Russian-Chinese motorized towing vehicle Mukhtar-15 - useful not only for fisherman

A snowmobile is an excellent, but expensive and specific piece of equipment. Many people would like to ride it someday, but snow doesn’t happen everywhere in Russia these days. Buy an expensive toy for several trips a year? No, there are much more budget options.


Take, for example, the Mukhtar-15 motorized towing vehicle. Universal equipment capable of moving not only on snow, but also at any time of the year, regardless of weather conditions. Thanks to the presence of additional equipment, “motor dogs”, as they are also called, are suitable for work in agriculture. In part, this technique can even replace a walk-behind tractor.

The new Mukhtar-15 motorized towing vehicle costs about 200 thousand rubles. The price, it should be noted, is low, especially when compared with snowmobiles. And on the used market you can buy this equipment for 30-50% cheaper.


How it differs from a snowmobile, and in general what kind of motorized towing vehicles these are, is in our article today.

Where do “legs grow” from?

First you need to understand how such a technique appeared. The snowmobile was “born” in the USA, the classic model was made by Joseph-Armand Bombardier from Canada. But a motorized towing vehicle is a typical Soviet invention.

By the way, the goals of designers from North America and the USSR were approximately the same. Both tried to create a simple vehicle for traveling in remote snowy areas. But if the Canadian was pushed to do this by a family tragedy, the Soviet amateur inventor made a “mechanized dog” rather to simplify his life.


This was in 1975. Anatoly Fomichev was returning with his son from a snow-covered forest in the Arkhangelsk region. Having subscribed to various technical magazines, like many Soviet people, they knew about snowmobiles and dreamed of having one.

But taking into account reality, we had to make a homemade product from what we had. The motorized towing vehicle had a number of characteristic features:

✅ Simplicity of design
✅ Chainsaw engine
✅ Long handle for control

Outwardly, all this resembled some kind of mechanized rubbish of unknown purpose. Builders could confuse the “motorized dog” with a gasoline vibratory rammer.

After numerous tests, the design was “overgrown” with improvements. First of all, a ski seal appeared - a special “spout” at the front. By the way, it made it possible to increase cross-country ability by almost 40 percent. There was even an option with a scooter engine.


In 1979, Fomichev applied for a patent. Maybe he was waiting to be paid or at least recognized for his merits. Scientists and designers even tested the new product and they liked it. But they didn’t give me a patent. It took 18 long years to get it.

Technical features

Now we need to understand the technical characteristics of this “beast”, fortunately, it is simple to the point of disgrace. If you look closely at any motorized towing vehicle, it will seem like a small crawler tractor. The simplest platform on which the motor, transmission and attachments are mounted. All this is on a tracked chassis.

A classic motorized towing vehicle has a cargo area on the platform. And it moves its owner like a full-fledged dog - due to the “harness”, whose role is played by a lever or two handles with controls.


What the equipment will tow is, in principle, unimportant. It could be a sled, a cart, a drag, a person on skis or a group. The main thing is that the weight corresponds to the technical parameters declared by the manufacturer. And by the way, it reaches up to 600 kg.

Why not a snowmobile?

Having analyzed the above, we can draw a not entirely correct conclusion. They say that a motorized towing vehicle is a real replacement for a dog sled. Equipment for residents of the Far North, brutal hunters and fishermen.


For an ordinary Russian who decides to spend his hard-earned money on entertainment, a snowmobile is more suitable. But it was not there!
This technique has many requirements for operation:

✅ Snow
✅ Storage space
✅ Car with trailer for transportation
✅ Registration
✅ You need to undergo technical inspection
✅ Tractor driver's license

And plus the high price. It turns out that, without having a private house with access to a field or forest, a snowmobile will require a lot of money for maintenance. Therefore, trips will become rare, and the equipment will begin to stand idle for years until it is sold to another dreamer. For those who do not have financial problems, this is all irrelevant, but such people are unlikely to be interested in motorized towing vehicles.

What is good about Mukhtar-15?

So we get to the hero of our article. So, first of all, a motorized towing vehicle is suitable for a resident of the “urban jungle”. It is compact, which means it can be stored in any small room. As a rule, this is a garage, cottage or village. Sometimes they store such equipment in storage rooms, if the smell of gasoline doesn’t bother you, of course.


In addition to classical use, a ski module can be attached to the Mukhtar - this makes it look like a simple snowmobile with the corresponding placement of the rider. It's like turning a walk-behind tractor into a mini tractor - the principle is the same. Then the “motorized dog” becomes much more convenient to control.


And that's not all - the manufacturer offers a series of additional equipment. For example, a snow blade. If necessary, it can be used when planning the site. Naturally, not virgin lands - this is not a tractor. Although, the weight of “Mukhtar” can be increased due to weighting materials.


If you need to control a motorized towing vehicle from a sled, the steering wheel can be quickly removed and transferred to a removable rod.

Engine and other performance characteristics

The engine of Mukhtar-15 is Chinese, from the Lifan company. The engine is popular in Russia; it is installed on various construction and garden equipment. By the way, this is not exactly the same “Lifan” that made cars and went bankrupt. This division of the company is separate; it continues to produce engines and motorcycles.

Motor power 15 hp. s., its working volume is 420 cm3. The power unit is started using both a rope starter and a button. In general, if the battery fails, the engine will still be able to start.

Transmission Features:

✅ Variator "Safari"
✅ Reverse gearbox “Buran”
✅ Chain drive

The motor is installed on a removable platform. The transmission is also mounted on it, everything can be removed individually, which simplifies transportation, handling and storage.

The motorized towing vehicle is mounted on a durable frame. By the way, it is made in Russia. The thickness of the one-piece sheet is 2,45 mm. The manufacturer claims that the base is sandblasted, treated with corrosion protection and painted with polymer paint. Let us remember that this is a powder material, which is then baked in a special oven. This gives the polymer coating high strength.


The caterpillar of the motorized towing vehicle is long and wide – 2 and 828 mm, respectively. So the contact area is enough to solve problems of increased complexity. The caterpillar is made of polymer materials - no need to worry that it will rust. The rollers, by the way, are rubberized.

It should be noted that the plastic body of the motorized towing vehicle is impact-resistant. It does not break when touched, which is a common problem with Chinese models. The compactness of Mukhtar-15 allows you to disassemble equipment, load it into a car, transport it, and then take it out alone.

To summarize, it can be noted that a motorized towing vehicle is a typical “workhorse” for operation in difficult conditions. A hunter and fisherman living far from civilization will find this technique useful.