• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

I'm a Kristi, not a coma patient!

DAVENET

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Isn't 31 a perfect number? :wink:

I figured that was a steady runner from the pics, but that the owner may have been ready for a change. At least he knows where to turn if he wants to switch it up in the future.
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
yeah, he was ready for a new machine years ago, but, they do NOT build what he wants, and he hates diesel, so, no new machine for him, he loves it and will run it, till, there are no moving parts left on it...
 

KT3survivor

Active member
wish i were a little closer to mcall. it would be nice to meet you all.

its actually funny you bring up the drain plug. . . lately the more I look at the hydraulic system the more I tell myself "I'm going to replace all that with air cylinders one day"

think about it.. . they can deffinitely handle the work load. they will offer a little more suspension/ride quality. no fluid messes with leaks or when serviced. LIGHTER. smaller lines and system components. the only downside i can think of is cold temps and frozen lines. northern truckers know.

years ago in my machining days we built a big custom lathe. everything worked great but the servo motor couldnt lift the cutting head very well so a counterbalance air cylinder was added. worked like a charm and I have had a real appreciation for them ever since. we even put a train whistle on the relief valve! wasnt the most popular addition in the shop but it sounded funny for a few days.

anyway, side rant over. more interior progress




i love how the bench tops sit right on the frame once trimmed. one more argument for this bieng a factory configuraton.


 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
just curious, did you have the original rear seats?

and fyi, western colorado is NOT that far.... to mccall, hear tell more than one kristi is showing up. maybe the largest gathering of kristi's in the world,
 

DAVENET

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I was just joking about the bathtub lower, not referencing any hydraulic leaks. :biggrin:
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I believe my front and rear facing seats to be original based on pictures. dont know if the rears were original or not but looking at the entire package it sure seems that way. they were made of the same wood as the floors, painted the same (till someone spray painted over) quality of constuction and fitment seems quite good. hardware matches the rest of the machine. one side was falling apart and poorly repaired when i got it so i copied the remaining side and did a mirror image. the backrests are my own addition. cant say if they had anything at all.

here is how it came to me


the biggest thing keeping me from idaho this year is money. its a 12hr one way haul in a half ton that might get 13mpg without a trailer and cat behind it. if i were currently employed the story would be different. we will deffinetly be at the vail gathering. . . i can get there and back on wallet moths.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I was just joking about the bathtub lower, not referencing any hydraulic leaks. :biggrin:

hahaha and here my mind went to al's carpet, soaked in hydraulic fluid.

it sure would be cool to get a few kristi's together though. probably hasnt happened in a few decades.
 

vintagebike

Well-known member
Kristi Gas cards

To incourage Snow Cat diversity�� we are asking Maverick Gas ( lots of them in Idaho) to give a $100 fuel card to the driver/owner of the first Kristi, Hagglunds or Trackmaster 4VLs ( total 5 cards) attending McCallin' All Cats 2017. If Maverick backs out, we will do it! McCall Crew
 
Last edited:

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Re: Kristi Gas cards

To incourage Snow Cat diversity? we are asking Maverick Gas ( lots of them in Idaho) to give a $100 fuel card to the driver/owner of the first 5 Kristy, Hagglunds or Trackmaster 4VLs attending McCallin' All Cats 2017. If Maverick backs out, we will do it! McCall Crew

Awesome :clap:
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
and for the first KT3 and or KT4 to commit and sign up for mccall, i will pay for 2 nights lodging at the best western, must be done by 12/25/2016
 

KT3survivor

Active member
you guys are too kind. i will need to discuss things with my wife but its possible. always wanted to visit that neck of the woods
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
and for the first KT3 and or KT4 to commit and sign up for mccall, i will pay for 2 nights lodging at the best western, must be done by 12/25/2016

I know a silent member who has both, what is the bonus if said member shows up:whistling:

pokepokepoke
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
totally over looked the KT2, which is, now included in the offer, and it is open to silent member who has both, and if the silent member brings both a third night will be paid for.
first one to accept, wins, deadline is 12/25/2016
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
I might poke fun at the krusty owners but I did my part to get the kt7 out this winter
 

Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
If you go air, don't toss the hydraulics. At least until you know you really like it. We had a bunch of air operated stuff at the FD on engines, tenders. It worked great so long as it was an open-close arrangement. Those items that were positional were really problematic with AIR. Stick-slip in the cylinders caused jerky action and were were always trying to get the valves just so. The joys of air compression are also its weaknesses.

Have you looked at some of the high load electric positioners? Use a switch and electricity.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I have not looked at the electric option. . . . sounds expensive. But its good to hear the air issues from experience. i had thought the air valves might be tricky to dial in and everything might change with enough tempature shift or elevation change. either way, if i do change the suspension it will be next season or later. budget dictates that it hits the snow as is this year.

also i will say, you folks offer better holiday savings than a department store. . . . making it hard to be a responsible adult right now. not like i have been very good at that lately.

yesterday i finished applying water treatment to the last few wood pieces . also decided it was the best time to pull the rear most body plate and take care of that rust. got it in the blast cabinet now.
 

Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
Depending on the expected loads, sort of expensive to very expensive. The best prices I found so far are at http://www.surpluscenter.com/Electrical/Linear-Actuators/DC-Linear-Actuators/ I don't know if the 1000 lb ones would do or not. The biggest I've used was a 5000 pound dynamic/ 15000 static. Super expensive.

If they won't, I would expect the air would not either. Getting 1000 lb on a 2 inch air cylinder would require ~320 psi air. Generating 300 PSI air is not trivial.

Have fun either way. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination.
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
If they won't, I would expect the air would not either. Getting 1000 lb on a 2 inch air cylinder would require ~320 psi air. Generating 300 PSI air is not trivial.

Have fun either way. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination.

Co2 or a scuba tank could do it for quite awhile. an AC pump gets freon there easily.

volume and what not is another story but, I love thinking outside the box....
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
the hydraulic system is to raise and lower the machine, there is NO ride suspension system in the kristi from the hydraulics, again just to raise and lower and for side hilling

some journey you have embarked, the USS Kristi, do not forget the rubber ducks
 

KT3survivor

Active member
if that is the case why is there a suspension spring on the back of the hydraulic ram? i know the ram on a kristi is not a shock absorber, im not that dense. but it holds the weight of the machine so some of the ride is transmitted. im not saying air would transform it into a cadillac, but it might soften it a little.

again its nothing more than an idea at this point. deffinetly no way i can do that anytime soon.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
im going to pump up my hydraulics just to show you all im not crazy. there is suspension thru the ram. not the ram itself. it acts as a pushrod. but if you put an air cusion in between instead of hydraulic fluid you might gain a little give
 

KT3survivor

Active member
today I installed the fuel tank, fuel system, front seat, rear seat, lower firewall, gas pedal, throttle linkage, mounted the oil drain to the body and did a little more work on the tracks. needs a carb rebuild. the linkage on it is absolutely terrible. probably convert to a throttle cable before going out. trying to take it on the grand mesa later this week or early next.





the flash makes the seats look worse than they are.
 

KT3survivor

Active member
its hard to appreciate how much work it takes to restore, or make a set of tracks from scratch. I have alot of manufacturing/fabrication experience over the years but this has been a humbling experience to take on by myself.









my brain tells me spreading the splices out will make it stronger. . or less likely to tear. we will see. someday I will buy new rubber belting. for now I will bring everything needed to make repairs on the trail.
 

Northcoast

Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm blown away by the amount of work you've done on those tracks. I've only done very limited track work,and it took many hours!
 

KT3survivor

Active member
I'm blown away by the amount of work you've done on those tracks. I've only done very limited track work,and it took many hours!

thank you.
I never imagined how much work I was in for on this part of the project. most of the guides were cracked, broken or missing pieces. spent a couple weeks just grinding, welding, and straightening those alone. then i cut every belt, (twice :doh: ) drilled every hole (again, sometimes twice lol) cut & deburred every thing and made every connection. they aren't the nicest looking things, I just hope they hold up for awhile.
 

luvthemvws

Active member
I am constructing new tracks for my KT3.
Do you feel the group of five 375x connectors is stronger than the group of four 550 connectors on each belt?
 

KT3survivor

Active member
i honestly cant say which is better yet. i did one splice of 4, 375x to see if it will hold up the same as 5. it fits better that way but we will see if it holds up like the others. i imagine the bolt lacing will outlast the rubber in any case.

i will say if i ever do it again i like the bolt lacing much better than the alligator or hammer in style. it just seemed like the alligator stuff stretches the belting and then it looks a little goofy once installed. the bolt lacing is just so much easier to work with. i ended up cutting most of my bolts because the bolt breaking was also distorting the splice. hope these ramblings help.

 

KT3survivor

Active member
so after my sunday shakedown i have plenty of work to do if i want to be ready for the vail cat jam. first on my list was the throttle linkage. i was completely ready to ditch it in favor of a cable but then i noticed something. . . when i installed the front floor i put the pedal hinge on backwards, which was causing the pedal and linkage to rub the lower firewall. once i flipped that back around the throttle feels 100 times better.
since i had the firewall out i decided, might as well adjust the valves, and boy did they need it already! every one was on the tight side and the number 3 intake had no clearance. its true what they say, you really cant do to many valve adjustments on these engines and i bet they are even more neglected on a kristi with the firewall in the way for cylinders 3 & 4.
other issues, a vibration induced pop out of gear problem. only happend a couple times but i greased up the selector shafts as thats the remedy printed in the kristi manual.
it also has a worn out starter that needs rebuilt. looks like the original from germany. i will tackle that today.








one last thing. . . i was going to name this cat "Baker" because it is one of the last 13 (bakers dozen) kt3's they made. . . but lately i'm leaning a different way. if the KT7 has been dubbed "Yetti" then I'm leaning towards naming this one "Man-Bear-Pig" I think it fits the charicter of the machine. plus most people still dont believe they exist as they are very rarely seen in the wild.

290ddfba2ac78e275b9295197b973fea.jpg
 
Top