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Tucker idler wheel questions

A few questions, not all about idler wheels.

First question, are my ice breakers in the wrong location ? Should the ice breakers be in back?

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Next, this wheel is in bad shape, bearings are gone, it was running on the spindle. The races are still in the wheel, have similarly trashed wheels been saved with new races and bearing sets?

20200110_200712_zpsqzx41ejn.jpg


I do have some bearings and seals that came with the machine.

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Now a drive sprocket question. My front sprockets are square tooth. My rears are all the pointed tooth. Is that right?

I just got the machine so I'm doing a bunch of inspection/maintenance stuff. It looks like all of my idlers have some wobble to them, like I need bearings and seals for every wheel. Do the ice breaker wheels use the same bearings and seals as the aluminum wheels?

If I can get the tensionors to move, what sort of tension setting process do I use?

Thanks
 

Track Addict

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Congrats and welcome!

Ice breakers go in the back.

Sterling will walk you through track tension and backer plate torque here: http://sno-cat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/volume-2issue-3.pdf

Tucker used both types of sprockets over the years so I think that’s ok other that aesthetics for us that like matching.

Here’s a link to some info on the bearings and seals. The seals go in backwards. Should be a washer that covers them and the newer metal spaced has an oring. New bearings might work. The idlers on the adjuster wobble a little bit usually from play in the adjuster tube: http://www.forumsforums.com/3_9/showthread.php?t=84592
 
thanks a bunch!

are there any reasonable sources for the plastic slide strips or am I best off buying and drilling my own from UHMW?
 

Track Addict

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Slides should be a stock item from Tucker or Track inc.

He uhmw tape is for the uneven wear that occurs where your carriers ride and pivot on the axel journals. There is a uhmw sleeve retrofit kit but it’s very very expensive. Tape seems to be a great solution so far.

My 1443 thread and Blackfoot current build outlines the situation.
 

HankScorpio

Member
Get your bearings and seals from ebay and save a ton of cash. When I first got my Tucker it was costing almost $70 a wheel to do bearings and seals from Napa. I now have that down to about $18. Sales, closeouts, NOS deals can be found. BR6 is the bearing but that is also a SET6 or A6 depending on manufacturer. The 16128 seal from Napa is a direct fit but there is a cross reference seal for a honda rear axle WS473367 that is super cheap. I am experimenting with some china bearings and honda seals this season but its too early to report on wear and quality. I also got some great deals from Rockauto on SKF bearings this season. It really pays to shop around. I got SKF BR6 for $6.50 ea and WS473367 for $0.98 at one point (Bought them all!). Stock up when you find deals.

There has been different opinions on seals in "forwards" or "backwards". I am currently running "backwards" and I am having better luck with not pushing seals out when greasing the wheels. Grease the machine as often as possible.
 

alryA

Well-known member
I can't comment on those particular bearings but I will say something about cost and quality. Shopping for our Soucy pods which have lots and lots of them, something like 80, we found bearings that cost from $4 to $70 each. Those wildly different costs per unit were not the same bearing. We ended up getting them at the bearing shop who specialized in snow machine bearings (really :smile:) which were closer to the mid range, than low. Were they better?? No idea, but at least we could change them out in minutes...
 

HankScorpio

Member
I can't comment on those particular bearings but I will say something about cost and quality. Shopping for our Soucy pods which have lots and lots of them, something like 80, we found bearings that cost from $4 to $70 each. Those wildly different costs per unit were not the same bearing. We ended up getting them at the bearing shop who specialized in snow machine bearings (really :smile:) which were closer to the mid range, than low. Were they better?? No idea, but at least we could change them out in minutes...

I agree. This is why you really have to shop around. It doesn't get any better than the Timken SET6 or SKF BR6 but they vary in price from $5-$30. If you just run down to NAPA and grab bearings you will pay the same price to do 1 carrier worth of wheels when you can do the whole machine if you shop around. No data on the china ones yet, I am testing 1 of my ice breakers with 2 china bearings. We will see how they look at the end of the season.
 

olympicorange

Active member
….. also, don't throw away your ''bogie'' wheels , that have had bearing failure.... the center bore can be machined out, a sleeve can be machined to the dimensions of the brg. races & seals, and pressed in. especially if the rubber is in good useable condition. but also to save wheel to send out to be refurbished …..
 
I did a pule if work on idler wheels yesterday. Snugging spindle nuts on loose sets, replacing others, greased everything. Changed oil on t case, checked front and rear diffs, levels are good but i want to change that oil. We put the ice breakers in the rear locarion on front tracks. We removed the tensionor assemblies and greased the sq tubes and reinstalled. Greased carrior pivots, u joints, steering joints. Changed engine oil and filter on the 3-53 detroit. Took out the multigrade the previous owner had been running and put in 30 weight CF-2 rated (like a generic version of delo 100).
We set track tensions to 1.5" sag on all 4 sets. Took it for a ride and although the tracks were nice and smooth, engine was still down on power. Like a fuel starvation thing.

This morning I was tracing fuel lines, l found a filter I wasn't aware of... (stupid). I spun the drain loose and it was full of water. I took it out to get a filter number, cleaned it in gasoline and put it back in, housing was nasty in the bottom too, cleaned that as well. Im going to take it for a ride this afternoon and see if she'll hold 5th gear up at operating RPM. I also vented the fuel tank with an 8th inch steel line that goes up to cab roof height and loops back down.

Ill work on fuel gauge now, tach, wioers and some door rattles next.
 
Took it out and ran the shit out of the little Detroit. Fuel delivery was definitely a problem. She holds 5th gear now and gets up on the governor. I'm pretty happy with the little cat now! Still no tach, the cable is good but it's not engaging at the engine end. Not sure if there's supposed to be an insert to help complete engagement at the back of the cam or?
Wipers are working, fuel gauge sending unit is bad, I can make the gauge ped out by groundi g the signal wire, sending unit is just bad.
 

olympicorange

Active member
…….. detroit's have smaller fuel lines, with 90 * fittings,... always good to take apart & inspect for debris, etc... there's a ''gear-to-gear'' fuel pump , driven off one end of the blower. you can ''Tee'' in a fuel pressure gauge to check operational condition. how does it start , after it sits for awhile , or overnite ( with the engine plugged in, & warm)…. does it ''pop'' right off, or roll over for a number of revolutions, then fire up..... post a pic of the tach drive & the end of tach cable.... there are a couple types. one has an adapter the goes over the end of tach cable , then into tach drive ,... while some have a ''square'' end of the cable, which slides into a ''square'' drive , in the engine drive adapter.... that type usually ''rounds'' off the cable end , so it slips, some times it's noticed on the tach as ...''bouncing'' the needle,... ::smile:
 
The cable has a tang end on the engine side, square on the gauge side. Something isn't engaging on the engine side. Im going to sneak a scope cam back there to see whats going on next time I have it in the shop.

I drove it about 12 miles today. It's doing better on power now.
 

luvthemvws

Active member
Try running a separate, dedicated, ground wire from one of the fuel sender mounting screws to the negative battery post. The sender might only be not having a good ground path and thus not giving the gauge the proper resistance.
 
Try running a separate, dedicated, ground wire from one of the fuel sender mounting screws to the negative battery post. The sender might only be not having a good ground path and thus not giving the gauge the proper resistance.

I touched the 2 wires right at the sending unit, the sending signal wire right to the ground wire that is attached to the sending body, pegged the needle.

So I'm assuming its a broken wire on the rheostat on the sender.
 

asifa3

New member
A few questions, not all about idler wheels.

First question, are my ice breakers in the wrong location ? Should the ice breakers be in back?



Next, this wheel is in bad shape, bearings are gone, it was running on the spindle. The races are still in the wheel, have similarly trashed wheels been saved with new races and bearing sets?


if you do it on your own you may get troubled, or stuck, and it makes you pay more money for it. Why because, time is also money. Instead, a piece of advice from an expert is to simply to go for axle surgeons. They can take care of your job easier.
 

HankScorpio

Member
Quick bearing update:
Last season I ran Timkens, SKF and some china bearings in the bogies. All deep snow high altitude running last year. Greased the machine often with Valvoline synthetic rated for -40. I just pulled off the tracks for my pre season checks and all the bogies were in good shape, no loose bearings, no wrecked bearings. China passes the test last season, we will see what happens this season.
 
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