Are Tucker Sno-Cats Top Heavy?

Just sort of thinking about some of the things I like about my little Snow Trac and one of them is that they are very stable in every condition that I have encountered. So that got me to wondering about the designs of other brands.

Seems to me that Tucker Sno-Cats are sort of the Dolly Parton's of snowcat and carry a lot of weight up on top Does that make them tippy on slopes? I'm specifically talking about the 4 track Tuckers like the 3xx and 4xx series Tuckers. They carry their entire engine and cabin above the top of their tracks. While this design should give them superior ground clearance, it also seems like the center of gravity would be very high.


On the other hand, units like the Kristis and Snow Tracs are far lower to the ground and, at least in theory, should be very stable on slopes.

So, Tucker guys what say you? Are Tuckers top heavy and potentially tippy on side slopes.

Bob
Now i know why i like Tucker Sno Cats, it's because of Dolly.

I have operated steel track,rubber belted and Terras and none of them seemed to be top heavy. They will slide sideways on a steep slope before tipping over.
Like any machinery caution should be used on a side hill.
I do remember seeing an old picture of a steel track at Whiteface Mtn Ski Center laying on it's side,so they can be tipped over.

If it would start snowing, i'd be able to tell ya

Eric

Eric L said:

If it would start snowing, i'd be able to tell ya

Eric

Click to expand...

I can tell you even in warm weather Dolly Parton is top heavy

What I've found with my Tucker is that my terror threshold is lower than its tilt threshold. I've got an angle gauge in my cab and I regularly sidehill 30+ degree slopes with no hint of tipping.

Jeff

Jeff,

Just out of curiousity, is your's a 400 series Tucker and how WIDE is it versus how TALL? I know the 500 series used double-wide pontoons so I would expect they would be the most stable on a side slope.

For example, by Snow Trac is 6'2" wide and 6'4" tall.

just measured my 443..

6'-4" wide and 7'-2" tall

BTW it ran today... had to move it from its summer parking spot to make room for the Lincoln that looks like it gonna spend the winter here.

Eric

342a6

6'-5" wide and 6'-10" tall

48" to the top of the engine.

In looking at my Snow Trac a little closer, the engine is sitting very low, and only the air intake and the upper portion of the fan sits above the top of the tracks. Being a boxer engine design, the cylinders are at the bottom of the engine and that puts the weight of the engine at roughly the mid point of the track height. As for the cabin height, the Tucker is made very much like a pick up truck cab, but the Snow Trac has a fairly tall cab because you have to walk to the back of the Snow Trac to exit so the cabin is very tall by comparison.

I doubt it is easy to tip any snowcat, even a Tucker with its engine above the tracks is probably hard to tip, but I suspect that it would be darn near impossible roll a Snow Trac? If the Tuckers have their weight up high and are the Dolly Parton of snowcats, does that mean that Snow Tracs, with their weight down low, are more like Rosie O'Donnell

My little mighty mouse is 6'3" tall 7' wide 8' long. The center of the boxer motor is 30" above the ground. I have not had it in much snow yet but it is very stable on steep ditch banks and inclines.