Based on our research, more than 250 snowmobile brands have been made over the years! If you want to browse the list of these snowmobile manufacturers, this post is for you. We at PowerSportsGuide have complied them all under one roof!
How Many Different Brands of Snowmobiles Were Made? [List]
It seems incredible, but more than 250 snowmobile brands have existed. It’s impossible to say the exact number as a lot of smaller companies marketed their sleds regionally. What’s more, a lot of these manufacturers only lasted for months or even weeks. Therefore, many of them disappeared without a trace!
However, we did the research and tried to compile them into this post. Without further ado, here’s the list of 257 known snowmobile manufacturers:
- Aktiv
- Aktiebolaget
- Alaskan
- Alaska-Ski
- Albar
- Alko
- Allied
- Alouette
- Alsport
- Alpina
- AMF
- Amrec
- American Motor Sleigh
- Amuret
- Apollo
- Arbe
- Arctic Owl
- Arctic Cat
- Argo
- Ariens
- Arlberg
- Attex
- AutoBoggan
- Auto Neige
- Auto Pente
- Auto-Ski
- Bear Cat
- Big Boss
- Blade
- Blue Goose
- Blue Max
- Boa-Ski
- Boatel
- Bob-O-Link
- Bopanna
- Bolens
- Bonanza
- Bonham
- Bosak
- Broncco
- Brut
- Buran
- Buzz
- Caribou
- Champion
- Chaparral
- Chimo
- Chrysler
- Clinton
- Clipper
- CMX
- Coleco
- Coleman
- Columbia
- Cycle
- Dauphin
- Diplomat & Rascal
- Eaton’s
- Eliason
- Es-Kee-Mo
- Eskimo
- Eskimobile
- Eskimotor
- Evinrude
- Fiberez
- Finncat
- Foremost
- Fox Trac
- Fram King
- Frederick-Willys
- Galaxy
- Gilson
- Glarco
- Gorski
- Go Ski
- Grand Prix
- Harley-Davidson
- Herters
- Hiawatha Hurricane
- Homelite
- Honda
- Hu-Skee
- Hus-Ski
- Husqvarna
- Hustler & Rustler
- Ice Cat
- Ice Skeeter
- Ingham
- Intrepid
- Invader
- Irbis
- ISO
- Jac-Trac
- J.C.Penney
- Jet Dynamics
- Jet Star
- John Deere
- Johnson
- Kaiser
- Kalamazoo
- Kawasaki
- Kebec
- Kometik
- Larson
- Larven
- Leisure Design
- Leisure Vehicles
- Lil’ Skipper
- Lohnerwerke
- Lorch
- Luger
- Lynx
- Mallard
- Manhandler
- Manta
- Marshall Wells
- Massey Ferguson
- Master Jet
- Mavrik
- Maxi-Ski
- Mc Culloch
- Mercury
- Moleba-Ski
- Montagnais
- Montgomery Ward
- Moto-Jet
- Moto-Kometik
- Moto-Loo
- Moto-Ski
- Muscaro
- Muscateer
- Nanuk
- New Frontier
- Northway
- Ockelbo
- OMC
- Ookpit
- Otter
- Phantom
- Pocket-Rocket
- Polar
- Polar Bear
- Polaris
- Polecat
- Poloron
- Pow-R-Sled
- Power King
- Pro Am
- Raider
- Rajd
- Ranger V
- Redline
- RM
- Roamer
- Rolba
- Roll-O-Flex
- Roy Skimobile
- Rupp
- RUSSKAYA MEKHANIKA
- Sabre
- Safari
- Scanton
- Scorpion
- Sears
- Shark
- Sherpa
- Silverline
- Ski-Bec
- Ski-Bee
- Ski-Condor
- Ski-Daddler
- Ski-Doo
- Ski-Jet
- Ski-Kat
- Ski-King
- Ski-Lark
- Skimobile
- Ski-Pony
- Ski-Ram
- Ski-Rec
- Skiroule
- Ski-Star
- Ski-Zoom
- Smith-Roles
- Sno-Bird
- Sno-Blazer
- Sno-Boss
- Sno-Chief
- Sno-Clipper
- Sno-Commander
- Sno-Craft
- Sno-Cub
- Sno-Dart
- Sno-Flite
- Sno-Fury
- Sno-Ghia
- Sno-Glide
- Sno-Hawk
- Sno Job
- Sno-Jet
- Sno-King
- Sno-Pac
- Sno-Phantom
- Sno-Pony
- Sno-Prince
- Sno-Ro
- Sno-Rover
- Sno Scoot
- Sno-Shoo
- Sno-Skat
- Sno-Skoot
- Sno-Squire
- Sno-Star
- Sno-Sport
- Sno-Trac
- Sno-Trek
- Sno-Tric
- Sno-Wolf
- Snow Birdie
- Snowbug
- Snow-Cat
- Snow Cruiser
- Snow Flake
- Snow King
- Snow-Mite
- Snow-Sprite
- Snow Tamer
- Spartan
- Speedway
- Sports Jet
- Starcraft
- Superstar
- Suzuki
- Swinger
- Tajga
- T-Bird
- Thunderbolt
- Tour-A-Sport
- Trade Winds
- Trail-A-Sled
- Trail-Blazer
- Trail-King
- Trailmaker
- Trans-Ski
- Tundra
- Valmet
- Varg
- Viking
- Voyageur
- Wee Lark
- Wee-Ski
- Wheel Horse
- Witch-Craft
- Whip-It
- Wildcat
- Wolverine
- Yamaha
- Yukon King
How Many Snowmobile Manufacturers Were There in the 1970s?
There’s no question that the golden age of snowmobiles was the early ‘70s. The demand for snowmobiles grew rapidly, which attracted several new manufacturers into this business. Many of these companies were based in Quebec. According to SnowGoer, in the 1970s there were more than 100 snowmobile manufacturers in the marketplace! The exact number is impossible to determine as at that time new companies appeared and then disappeared almost weekly.
As you might assume, these small manufacturers never become truly successful, and many of them went bankrupt in a short time.
Many of them were actually cobbled together from various OEM and some self-developed parts. This was no coincidence, as some of these new players had been part suppliers to bigger manufacturers.
Therefore, many of these products were similar to market leader sleds but were of lower quality.
What’s more, even the bigger brands were not shy about copying the innovative solutions of Ski-Doo or Arctic Cat. In some cases, these issues resulted in lawsuits, which caused many smaller companies to sink.
Are you wondering which snowmobile manufacturers were the most well known in the ‘70s? Without claiming completeness some of these brands were as follows:
- Ariens
- Arctic Cat
- Boa-Ski
- Brutanza
- Chaparral
- Evinrude
- FAST Blade
- Johnson
- John Deere
- Kawasaki
- Harley-Davidson
- Honda
- Mercury
- Moto-Ski
- Ski-Doo
- Sno Jet
- Suzuki
- Scorpion
- Rupp
If you want to read more about these manufacturers, just follow the links in the list!
How Many Snowmobile Manufacturers Are There Right Now?
The peak year of the snowmobile industry was arguably 1971. Through this season only the Canadian Bombardier sold more than 250,000 sleds.
There were also another 100+ manufacturers that also produced and sold plenty of units. (In contrast, today annual worldwide sales typically do not exceed 150,000 units.)
Unfortunately, things quickly turned bad in the mid-‘70s. The mild winters through the 1972 and 1973 seasons as well as the oil crisis hit the entire snowmobile business hard.
Because of the overproduction and declining demand, countless sleds remained in their crates. Finally, almost all manufacturers closed their doors or were acquired at the end of the decade.
Today there are only five major snowmobile brands available in the North American market, which are as follows:
Contrary to what the name implies, Lynx does not belong to Arctic Cat. Instead, Lynx is surprisingly a dub-brand of Ski-Doo as both companies are owned and managed by BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) Inc.
The Canadian manufacturer has been the No.1. brand on the snowmobile market for a long time. Another snowmobile brand in BPR’s portfolio was the popular Moto-Ski.
It’s also good to know that today Yamaha and Arctic Cat sleds have a lot in common thanks to co-branding and engine agreements between these companies.
Conclusion
There’s no question that there have been more than 250 snowmobile brands so far. Finding out the exact number is nearly impossible, as the smallest companies stayed local and produced sleds only for a short period of time. The golden age for snowmobiling was the early ‘70s when countless new brands entered the market.
These were mainly little companies who found ways to source engines and build chassis. Since many of them had little to no experience in building snowmobiles, their sleds were often inferior products.
However, there were some very popular and reputable manufacturers at that time like Rupp, Mercury, and Ski-Doo.
After the euphoria, the snowmobile market had to face recession in the mid-‘70s and the smaller brands fell as quickly as they rose.
Nowadays you can find five major snowmobile brands on the market: Ski-Doo, Lynx, Yamaha, Arctic Cat, and Polaris.
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