The weight of a snowmobile can really affect your riding abilities. It’s important to understand how heavy a snowmobile is before you commit to it.
The heaviest snowmobiles are touring snowmobiles, which can weigh as much as 767 lbs. The lightest snowmobiles are Polaris mountain snowmobiles, which weigh as little as 414 lbs. Youth snowmobiles weigh 167 lbs on average, with the lightest being 145 lbs and the heaviest being 231.5 lbs.
As mentioned, I took the time to put together a database of over 200 different snowmobile models from popular brands like Ski-Doo, Polaris and Arctic Cat. Unfortunately, Yamaha rarely makes the weight of their machines public information, so they have been excluded. Other than that, if you are looking for a specific model, you should have no issue finding it here.
If you are looking for a specific model, use the table of contents to navigate to the information you are looking for.
Table of Contents
Does it really matter?
Yes, snowmobile weight matters. It has a direct effect on your ability to control and maneuver your snowmobile safely.
To a mountain rider, (light) weight is crucial, as you need the ability to maneuver your sled around obstacles with ease and have the ability to turn on a dime. If you are someone who needs a snowmobile with a high towing capacity, you are going to want a heavier snowmobile.
Of course, your physical build also comes into play. If you are a smaller male/female, you are going to have a hell of a time maneuvering the Arctic Cat Pantera 7000 XT Limited, which weighs 767 lbs, for example. Finding the right weight you are capable of handling is crucial for an enjoyable time out in the snow.
What are the lightest snowmobiles?
With an average weight of 448 lbs, Mountain snowmobiles are the lightest snowmobiles on the market. Mountain snowmobiles need to be lightweight to offer the rider more control navigating down treacherous mountain terrain.
What are the heaviest snowmobiles?
Touring snowmobiles are the heaviest snowmobiles on the market, with an average weight of 587 lbs. Touring snowmobiles are so heavy, as many tend to have the heavier four-stroke engines. They also offer a variety of comfort amenities all other types of snowmobiles do not. This is because they are made for long distance riding.
What is the average weight of a snowmobile?
The average snowmobile weighs 512 lbs. This takes into consideration all different models of snowmobiles including; touring, performance, utility, trail, and mountain snowmobiles.
How much does a Taiga snowmobile weigh?
Taiga is a relatively new electric snowmobile manufacturer, they have three different models on the market, each weighing in differently.
The Taiga ekko is Taiga’s lightest model, which weighs 586 lbs. The Taiga atlas is their second-heaviest model, weighing in at 597 lbs. Finally, the Taiga nomad, which is Taiga’s heaviest electric snowmobile, weighs 607 lbs.
Heavier snowmobile engine – 4-stroke vs 2-stroke
Although 4-stroke snowmobile engines have been getting lighter over recent years, a 4 stroke snowmobile engine still typically weighs 75-100 lbs more than a 2-stroke engine. This is because 2-stroke engines require fewer parts and materials to make them work.
Take a look at the chart below to see what it takes to make a simple 2-stroke snowmobile engine vs what it takes to make a simple 4-stroke snowmobile engine.
As you can see and as mentioned, the 4-stroke snowmobile engines take more parts to build, which makes them heavier on the scales.
Want to learn more about the difference between 4-stroke and 2-stroke snowmobiles? Check out this video!
Snowmobile dry weights rankings
- Touring Snowmobiles (average 587 lbs)
- Utility Snowmobiles (average 570 lbs)
- Trail Snowmobiles (average 499 lbs)
- Performance Snowmobiles (average 490 lbs)
- Mountain Snowmobiles (average 448 lbs)
(Rankings based off of the average weight calculated from the 200 different snowmobile models you will find in this article.)
Snowmobile weight charts
All snowmobile weights gathered below are the machine’s dry weight. Dry weight is the normal weight of your machine without fluids like fuel, coolant, oil etc.
Most weights are based on 2021 models.
Mountain snowmobiles
The average weight of a mountain snowmobile is 448 lbs
Mountain snowmobiles are built for, you guessed it, mountain snowmobiling. Mountain riders are very shifty, they need control of their snowmobile above all else. For this reason, most mountain snowmobiles are very lightweight.
Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris mountain snowmobile weights
The Average weight of an Arctic Cat mountain snowmobile is 461.9 lbs
The average weight of a Ski-Doo mountain snowmobile is 453.9 lbs
The average weight of a Polaris mountain snowmobile is 429.25 lbs
Performance snowmobiles
The average weight of a performance snowmobile is 490 lbs
Performance snowmobiles are built to perform, whether you are a professional snowmobile racer or just like going fast and need a snowmobile that can go quicker than others and take a beating, a performance snowmobile is right up your ally.
Since performance snowmobiles are built to go fast, they are among the lighter snowmobiles on the market and are built just a tad heavier than Mountain snowmobiles.
Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris performance snowmobile weights
The average weight of an Arctic Cat performance snowmobile is 518.2 lbs
The average weight of a Ski-Doo performance snowmobile is 476.6 lbs
The average weight of a Polaris performance snowmobile is 475.7 lbs
Touring snowmobiles
The average weight of a touring snowmobile is 587 lbs
Touring snowmobiles are made for people who enjoy long treks down pre-designed snowmobiling trails. They are designed for comfort and have amenity features which adds more heft that you wouldn’t find in say performance, or mountain snowmobiles. For this reason, touring snowmobiles are generally the heaviest snowmobiles on the market.
Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris touring snowmobile weights
The average weight of an Arctic Cat touring snowmobile is 597 lbs
The average weight of a Ski-Doo touring snowmobile is 603.4 lbs
The average weight of a Polaris touring snowmobile is 559.6 lbs
Trail snowmobiles
The average weight of a trail snowmobile is 499 lbs
Trail snowmobiles are a crossbreed between performance and touring snowmobiles. You can take on tougher trails with a trail snowmobile than you would be able to with a touring snowmobile due to their different suspensions. A trail snowmobile will also lack some comfort amenities you can find on most touring snowmobiles.
Trail snowmobiles are heavier than performance snowmobiles and lighter than touring snowmobiles.
Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris trail snowmobile weights
The average weight of an Arctic Cat trail snowmobile is 544 lbs
The average weight of a Ski-Doo trail snowmobile is 486.3 lbs
The average weight of a Polaris trail snowmobile is 465.7 lbs
Utility snowmobiles
The average weight of a utility snowmobile is 570 lbs
Unlike other snowmobile models talked about in this article, Utility snowmobiles are not designed with fun riding in mind (not to say they aren’t fun). Rather, utility snowmobiles are built with one purpose, and that’s work. Carrying cargo to places every day vehicles can’t go or towing other snowmobiles, utility snowmobiles are the second-heaviest type of snowmobile.
Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Polaris utility snowmobile weights
The average weight of an Arctic Cat utility snowmobile is 599.7 lbs
The average weight of a Ski-Doo utility snowmobile is 572 lbs
The average weight of a Polaris utility snowmobile is 538.2 lbs
Youth snowmobiles
The average weight of a performance snowmobile is 167 lbs.
How much does a Polaris 120 snowmobile weigh?
The Polaris 120 is an excellent snowmobile for kids. Its light weight makes it easy to handle by most youths. There are a few different Polaris 120 models.
The Polaris 120 Assault and the Polaris 120 Dragon both weigh in at 145 lbs, while the Polaris 120 PRO-R and the Polaris INDY 120 weigh 147 lbs. A subtle 2 lbs difference.
How much does a Yamaha Snoscoot weigh?
The Yamaha Snoscoot is one of the more popular youth snowmobiles, and yet finding how much it weighs online is rather difficult. No worries, I did some digging for you.
A Yamaha snoscoot weighs 231.5 lbs, it is one of the heaviest youth snowmobile models available on the market today.
Want to learn more about the Yamaha Snoscoot, or youth snowmobiles in general? Check out this video!
Final thoughts
How heavy a snowmobile is should factor into your decision before you purchase one.
Lighter snowmobiles are often easier to maneuver, but also tend to lack some comfort features that the heavier snowmobiles have. You need to decided what is most important to you and go from there.
If you are looking for the lightest possible snowmobile, these are typically Polaris mountain snowmobiles. While the heaviest snowmobiles tend to be Ski-Doo touring snowmobiles.
References:
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/business/mc/mc-tech/standard-technology/2st4st.html
