The details of Grand Meadow, MN. farmer Leonard Hedstrom’s machine as described by his son Martin who was 6 years old in 1954.
His Father wanted a snow-machine that could transport the family to a neighbor’s house, a couple miles away, often at night in blizzard-like conditions; as well as for a wintertime piece of equipment that could ease their chore burdens during the harsh winters before commercialized snowmobiles. He drew up the plans for this machine on an old feed sack, then in the winter of 1953-1954 next to his pot-bellied shop stove, he fabricated it from spare parts, farm implements, and used car parts.
- 1938 3-speed Chevy automobile transmission and steering wheel
- Sheet metal from a dairy barn manure-cleaner housing
- Parts from farm machinery and a Briggs & Stratton power source
- Canvas & plexiglass windshield from a tractor heat-houser
- In service from 1954-1964, then was abandoned outside (53 years) until 2017
- Fed livestock and moved farm wagons around the yard during winter
- Was used for pulling an old refrigerator door “toboggan” to pull the entire family to a neighbor’s house for supplies during harsh weather conditions
This amazing snowmobile artifact can be viewed at the Gottschalk Antique Snowmobile Museum along with 200 other historical snow machines.
Live for the thrill!