Snowmobile with vertically adjustable skis

Claim 1

In combination, a snowmobile including a chassis, rear ground engaging drive means supported from said chassis, the forward end portion of said chassis including laterally spaced opposite side ski means, support means supporting said ski means from said chassis for like angular displacement about upstanding axes and independent shifting in up and down directions relative to said chassis, steering means connected between said chassis and said ski means for selectively oscillating said ski means in unison about said axes, force means connected between each of said ski means and said chassis for selectively downwardly shifting said ski means relative to said chassis, said support means including a pair of upstanding fluid motors each including a cylinder portion and a piston rod portion extendible and retractable relative to said cylinder portion, said cylinder portions being journaled from said chassis for oscillation about said upstanding axes and against axial shifting relative to said chassis, said piston rod portions being extendible and retractable relative to the lower ends of said cylinder portions, said ski means being supported from the lower end portions of said piston rod portions, said steering means being operatively connected between said cylinder portions and said chassis for selectively oscillating the former relative to the latter about said axes, said steering means including means slidably keying said piston rod portions to the corresponding cylinder portions for oscillation therewith, said force means comprising fluid inlet and outlet means communicating the interiors of the upper end portions of said cylinder portions with the exteriors of said cylinder portions, whereby fluid under pressure may be supplied to and vented from the interior of each cylinder portion so as to downwardly extend and allow upward retraction of, respectively, the corresponding piston rod portion.