When it comes to buying a snowmobile, many aspiring sledders keep the price at top of mind. That’s an important consideration for sure, but you also want to do some research into the weight of your future snowmobile. What is the average weight of a sled?
On average, a snowmobile weighs 490 pounds, which you can round up to 500 pounds. Up to 60 pounds of weight can come from a full tank of gas and between 7 and 50 pounds may come from the track of the sled.
Ahead, we’ll talk more about snowmobile weight, including what contributes to the heaviness of the average sled. We’ll also go over the weights of some of the most popular snowmobile models on the market so you can find the right sled for you. You’re not going to want to miss it, so keep reading!
How Much Do Snowmobiles Weigh on Average?
We established in the intro that an average snowmobile is 500 pounds, give or take. Are there heavier snowmobiles out there? Oh yeah! The same goes for lighter-weight ones as well. So what adds to a snowmobile’s weight? All sorts of different areas of the sled’s construction, which we’ll now examine more closely.
Snowmobile Material
Depending on the type of snowmobile you buy, its body will be made of a different material. The most common options are fiber and metal. Carbon fiber has become favored among snowmobile manufacturers because it weighs less than metal. It’s also nearly as durable thanks to recent advancements.
However, if you’re especially aggressive on your snowmobile, then a sled made with a fiber body probably isn’t for you. This type of sled can’t handle too much banging around without the fiber body shattering. Once that happens, the whole body must be replaced. You’ll also spend a lot more money on a snowmobile with a fiber body compared to a metal one.
Metal bodies can get beat up a bit, but you might get dents on your sled if you’re not careful. These can be repaired rather than replaced, which is good, because the dents are unsightly.
A metal snowmobile will also weigh more than a fiber one, but the metal casing also tends to increase the sled’s durability. You typically will pay less for a sled with a metal body than a fiber one.
The other downside with a metal sled besides the extra weight is the likelihood of rust. Water + metal often produces rust, including both the interior and the exterior of the snowmobile’s metal body.
Snowmobile Seating
How many seats you have built into your sled will definitely contribute to the vehicle’s overall weight. A one-person sled weighs less than a two-seater and a three-seater and so on. Further, the seating material can also add some pounds to your overall snowmobile weight.
Sure, upholstery itself isn’t super-heavy, but the metal base that comprises the seat most certainly is. The same is true of the foam that goes between the metal and the upholstery.
Snowmobile Tracks
Your snowmobile tracks are another weighty component of your vehicle. You won’t see rubber tracks anymore unless your snowmobile is pretty significantly old, but Kevlar tracks aren’t all very lightweight. At the very least, your tracks may add 7 pounds to the weight of your snowmobile, but it’s more likely for the tracks to weigh 37 to 51 pounds. Those pounds do add up!
Snowmobile Engine
The engine is the heart of your snowmobile, and it’s also the heaviest part by far. When you see an engine description mention ccs, this isn’t exclusively about speed, but rather, a measurement of weight as related to engine capacity that’s represented in cubic centimeters. The more high-capacity your sled’s engine is, the more fuel it will use, which typically means it has more ccs.
Two-stroke engines, which don’t reach the temperature of four-stroke engines, are the less heavy of the two. Even still, your snowmobile’s engine may weigh between 86 and 160 pounds.
Fuel Capacity
Finally, how much fuel is in the tank of your sled can also influence the weight. This is a factor that’s ever-changing, in that if your tank is fuller with gas, then it will weigh more than if your tank is close to empty. For each gallon of gas you fill up, you’re adding roughly 6.3 pounds. Thus, a full tank of gas may tack on as many as 60 pounds to the weight of your snowmobile if you fill it to the brim!
Dry Weight vs. Wet Weight: What’s the Difference?
As you begin digging deeper into snowmobile weight, you might see manufacturers refer to the sled’s weight in two different ways. The first of these is dry weight and the second is wet weight. One weight will usually be slightly higher than the other, which has you wondering, what’s the difference?
This can vary on a manufacturer by manufacturer basis, but generally, a snowmobile’s wet weight calculates the weight of all fluids necessary for the sled to work. These would include fuel as described above as well as coolant and engine oils. As you know from the last section, the weight of snowmobile fluids can be pretty high at times, so it’s good to know a sled’s wet weight.
The dry weight is simply the weight of your snowmobile with all those fluids removed.
What Are the Heaviest Snowmobiles on the Market?
Next, let’s talk some of the most heavyweight snowmobiles available from your favorite brands like Ski-Doo, Polaris, and Arctic Cat. These sleds are all 2020 or 2021 models unless otherwise indicated.
- Polaris 2021 TITAN Adventure 155 – 658 pounds dry, 14-gallon fuel capacity
- Polaris 2021 TITAN XC 155 – 605 pounds dry, 14-gallon fuel capacity
- Arctic Cat ZR 9000 Thundercat – 603 pounds dry, 9.9-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo 2021 Grand Touring Limited with Rotax 900 ACE Turbo engine – 602 pounds dry
- Polaris 2021 TITAN SP 155 – 602 pounds dry, 14-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo 2021 Expedition Xtreme – 596 pounds dry
- Arctic Cat Norseman X 8000 – 558 pounds dry
- Ski-Doo 2021 Renegade X-RS Late Intro (2020.5) – 500 pounds dry
Is a Heavier or Lighter Snowmobile Right for Me?
We’ve been discussing heavy snowmobiles throughout this whole article, but does that mean a weightier sled is your only option? Certainly not! You can also opt for a lightweight snowmobile if that’s what makes you more comfortable.
Is there a difference? Indeed, there is. For one, many sledders report a change in the feel of their snowmobile when riding a lighter one versus a heavier vehicle. For some, the way a heavier snowmobile handles might feel perfectly natural while other riders might feel like they’re fighting their snowmobile with every maneuver they’re attempting to do, from turns to tricks and even stops.
You typically won’t notice something like 13 to 20 additional pounds, but if your snowmobile is 80 pounds heavier than one you have ridden before, it might feel significant to you. That’s practically like adding an extra rider on, after all.
Do keep in mind though that heavier snowmobiles tend to have more power, as they often include four-stroke engines that add more to their overall weight. This isn’t always exclusively true, so do your homework if you want a heavy and powerful sled.
If you do decide that a heavier snowmobile best suits your needs, then the ones we shared above are some of the biggest heavyweights available. All exceed 600 pounds except for the Ski-Doo Renegade X-RS, which just skates by at 600 pounds even when dry. Any of those above models are certainly heavier than the average 500-pound snowmobile.
If you want a sled that’s 600 pounds and under, you have plenty of phenomenal options from all your preferred snowmobiling brands. Here’s a list to get you started:
- Arctic Cat LYNX 2000 LT – 567 pounds dry, 11.2-gallon fuel capacity
- Arctic Cat ZR 8000 RR – 521 pounds dry, 11.7-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo Grand Touring Sport – 498 pounds dry, 9.5-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo MXZ X-RS – 486 pounds dry, 9.5-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo Backcountry X-RS – 484 pounds dry, 9.5-gallon fuel capacity
- Polaris 600 INDY XC 137 – 462 pounds dry, 12-gallon fuel capacity
- Arctic Cat M 8000 Hardcore Alpha One – 460 pounds, 11.7-gallon fuel capacity
- Ski-Doo Summit X – 457 pounds dry, 9.5-gallon fuel capacity
- Polaris 600 Switchback PRO-S – 447 pounds dry, 12-gallon fuel capacity
- Polaris 600 RUSH PRO-S – 432 pounds dry, 12-gallon fuel capacity
- Polaris 800 PRO-RMK 163 – 413 pounds dry, 11.5-gallon fuel capacity
Visit Our Winter/Snow Page for More Great Content!
Final Thoughts
The average snowmobile weighs around 500 pounds, but depending on the sled’s material, number of seats, and its engine type, the weight can be higher or lower than that benchmark. Remember also that snowmobile manufacturers will list their sleds by dry weight (no fluids) and wet weight, which is when the sled is full of coolant, fuel, and other fluids.
Whether you want a slimmer, streamlined sled that’s less than 500 pounds or a huge heavyweight that’s well over 600 pounds, you have plenty of options. Best of luck!