1975 polaris tc

Almost everything on the Polaris TC was made specifically for this this model. We thought “TC” meant Town & Country because it was small and light enough to fit in the back of a station wagon. Hey, that meant no need for a trailer!

The TC was made with an easy fold-down windshield making it only 27 inches high. I think it might have been a little hard to haul in a station wagon after a ride with all the snow in the track and on the sled, but it was a good marketing idea nonetheless.

In the mid-1970s Polaris was owned by Textron Industries which brought in their own engineers for the TC. They didn’t understand snowmobiles and the TC didn’t meet many needs of the average snowmobiler.

You could either get it with a 175cc 10-hp or a 250cc 18-hp Polaris Star fan-cooled single cylinder engine using Polaris’ Torque-O-Matic aluminum drive clutch with a cam driven secondary for great acceleration and reliability. They were first made in 1974 with Tillotson HR carburetors that didn’t work very well in this application, so Polaris replaced them with a much better Mikuni carburetor to make a very nice running sled.

The TC had a low engine placement, lying down and forward over the skis. This meant they could make a very small hood. It was unique to see the engine lying down.
It had a chain drive system using #35 double roller link chain for dependable power transfer to the track. Also the TC had easy chain adjustment, but to cut costs it came with no chain case and was out in the open. With that you had to lube it every so often.

The TC driven clutch drives through a jack shaft with self-energizing band brakes. This was an early use of jack shafts for better drive belt life.
It had specially made short steel skis with outward steering spindles for better handling and stability. Polaris used a 15-inch poly involute track for lighter weight, easy rolling and good flotation. The poly track didn’t rot like other tracks, and they sure work nice nowadays on vintage rides. The TC had great flotation and easy maneuverability making it a fun small snowmobile. This was a perfect ¾ size snowmobile for growing kids.

A Polar-O-Flex bogie wheel suspension works well in low snow conditions while not needing snow to lube the track and keep it moving easily.

Polaris didn’t forget passengers with the use of hand grips at the rear of the sled connected to the rear bumper. The TC had a nice foam-filled seat made to fit up against a 5-gal. plastic gas tank. It had a large high and low beam headlight and Polaris’ recognizable wide rear tail and brake light on the back of the seat.

Approximate weight without fuel and with the 175cc engine was only 235 lbs. The TC weighed in at 245 lbs. with the 250cc engine.

The suggested list price for a 175cc TC was $699 and $799 for the 250cc. Back then my brother and I were honored to be a Polaris dealer, but when we first we saw the new TC’s we didn’t think much of them. However, after a year on the market we found out they made great kids’ sleds. When prices dropped on non-current models the TC’s were easy sellers. We bought them seven at a time and sold them almost as fast!