WTS 1975 Tucker 1542 Snowcat

something like this is what implanning on using it for!!! but i might rethink once i get my cat home as its almost too nice to play in the mud. anyone know of another not so nice i could buy in the 7-12000 price range for a true working machine?

Well, thats not looking too bad. Still, such a nice little kitty. The track conversion would be cool. Being all stock and such low hrs. The originality. Sure would look nice in some nice fluffy powder. A heater, tunes, and toddies to the Cabin.

As a farmer myself, gotta wonder why not go and buy a Cat 45 or 55 and hang tanks and a boom on it...They make low disturbance tracks with blocks instead of lugs. More money than the tucker, but lots more machine too. tuckers aren't built heavy enough for Ag work IMHO, and parts are more money than Cat parts as well.

Seems to me a pitty to take a super nice clean vintage Tucker out to the fields, but it's your operation, not mine.

The trimble unit should work. Do you have the easy steer wheel motor? I don't know how much force is needed to work the steering wheel. As long as it is relatively easy even the easy steer option should bee enough.

I'm curious, please let us know how this works out for you....

Regards, Kirk

If I had to guess where he is farming they raise a lot of grass seed, so they need super light compaction, to help offset the amount of moisture they receive.

Hey kirk thanks for the reply! Have u ever seen what happens when I try to turn a long two track machine in marginal conditions. Well basically it destroys the ground and that would destroy the crop. I farm annual ryegrass in the Willamette valley and we get 30 -40 inches of annual rainfall from September to June ( thus November we had 10.35 inches in 35 days) so u can say we have rather sloppy conditions. I think a cat 45 would be way too heavy as I don't know what the contact psi is on a cat. That's why a tucker is so attractive. Like .6-.8 psi ground contact is awfully low. And the way they steer will be preferred in the mud. We use old pickup frames and Rears manufacturing rubber duk machines now which are just old four wheel drive pickups And one tons so I think a tucker is built just as heavy so ill just have to see how it holds up. I'm gonna try it and if I don't think it's gonnna hold up and work ill just scrap the idea and have me a beautiful tucker snow toy or resell it.theres lots of two track snow machines out there that would great for what I want to do but we have smaller fields 20-120 acres sober have lots of turning and I wanted to minimise crop damage. As far as auto steer yes it will be a Trimble ez steer II running through the new Trimble Cfx-750. Thanks for your reply kirk!! Merry Christmas everyone

Interesting....

Perhaps for your needs this does make some sence....

Just mount the tank and boom on a frame you can remove easily and you can use it in the winter for a toy, and expence it to your business...

If the fields are small, maybe a 300 gal. would be enough tank for your use. Since I don't have any idea of what chem/fert your spraying. Be sure to calculate the total weight so you know. Then ask the Tucker guys if it's within the rated load capacity of your machine.

Just so you know, these older Tuckers are I have heard are steel frame with aluminum skins. They are prone to the galvanic reaction/corrosion these two metals combined with moister are prone to do. If you spray any fertilizer, wash the dickens out of it every time you get the chance. You know what that stuff can to to metal...

Nice mountain tracks, not sure what they might do to your ground with the steel grousers. Don't they make an all rubber track? Maybe on the newer machines.

For our farming we love the two track system. In standing rwo crops the damage difference compared to wheels is not an issue.

I wish you and all here a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Regards, Kirk

I was gonna post a photo of my neighbors tucker here it is notice the track fillers to keep the cleats from tearing up the ground .

Well I'll be...

I sure wish I had a reason the IRS would uderstand my having a Tucker for what we do here!! Maybe they wouldn't know enough to know. Just call it another tractor. I have the exact Trimble you have....

Keep around here, I think you'll be alot of fun!!

Kool to see the other forms of Ag I don't see around here much. I do have a friend who grows, cuts dehydrates, and pelletis's Wheat grass. It end up in tablets made by the folks he sells the pellets to. Organic of course....He has about 1,800ac. of organic, one of the biggest in the state...

Gotta go, preparing for Christmas dinner...

Later, Kirk

Hi Banshee, I am intrigued by your application and ideas for your new Tucker. Sure I agree that it is a shame to alter such a nice cat but if you did it right then it could be restored to original condition without much "damage" done.

I like what your neighbor did to modify his tracks and I would think that is a better way to go than the new RBTs from Tucker. I just sold some of the Hans Halls tracks and they did not hold up real well. Pisten Bully makes the same type of rubberized cleat too. They are still pretty aggressive and I would think they would tear up the field just as easy as the steel cleats.

I like seeing snowcats modified or outfitted with bodies or attachments that are professionally done. I have done a few myself and just bought a 2.5 yard dump box to mount on my Pisten Bully for hauling gravel to off road sites.

kirk i did some figuring a cat 35 weighs 22,262 lbs according to tractor data. the widest track i found for a 35 was 30 inches wide . so u have two tracks a 30 inches wide. the track would have about 86 inches of front to back contact as far as i can tell so that would be 2x30x86=5160 sq inches. 22,262lbs divides by 5160 sq inches =4.314 psi i dont know if thats what they actually are but thats what i calculated. the tucker i bought is closer to .6-.8 psi which is a huge difference.

I think my Cat 75 has about 5.5psi, on 30" belts. A 252 Ski Dozer I run is about 1.5 psi. My Snow Trac is about 0.75psi. So yes I know there is a big difference. Our old 4WD JD had more like 40psi. That jump was huge....

Just hadn't considered a Tucker for farming, but why not? I have a pic of a Snow Trac towing a seeder wagon with a spinner in a muddy field. That pic is 40 years old though...

Keep us tuned in on your project. I am sure many of us will be watching any new threads you make on the Tucker.....

Regards, Kirk

hey kirk if you get a chance can you scan that picture and post it on here that would be an interesting picture to see.

While I think you are on the right track for your use don't forget that your psi will go up with the weight of the tanks, pumps and booms.I ran an old Tucker back in the late 60's and it did ok in mud on ski slopes we were building.

bansheedealer said:

I was gonna post a photo of my neighbors tucker here it is notice the track fillers to keep the cleats from tearing up the ground .

Click to expand...

I like that idea i've been scheeming how to make a belted rubber track work around here in the summer i believe your neighbor has just the idea to make a summer track for ctrossing the tundra with out destroying it.

four track is this still for sale?

Nope bansheedealer bought it for farming....Sorry.

Regards, Kirk

I might consider selling it I've also maybe purchased a 1996 tucker 2000 wide track with tiller package and a 6bt cummins and 545 Allison I think it will work better for what I'm wanting. My email is bansheedealer@yahoo.com

Boy banshee dealer that sure is a nice little cat you picked up. Are you going to be able to put those boxes or tanks on a rear engine tucker? Like the pictures you posted of your neighbors?

Hi Does your Sno Cat have aftermarket idlers, they dont look like the tucker silver aluminum ones/look black in color. If they are after market replacements, do they have bolts attaching them to the bearing hubs? Can you tell me were to purchase them? Thanks

Tucker has used some variations on their idlers. Typically one sees the silver cast aluminum "wheel" with a solid rubber tire. They also use that same wheel casting with a harder solid urethane tire as a de-icer wheel.

Tucker has also used what I'll call a "modular wheel" set up. These are steel stampings that bolt together and are painted black. I've seen them with a white plastic "tire" that's used in the de-icer position (the tires are actually two pieces of plastic that bolt together like the wheel). However they are also used in the other idler wheel positions with a one piece black solid rubber tire. This style of idler wheel is usually seen on the heavier duty Tuckers like the 1700 series. My supposition is that one could easily replace just the tire portions and reuse the wheels, and that would be cheaper than replacing the cast aluminum versions.

Here's a link to a photo of a Tucker with the modular style de-icer wheels: http://www.safetyoneinc.com/specsheets/tucker.1700.1.html