DAVID'S VINTAGE
SNOWMOBILE PAGE.
RESTORING THE
SPORT ONE PIECE AT A TIME.
PAGE
34,198
I
have something rare for you again. The first AL-KO Snowmobile.
A
barn find in Germany
I
have it partially restored and repaired so far that it drives.
The
hood is in original condition. Only scratches retouched and hood polished
up.
Year
1970 (Serial number 10034) Sachs 297ccm 18 HP.Track 60cm!!!
I
think this was the only sled made in Germany!
Here
is the story.
Since
ski-doos were very popular in the 1960s, the Steyr-Daimler-Puch company
decided in 1968 to enter the
snowmobile
manufacturing business as well. Various vehicle concepts and engine variants
were considered,
which
were basically based on the R and RD models. For this project, Steyr-Daimler-Puch
AG cooperated with
Alois
Kobler, also known under the company name AL-KO. This was obvious because
the Austrian branch,
founded
in 1961, was located in Obdach near Judenburg (Styria), close to the Puch
plant. Lawn mowers, lawn
tractors
and other motorized gardening equipment were and still are manufactured
there.
The
Graz company was to produce the single-track models, while AL-KO was to
manufacture the two-track
work
sleds. The single-track Puch motorized sled 655 was to produce 18-20 hp
at a weight of 140 kg.
The
planned selling price was ATS(Austria Shilling) 25.000 =1800 euro but only
very few prototypes were
produced.
A prototype can be seen in the Puch Museum in Graz. This prototype was
used for decades by the
head
of the testing department and later factory director Egon Rudolf to supply
his hunting lodge.
Since
Bombardier's caterpillars were protected by patents, it was necessary to
find another caterpillar
manufacturer
to produce the prototypes mentioned above. Various power units were tested
for the engine.
A
Wankel engine was also used, which ultimately did not prove suitable for
use in the snowmobile.
Finally,
a blower-cooled two-stroke engine SA 370 from Fichtl & Sachs was installed.
This produced 24 hp and
was
equipped with a diaphragm carburetor. The 770 variomatic transmission was
from Salsbury in the USA.
In
addition to the hand starter, an electric starter was also provided. During
test rides on the Schöckl in
Graz
and the Kitzsteinhorn in Salzburg, speeds of 55-59 km/h were achieved.
At the end of the 1960s, the
use
of snowmobiles was severely restricted by law for environmental reasons.
The
reason for this was primarily the startling of game by the very loud vehicles.
As a result, the
Puch
company dropped out of the project, but the AL-KO company brought the
two-wheeled
models to series production.
The
AL-KO models were manufactured in three stages of development. Common to
all of them was the high
bench
seat that housed the large plastic canister that served as a tank. The
tracks were from Nokia, the now
well-known
telecommunications company; they were wider than those from Bombardier/Lohner,
which
allowed
for better traction. These work sleds came standard with a trailer hitch,
which made them especially
popular
as cross-country track vehicles. In 1970, the first snowmobile made by
AL-KO appeared on the market
under
the name "Nordstar". This was powered by a 300 cm3 Sachs engine that produced
about 18 horsepower.
This
fan-cooled single cylinder was equipped with a Tillotson diaphragm carburetor.
In 1971/72, the second
Nordstar
series appeared with a two-cylinder, two-stroke Sachs engine that had about
450 cc and produced
about
40 hp. The vehicle was also equipped with a reverse gear. This engine power
ensured decent
locomotion
even in deeper snow. The third series was manufactured until the early
1980s.
These
snowmobiles had a slightly different hood design and were equipped with
an Austrian Rotax 440 engine.
Again,
the engine output was around 40 horsepower. The engine was ventilated by
a slide carburetor.
Gasoline
was supplied by a fuel pump. To prevent the carburetor from flooding, a
gasoline return line was
installed,
from which a gasoline line branched off to the carburetor.
First
and second series 70s and third series to 80s all two tracks.
About
AL-KO:
AL-KO
Kober SE (proper spelling AL-KO KOBER), founded in 1931 and headquartered
in Kötz, Bavaria, is an
internationally
active technology group and supplier in the garden equipment, automotive
and air technology
sectors.
More than 2600 employees work at more than 30 locations worldwide.
In
2019, the company generated sales of around 500 million euros.
Also
based in Kötz is the former AL-KO Fahrzeugtechnik division, which
has been part of the
American
company DexKo Global since 2016 under the name AL-KO Vehicle Technology.
The
AL-KO brand is used by both companies. Reto
ALKO
SNOWMOBILE
ALKO
Nordstar 1970 single track(before Restauration)
Prototype
Steyr-Puch(Museum Graz)
THANKS
RETO FOR THE GREAT PICTURES !
