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Parts and Value on old Tuckers

wpelk

New member
New to tucker: I just bought these two classic tuckers at a local auction. I have looked at these two machines since I was a kid and have been fascinated about owning something like them one day. The local government put them up for auction and I was lucky to win both of them. I would appreciate an honest opinion about their value and the rarity of these two machines. The machine on the left is a 1968 with the original Chrysler 6 banger and 2,800 miles. It has steel pontoons and starts and moves great. The interior in both is not great but it’s all there. The one on the right is a 1959 also with the original engine. The miles read 10,000+ but it starts and runs with no problem. As you can see, the “59” has the fiberglass pontoons and an extra set has been included. The two were maintained by the county road department and used to maintain the relay stations for TV. The rollers and track seem to be in good order but I will know more next week when I take possession of them. I am very excited to own these two fine pieces and look forward to restoring them soon. Any help on restoration parts will be greatly appreciated. :smile:
 

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Track Addict

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
They look real nice. In New England maybe 4-7 K each. Higher end by the looks. Pontoons could go based on demand 300-500$ for nice ones that dont need work. Welcome and good luck.

Rollers are difficult so hopefully they are good. Swap the metal pontoons to the four fiberglass ones you have.
 

wpelk

New member
Thank you for your reply. I will be posting progress and other pictures when we take them home. We plan on the track swap after we look over all the rollers. Thanks again.
 

DAVENET

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have no idea what you paid, but great find. They both appear to be clean and wrinkle free which is kind of rare. Your '59 certainly came with steel pontoons from the factory. When they finally wore out the county probably just opted to switch to the fiberglass ones. It's also very likely that when they made that switch (and got a spare set of pontoons as well) they may have bought new track as well??? If so, that would make it much more valuable since track replacement parts are VERY difficult to find- especially rollers. I don't even dare throw a number up there for value. Running & moving probably $5 - 7K each? But the tracks are the absolute key to value for them.

There is a ton of information on this section of the forum and in the restoraton section in particular. So, don't rush, look at all of the other work done on them and welcome to the insanity!
 

DAVENET

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
So, did our estimates make you smile or cry? Of course the most important thing is what's it worth to you!
 

wpelk

New member
It made me smile:) We picked them up for a little less than that but we still wanted them even if we paid more. We knew their history and records for the last 25 years and we love their look. Now the fun begins!!! We are trying to contact the guy that worked on them at the county yard and see if there are any extra parts (rollers, track...) We also picked up a truck that was made to haul them. I'll post pictures when we get them to our yard.
 

wpelk

New member
Here are a few more with the flatbed truck. The flatbed has 20,000 miles on it and is 4 wheel drive. I think it's the ideal set-up:wink:
 

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wpelk

New member
The inside of the older machine and some of the back side of the two.
 

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Northcoast

Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Congratulations on a great buy! Getting both was totally the best thing to do. As I'm sure you are aware,you can swap for rubber tracks at some point if it seems worth your time and money; but my friend has been running his with the steel forever. Keep us posted on how they work for you.
 

wpelk

New member
I know you can switch out tracks but where do you find them? Are they available from Tucker or aftermarket? Cost per track? Any help would be great. Thanks for everything!
 

DAVENET

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Looking at that last pic on the '59, the track was replaced at the same time as the pontoons. The connecting links haven't even been bent for adjustment. So as long as the rollers were greased regularly, you're golden.

Straight up track swaping to rubber would be very expensive and I'm not sure if Tucker offers the option to do it anymore?? Mtn-Track bought a unit with rubber tracks and then made the conversion. Here's some motivation for you: http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=41808
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
that's a nice looking all wheel drive corn binder if I could ever find one in that condition I would have look into buying it. there's not many of those old loadstars out there in that condition.
 

wpelk

New member
Thanks for the info. guys! MTN-Tracks’ cat looks great! The truck was a great bonus for us. They used it to transport these units about 5 miles out of town and route to get to the TV towers is longer than what they transported them. I doubt that the all-wheel drive was used much. A little paint will go a long ways on all these units.
 

wpelk

New member
Well, we lucked out and everything started right up and runs! We loaded both units on the transport truck and took them to their new home. The track bars and rollers on both units have been well maintained and are in very good shape. The county was able to find a pickup truck load of extra track parts (not rollersL) and the tools to tighten the track. The extra pontoons have been used before but very little. We think that someone at the county figured that these things were hard to come by and bought them used for extra parts. Now the work begins!
 

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wpelk

New member
I think they bought a newer tucker a few years ago to replace these. BTW. Nice job on your machine Mtn-Track:)
 
I agree with everybody on your cats - great find and value.

Take care of the roller bearings - grease them often and keep the tracks covered if you don't store them inside.
You're going to learn quickly that the rollers are worth their weight in gold and nearly impossible to find.

Have fun with your Tuckers!
 

wpelk

New member
Thanks guys! We started working on them and have found that they are in better shape than what we thought. Now we need some snow:)
 

wpelk

New member
Hi Guys,
Looking for a little help on decals for the tucker 443. There is a warning decal on the dash that is faded and I would like to replace it with a new one. I will attempt to post a picture of one I found on-line that is just like it. I am looking for a new decal or someone that can make me one to replace it. It's a great addition to the dash and I would love to see it back on there. Also, is this a factory decal or something that was added later? Any help would be great. Thanks
 

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Track Addict

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
There is a thread on here somewhere. I got tucker decals form a guy in oregon who has done a bunch for dealers and restores.
 

wpelk

New member
I will keep looking for the thread. Let me know if you come up with the address or number from the guy in Oregon. Thanks again.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
if you are going to have one of those stickers made up I might chip in to have a few made up for my machines to. it will make for a great conversation piece.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
"This machine is NOT a Kristi!
You can not burn the tracks to keep
warm when you are stuck"
















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