Sachs Snowmobile History?

[ddub]

Dennis Moore's post in the "biggest Sachs" thread made me start thinking about why sachs diminished in their status as a snowmobile engine.

He states,

I have heard for years that the first snowmobile engines from Europe (Sachs, Hirth and JLO) were industrial engines, not made exclusively for the snowmobile industry but adapted to snowmobile usage. In the early years the snowmobile industry was so small that they did not have much of an influence on the engine manufacturers. They had to buy what was available.

Yes, I agree that most of the early engines were "off the shelf" industrial engines, maybe carb and exhaust adaptations for a snowmobile.

In the single cylinder era we were looking at most engines putting out less than 20 hp. Shoot my lawn tractor does more than that today!

I find it interesting that Sachs was HUGE in the snowmobile market in the late 60's. In the early 70's they faded away pretty fast. WHY? I wonder. It seems that once the twins came out, sachs faded away.

I actually think higher of the sachs twins than the later CCW/Cuyuna's even if the power was a bit lower. Don't get me wrong, it's just my perception. The Cuyuna's do seem to have great power IF YOU HAVE GOOD FUEL. LOL

We know that in the 70's most of the major players started going with a exclusive engine. Ski-Doo = Rotax, Arcitc Cat Kawasaki then Suzuki, Polaris = Fuji, etc. Maybe Sachs didn't "pair" up with anyone? why didn't a sled manufacturer choose the Sach's engine to use exclusively?

Most of the smaller manufacturers were fading away by the mid 70's, so if you missed the exclusive boat with someone, you were toast.

I know the first engine developed by Rotax for Ski-Doo Exclusively was the 68 TNT 600 engine. So we can say that in the late 60's the engine builders were taking snowmobiles seriously and starting to build engines specifically for sleds.

What was the last Sach's powered snowmobile?

Anyone have any input as to why Sachs didn't stay a serious snowmobile player?

Any Sachs history information would be great!

[mooreperformance]

I have heard many variations on the story. It was mostly politics.
During the Nixon administration inflation of the US dollar was a major concern. Wages and prices were frozen by the US government. The price of the dollar was adjusted rather severly to adjust for trade inbalances. The value of the German Mark skyrocketed compared to the USD and everything manufactured in Germany became VERY expensive to American consumers. This was a real problem for American snowmobile manufacturers.
The Canadian manufacturers did not have the same problem when buying from Germany. The Canadian dollar kept pace with the German Mark. Skiroule and Alouette kept buying the Sachs engines.
With a slumping snowmobile market and the US snowmobile manufacturers turning to Japanese engines (the Japs could sell at MUCH lower prices than the Germans) Hirth was out of the snowmobile business by 1973 and Sachs followed a few years later.
1971 saw the introduction of the CCW in so many sleds (a Japanese engine) and was really the last major year for Sachs and Hirth engines in American sleds (Arctic Cats, Chapparals, Rupps, and Scorpions). I am sure Scorpion got a pretty sweet deal when they bought the tooling and machinery from JLO and started producing the Cuyuna in the USA. By this time I am sure JLO (German company) was desperate to bail out of the snowmobile market.
Dennis Moore
626-357-3573
www.mooreperformance.info

[ddub]

I wasn't very old at the time and politics probably were not on my list of interesting subjects.

What you say makes sense.

1971 saw the introduction of the CCW in so many sleds (a Japanese engine) and was really the last major year for Sachs and Hirth engines in American sleds (Arctic Cats, Chapparals, Rupps, and Scorpions).

my understanding was that CCW was a Canadian company?(Canadian Curtis Wright) and actually had roots back to the Wright brothers. Please explain.

I'd agree that 71 was the last year for serious Sachs presence in Snowmobiles.

As for Japanese engines, there was Fuji, Kawasaki, Suzuki which really all took off about the time that the German engines faded which adds credibility to your theory.

BSE also Japanese seems to have just been copies of everyone else?

Kiortz seems to have been somehow tied in with CCW? What was that relationship?

How many more questions can I throw out in one thread? !! ;D

[mooreperformance]

CCW engines were imported from Japan by a Canadian company called Canadian Curtis Wright. They were made by Kioritz in Japan. Eventually John Deere signed an exclusive contract directly with Kioritz and the CCW name was dropped.
Dennis Moore

[ddub]

Interesting info. Thanks