Snowmobile Rotator Transformation

By George L. Nitti In the snow country of northern Ontario, where more than 20,000 miles of groomed snow trails are connected and maintained by a federation of snowmobile clubs, it takes a unique vision and dedication to rescue stranded snowmobilers. 

“A lot of people break down and get stuck and don’t have anyone to call,” said Domenic Lacaria, who designed a unique snow mobile with the essential functions of a tow truck. “I wanted to combine my love for designing with my love for snowmobiling. When I was snowmobiling and broke down a couple of times, I had no one to come rescue me.” 

So Lacaria, with a background in engineering, designed and patented a specially operated snowmobile rotator he calls the Tow Mobile, giving it the acronym S.T.A.R, which stands for Snowmobile Towing Assistance and Recovery.  

Sitting 4 ft. wide by 18.5 ft. long, the red unit is powered by a car engine and includes a rotator with an 800-pound boom, hydraulic pump system, winch and cables, custom built toolboxes, 3 ft wide outriggers, a heated cab with heated seats, and other devices common to the towing and recovery trade. 

“Tow mobile is more like a transport truck. You don’t take it off road because it is heavy, weighing 4500 pounds,” said Lacaria. “It’s designed with a lot of pulling power and dual wide track. I extended the whole thing by seven feet. The tracks, motor and hood are all original.” The original design includes the Italian made Alpina Sherpa 1.6 liter snowmobile. 

Although the boom can lift 3200, in its application it is designed to lift up to 1000 pounds, with the heaviest of snowmobiles weighing 600 to 700 pounds. Most snowmobiles that he picks up average 500 pounds. 

Getting stuck on a snowmobile could be an all-day affair if not for Lacaria, who will travel a radius of 2 hours to recover stranded drivers. He said, “You can run snowmobiles for two to three hours between cities and if you break down in the bush you may have a 30 mile walk to the main road. You are in bare land.” 

Which is not where you want to be stuck, particularly as night approaches and temperatures get colder. 

“Sometimes snowmobilers get their machines stuck in a creek in freezing conditions,” said Lacaria. “One guy last year lost the tips of 3 of his fingers trying to get it out. That’s one of the main concerns - not just towing the sled but getting the people out of the cold and back to town.”  

Since Tow Mobile is a big unit, it is frequently not used for many of the jobs that Lacaria will do, recoveries that require a nimbler approach with a smaller machine and sleigh. Lacaria said, “If the recovery is more than 300 ft off trail, then I will take another snowmobile. I will find out where the person is and drive along with the trailer and bring it to the nearest road crossing and leave the truck and trailer on the side of the road and off load it, go down the trail and do the recovery, take it back to my truck and then drive them and their snowmobile back to town.” 

As for the work, Lacaria notes that he goes out every other day, sometimes two times a day, and calculates his fees on a rough hourly rate, the distance he has to travel, how far down a trail he will need to go and the weight of the machine.   “I’ve been getting calls across the northern states as well as Canada looking to purchase the Tow Mobile," he said. "As for the future, I want to grow and encompass the whole province. I want to work with existing towing companies and add to their list of things that they can do.”  Brag @ TIW! Should your truck be featured here? Send a few pics and your contact information to the editor at georgenitti@gmail.com. You might even be selected to go in print, too, in American Towman magazine!