Wherever you find deep winter snow, you’re likely to find vintage snowmobile racing. The track could be an icy quarter-mile oval or a long cross-country course. Each race could be just a few laps, or it might last for many hours. These races all have one thing in common, though: vintage snowmobile racers are passionate about their sport and passionate about their machines!
Why are we talking about vintage snowmobile racing here at W.C. Branham? Brakes!
What goes fast also has to slow and stop at some point. That’s just as true for snowmobiles as it is for industrial and manufacturing equipment. Here at Branham, we’re known for our wide variety of mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic caliper disc brakes. We put them on virtually everything except cars. But wait—snowmobiles?
It turns out that one of our Branham brakes solves a serious problem for vintage sled racers.
Vintage Snowmobiles Are Pretty Simple Machines
How old “vintage” is depends on who you ask. Technically, it’s any sled over 25 years old, but many vintage snowmobile racers will tell you their machines date back to 1972 or earlier. Regardless, technology and design have evolved dramatically in the ensuing years.
Vintage snowmobiles used in racing have a one-cylinder engine and the original carburetor, so they’re pretty basic machines. Owners restore the sleds so they’re like new, then use them for racing. The old machines have plenty of go, but the brakes? Not so great. The original OEM brake was a single-acting type, with simply a rod pressing on a disc.
In racing, braking requires finesse—you need to control forward momentum and direction without sacrificing any more speed than absolutely necessary. The rules don’t allow much in the way of modifications. Brakes are an exception, however, because stronger, more reliable brakes help improve safety. Still, you can’t make changes that would increase the snowmobile’s performance.
Owners were frustrated because their attempts to retrofit brakes didn’t work well. Then, a few years ago, a vintage sled enthusiast found W.C. Branham online and contacted us to see if we might have a better option.
The Branham Solution
In an industrial setting, brakes are used to control speed and tensioning and to provide reliable stop-and-hold. Vehicles use active hydraulic and pneumatic brakes, as well as spring-applied and mechanical brakes. For vintage sleds, W.C. Branham makes a floating caliper brake—model H38SAFG—with pads on both sides of the disc to provide smoother, faster, more efficient braking. This brake is small, so it drops nicely into the existing space on vintage snowmobile platforms, and it fits the mounting holes, so it’s easy to install.
The result? Braking that is five times faster, according to drivers. Their brakes are now safer, too. The Branham solution is ideal because the brake delivers needed improvement but does not enhance speed or overall machine performance, so there is no worry about violating the rules.
We’re hearing from more and more snowmobile owners as word spreads throughout the United States and into Canada.
This Is Fun!
At W.C. Branham, we’re brake geeks, so we like to put brakes on things. Typically, when we’re working with a manufacturer, they have a new equipment design that needs brakes, but vintage snowmobile racing is an entirely different—and very cool—application. The owners invest a lot of heart and soul into this, and we’re happy to provide an affordable brake that works better and keeps drivers safer.
Model: H38SA
Part Number: 4004-0708