Patent ID: 7316284

Claim:
A vehicle usable by a driver over a supporting surface, said driver having driver legs and driver arms, said vehicle comprising: a frame, said frame defining a frame front section and a frame rear section; a seat attached to said frame front section for supporting said driver in a sitting position; a protective shell attached to said frame front section substantially enclosing said driver to form a cabin; a pair of skis for gliding on said supporting surface, said skis being pivotally attached to said frame front section substantially laterally on each side of said cabin, said skis being operatively coupled to a steering wheel located in said cabin by a steering assembly for allowing said driver to steer said vehicle by pivoting said skis relative to said frame; a propelling assembly including an endless track operatively mounted to said frame rear section rearwardly relative to said seat for contacting said supporting surface and propelling said vehicle; a motor mounted on said frame rear section in a substantially overlying and proximal relationship relative to said endless track, said motor being operatively coupled to said endless track for driving the latter; whereby said seat and said motor are in a substantially proximal relationship relative to said supporting surface when said skis and said endless track contact said supporting surface; said endless track defining a track lower portion and a substantially opposed track upper portion; said propelling assembly also including a driving wheel mechanically coupled to said motor, said driving wheel engaging said endless track for driving the latter; a slide bar attached to said frame rear section, said slide bar defining a slide bar front end and a longitudinally opposed slide bar rear end; said slide bar being positioned so as to be in sliding contact with the inner face of at least a portion of said endless track lower portion; a front bogie wheel and a rear bogie wheel for engaging the inner face of said endless track, said front and rear bogie wheels being both rotatably attached to said slide bar for rotation relative thereto respectively substantially adjacent said slide bar front and rear ends; the configuration and size of said propelling assembly being selected to cause the normally and statically loaded vehicle to be supported by said endless track lower portion more towards the front of the latter then towards the rear of the latter.