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Tucker mania

vintagebike

Well-known member
“Refurbishing a Tucker is easier than one might think”. Yeh, right. Just ask anyone who owns one, or two or three.:yum:
 

Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
I just keep seeing some wealthy guy buying a pontoon Tucker. "What's a grease gun?". "I have to use it how often?". "You mean every one of those things!!?"

Might be opening up a whole new service business: Mobile track roller lube. One of those high pressure grease pump systems...
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
hey Cider, that is quite a funny picture you paint, I very much agree,

i actually see the Wealthy Guy buying a Snow Track, they drive just like a Volvo, gooding looking machine and they build well over a 1000 more machines than Tucker, and all said and done, a great snow cat to own

I believe that a fully restored Snow Track is far more desirable than a restored Tucker and worth more

Smart money would buy a Snow Track

Love the one I have
 
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PJL

Well-known member
Sure, Snow Tracs are cooler but no one can ship a Snow Trac back to the factory along with a steamer truck full of $100.00 bills and get it refurbished.
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
Sure, Snow Tracs are cooler but no one can ship a Snow Trac back to the factory along with a steamer truck full of $100.00 bills and get it refurbished.

and the wealthy guy will still need a grease gun and have an empty steamer trunk

smart money would buy a a Snow Track
 

PJL

Well-known member
I'm with Cider. I need a 55 gallon drum of grease and a pneumatic grease gun. $$$$.

Oh and a latte machine. For trail services.
 

Cidertom

Chionophile
GOLD Site Supporter
PJL's Service cat, all your trail side needs:
 

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hey Cider, that is quite a funny picture you paint, I very much agree,

i actually see the Wealthy Guy buying a Snow Track, they drive just like a Volvo, gooding looking machine and they build well over a 1000 more machines than Tucker, and all said and done, a great snow cat to own

I believe that a fully restored Snow Track is far more desirable than a restored Tucker and worth more

Smart money would buy a Snow Track

Love the one I have

REALLY?? - that's interesting - my experience with a Snow-trac was rather negative to put it mildly - it does have some advantages like being easy to haul, but reliability was terrible and it wasn't suitable to pull a groomer with - mine had the ice cleats and constantly drove out of it's tracks when turning on heavy packed snow - I wound up swapping many of the small bogie wheels for hardier casters of the same diameter because of having so many flat tires - parts were hard to get ( this was pre internet ) and if the snow was heavy and wet, you needed a 5 acre field to turn around in - my 1344 82 Tucker has been virtually trouble free, pulls a groomer in heavy snow without working up a sweat, and parts are available at our local auto wrecker if I choose to go with used parts, or I can get new parts from the local auto parts outlet
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
I really do see a difference, I was referring to the pontoon style Tucker when talking about buying either a Snow Track or Vintage Tucker, the Vintage Tucker is high maintenance, like greasing rollers, and go from there, thus, the Snow Track is neat and clean to own and operate. So, for the Wealthy guy, a Snow Track is a better buy.

yes, i do agree when you compare your rubber track Tucker to a Snow Track, the Tucker is far better, and if you are pulling a groomer, game over for the Snow Track.

And, really the rubber track is a better machine than a older pontooned Tucker in terms of serviceability and getting parts for tracks. FYI, building new pontoons is truly a labor of love.
 
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GlacierSean

Member
SUPER Site Supporter
I believe that a fully restored Snow Track is far more desirable than a restored Tucker and worth more

Smart money would buy a Snow Track

Love the one I have

The old Jedi mind trick. "These are not the sno cats you are looking for"
I hope this article isn't correct. I am the type that gets a little sad when I see a large building stuffed with awesome cars that obviously just sit and aren't used. It would be even worse if all of those car collections had a fully restored tucker sitting in the back amongst the Ferrari and corvettes with dead batteries and flat tires.
 

Red130

Member
Good point Sean. What could be sadder than a snowcat that never gets out on the snow? Hope this thought doesn't mess up my sleep tonight.
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
and i strongly believe that the worst thing you can do, is let a machine sit

for me, it is important is run and use every snow cat I own, and I do

and for the wealthy guy, i still think smart money would buy the snow track...
 

Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
and for the wealthy guy, i still think smart money would buy the snow track...

PP, I'm shocked. Shocked that you've broken faith with the orange faithful!

I suppose it depends on the reason the mythical wealthy guy is buying the snowcat, but in this case I totally don't understand the rationale behind a SnowTrac.

There are threads upon threads on these forums about people searching for obscure parts that are "unobtanium". Often their best option is a well used part - that's in marginally better shape than the worn out one they have.

SnowTracs are neither roomy and comfortable, nor particularly capable. Though I wasn't at the Timberline Lodge get together, I recall seeing photos of a SnowTrac that was unable to climb to the higher lodge. And this was on a packed and groomed trail! Honestly, I was blown away by how capable it wasn't.

The people of significant means that I know want to avoid hassles. When they go on vacation they want one that's painless and without "issues". They are going to want a machine that's comfortable, capable, reliable and easily serviced. None of those are attributes of a SnowTrac.

When they take their private jet out to their mountain hideaway the last thing they want is to have problems with their snowcat getting in to their cabin. Fortunately for them, they have the resources to buy a machine without the typical SnowTrac pitfalls.

I've posted this link before. Listen to the comment at about the 1:25 point: "The snowcat is the best investment we've ever made, Erica." The snowcat in question was none other than...a Tucker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5xymCB2i-Q
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
i still drink the orange kool aid, if you were buying a vintage machine, and using it on the prefect sunny day, in prefect snow conditions, and given the real world issues with old pontoon tuckers, i still like the snow track

now if you want a snow cat to get to your multi-million dollar mountain cabin and then, money is not the issue, then go brand new and stay, far far far away from vintage snow cats, unless it is lawn art..

and yes, even my antique and very old school over the sno machine, a 1949 Tucker, 2 pontoon machine, did out climb and out preform all the other 2 track machines, including the Snow Track and very late model pissin bullies

still like the Snow Track for the wealthy guy, who buys more for the thought of using it and having it sit next to his Bugatti/Aston Martin V12
 
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3512b

Junior Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Have snow trac for sale..... send rich person! better idea! Send a really really rich person! Mother need a new washing machine!
Notice the gender neutral
Cause I am a sentive sort of guy( person I mean)

Steve ‘ s Alaska snot trac sales and service, located in Anchorage Alaska where it’s warmer than Ct Mass Cow Hampshire and State o Maine :clap:

where we
screwed the last guy that came threw the door and will be more than happy to be passing the saving on to our valued future customers! :slider3:
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Fun banter, No disrespect for the operator(s) of snow tracs that could not climb Copper peak or Mt Hood (ahem, cough) but right in the ST4 manual is the proper hill climbing procedure for ascending and descending hills.... a terra tracked tucker with out lockers trys to pull things in some situations and is unstoppable in others.

the snow weasel and the tucker family of machines both provide torque while turning, Brake steer machines do as well, just in a more laborsome manner, that upsets situational traction.

Snow tracs are the closest thing to a standard sized automobile. (less intimidating) and are easy to relate to and explain to the neighbor at camp/resort/cottage (insert the regionally correct lingo for a summer home here) while exuding tales of all the wilderness they have traversed....... (Usually on the way to or from a social setting)
 

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Are hip boots provided with this thread??
I aint never drove a Sno-Cat and I will never do it again.
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
a little historical perspective of the Tucker Sno-cat, to start, a brilliant concept, trick the snow into thinking the Tucker is floating on the snow. and that worked!

the only real competition Tucker had when he started out, was snow shoes and cross country skiis, so, speed was never an issue, the Tucker pontooned machines were designed and meant to be run at 5 to 7 mph and no FASTER. at the higher speeds, the track system simply self-destructs and wear out at a very high rate. by design, tucker sno cats should not be run faster than 7 mph, and are a high maintenance machine, Tucker was far superior to snow shoes and cross country skiis. Tuckers were built to access the back county where there were no road and hill to steep.

And in every published "on snow trials" right up through the 60's, Tuckers were shown to be far superior in back country conditions !

as, competitors came to the market in the following years with rubber tracked machines, tucker continued to remain true to the original design, pontoons, 5 -7 mph machine, with the new rubber tracked machines were going, an unheard of 15 mph, WOW, and in the early 70's, tucker started offering a rubber tracks on their machines. they continued to offer pontoons into the early 80's. what seems true, speed was the new norm, and vintage tuckers can not compete, the are still 5 -7 mph, high maintenance machine, and yes, I should acknowledge the real issues with the construction of mild steel pontoons rusting from the inside out, with link pins that have worn nearly in half from use ( wears much faster the faster you go ) and rollers that are meant to wear to save the rails on the pontoons, that have flanges so razor thin. The real cost of replacing these items can run into some real serious money when done correctly, ( and yes, you can cheat death and make do with worn and patched together parts, all in the name of saving money ) these costs alone for the pontoon restoration can and do exceed the cost of buying a real nice Snow Track, and or, I dare say a Imp/super Imp.

please keep in mind, more smiles per mile in a Tucker and you meet the nicest people in a Tucker, stay orange and tucker on. I do enjoy the slow pace of traveling and adventuring out into the back country in a Tucker Sno-cat

And IMHO, for the vintage market in the real world, Snow Track is a better buy for the money.

The Legend of Tucker is unmatched and no other snow cat even gets close, and that is why I am drawn to these legendary machines and collect them, it is the history.
 
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Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
...and yes, I should acknowledge the real issues with the construction of mild steel pontoons rusting from the inside out, with link pins that have worn nearly in half from use ( wears much faster the faster you go ) and rollers that are meant to wear to save the rails on the pontoons, that have flanges so razor thin. The real cost of replacing these items can run into some real serious money when done correctly, ( and yes, you can cheat death and make do with worn and patched together parts, all in the name of saving money ) these costs alone for the pontoon restoration can and do exceed the cost of buying a real nice Snow Track, and or, I dare say a Imp/super Imp.

please keep in mind, more smiles per mile in a Tucker and you meet the nicest people in a Tucker, stay orange and tucker on. I do enjoy the slow pace of traveling and adventuring out into the back country in a Tucker Sno-cat

And IMHO, for the vintage market in the real world, Snow Track is a better buy for the money.

The Legend of Tucker is unmatched and no other snow cat even gets close, and that is why I am drawn to these legendary machines and collect them, it is the history.

PP, There have been some serious advances in materials, as well as manufacturing processes since the heyday of the steel tracked Tuckers.

In some photos of restored machines the steel track parts look like they've lost a lot of their original size due to wear and/or the ravages of rust. I wonder how costly it would be to have some new parts made in a foundry overseas, as well as link pins made from better materials and of course some flanged bearings?

If I were uber-rich I'd much rather have a Tucker 743 Freighter than a SnowTrack. I could see my similarly fabulously wealthy buddies come over to show them my garage stuffed with beautifully restored vehicles. They might remember the SnowTrac as a Matchbox toy from their youth (I had one). But when I started the SnowTrac I can picture guys laughing at the VW exhaust sound and saying "Really, is this a joke?" But when I showed them the 743 and said it's the brother of the machines that went to the South Pole and then opened the hood and revealed the Industrial Hemi, I see smiles. And when that engine barks to life, I see guys smiling and nodding in approval. Priceless!

BTW, If I keep this up the forum's "SnowTrac mafia" are going to pay me a visit...
 

Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
and you are right about the better materials that are now available and when you take advantage of this and make up new link pins, grousers, rollers, and rebuild/manufacture new pontoons, you still run into some very serious money, thank god for rubber tracked tuckers

do not underestimate the V-Dub mafia,

seems like a lot of uber rich CEO's first car was a V-Dub

and they drive Volvos now days,

and yes they do remember the toy snow track just like you did

and for my money a snow track is a better choice
 

Red130

Member
PP, I agree it is not about speed. If someone really just wants to go fast, they may want to just travel by snowmobile. I'm not a Tucker guy (at this point) but I've sprained my neck a few times looking at them. I just hope Tuckers don't go the way of the Toyota FJ40. Even many of the people who loved them from the beginning have been priced out of that game now.

What I really enjoy is moving snow. Building road or grooming with the snowcat, plowing snow with a tractor, or blowing snow with our ancient Unimog. Skiing is right up there too. Tucker on!
 

Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
and you are right about the better materials that are now available and when you take advantage of this and make up new link pins, grousers, rollers, and rebuild/manufacture new pontoons, you still run into some very serious money, thank god for rubber tracked tuckers

do not underestimate the V-Dub mafia,

seems like a lot of uber rich CEO's first car was a V-Dub

and they drive Volvos now days,

and yes they do remember the toy snow track just like you did

and for my money a snow track is a better choice

In your research about having new parts made, have you looked overseas for possible suppliers?

I mention this because one of my best friends worked for several years reverse engineering various automatic transmission parts. Knowing how and why they failed he would often improve the redesign by changing materials, or tolerances or processes. The company would then get quotes from vendors in Asia, typically Taiwan and South Korea and source them there. They would then sell them to transmission rebuilders in the US.

My understanding is that it was very lucrative for the company's owner(s).

Of course the size of the production runs would partially determine pricing, and of course there would be shipping charges, too, and maybe customs issues?

Just a thought...

There's a saying in the Harley world that's totally applicable to Tuckering. "It's not the destination, it's the journey".
 
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Pontoon Princess

Cattitute
GOLD Site Supporter
interesting

the issue is not failure due to bad design, the reality is, that grousers and link pins are not greased, bare metal on bare metal, (FYI, both were hardened to rockwell 55 ) if greased was used, you would add dirt into the parts and increase the rate of wear, just a bad idea to do so. just a fact of life with a Tucker pontoon machine, pretty much any improvement you many make, just is not going to make it last longer or work better, tucker more less, got it right the first time, they just are high maintenance and require lots of attention. tuckers are not for the light of mechanical skills or pocket book.

and the journey has been wonderful


even more than before, smart money is buying a Snow Track, besides, they really are a blast at a car shows, blows the doors of the V-DUB groupies, funny thing even a KT-3 stirs the pot with the V-DUB folks
 
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Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
PP,

Call it "intellectual curiosity", but never having owned, driven or even looked at a steel track Tucker very closely, I'd like to know more. Could you perhaps take some photos of the various parts involved?

I've reached out to my buddy and when he asks questions I have to say "I dunno". My lack of knowledge is impressive...NOT!

BTW, Several years ago I almost bought a 543. It was listed on ksl.com and was in Pinedale, WY. It looked to be in surprisingly nice shape and the price seemed reasonable. Legendary forum member Weatherby was considering a Tucker for a restoration candidate. I was encouraging him to buy it, and didn't want to buy it if he did. So it "got away". In retrospect I should have just bought it and then offered it to him at cost.
 

3512b

Junior Member
GOLD Site Supporter
In your research about having new parts made, have you looked overseas for possible suppliers?

I mention this because one of my best friends worked for several years reverse engineering various automatic transmission parts. Knowing how and why they failed he would often improve the redesign by changing materials, or tolerances or processes. The company would then get quotes from vendors in Asia, typically Taiwan and South Korea and source them there. They would then sell them to transmission rebuilders in the US.

My understanding is that it was very lucrative for the company's owner(s).

Of course the size of the production runs would partially determine pricing, and of course there would be shipping charges, too, and maybe customs issues?

Just a thought...

There's a saying in the Harley world that's totally applicable to Tuckering. "It's not the destination, it's the journey".

very Lucrative! Hum!

sounds like a very very very rich person!

Just the person that should own my “lovely ever slightly used” Snow trac!
Way more cooler than a tucker!

I will even throw in the 15% price uplift for sending American manufacturing jobs over seas! Just for him!
And don’t forget the 5 year or 50 ft out the driveway warranty! This month only!

Mother getting her Washing Machine AND a DRIER now!
Course their made in......:whistling:
 
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