father of invention

Carl Eliason, inventor of the Eliason Motor Toboggan, grew up in Sayner,Wisconsin, where he loved to hunt and fish. At 25, Eliason bought the Sayner General Store, and when tourism waned in the fall, he devoted his time to designing a vehicle that would help him pursue his favorite sports.

He began to assemble his motor toboggan in 1924, completed it in 1926
and was granted a patent in 1927. The first sled was powered by a 2.5 horsepower Johnson outboard engine. A model "T" Ford radiator, cut to one quarter of its original size, cooled the engine. Two downhill skis, neatly contoured into the bellypan, served as runningboards. This first sled also featured slide rail track guides, wood track cleats and rope-controlled steering. Two people could ride on the seat above the track.

To get this seemingly sophisticated machine moving the "floating"
track had to be elevated, and the engine started and revved up to speed. At this point, the track could be lowered to the snow to gain locomotion. The engine had only one gear so the amount of track slippage determined the speed.

Over the next 15 years, Eliason developed about four different models.
The two-cylinder models sold for $350, while the four-cylinder models brought $550. In the late 1950's, a twin-cylinder 12 horsepower Excelsior engine was introduced. Eliason preferred this engine and the Indian 45 CID 25 horsepower engine over Harley-Davidson engines because of the single-case units for the engine and transmission.

At the start of World War II, the Finnish government contracted to buy
200 units, but at a production rate of eight or nine units a year, Eliason would not be able to fill the order. He negotiated with the Four Wheel Drive truck company in Clintonville, Wisconsin, to buy the snowmobile business, supply the units to Finland and retain Eliason as a consultant.

Production began with the Excelsior engine, but it was soon replaced
by the 25hp Indian engine, which featured a three-speed transmission that allowed top speeds of about 35 mph.

As sales tapered off after WWII, FWD transferred snowmobile production
to its plant in Kitchener, Ontario. Here, the revolutionary "K" (for Kitchener) model was developed.

Introduced in 1950, the K-10 featured a rear-mounted engine which sat
directly over the rear of the track; the driver sat up front and steered the small "flipper" skis with a steering wheel. Also that year,
the company began using the Salsbury 6hp engine and variable-speed, belt-driven clutches.

In 1953, the K-12 was introduced. It featured a Briggs & Stratton,
8.25 hp engine. The K-12 was the last Eliason in production. Production
at the Kitchener plant continued until 1963 when FWD sold everything to
Carter Brothers in Waterloo, Ontario. A year later, production ceased and the spare parts were scrapped.

Eliason Motor Toboggan represents 35 years of innovative engineering
effort. The final "K" series directly influenced Polaris, which
in turn influenced Arctic Cat, Fox Trac, Eskimotor and all other rear-engine designs that appeared in the early 1960's.