back together pretty much as they were originally designed Gleason decided to modify one to give it a little more oomph      I picked up the body of one snow plane over by Lisbon and when I got it into the shop I decided to put a second engine on it he says     He had two 125 Lycomings he could put on it but the body was designed for just one engine     A friend who works in the aviation business helped him determine the specifications for the redesign that would accommodate two engines The engines had to be mounted on new framing that attached to the original engine mounts he says They also had to be spaced so there was about 2 ft between the propellers And the original motor mounts and frame had to be reinforced to withstand the extra weight and pressure     What s more the new mounts had to be precisely built so the engines could be set at an angle to work against one another and so the force of the air stream would hit the ground at a point about 80 ft behind the sled     All this redesigning was capped off with a new windshield and nose on the body of the four-passenger sled He also added bucket seats to make the ride a little more comfortable      I had a little trouble with the throttles the first time I took it out he says but that problem has been fixed and it works great now That might be an understatement Those in the know say the throttle stuck wide open and gave him quite a ride before he was able to shut down the engines     Gleason helped found a small group of snow plane enthusiasts called the Prairie Snowplaners He and the entire group would love to hear from others interested in restoring and using snow planes     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Clifford Gleason 302 Margaret Street N Tolna N Dak 58380 ph 701 262-4932

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