How to: Clutching for Snowmobiles
Snowmobiles are machines designed to transport people and materials across snow and ice. They uses two skis at the front to direct the vehicle and a tracks similar to those on tanks to provide power. For gear changes, snowmobiles use a continuously variable transmission (CVT) system. This is an automatic gearbox which is also used on scooters and farm vehicles.
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Instructions
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Engage the throttle of the snowmobile by smoothly rotating the right handle bar towards the rider.
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Accelerating through low speeds uses the primary pulley. The initial act of engaging the throttle applies a sideways force on the belt through the clutch and engines rotation. The primary pulley can be seen as first and second gear in a manual vehicle.
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Simultaneously the secondary pulley applies tension to the belt through the cams which react to the torque created by the primary pulley.
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Achieve maximum horsepower by continuing to accelerate. Once this is reached the primary pulley forces the belt into the higher ratio.
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Reduced power is delivered to the belt as the secondary pulley decreases the tension allowing the belt to sit lower in the pulley system. This is similar to higher cruising gears in a manual vehicle.
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Traversing difficult conditions may result in the snowmobile being unable to make the full shift between the primary and secondary pulley. In this situation the secondary pulley will not fully engage the high range gearbox, but will still take over from the primary pulley.
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References
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