«Previous    Next»
Air-Powered Snow Sled
"It gives me the feel of the outdoors with-out being exposed to the cold," says a Minnesota inventor who built an air-powered "snow sled" that's powered by a big 3-blade airplane propeller and rides on three 10-ft. long aluminum skis - two in back and one in front.
Jeff Benson, of Wanamingo, built the "Air Sled" last January. The body is made from a steel tube frame covered with .040 aluminum skin, and the fully enclosed cab is fitted with large Lexan windows. Power is supplied by a 1962 Oldsmobile 215 cu. in. aluminum V-8 gas engine. The 66-in. dia., 3-blade propeller is bolted to the engine's flywheel.
It rides smooth and comfortable and is a lot of fun to drive," says Benson. "I'm surrounded by large windows so I have a great view of the countryside. It's ideal to use on large areas such as a frozen lake. The big, wide skis ride on top of the snow. It has a heater and defroster so I always stay warm. I had the blades custom made by a propeller company in Oklahoma. The blades are surrounded by a steel rod safety cage. The electric start engine has an advance throttle - when the engine is idling the propeller doesn't produce enough thrust to move."
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeff Benson, 617 2nd Ave. S., Wanamingo, Minn. 55983 (ph 507 824-2908).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
1995 - Volume #19, Issue #1