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Getting your treasure home

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Finding these cats in the wild is one thing, getting them home is another. Where's Waldo? in this photo. When there is no road alternate transportation is required. A big thank you to Snowtrac Nome.
 

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4TrackCat

New member
Site Supporter
Finding these cats in the wild is one thing, getting them home is another. Where's Waldo? in this photo. When there is no road alternate transportation is required. A big thank you to Snowtrac Nome.
Quite the find Mr. Drifter. Congrats! Always an adventure [emoji1303]
 

Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
Lets see.
October: Check
Barge out of Alaska: Check
No salt spray, HAR HAR

Perhaps at the back you won't get a salt wash down ...
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I been watching the bow cam on our icebreaker .it just went by Nome yesterday 3.16 c some snow and rain at times.
 

3512b

Junior Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Aw Nome Alaska such a great place I heard ! I like to visit some time.....Gold on the beaches and the Tucker is what color?:clap:
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Finding these cats in the wild is one thing, getting them home is another. Where's Waldo? in this photo. When there is no road alternate transportation is required. A big thank you to Snowtrac Nome.

Kind of looks like the barge got switched to a smaller tug and is moving again.
Jim
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
it had snowed by the time the barge left I loaded a huge crane, compactor end dump and some other stuff on over snow covered ramps, talk about pucker factor
 

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Just a reminder to you freighter freaks,here is what happens if you do not properly secure the axle extensions and sprockets to the hubs. Goes for 500's too.
 

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sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Nice find !! Is that a 743?

I believe this to be the transition Freighter. The early("53 Bogie/Aaron) models have the suicide doors, auto transmissions, round grills with eleven vertical bars. The later('55 Rock & Roll) models have front hinged doors, manual transmissions, flat front grills with the outside bars wrapped around with 15 or 17 vertical bars. This Freighter has suicide doors, auto transmission, flat front grill with 13 vertical bars without outside bars that wrap around. The engine side panels do the wrap around similar to the '53 models. Also the front door windows are radiused at the corners which the others are not. One stray cat.
 

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Aaron Tucker

Active member
I believe this to be the transition Freighter. The early("53 Bogie/Aaron) models have the suicide doors, auto transmissions, round grills with eleven vertical bars. The later('55 Rock & Roll) models have front hinged doors, manual transmissions, flat front grills with the outside bars wrapped around with 15 or 17 vertical bars. This Freighter has suicide doors, auto transmission, flat front grill with 13 vertical bars without outside bars that wrap around. The engine side panels do the wrap around similar to the '53 models. Also the front door windows are radiused at the corners which the others are not. One stray cat.


Great info that I've never heard or noritce :smile:
 

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Nome cat lands at Seattle. These cats are so light on the snow they seem to float.
 

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sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
A very interesting freighter. It has factory installed drum brakes on the rear axle. Notice the two extra holes in the pontoon for adjusting the brake shoes. The hood sheet aluminum is one piece side to side with four 90 degree breaks which form the VEE. Early ones are three piece welded. Late (1955 on) are one piece without the VEE.

I talked with a Nome resident who knows about this cat from it's arrival in Alaska. He knew that the U.S. Air Force bought two of them, which checked out from the factory records, sequential ser. nos. He said that they did service above the Arctic Circle and went to the North Pole! We will research this and hope to find photos of this. Perhaps this cat(1953) went to the North Pole before Rock and Roll (1956) made it to the South Pole. We will get the two of them together and take the bi-polar Sno-Cat photo.
 

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PJL

Well-known member
Wow, that cat is a piece of history. I'm really looking forward to seeing the restoration.
 

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
The shipping was done by Alaska Logistics. They did a fine job of carefully moving her and helped with the transfer from their skid to my trailer. Thanks Curtis and crew. The way they had it stowed on the two barges, it got no salt spray Mr. Ciderman. Here is the second Alaska Logistics barge in Seattle before unloading. This cat was pulled out of the wild by Snowtrac Nome. Thank you Don for the fine job of getting her on her way.
 

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Aaron Tucker

Active member
this thread is one I really enjoy.
Mine has the same brake system plus a emergency brake on the transmission tail shaft . I love the story behind it !mine was also order by the air force and was delivered to Casper Wyoming. I think the unit is worth more when you have the whole back story on it .
I have to be honest tho ..... there is a shit load of rust on this freighters undercarriage. How are you going to restore the pontoons ? or just get new ones made ?
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
this thread is one I really enjoy.
Mine has the same brake system plus a emergency brake on the transmission tail shaft . I love the story behind it !mine was also order by the air force and was delivered to Casper Wyoming. I think the unit is worth more when you have the whole back story on it .
I have to be honest tho ..... there is a shit load of rust on this freighters undercarriage. How are you going to restore the pontoons ? or just get new ones made ?

does your rear brakes work?
 

Aaron Tucker

Active member
does your rear brakes work?

yes they do . I could not imagine going down some of these rocky mountains with out it . worst would be to stall out hill climbing and go sliding back down backwards . I do wish that I had brakes on the front to axle to . Some times it takes 10 ft to stop depending on how steep the hill is . My emergency brake dose not work tho. I always have to park it at an angle.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
elbo grease is an understatement. I was so afraid of doing any more damage to it getting it loaded. I will have talk to steve down there about that Daewoo forklift, they have one just like it up here, except no cab. I want that cab on the one up here, seems like everytime I have to load out something it is raining horizontally.
 
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