WTB

Hey Guys new on here and also to snowcats, I'm looking for 3 or 4 passenger snowcat. I like the reports from the Bombi but not sure of availability . I live in the northwest. Looking to spend 10000-15000. Is there anything like this out there. Thank you

Several (!) hours north of the 'northwest' but its a bombi for 15,000 canucklebucks . . .
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-heavy...le/1412634592?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

3 or 4 in a bombi?? they must have got larger since I owned one.

yup than there is the difficulty of getting in and out of them. as I get older I bitch about the snow track, but if you want colorful language be around as i'm getting in and out of a bombi on an incline. if you want something small get an imp or a snowtrac if you want larger than go tucker skidozer or Thiokol sprite. you will like the deep snow performance better to.

Here's something that size coming up to auction not to far out of the northwest. Not 4 man but .........

https://www.rbauction.com/1997-thio...nvId=11041193&id=ci&auction=denver-co-2019216

Also see passenger IMP in Blackfoot Tucker post about gov auction in SLC.

IMHO, I strongly believe that the snow tracs are the best value for the money...

What snow cat is the best for you? That is the first question you must ask. Otherwise you may wind up with someones dream that will be the nightmare you ride for years the factors that must be considered and their decision points:


Steep and deep cross country or road access.? The all time grand champion of steep and deep is a PONTOON tucker. Snow road, a Snow-Trac works very well. This performance must be the first item addressed. It would do you little good to buy a trac when you need steep and deep. Likewise if you are running roads, the 6-8 mph of a pontoon Tucker may leave you frustrated.


Ease of maintenance: If you are a good handyman and have most common tools such as: Welder(s), Oxy-acetylene torch, plasma cutter, mill, lathe, drill presses, hydraulic press, sheet metal shear/brake, socket sets through 3/4" drive ,then a fixer may be the way to go. But if limited in fabrication skills and/or equipment then you need a rig that you can BUY parts for. Snow cats are maintenance intensive.


Weight: If you are going to trailer the cat be very certain of the cat and its trailers weight. Do not trust the name plate weights. Winter driving is not fun with a towed load higher than what your tow unit is capable of. Loads that can be gotten away with in the fair days of summer will leave you crying in the dead of winter.



Cats are fun, exciting, and a wonderful chance to see country few get to see. But have eyes wide open and leave your wallet at home when you go look at the first one.

So i live in northern idaho and there is endless unplowed roads to travel. Im just looking for a snowcat to travel these roads. I own snowmobiles but want something different. I don't know much if anything about these machines except they look like a lot of fun. I do have a machine shop with mills and lathes so i dont mind a little project once in a while. If the snow is easy going what kind of fuel millage does the Bombi or IMP get? Is one of them quieter in the cab than the other? I have a lot to learn about these before i purchase one. Thank you

I run an 88 LMC1200 which is a newer version of a Thiokol Spryte. 5-6 person cab. 8 foot wide tracks. Plenty of heat. Ford 300 cid 6 with C6 automatic. Easy to drive but it's heavy at about 7,900 lbs. Does great on snow covered groomed roads. Not so much in deep heavy powder. It goes but not fast. Mileage is more like gallons per hour. I'm getting 5-6. It tops out at 15 MPH. For the snow covered roads I need to run on it does the job. A nice one will be 15-25K depending. Northern Lights posts here and he had a very nice full cab Spryte for sale for 15K Canadian.

tango said:

So i live in northern idaho and there is endless unplowed roads to travel.

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OK, a better idea. I'm siding with PJL. A spryte is a good choice. or a belt tucker. Imps are the sub-compact of snow-cats. Most Bombi's are stock at 2 seats. While you can build an extended cab....


A snow-trac would be good but they are harder to source parts for.

I'm new to the tucker sno cat or tracked vehicles !! But I can tell ya that the bombi are very heavy and have a tendency to sink this is coming from friends that work with the hydro company !! I just purchased a tucker 1744 and it's amazing the more snow the better . It did sink down two feet but never missed a beat in virgin snow that was 5-6 feet deep !! Hope that helps !! There are other guys like randy n rob that have more experience and are more qualified then myself . Good luck

https://www.ironplanet.com/for-sale...46,sm|0,pstart|0,mf|1&rr=1&hitprm=&pnLink=yes


This 1800 is in Wisconsin. 2 person cab though.

Snowcats are all cool, and some better than others when it comes down to individual traits. Ride quality, deep snow ability, maintenance requirements, cost to own, cost to purchase, weight and size for transporting, storage or hauling capacity, parts availability, fun factor, etc.

Cider Tom says it best- determine which one fits, and then find it.

We were open to many different models, but we were most aesthetically drawn to the Sno-trac, so that became the target (I now know aesthetics are NOT a legitimate reason to choose a snowcat model, or an individual machine).

Through a vintage car trade, we ended up with a wide track Imp, and I thank my lucky stars that happened. We had dismissed the Imp in our initial cat search because the consensus of opinions talked about them like they were the "beginner" model; too small, toys, not serious enough, not cool enough, etc. I can now say "What a bunch of bull!!"

Not to say the Imp is perfect, or the best, and in fact in one case "it's the worse"
A) Category-Cab Noise Simple solution, bought headsets, now the copilot and I can talk easily with minimal noise.

Now the good traits-

Light- 2800lbs. Our lbs per sq. ft. of track is way better than most
Small- easier to haul, trailer, turn around, store, etc.
Cheap- Probably the cheapest avg. purchase price of all the cats
Parts availability- relatively few proprietary parts. Virtually everything available
Maintenance requirements- Right there with the easiest models

Now the really good traits-

Storage and Hauling capacity- We use ours for cabin access, so the average trip involves hauling friends, bags, dogs, coolers, food boxes, skis, etc. Our full- bodied Imp may look small, but it can haul a huge amount of gear, or 6 people and some gear. Try that in a Snow-trac with one back door (you can't get in to drive).

Snow ability- We can only speak for a wide track model, since it is our only experience; It is waaay better than people report on the forum. Deep snow, steeep hills, even pulling a 400lb skied trailer. Destroys the Snow-trac in this category! Faster than most other cat models, too.

Don't get me wrong, Still love and want a Snow-trac, just glad that we accidentally got the Imp instead, for it fits our situation much better. The Imp won't be popular at the vintage cat show; heck the Tuckerites can't see that far down from their citrus perch, but it is a much more worthy cat than people give it credit.

Don't know much about a Bombi, other than one awkward trait; center controls and 3 seats, which means if there are two of you, you better be comfortable looking like you're out on date night, which Glacier Sean can attest to.

Thiokol are great machines, very capable and have a can do attitude !!!! kicks grousers and taking names...


whatever you buy, DO NOT BUY A TUCKER, all of the two track machines are far superior to the tucker, besides tuckers are nothing more than a money PIT

and yes, they are the slowest of the slow.....

Agree with Mikemikelle.



I drove a 1450 Super Imp. 6 cylinder 200 CID Ford with automatic. Full cab. Surprisingly roomy inside and being an auto trans it's very easy to drive. Light weight so it trailers well behind a pickup or SUV.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thiokol-IM...h=item41e05f814f:g:n~cAAOSwdbZa3jlu:rk:4:pf:0


Not a Super Imp but same idea. Big price though. This one has the Ford V4.


Ignore the Princess. There are no good Tuckers for sale. She has all of them.

Pontoon Princess said:

whatever you buy, DO NOT BUY A TUCKER, all of the two track machines are far superior to the tucker, besides tuckers are nothing more than a money PIT

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T ravels slow
U really need a 2 track
C ant turn good
K iss your money goodbye
E veryone else is faster
R eally needs a better blade

There is a widetrack super imp on east Idaho Craigslist. 17k with the tilt trailer, looks like a nice one

https://eastidaho.craigslist.org/hvo/d/pinehurst-smaller-groomer-reduced/6809177413.html

The Imp that PJL posted on ebay has the older drop center grouser, which is friendlier on a gravel approach/turning on hard surfaces. The newer Imps have more of a modern snow grouser style, and then there is the wide track, which has substantially more width (84 1/4" overall width). We had to search a bit for a ramp trailer that it would fit between the fenders (or switch to a heavier deck-over trailer). We found one with a 1/4" to spare on each side of the tracks (but actually 1 1/2" over width from a legal standpoint, oops).

MNoutdoors said:

T ravels slow
U really need a 2 track
C ant turn good
K iss your money goodbye
E veryone else is faster
R eally needs a better blade

Click to expand...

all very true,

I would change the R to: rust every where

mikemikelle said:

The Imp that PJL posted on ebay has the older drop center grouser, which is friendlier on a gravel approach/turning on hard surfaces. The newer Imps have more of a modern snow grouser style, and then there is the wide track, which has substantially more width (84 1/4" overall width). We had to search a bit for a ramp trailer that it would fit between the fenders (or switch to a heavier deck-over trailer). We found one with a 1/4" to spare on each side of the tracks (but actually 1 1/2" over width from a legal standpoint, oops).

View attachment 110627

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got to say last year up at the last snowflake snow cat gathering at Timberline Lodge, this machine just kicked everyones grouser...great machine to own

really can not see any draw backs to an imp.

That Idaho Imp on CL would fit the bill in my humble opinion. It's on the high side of the price range but it does include the trailer and it's in Idaho which is northwest.

Sure wish CL sellers would post more and better pics though.

Super
U will have fun
Powerful
Economical
Reliable
Interior is spacious
Monetarily easy on the pocket
Plenty of speed

Speedy when they run
No parts available (except the engine)
Old
Tiny door
Rusty frames
Awfully loud inside
Cramped seating

Hope we didn't scare off Tango. He went dark.

Seriously though lots of good advice on this board.

Every time this turns into a ford vs chevy vs dodge vs studebaker discussion. (Here I am with a light-line international).



WT Super imps probably are the best all around bang for buck. No one beats a pontoon tucker for steep and deep. SUV for a snow road, it's hard to beat a SnowTrac. I've seen everything from a antique to current production. Everything has good points and bad.



Maybe we should develop one of those flow chart algorithms for cat selection.


At least in my case, I can still get the VW parts. (Jbugs, should get here Tue) (I hope)

in the food chain of over the snow travel,

tucker is barely above snow shoes,

and that was the goal of Sr., he hated walking through snow

Or if you're a little more eccentric than most you could go trackless. With enough horsepower you'll be the champion of speed, and steep and deep ......... and well, decibels. Turns on less than a dime and the diff doesn't get hot. The bottom is a consumable but dont worry they are readily available. Cab amenities, well not so much but Elon Musk/SpaceX make a suit for that for only a few dollars more.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2150124801710902&id=550051478384917

all fun and jokes aside, and from experience, if you want a true all terrain machine, or one that can pull a groomer in heavy snow on a twisty trail, get a Tucker - if you want a machine that doesn't slam hard enough to jar your fillings out every time you go over an obstacle, get a tucker - if you'd like to easily get parts for the drive line for your machine at the local auto wrecker, get a tucker - I've had a sno-trac, still have a J5 ( for sale ) and a 1344 tucker - l'm not as experienced as some on this forum, but I need my machines to work - I want to get the job done in a manner that is easy on the machine - on 9 or 10 foot wide trails that wind through dense forest, the Tucker is the only one that could do it in tough conditions and it does it so easily it's almost funny

sleddogracer said:

all fun and jokes aside, and from experience, if you want a true all terrain machine, or one that can pull a groomer in heavy snow on a twisty trail, get a Tucker - if you want a machine that doesn't slam hard enough to jar your fillings out every time you go over an obstacle, get a tucker - if you'd like to easily get parts for the drive line for your machine at the local auto wrecker, get a tucker - I've had a sno-trac, still have a J5 ( for sale ) and a 1344 tucker - l'm not as experienced as some on this forum, but I need my machines to work - I want to get the job done in a manner that is easy on the machine - on 9 or 10 foot wide trails that wind through dense forest, the Tucker is the only one that could do it in tough conditions and it does it so easily it's almost funny

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OMG...In the face of overwhelming (and undeserved, IMHO) Snow Trac praise...the voice of reason.

(Standing by for the onslaught from the Snow Trac Mafia...)

hmmmm

every snow cat owner believes their machine is the best, otherwise, why would they own it? Ford, chevy, dodge etc etc etc...

having many, many, many hours in just about every major manufacture ( relevant to the industry ) I can say, without a doubt, Tucker is the only machine that I would ever take into the back country, no, matter what year it is. I will add, a Frandee is the only other machine I might even consider to make a back country trip.

And every side by side comparison done from 1950 through the mid seventies, Tucker always came out as #1. Yes, I have about 15 some of these comparison test reports.

and being raised as a princess and taught only to say nice things, I will always tell the other owners what they want to hear, 'their machine is the best one on the snow'....

I keep my Snow Trac parked right next to my Volvo, V-8 powered wagon.

are we good Blackfoot ?

we need a clickable laugh icon, or at least one that chuckles - lol

I hope he’s not believing all this

Re: DON'TWTB

tango said:

Hey Guys new on here and also to snowcats, I'm looking for 3 or 4 passenger snowcat. I like the reports from the Bombi but not sure of availability . I live in the northwest. Looking to spend 10000-15000. Is there anything like this out there. Thank you

Click to expand...

ok, here's the REAL answer.

no, there really isn't anything worth buying. It's all going to break, get stuck, flip over, be a pain to fix, go too slow, go too fast, be a money pit, the wrong color, cause anxiety, lead to arguments, weight gain, hair loss, stain the concrete in the garage and lose ALL of it's value as soon as you sign the check or hand over the stack of bills.

Wait a few months and get a nice boat, I hear those are better investments.