Can You Ride Your Snowmobile Anywhere Besides Snow?

Snowmobiling is a unique privilege of living in a place that hurts your face half the year. But in all seriousness, what an awesome power sport! You can glide on the fresh powder, shredding the hills and ripping across open plains. Oh, and the frozen lakes!

It is tempting to take this highly tuned, high-performance machine and convert it into an all-seasons machine. But is this really a good idea? And if you did, can you legally use a snowmobile on public roads? These are the questions that keep us up at night. Let’s look at this issue and figure out if we can shed some light on things. 

I’m Thinking About Getting A Snowmobile. Can It Be An All-seasons Machine?

Ok, so let’s tackle some known facts here.

Bottom line up front: No. 

If you are buying a new snowmobile, throwing wheels on the front of your sled and ripping across dirt roads and pastures will almost certainly void the warranty most of the time. You don’t have to worry about that with Craigslist Specials, but with that said, do it at your own risk.

But seriously, you are doing this at your own risk regarding bodily harm. Sleds carve sick powder, not shred mud and dirt. And since they design a sled for powdery snow, what do you think will happen when it slips, oozing slime and mud into the tracks? It isn’t made for it. 

I’m not a sled expert, but I am a mechanic. You will destroy your machine, for real.

Can I slap some wheels on the front of my snowmobile?

Now we need to talk about the kinds of wheels that are electrically raised and lowered so you can cross roads without tearing your skis up. We also aren't talking about those wild people who drag race snowmobiles on asphalt drag strips. We're talking about converting your snowmobile for road use by putting wheels on it and driving around town when there's no snow in sight.

We can see this as a continuation of the last paragraph. But instead of answering it with a direct ‘no,’ allow me to use an analogy to illustrate instead. 

In the early 2000s, I spent four years in the Air Force, working as a mechanic on bomber jets. 

Part of our job was to help with fuel tank maintenance. While we didn’t go in the tanks, we drained and sumped them and occasionally acted as safety observers. See, even after the fumes are evacuated, they can still overtake fuel tank workers. So you have to keep someone on the outside to ensure they haven't fainted (or worse). Fuel systems mechanics are nuts. 

Anyway, since I was young (~20) and stupid, I had to ask the obvious question: why?

Well, younger John, it’s because back in the day, when safety rules weren’t nearly so strict, an airman or two passed out in a fuel system where they were working alone, someone else came along and closed up the panels and put fuel on the plane. This is a very bad ending, but it proves a point. 

If we have to say something, it’s because someone, somewhere, has already tried it. 

We are covering this topic because it’s being asked on the internet. 

They make snowmobiles for snow. 

Please ignore the idiots on YouTube doing stunts like this for clicks. 

Your sled requires snow to operate; snow lubricates the track system. Your sled might rip on the ground for a while, but then you will destroy it. Do so at your peril. Also, since they are made for powder, they do not make your snowmobile for tires, and tires completely change how it will operate and handle. It is a great way to maim or kill yourself. 0/10, do not recommend.

I’m a YouTube Certified Mechanic, so I can sort out the handling in my sleep. Plus, I just want to use gravel roads. Would it be safe then?

Not a chance. It is absolutely not safe to run a snowmobile on gravel even if you could operate it in a controlled manner. 

But also, gravel is hard as heck on machinery. If you run your sled on gravel, you’ll probably destroy your track and all the running gear. 

Any of us rural homebodies who grew up driving back roads know how tricky driving on gravel can be.

Imagine turning on gravel a little too fast, but instead of tires carving the gravel, you have that huge track in the rear with all that surface area contacting the ground. You will just keep on going straight, at least until it catches and throws you through a fence.

I don’t care about safety at all, only the law. So tell me: is it legal to use a snowmobile on the road?

The only time it would be legal would be in a state that allows sleds to be used in snow emergencies. Every state has different rules, so check what yours allows and your local ordinances. But again, that's only going to happen if so much snow is on the road that regular vehicles can't even drive anymore, and that's different from what we're talking about here. We're talking about literally driving your snowmobile on bare pavement.

IF you could safely drive a sled on bare pavement (which you can’t, so don’t try), it would not be legal.

Snowmobiles are not street-legal because they need to be made to operate on pavement or ever intended to see it. The reason some states allow ATVs and UTVs on public roads is because, at their core, they are still quadricycle machines that can keep up with road speeds and handle in movement patterns familiar to automobiles. 

Sleds don’t do that, especially if they have been retrofitted with pneumatic tires. Please, please, for the love of God, please don’t do this. 

If you want to ride an OHV on public roads, we have a service for just about anything you want, from ATVs & UTVs to surplus Army trucks. These OHVs are more or less designed to operate on roadways; sleds aren’t. Keep them where they are supposed to be.

What about those heavy-snow states that allow roadway use of sleds?

Again, you must check out your state’s rules and local ordinances. 

Example: my small town in rural Eastern Kansas has a local registry for UTVs that makes them street-legal in town and the surrounding area on public roads under their jurisdiction, even though Kansas as a whole does not tag them. 

The same goes for sleds. Before you start shredding Main Street in a blizzard, make sure Officer Friendly isn’t going to slap a fine on your butt.

What about designated trail systems?

If you are from a snowy state, you already know this. But most of the heavy snow states have publicly funded trail systems for sleds. In fact, in total there are over 230,000 miles of trails in North America that are accessible to snowmobilers! Stick to those and leave road driving for things with wheels.

Why does my snowmobile need a title if it’s a trail-only rig?

Your snowmobile needs a title (or other valid proof of ownership) because you will need to register your sledder.

Even though it isn’t a public road, per se, if you use a public trail system, rules apply much like California’s red/green-sticker program. Additionally, some states may require you to title a snowmobile even if it is only used on private property. 

If you need legal proof of ownership, we can help. 

The Dirt Legal Advantage

No matter where you live, no matter where you shred, no matter where you slash the pow, Dirt Legal is your one-stop shop for making your OHV street legal or, in this case, providing you with a valid title or proof of ownership.

And we cannot overstate this enough: If you want to drive an OHV on roadways, buy an ATV or UTV and use our street-legal services to get on the road legally. You will receive a valid registration and tag, so your vehicle is legally on the road. Don’t modify your sled for on-road use. It isn’t designed for it, it isn’t made for it, and it’s most likely completely illegal in your area, so please don’t do it.