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NEW SNOWCAT COMING TO AMERICA

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
up here in nome there are thiokols skidozers tuckers weasels snow jeeps a few old muskegs otters a m578 and nodwells with all the wierd stuff snow tracs included there has never been a krusty spotted on the seward peninsula.
 

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
I like the look down windows on the Axtrack, but that seems a sure way to see what broke the glass out... Bad enough to get a snag putting a bend in the machine's skin, but one comes though the glass and it gets pretty drafty, pretty quickly.

Maybe if there was expanded metal over the window as part of a guard system it would be good... Like the looks of the unit though!
 

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
OK, I'm Back and the flight from/to Australia sucks......... 4 hrs to LA then 16 hrs to Sydney. found some interesting rigs down under..... driving on the wrong side of the road was interesting to say the least. almost hit a few Roos.......close call with a venomous snake. found a rig in the rain forest
fun trip even with all that a great place to visit. here are a few pictures the old Nodwell was a FN10 found in the rainforest. the pisture of the differential is a 25 year old machine and they still have not replaced the steering clutches


That Nodwell 110 don't look anything like the one I use to have...
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
That Nodwell 110 don't look anything like the one I use to have...

Hey, Foggy. that is the Baby to the 110 it is just a FN-10 and suppose to float. included a picture of a 110 for reference. sitting there so pretty with is OC-15. just waiting for a truck to pick it up next week. just so others know they are 9-7" wide 23 feet long and 9-6 feet tall. with 40" tracks and they still run the OC-15 Differential with outside planetaries.
 

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MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I like the look down windows on the Axtrack, but that seems a sure way to see what broke the glass out... Bad enough to get a snag putting a bend in the machine's skin, but one comes though the glass and it gets pretty drafty, pretty quickly.

Maybe if there was expanded metal over the window as part of a guard system it would be good... Like the looks of the unit though!

That machines front is made of Lexan, I think 1/2" and on the one that is amphibious they are using 3/4" and the center is metal and the grill goes to the top with half doors.
 

Bulldog1401

Anybody seen my marbles?
SUPER Site Supporter
From looking at the pictures of the drive train, if you are going down hill and pull back on the sticks only, are you freewheeling? Thanks.
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
From looking at the pictures of the drive train, if you are going down hill and pull back on the sticks only, are you freewheeling? Thanks.

BD, what happens is the hydraulic piston is normally pressing the the clutchpack tight when you pull the stick it will release and if you pull more it will apply the brake on that side. they are dual caliper . you cannot see the other one in the picture it is down below.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
BD, what happens is the hydraulic piston is normally pressing the the clutchpack tight when you pull the stick it will release and if you pull more it will apply the brake on that side. they are dual caliper . you cannot see the other one in the picture it is down below.
i like the principal just like a crawler simple and effective
 

Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
I think the perspex/lexan see-through would be fine.... thick enough and it'll do the job. I'm thinking of mod'ing a 601 to have that in the floor.

The one thing that does strike me as somewhat impractical is the lights being right there above the tracks...between collecting snow/ice and possible impacts from branches, etc...I'd think that a bit risky place...but this is obviously an accessory that can easily be relocated.
 

Bulldog1401

Anybody seen my marbles?
SUPER Site Supporter
BD, what happens is the hydraulic piston is normally pressing the the clutchpack tight when you pull the stick it will release and if you pull more it will apply the brake on that side. they are dual caliper . you cannot see the other one in the picture it is down below.

So the clutches are held engaged by hydraulic or spring pressure?
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
OK, 25 years... how many miles on the machine?

That I can not answer.....do not know? they do have a fairly short winter season sometimes only two months compaired to our what seems like 9 months.
but on the other hand I have seen disc brakes go 60,000 miles on a 8000 pound vehicle before. so go figure....
 

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
Hey, Foggy. that is the Baby to the 110 it is just a FN-10 and suppose to float. included a picture of a 110 for reference. sitting there so pretty with is OC-15. just waiting for a truck to pick it up next week. just so others know they are 9-7" wide 23 feet long and 9-6 feet tall. with 40" tracks and they still run the OC-15 Differential with outside planetaries.

Yeah, that looks more like mine did...

That other one is suppose to float? Looks like it has boat lines like a rock flies...
 

Woody_1

Member
That is EXACTLY what many people need/want. A SIMPLE (hopefully that also translates into affordable) basic snowcat for personal/backcountry use and for light/medium duty commercial use. Just based on the photos that looks like such a unit.

What engines will be available? Any idea on the configurations that will be available?
Exactly what I would be interested in. Bring it On what are we waiting for. Let's get the snow on the road and GO! WANT! :whistling:
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Exactly what I would be interested in. Bring it On what are we waiting for. Let's get the snow on the road and GO! WANT! :whistling:

as of this current writing this machine is not going to debut here for several reasons.

first and foremost was the fact that that owner of the design gave a set of plans the the government of India.

second after review of the design and speaking with the designer in its current configuration there is a apparent design flaw if used in the real cold
as in -10 or less the differential being made of aluminum and most of its components would shrink to the point that the bearings would not turn . yes something that. can be redesigned.

are review of the current government regulations of the emissions requirements it puts a real strain on the cost of manufacturing a low cost cat

the approx sell price based on the design as it was with no redesign would have been around 85,000 US and at that price I think it would have not been in what we were looking for.

so we have been working on a new design from America by Americans
(some rednecks too) and it is progressing nicely.

but you never know the original design it may be coming to a store near you from India if they mass produce it. but lets hope they redesigned it first for the cold .
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
i have to ask if i'm not being too nosey will you use break steer hydro or some kind of varriator system
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
i have to ask if i'm not being too nosey will you use break steer hydro or some kind of varriator system

actually none of the above, it is a completely new design that we have never seen in use yet. the goal is to keep it as simple as possible without loss at any time to either tracks power some of the clutch brake systems when you clutch the one side you have lost your pull on that side and in deep snow that is not good .
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
look forward to seeing it i have always liked the cross drive diffs that modern armor uses just that it is expensive and heavy the varriator that the snow trac uses is a simple light way to do the same thing since i have been trying a light cheap way do do the same thing with a mechanical or hydraulic link insted of a belt
 

PrecisionMarine

New member
Boggie, do I understand you're trading these for children? I have two.... :)

I'm also very interested in particulars about the differential.. looks to be some sort of double diff with braked planetaries for steering? Hyd activated?
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Boggie, do I understand you're trading these for children? I have two.... :)

I'm also very interested in particulars about the differential.. looks to be some sort of double diff with braked planetaries for steering? Hyd activated?

Are they old enough to mow lawns and pick weeds? the differential
that I think you looked at is the one that was given to the government of India. and also the one that as it is has faults that need correction for cold weather use.

We are however working on a different design. a design we have not seen in use in a tracked vehicle and that is all I can say untill it is patented.
it does use mordern technology that was not in use when these controlled differentials of the past were first developed.
 

Woody_1

Member
Look at all the Rollagon's in Prudhoe Bay with all the aluminum drive trains running around at -50 and colder. The technology is here.
 

Woody_1

Member
They look like a great machine. :clap: I'd also be willing to test it for you (probably not too likely, huh?) :biggrin: When they're 37 years old like my SV200, maybe I could afford to buy one, though.:shifty:
I don;t see 85,000 bucks. 30 to 50k is still steep. Why don't we all take one to our own neck of the woods and put them thru there paces?
 

Joshua

New member
I don't understand why you can not buy one over there and ship it here in a shipping container? If they are set up to build them why relocate to the US? Looks like the perfect machine for my needs. I very much like the idea of higher speeds and low costs. If the weight could be kept down to an easy trailerable weight to would be awesome.:wow:
 
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