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62thiokol trackmaster engine swap

darryl

New member
:2gunsfiri I have a 62 trackmaster with a 223 ford engine in it which seems under powered for it and would like to swap in a cummins4bt diesel.Has anybody done a swap like this?Im just hoping there is enough room.
 

mtncrawler

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Why are you diesel crazy? If you break down in the woods and have to leave the machine overnight in 10 below weather good luck getting it started. Put a 300 Ford inline in it and be happy. I think the exhaust is gonna be on the wrong side but you can probably even use your old radiator. Would be the easy way to go.
 

Teeoster

New member
I'm in the middle of an engine swap in my 1404. Decided to go with 6 cyl gas instead of 4 cyl gas. Pretty much a bolt in with a few dozen mods tossed in for fun:confused2:

We looked at putting a small diesel in it, but rpm's are so low on that the gear ratio would end up being way off. Mtntopper is right, a cold weather machine is not the best home for a diesel either.

Just my thoughts:blahblah:

John
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I actually like diesels engines but I believe there is a place for them, and a place where they do not belong. If I owned a fleet of groomers and my own ski resort then I'd probably want diesels. Then again under those conditions I could control the fleet and the terrain where the fleet operates. Perhaps an oil company, with a fleet and my own recovery vehicles, then I'd also opt for diesel.

But for the private snowcat owner, operating a back country unit that would operate in places where a breakdown would be a big problem, the last engine I'd probably want is a diesel. We have to realize that these vehicles, whether on farmland or mountains, operate under conditions that are freezing, on rough ground, far away from a rescue vehicle. Even mixing in plenty of anti-gel, my truck fleet has had fuel lines freeze on the interstate highways, so I'm not sure I'd want to deal with that problem when a snowcat is stuck on a moutain or in a forest. And as diesels operate best when the engine is hot, if the snowcat is stuck overnight in subzero temps, getting the engine warm enough to start, and keeping the fuel lines from freezing would be a challenge. At my warehouse we use propane "torpedo" heaters to thaw our trucks, but then we have access to electricity, propane tanks, and a heater.

Diesels are great engines, but I'm not sure its the best choice for every application. Other folks who operate these machines in far more remote conditions than I do might want to chime in.

:my2cents:
 
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