Force Analysis of lifting Snowmobile (Ergonomical Analysis)

[ConnorMC720]

I am conducting an ergonomical analysis of the current method of moving a snowmobile on dry land using dollies. One must manually lift the track (rear) of the sled onto one dolly, then one ski at a time also onto an individual dolly. I need to conduct a force analysis of the situation to determine the force a user needs to exert while lifting the rear and front of sled. I do not have access to a force meter. I believe this can be solved through physics. The sled weighs 509 lbs. The weight is not evenly distributed obviously as the motor is in the front of the sled between and slightly behind the skis. The sled is 10.7 feet long. The sled is 4.0 ft wide. Please advise me with some tips/knowledge on how a force analysis could be done on this situation. Thank you!

 

[LightHero]

The best way to conduct a force analysis in this situation is to calculate the center of gravity (CG) of the sled. This is done by dividing the sled's weight by its volume. Using the given dimensions, the volume can be calculated as 10.7 x 4.0 x 2.0 = 85.6 cubic feet. The CG of the sled can then be determined by dividing the weight by the volume: 509/85.6 = 5.95 lbs/cubic foot. Once you have the CG of the sled, you can then calculate the force needed to lift the rear and front of the sled by multiplying the weight of the sled by the distance from the CG to the point where the force is applied. For example, if the rear of the sled needs to be lifted one foot off the ground, the force needed to lift it would be 5.95 x 1 = 5.95 lbs. If the front of the sled needs to be lifted two feet off the ground, the force needed to lift it would be 5.95 x 2 = 11.9 lbs. You can also use this method to calculate the force needed to place the skis on the individual dollies. Once you have calculated the CG of the sled, you can then calculate the force needed to lift each ski off the ground by multiplying the weight of the sled by the distance from the CG to the ski. For example, if the front ski needs to be lifted one foot off the ground, the force needed to lift it would be 5.95 x 1 = 5.95 lbs. If the rear ski needs to be lifted two feet off the ground, the force needed to lift it would be 5.95 x 2 = 11.9 lbs.I hope this helps!