In many states, the law considers a snowmobile to be vintage if it’s more than 25 years old and in original or restored condition. On the other hand, many snowmobile enthusiasts and racing associations consider a sled to be vintage if it’s just 20 years old and features a leaf spring suspension and/or its engine fits within a certain limit.
If you want to learn more about vintage snowmobiles, this is the place for you.
We at PowerSportsGuide have compiled all you need to know into this post!
What is Considered a Vintage Snowmobile?
When it comes to vintage snowmobiles, there is a lot of confusion out there.
This is because there isn’t a crystal-clear definition of what “vintage snowmobile” means.
There are many different definitions as vintage snowmobiles are classified differently by state laws, racing associations, and even the average rider.
As a rule of thumb, most states consider a snowmobile vintage if it’s more than 25 years old. Besides its age, it also has to be restored or in original condition.
It’s also good to know that terms like vintage, classic, antique and historic snowmobiles are often used interchangeably by riders and the law as well!
Most state laws define 25+ years old sleds as “vintage” while other states use the terms “historic snowmobiles” or “antique snowmobiles” for the same class.
As you might assume, this leads to a lot of confusion!
When it comes to everyday riders, most consider a 20-year-old snowmobile to be vintage, whereas others argue and say a sled can only be considered vintage if it has a leaf spring suspension.
They say that an independent front suspension is an unambiguous sign of a modern snowmobile. Therefore, these machines definitely do not fall into the vintage category!
To point out the difference between these two designs, these old sleds are often referred to as “leaf spring snowmobiles” as well.
Finally, we have to mention vintage snowmobile racing associations.
For obvious reasons they want to get as much sled in this class as possible, so they typically welcome a machine if it’s just 20 years old.
Besides the age, many vintage races have limitations on the engine size or the cooling system. In some cases, liquid-cooled sleds are not allowed to race.
However, it always depends on the rules of the race/associations.
What is Considered an Antique Snowmobile?
Generally speaking, most riders consider a snowmobile antique if it’s more than 50 years old. Regarding legal classification, there’s a lot of confusion as the various terms for older sleds and the required age limits vary by state. What’s more, in many states there’s no unique “antique snowmobile class” at all.
For instance, in Maine the sleds that are more than 25 years old can be registered as antique snowmobiles. To put it simply, this state calls vintage machines antique snowmobiles!
The Advantages of Vintage Snowmobiles
Vintage snowmobiles are still very popular among riders and with good reason. There are many advantages of owning a vintage sled, but the most important ones are as follows:
- Low price tag and maintenance costs
- Easy to work on
- Cheap lifetime registration
- Smaller and lighter than new machines
- Restoring them can be the part of the fun
- You can join vintage clubs and appear in shows
- It’s a collectible item, so its price may even rise over time
- Nostalgia
According to Supertrax Magazine, the majority of vintage sleds are owned by younger riders.
This is no surprise as the newest sleds come with very hefty price tags. This means that they are typically unaffordable for younger riders!
Another key advantage of these old machines is that they can easily be maintained even at home. Let’s face it, modern snowmobiles are filled with electronics that are not easy to fix.
And taking your sled to the dealer in case of any failure is very time-consuming and expensive!
Unlike modern machines, vintage sleds have much simpler engines and electronics as many of them feature carburetor and fan-cooling. They also lack many bells and whistles, which are often prone to causing fault codes.
This means that they can be easily repaired with basic tools!
Another hidden advantage of these vintage sleds is their smaller weight and dimensions.
Today’s sleds are huge and quite heavy as well, which makes them hard to load onto the trailer.
When it comes to storage, vintage sleds are also easier to move around and they take up less space in your garage.
Vintage Snowmobile Registration
There’s no question that one of the main advantages of vintage sleds is their low registration fees.
It’s a lesser-known fact that many states offer a non-expiring, “lifetime vintage snowmobile registration.” Simply put, this means a vintage sled has to be registered only once for a reasonable cost. This registration is typically valid until the machine is sold to another person.
But keep in mind that in most states to register your machine as a “vintage snowmobile” it has to be in restored or original condition and at least 25 years old.
However, the laws may differ from one state to the next, so don’t forget to check the local laws before you register your sled!
Conclusion
Vintage snowmobiles are charming and amazing vehicles. That’s why they are still so popular and you see many of them running on the trails!
But what makes a snowmobile “vintage”?
As a rule of thumb, in most states the law considers a snowmobile vintage if it’s older than 25 years old and it’s in original or restored condition. Many states offer a non-expiring, one-time registration for these machines, which results in lower maintenance costs.
When you check the local laws keep in mind that states often use terms “vintage”, “classic”, “antique” and “historic” interchangeable.
Despite the official definition, many riders consider a snowmobile vintage if it’s at least 20 years old and feature a leaf front suspension.
Owning a vintage sled has many advantages, as they are cheap to buy and maintain, and easy to work on.
What’s more, thanks to their smaller dimensions and weight you can store and haul them more easily.
References:
Snowmobile Association of Massachusetts
