Abstract: A winch device for snowmobiles, having a tensile member (34) and a centering harness (36), with tensile member (34) being configured to be removably attached to the track (24) of a snowmobile and centering harness (36) being configured to be removably attached to the front end of the snowmobile. In use, the centering harness provides support for a guide (38) that receives and guides tensile member (34). One end of tensile member (34) attaches to a track (24), and the other end attaches to some solid and secure object. When power is applied to the snowmobile, track (24) rotates, thereby propelling the snowmobile forward along the length of tensile member (34) and toward the solid and secure object to which the tensile member is attached.

Abstract: A railroad right-of-way trench plowing machine which includes a locomotive 11, standard flat car 12, a hydraulic boomed vehicle, such as a backhoe 13, attached to flat car 12, a steerable plowing blade 15 attached to the hydraulic boom 16 and a cable 14 attached at one end to the plowing blade 15 and the other end to the locomotive 11. The plowing blade 15 is pivotally attached to hydraulic boom 16 and has tooth 29 located at its bottom end, foot 28, which is disposed to point in the direction to be trenched. A cable guide 17, consisting of a J-shaped tube, is attached to trailing edge 26 of vertical blade 18 and is disposed such that utility cable 1, fed into the top end of cable guide 17, is automatically directed to the base of the trench.An optional feature provides a hydraulic ram 30 attached between pivoting blade 18 and the hydraulic boom 16 for hydraulically pivoting blade 18 about boom 16. Hydraulic ram 30 provides additional steering capabilities.