A history of Hus-Skis This is one snowmobile with a colourful life by BARRIE GRAHAM
PIECES OF HISTORY: There are a few vintage snowmobile enthusiasts who are pleased to own models of the original Bolens prototype. This one is owned by Barrie Graham of Mt. Laurier, Quebec. —photo courtesy Barrie Graham
Mr. McOuat and his brother Jim owned a small company called Farmer's Supply. One of their principle items for sale was chainsaws. It was on a chainsaw sales trip to Rouyn-Noranda that they met two brothers by the name of Theophile (Tuff) and Roger Goulet. Tuff and Roger had the idea that a chain saw, without the chain bar, could be used to power a snow vehicle which would take woodsmen, hunters and trappers to their places of work. At the end of the day they would remount the chainsaw motor in the snow vehicle and return home.
The McOuat brothers were so impressed by the Hus-Ski's manoeuvreability and safety factors compared to other similar vehicles that they undertook to manufacture the Goulet brothers' vehicles commercially.
Upon returning to their hometown, they actively experimented with several prototypes (many still exist) that were powered by a model RA Pioneer chainsaw. These prototypes were tested during summer and winter on local farms. For summer testing, wheels were attached to the ski seater. An engineer by the name of Filion was responsible for much of the early development. The first commercial production of the Hus-Ski occurred in 1962 out of their manufacturing plant in the town of Hespler, ON. Three engineers by the name of Anderson, Lamb and Coats were responsible for the further evolution of the Hus-Ski while under the ownership of the McQuat brothers. A young lawyer by the name of John Turner did the legal work required for the patents which were filed. Who would have guessed that our prime minister would have such humble beginnings as the patent lawyer for the Hus-Ski. The McQuat brothers were not patient enough to develop the Hus-Ski beyond these very early stages and therefore sold the company to Johnson Wire Works in 1963.
Johnson Wire Works moved the plant to Pointe Claire, QC. This was a modern 30,000-square-foot plant containing the complete manufacturing and assembly operation for the production of snow travellers. Hus-Ski was sold again in 1964 to the Food Machinery Company, which was the parent company of Bolens.
In spite of the satisfactory operation of the Hus-Ski plant in Montreal, Bolens closed it down in order to consolidate its product lines. The Bolens plant was manufacturing lawn tractors in the winter with slack periods in the summer. The Montreal Hus-Ski plant, producing snowmobiles, was operating on the opposite cycle. The snowmobile manufacturing was therefore moved to Bolens in Port Washington, Wis. It made good business sense but was disappointing to the people in Montreal.
The Snotruk
When Bolens of Wisconsin bought the company, John Smeaton was the chief engineer at Hus-Ski. Smeaton continued to work for Bolens on their design and development from his consulting firm called Carlton Products Consultants Ltd. In Arnprior ON. When his design and consulting contract was finished, Smeaton and his partner Fred Fassbender went on to develop another snow machine called "The Snotruk." Bolens was a division of Food Machinery Corporation. The FMC logo is seen on many decals of later model Hus-Skis. Hus-Skis were made under the Bolens banner until 1969.
The Bolens "Diablo Rouge" was the last descendant of the Pioneer chainsaw powered snow machine before Bolens started to produce the more conventional type of snowmobile that they called the "Sprint". The prototype was made by the engineers employed by Farmer's Supply and was meant to preclude the first production machines. Examination of the prototype reveals some of the reasons why the Hus-Ski was designed the way it was and by comparison to later models, the evolution of design is revealed. Explanations for the changes in design are not known but in many instances the reasons become obvious. That being said, if we were to strip all the sheet metal from the last Hus- Ski, which was produced in 1967, and compare it to this prototype, we would find that it really did not evolve very much from its original conception in 1960. Basic shape, tracks, drive train, skis, point of connection for the ski seater, handle bar shape and size are all relatively the same.
CCM, the well-known bicycle manufacturer, was the driving force behind this Hus-Ski prototype ( in a mechanical sense rather than a visionary sense). The front and rear cogs were wooden, clad with thin metal to reduce friction and wear. The belting was common belting that was used for threshing mills and other farm equipment.
Undoubtedly, Farmer's Supply had plenty of this in stock and saw it as a viable means to propel the Hus-Ski. Replacement belting would also be abundant. Careful observation of the prototype tracks reveals that the belting was not joined with alligator clips but had a long diagonal cut, which was sewn together. The resulting belt appeared to be seamless. The cleats were the same size that were used on the first production machines, one inch by one inch, but were staggered from one side to the other. Could this be the first "posi-traction"? It should be noted that the prototype did not have ice cleats but the cleats were fastened with round-head stove bolts. The round head of the stove bolt would provide extra traction on hard surfaces. When the cleats were riveted on, the need for ice cleats was apparent since the flush head of the rivet did not provide any traction. Seat shape was radically different.
Perhaps the most significant difference was the width of the seat. At about 18 inches, it must have been uncomfortably wide for the second and third passenger. The padding was of minimal thickness and a few rides over frozen terrain would quickly give rise to the need for chiropractors. The power source was a chainsaw motor built by Pioneer. The main advantage that this prototype had over the production models was its lightness, due to the lack of the presence of a lot of sheet metal and other framework involved in the formation of an engine compartment. Without the protection from the spray of snow from the tracks, the driver may have returned from his ride looking like the Abominable Snowman.
