This Shifter Kart Turned Snowmobile Looks Like Pure, Dumb Fun

This winter’s been rough. Just ask the people in Florida who had to dig out from a major winter storm last week. New Orleans set an all-time record with eight inches of snow on the ground. It was a difficult situation for millions of people not used to such weather. Too bad they didn’t have shifter karts with tracks to get them through the worst of it.

In a world gone mad, this could either be a stroke of genius or a sign of the apocalypse. The Rad Factory YouTube channel recently shared their idea to convert a 70-mph shifter kart into a snowmobile, and now we’re wondering why nobody thought of this before.

The conversion process was actually very simple. A small set of tracks were purchased for $200. The skis were already on hand, but they needed some modification to bolt onto the kart’s front hubs. The rear axle also required some customization to accept the splined shaft used for the tracks. Admittedly, having a lathe and a welder helped. But after seeing this thing in action, we’re convinced somebody needs to make a bolt-on conversion kit.

It’s not all smiles, however. The installation of the tracks and reinforcing stabilizer bars makes it virtually impossible to start. Ultimately, it took a tow from a snowmobile to get it bump-started, and the engine was finicky in the cold weather. The tracks were finicky too, coming off the wheels on multiple occasions.

But when it worked, it looked like epic fun. “Amazing” is what we hear in the video, though the problems did make it a frustrating first outing. Like a real go-kart, we suspect this is at its best on a flat, relatively smooth surface. But it seemed to do just fine in deeper snow.

Of course, you could just buy an actual snowmobile. But then you wouldn’t be screaming across the landscape with your butt inches off the ground, listening to a screaming 125cc engine in your ear. That’s what makes shifter karts so much fun, and now, these folks can enjoy it all year.