When you were buying your snowmobile, did you think about your windshield? Well maybe you should, and you’ll find it to be one of the easiest ways to customize your snowmobile for yourself and the way you ride.
What types of snowmobile windshields are there?
What type of snowmobile windshields are available? Snowmobile windscreens tend to come in 3 main sizes. Low, mid, and tall. Sometimes you can find an X-tall, and that will be great if you are using a trail snowmobile to carry two people around your local trails. Now let us delve in a bit deeper.
A windshield is called a windshield because it shields you from the wind and let us face it you’ll be riding in winter, and it can be a little chilly then. Wind chill especially can make things too cold to be pleasant, and that is what a windshield is for, to shield you from the wind.
Now you will have noticed that a lot of new snowmobiles come with a small windshield, you do not have to be stuck with it. You can change it out and get something a bit bigger, and you may notice the extra heat straight away, or you may be happy with it as you spend more time crashing than riding. Crashes never go to well with tall windshields.
Now a quick myth bust here, everyone will tell you that they come with these small windshields as that is more aerodynamic. Completely missing that fact that you are the biggest aerodynamic drag on your sled. In fact, a windshield can help deflect turbulent air and keep you going fast.
You might then want a mid-height windshield, and these are great for the majority of riding. Combined with side deflectors and you should find that this setup should keep you pretty warm. Most mid-sized windshields will have a little flare at the top this will help to direct air up and over you.
Tall windshields are where you want to go if it is really cold and the wind is coming right at you. These will give the maximum of wind deflection and help to keep your cockpit a little warmer. You will find this is the windshield that tourers and long distance racers are using.
As well as the height you’ll want to look at the shape of any new windshields. Does the shape of the windshield line up perfectly with your snowmobile? If it doesn’t well, it won’t be much use as a windshield and will be more a distraction than a help.
What is the best snowmobile windshield material?
What is the best material to make snowmobile windshields from? OEM snowmobile windscreens and those made by higher end aftersales companies are constructed of polycarbonate, the same stuff you will find used on race cars. Cheaper aftermarket windshields are made of acrylic. You will sometimes find polycarbonate being called Lexan
You can buy both off of these materials off the shelf and try and make your windscreen. What you will discover as you try and bend acrylic into shape, is that it is very fragile. It will easily crack and shatter. Acrylic is only around eight times stronger than untempered glass.
Compare this to polycarbonate which is about 200 times stronger. Laminated layers of polycarbonate are used to provide bulletproof windows; I’d still avoid anyone who may want to shoot you though.
Now you might be thinking that polycarbonate is the best but you can still go a step higher for your windshield. Hand-coated polycarbonate. Okay, it is still technically polycarbonate, but now it is ten times more scratch resistant than ordinary polycarbonate, which in itself is more scratch resistant than acrylic.
Basic snowmobile windshield repairs
So you’ve been out sledding and overcooked yourself and taken a small tumble. We’ve all done it, and we’ll all do it again. This time though you cracked your windshield and you are wondering what you should do about it.
A word of advice, do not put off carrying out repairs on your windshield. Every time you head out on a ride on your snowmobile the vibrations from riding will cause the crack to get bigger so get it fixed before it becomes a bigger issue.
The easiest option would be just to buy a new one. However, if you have a tall or mid-height windshield and the crack is at the top why not cut it down into being a low or a mid-height windshield? Now if you buy a new windshield you’ll have two and be able to fine tune your sled, you might as well turn an accident into a positive.
You might even just be out riding your beater sled and not want to spend any money on a repair so then a great way to save you money, and before we go on, I must warn you that this will not be the prettiest of repairs.
Grab your drill and a small drill bit, now drill a hole either side of the crack about a ¼ of an inch out. Do this along with the length of the crack and space each set of holes out by ½ an inch. Then zip tie each set of holes. Visibility and looks might have changed for the worse, but you have a really cheap and simple fix to the problem.
If that sounds like a bit too much effort, you could take your drill bit and drill a hole at each end of the crack. The round holes will stop the crack initially growing, but a big knock and you will find the crack starting to grow again. Drilling holes at each end is an excellent temporary fix if you are ordering a new windshield and want to buy some time until it arrives.
Cracked snowmobile windshield repair
So you have just read our three quick fixes, and neither of them is really what you want. You do not want to cut your screen down, and you don’t want to salvage it with zip ties. What can you do? These methods will work with polycarbonate windshields. With acrylic, you will be cheaper buying a new acrylic windshield, as it will cost the same as the materials needed.
You will want to inject some kind of glue into the crack if the other methods all look a little ad hoc for yourself. You can not just grab any glue from the house though. Most glues in your home will cause polycarbonate to craze. Crazing means that your windshield will develop a lot of fine cracks on the surface. Which is not really the solution we were looking for, more cracks are always worse than one crack.
There are two methods available that we can use to bond the windshield back together. One way is to use epoxy, and the other way is to use methylene chloride. Whichever method you use, please work with these substances in a well-ventilated environment and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter.
Using epoxy will give you a less smooth finish than the almost invisible finish you will get from using methylene chloride. With epoxy you will have two ingredients to mix, one will be a resin and the other a hardener. The manufacturer’s instructions will give you the mixing instructions.
Before mixing your epoxy wipe the screen down with alcohol to remove anything that may stop the bonding process. Once you have done that, mix your epoxy and fill the crack. Hold together for a minute and then leave to set according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
How to fix a cracked snowmobile windshield at home
With bonding, you will see a seam if you don’t want the seam you will want to fuse your windshield back together with methylene chloride. Fusing will leave your windshield with an almost invisible repair. You should be able to buy methylene chloride fairly easily off the internet.
- Clean your windshield, use warm soapy water and rinse it off well. Do not scrub your windscreen and use a soft cloth going in the direction of the polycarbonate grain.
- Dry the screen.
- Fill a syringe with the methylene chloride. Do this in a highly ventilated area, preferably outdoors or with all windows and doors open or extraction fans on. Don’t mess with methylene chloride.
- Put some methylene chloride into the crack.
- Put a little pressure on the two sides to initiate a bond. Do not use a load of force.
- Leave to set for 48 hours. Do not put any strain on any part of the windshield at this time, this can cause the bond to fail.
Now that you are an expert on snowmobile windshields, you can understand the sizing and why different sizes exist. You also know how to carry out basic windshield repairs. Which if you follow ours and the manufacturer’s instructions are not really that difficult and anyone with a bit of time can master.
While researching this article, I even came across people making their own windshields. Maybe next summer when you are having a lazy Sunday you can make your own custom windshield?