2010 - Volume #34, Issue #4, Page #44
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"Snow-Mower" Fools Deere Lovers
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He then explains that he got the idea from a digitally altered photo he saw on the internet. The 23-year-old manufacturing engineer spent 7 months of his free time building his Deere Snow-Mower out of a 1980 Deere Liquifire snowmobile and a worn out garden tractor.
His hybrid works better than he thought and has turned lots of heads and won People's Choice awards at vintage snowmobile events he has attended.
The lawn tractor's high seat and muffler jutting up from the lawn tractor hood definitely sets Kram's machine apart from other snowmobiles.
"It's higher and feels tippy at first," Kram admits. "Since I can't move my feet, I'm at the mercy of the trail and the suspension."
Fortunately he spent time designing the suspension with a 3-D computer program. With the help of a fellow vintage snowmobile collector, he came up with a blend of vintage bogie wheels and modern long travel type suspension, which allows him to ride on grass as well as deep snow.
"I got my suspension set up right. A rear shock supports my body weight, and the front shock puts enough weight on the skis so it's easy to handle. This is the best turning snowmobile I own," Kram says, crediting the extra weight on the front and the carbide wear rods on the skis.
Kram started with the snowmobile's drive train and used the lawn mower's gas tank, grill, hood, seat, fenders, dash and other parts. A 440cc liquid-cooled, 2-stroke Kawasaki engine powers the machine. The conglomeration of parts boosted the snowmobile's weight from 400 to 580 lbs., enough to make Kram cautious about getting stuck, though he discovered late last winter that the machine goes through deep snow and climbs hills quite well. It travels up to 45 mph, which isn't bad for a vintage machine. Its mileage isn't quite as good, however, and with the lawnmower's 3-gal. fuel tank, he needs to carry extra gas for the 20-mile vintage rides.
For Kram, the most challenging part of the project was making the side covers. He hadn't worked with sheet metal before, and he spent a lot of time making cardboard patterns before hand cutting side panels, a clutch cover, toolbox, and other pieces out of 19-gauge aluminum. A couple stainless steel bowls made perfect covers for the clutches.
"All the side covers can be quickly removed to access the engine area," Kram says.
For the finishing touches he had the machine powder-coated and accented with customized decals. He can interchange two mufflers ů a tractor style with a flapper or a straight pipe.
Altogether Kram spent less than $1,200 on the project to rebuild the engine, pay for laser cutting, wiring, aluminum sheeting, etc. He repaired one of the Deere mowers and sold it to help fund the project. He credits his wife for her support and patience as she cared for their 3-year-old while he spent hours in his workshop.
The Snow-Mower makes the sixth piece in Kram's vintage Deere snowmobile collection.
"It's definitely the most interesting machine," he notes, and he looks forward to taking it to shows in the region. It won't stay on the trailer just for display, he adds.
"I built it to ride around and have fun," Kram says.
To see photos of the building process check out a forum on the Snow-Mower at http://www.vintagesledders.com/forums/index.php?topic=966.0.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wyatt Kram, 409 19th Ave. N., Fargo, N. Dak. 58102 (ph 701 866-9821; wycrumb@gmail.com).
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