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THIOKOL 601 RESTORE

weatherby

Member
The beginning of my long awaited restore. And can you believe it (the wife just doesn't get it):confused2:
 

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Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
Wow! You are going to have an absolute blast restoring her! Please keep us in healty supply of pics as you go along the path! I'd enjoy getting a 10-person Thiokol like yours and undetaking the same project... so I'll try to live vicariously through your updates to the forum.
Cheers
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
can you believe it (the wife just doesn't get it):confused2:

Your wife doesn't get it? :yum: I'm pretty sure that any wife who thinks we are sane to buy 30 to 40 year old snowcats so we can take them apart to put them back together and really have no practical use for them would have to be insane to "get it."

By the way, is that a Cub Cadet 7000 series tractor in the background? Or maybe a Challenger?
 

Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
koz said:
Here's a link to a snowmobile club in Maine that has a few of the SUV's with snowmobile tracks on them http://www.gorhamsnogoers.org/

IMG_0027.JPG
These snow mobile tracks look to be a pretty good possible option to the ridiculously over-priced Mattracks (ok, I know, lots and lots of engineering into it but alot of those engineering costs should have been recovered by the military-related design efforts). Anyone know the approximate cost? I'm checking into it.
 

79bombi

Member
Site Supporter
I firmly believe there are two types of people in this world. When you tell them you bought a snow cat there are two reactions "how cool" or "why would you do that?" My wife is firmly in the second category of people.

Good luck with the restore and with the wife.

79Bombi
 

weatherby

Member
mtncrawler said:
Are you planning to restore to original or upgrade this 601? Past history?
Well I went back & forth for quite awhile (years) trying to decide how to restore this (thing) as my wife calls it and because of its tour of duty in the U.S.A.F. I finally decided to bring it back to its original condition.Now I know thats going to be allot easer said than done but I'll try to get as close as I can get. I am now trying to find out the correct color of blue it is supposed to be and thats turning out to be some what of a problem. The HISTORY of this 601 that I have been able to find out is it started life in the A.F it went directly up to the ARCTIC CIRCLE to be used to patrol what we then called the DEW line (distant early warning) line. (Radar instillations sites that watched RUSSIA). Long about the mid to late 60s it was shipped down to K.I. SAWYER AFB in Marquette Michigan and it stayed there patrolling the B-52s that were stationed there at that time also at that time it had some type of machine gun mounted on the roof next to the roof hatch:gun1: ( now only if I had pics.of that ):cool2: That AFB closed in the early 80s and then it was some how given/donated to the county up there and they used it for just getting back into the bush when needed, fighting forest fires, and grooming snowmobile trails which they say it did not make a good groomer so towards the end of the 80s they bought a big new TUCKER and this 601 began sitting more & more till it just started sinking into the ground out behind one of there out buildings and never even started for about 4 years. Thats when I started inquiring about it then after about 2 years of red tape I finally got my hands on it in JAN.94 and its been sitting till now. The gun was taken off when K.I. sawyer closed.
 

weatherby

Member
79bombi said:
I firmly believe there are two types of people in this world. When you tell them you bought a snow cat there are two reactions "how cool" or "why would you do that?" My wife is firmly in the second category of people.

Good luck with the restore and with the wife.

79Bombi
You took the words rite out of my mouth i had many people look at me after they looked at it (as my wife calls it) and say things like ARE YOU NUTS:eek: and then I would have other people say things like THATS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN:a1:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
The HISTORY of this 601 that I have been able to find out is it started life in the A.F it went directly up to the ARCTIC CIRCLE to be used to patrol what we then called the DEW line (distant early warning) line. (Radar instillations sites that watched RUSSIA). Long about the mid to late 60s it was shipped down to K.I. SAWYER AFB in Marquette Michigan and it stayed there patrolling the B-52s that were stationed there at that time also at that time it had some type of machine gun mounted on the roof next to the roof hatch:gun1: ( now only if I had pics.of that ):cool2: That AFB closed in the early 80s
That is a great history. :flagusa: Do you have any idea what the original AF markings would have been on this unit? I presume a white star, but there must have been some other designations?

This restoration project will make some great reading, I'll be looking forward to your progress reports and photos. :cool2:
 

weatherby

Member
B_Skurka said:
Your wife doesn't get it? :yum: I'm pretty sure that any wife who thinks we are sane to buy 30 to 40 year old snowcats so we can take them apart to put them back together and really have no practical use for them would have to be insane to "get it."

By the way, is that a Cub Cadet 7000 series tractor in the background? Or maybe a Challenger?
Boy you said a mouth full there!!!!!!!!

And yes that is a 27HP diesel Cub Cadet
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
And yes that is a 27HP diesel Cub Cadet
7000 series with a Mistubishi engine and probably a HST transmission?
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Stay on subject ! We need a damn machine gun ! Everybody check you garage!!!!
 

weatherby

Member
B_Skurka said:
That is a great history. :flagusa: Do you have any idea what the original AF markings would have been on this unit? I presume a white star, but there must have been some other designations?

This restoration project will make some great reading, I'll be looking forward to your progress reports and photos. :cool2:
I am glad you brought that up because I forgot to include in that post that when I was in contact with my source at THIOKOL along with the manual that he sent me he also sent me a 8x10 black&white photo of one of several 601s that left there factory at that time for the Arctic he had no idea of which one it was maybe mine maybe not but at least it's exactly what what mine did look like when new. I am going to try and get that 8x10 on to my P.C. so I can post it and show you guys. But I don't know yet if a 8x10 can be made to look as it should when and if I can figure out to make it fit a 700x800 pixel post:confused2:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
EXXXXXACTLY:a1: I bet you have one
No, I'm just a tractor geek. I've got a much smaller/older Cub 1862. Plus a New Holland TC24D, a Kubota B2910 and a Ventrac 3000.
 

weatherby

Member
B_Skurka said:
No, I'm just a tractor geek. I've got a much smaller/older Cub 1862. Plus a New Holland TC24D, a Kubota B2910 and a Ventrac 3000.
Very cool I,m sorta one to I,d like to show you some pics. of a Fordson Major Diesel I restored a few years back but can I post them here? or should I post them some where else. This is all new to me (writing into a forum )so I don,t know what I can or can not or where or where not to do certain things.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
Very cool I,m sorta one to I,d like to show you some pics. of a Fordson Major Diesel I restored a few years back but can I post them here? or should I post them some where else. This is all new to me (writing into a forum )so I don,t know what I can or can not or where or where not to do certain things.
There is a TRACTOR area here in the Forums. I would post the photos there. Most of the original members here at the ForumsForums website are actually tractor people. I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate seeing the pictures and hearing about the restoration.

As for any rules here on the ForumsForums website, the #1 rule is to be civil. Most anything goes for topics or discussion, but there are some areas where some discussions are better held than others. For example, many of the Tractor people do not frequent the Snowcat areas, many of the political debates occur in the Debate/Discussion area and those people to visit some of the other areas. There are places for Jokes, computers, etc. Just look over the main index and post your pictures or topics in the area you think would be best to get the most people viewing them.

Also there is a photo gallery, you can post larger photos and files in the photo gallery than you can in the discussion area. BUT if you post photos in the gallery, you cannot really discuss them because it is more like a photo album where you "look" at the pictures or files. There is even a secret "adult" area called the LOCKER ROOM. It has adult oriented humor and photos. You have to ask "DOC" our ForumsForums administrator to let you in there, and you have to be a member here for a certain amount of time and make something like a dozen posts to qualify to get in there. Some of the stuff in there is pretty funny. Some of the photos are pretty entertaining :whistle: but there is no x-rated stuff in there.
 

weatherby

Member
B_Skurka said:
There is a TRACTOR area here in the Forums. I would post the photos there. Most of the original members here at the ForumsForums website are actually tractor people. I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate seeing the pictures and hearing about the restoration.

As for any rules here on the ForumsForums website, the #1 rule is to be civil. Most anything goes for topics or discussion, but there are some areas where some discussions are better held than others. For example, many of the Tractor people do not frequent the Snowcat areas, many of the political debates occur in the Debate/Discussion area and those people to visit some of the other areas. There are places for Jokes, computers, etc. Just look over the main index and post your pictures or topics in the area you think would be best to get the most people viewing them.

Also there is a photo gallery, you can post larger photos and files in the photo gallery than you can in the discussion area. BUT if you post photos in the gallery, you cannot really discuss them because it is more like a photo album where you "look" at the pictures or files. There is even a secret "adult" area called the LOCKER ROOM. It has adult oriented humor and photos. You have to ask "DOC" our ForumsForums administrator to let you in there, and you have to be a member here for a certain amount of time and make something like a dozen posts to qualify to get in there. Some of the stuff in there is pretty funny. Some of the photos are pretty entertaining :whistle: but there is no x-rated stuff in there.
Are you refering to the VEHICLES / Heavy Equipment section:confused2:
 

weatherby

Member
weatherby said:
The beginning of my long awaited restore. And can you believe it (the wife just doesn't get it):confused2:
Thease pics. were taken at the time I bought it (JAN.94). Water had collected in the rear drive housing over the years of sitting and was frozen ice hard so we had to drag it out to the road then lift so I could get under the rear drive with a tourch to heat it & melt the ice so I could push & pull it up on the trailer for the (400mi) trip home:eek:
 

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AKdadio

New member
Cool photos! I hope you have a great time with this project and post photos. I noticed the suspension the 601 uses, had never seen that, it is like a torsion-bar suspension approach with really man-sized springs.

On another note, if anyone was curious what it is is like to actually use a snow cat in snow. . . here you go . . .
 

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Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
Are you refering to the VEHICLES / Heavy Equipment section:confused2:

No there is an area just for TRACTORS.

The FORUMSFORUMS has several areas. We are obviusly in the SNOWCAT area. But there are some general topic sub-forums and some specific sub-Forums.

Below are some screen captures, you can see that the RURAL LIVING sub-forum has the TRACTOR section. But the VEHICLE sub-forum has the has the HEAVY EQUIPMENT section.
 

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Mainer

Boggie likes our museum
SUPER Site Supporter
That's very kewl to pull your 601 from what sounds almost like a near-death expeience for her...to bring her back to her former beauty. Please be sure to keep us all overly updated. Any more good historical shots would be appreciated too.
 

weatherby

Member
B_Skurka said:
No there is an area just for TRACTORS.

The FORUMSFORUMS has several areas. We are obviusly in the SNOWCAT area. But there are some general topic sub-forums and some specific sub-Forums.

Below are some screen captures, you can see that the RURAL LIVING sub-forum has the TRACTOR section. But the VEHICLE sub-forum has the has the HEAVY EQUIPMENT section.
You must think I,m either blind or a complete moron or both because I must of looked at that page 10 times and did not see tractors.:soapbox: Boy now I know what it feels like to have to have somebody draw you picture to show you how to do something:hide:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
weatherby said:
You must think I,m either blind or a complete moron or both because I must of looked at that page 10 times and did not see tractors.
If you would like, I could type s _ l _ o _ w and LOUD :yum:
 

weatherby

Member
Mainer said:
That's very kewl to pull your 601 from what sounds almost like a near-death expeience for her...to bring her back to her former beauty. Please be sure to keep us all overly updated. Any more good historical shots would be appreciated too.
In the pic with me pulling on the chain!!!! You probably see a back- ho behind the snocat well that was juuusstt in case I lost my grip:yum: :yum:
 

derehe

New member
Do you know where you can get more info on those cool snowmobile tracks. I agree that the Mat tracks seem very expensive.
 
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