WTB 60's Thiokol 601

Location: Pemberton B.C. Canada

Looking for a 1960's Thiokol 601 or similar style cat for recreational use in the Coast Mountains around Whistler. I prefer Thiokol over Tucker.

Need a reliable and restored unit for traveling fair distances on glaciers.

Planning to convert the passenger area for sleeping as a base camp on Alpine snowmobiling trips. Thinking of towing the sleds behind the cat, maybe with a super clamp to skis custom fabricated trailer tongue, removing the drive belts from the sleds while towing.

Looking forward to having my 2 large mountain dogs with me on these trips!

Also thinking of installing the small woodstove from my hot tent in the cab!

Any comments from experienced snow cat people welcome!

"Any comments from experienced snow cat people welcome! ?"

Can I come? Sounds like fun.

for glaciers, I would suggest a wide track sprite over a 600 series. the sprites have a more substantial spindle, and more track on the ground. the Achilles heal of the 600 is the front spindle breaking if it is bounced around too hard I always hear about the top speed of the 600, the reality is they never see those speeds in rough terrain also track parts are getting hard to find. as for tuckers and glaciers it is hard to dispute their performance in Antarctica especially when dealing with crevasses.

Please don't put a stove in a 60's 601.

I wouldn't use a stove either toyo makes a cool little diesel burning, direct vent, boat heater that burns diesel. the machine has to be relatively level and not moving but 5 gallons of diesel would keep the machine warm for a week and no worries of oxygen starvation while you are sleeping.

my 2100 is 9k and has 5 foot wide tracks and I have been unable to drag the belly. I have used the blade and unless the snow is really packed it's unstoppable. I have pics of it climbing a 60 % grade with 3/4 ton on it and in tow, with out spinning out. at 9 k my foot print is supposed to be about .65 psi. a gas powered sprite should be around 6k so even with the slightly narrower tracks ,at about 4 feet ,I would guess you would still be under the .75 that most tuckers run, which will equate to better floatation. the tucker does have some pro's first with the steering wheel there are no steering laterals to deal with while getting in and out, also it is more like driving a car. you can also call tucker for service and support. I have found on the forums that there are a lot of folks out there with professional Thiokol experience willing to help.

What I didn't mention about this cat concept is:

It will be used for filming a web commercial for a new optics brand (sunglasses). I've shown the production crew my cat research pics so far and everyone is drawn to the look of the 601 over the Spryte.. I clearly understand the performance drawback with your excellent comments. Thank you very much for that, exactly why I joined the forum. Maybe if a Spryte comes up with a full passenger cab (1200 series? I think) that could be a go. The Shining and the Thing had rad Sprytes in them. But come on...the 601 looks like the coolest party machine ever! Also with the vintage military look, it goes really well with this soon to be released eyewear concept. I keep thinking about the awesome shots we cold get of it cruising pretty fast up the trail (if its groomed) , across a smooth glacier, (assuming we can get it up there). We do have pretty good grooming around here, access to the glaciers in a couple spots.

But at the same time...I know the wide track Spryte is going to get us more places. Especially one with a blade. Easier parts to find too. I heard guys are fabricating cleats for 601 tracks because they can find them. But the 601 in MN has a new track.

As far as the front spindles go:

I hit stumps and rock all the time on my sled so I'm aware of the dangers in our terrain here around Whistler. Maybe we could have a set of spindles on board as back ups. Can they be found or fab'd easily?

As for the stove, yeah I don't want to make the cat look like a hippy schoolbus with a permanent stove install....I was thinking the small stove from our Snowtrekker hot tent is so portable it could be taken in and out as long as we can stick the pipe out an opening somehow.

The boat heater is a good suggestion, I'll look into it. But there is no substitute when we are soaked from sledding and can dry in minutes in front of wood heat.

Please keep the comments and suggestions coming, very grateful for your help!

Keep in mind on a 601 the gas tank is big, and it is inside the cab, right behind the drivers seat. While I understand they are not much for climbing, mine handles deep snow pretty well. I run on old logging trails and meadows, snow covered bogs, and the like. We get about 300 inches a year and I've yet to see any snow stop it. Keep in mind, except for moving it around for storage, I drive only in snow. I try to avoid rocks, trees, and stumps at all costs. Back in my weaseling days we used to say you don't buy a weasel, you buy a set of tracks with a weasel on top. That could go for 601's too.

extra spindles are not an option as they are permanently attached. changing out to a narrowed 2100 axle or a sprite axle may be an option. Boggie would be the one to ask about that when he gets back another option would be a torsion axle from south west trailer like I added to my snow trac I can't remember the manufacture, but they were mace in Canada.

northern lights,

This may be what you're looking for:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=27810313&cat=146&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=7

that looks like a good price on what should be a ready to run rig.

This one is just down the road from that unit and has a trailer available for sale:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=28728839&cat=&lpid=1&search=snowcat&ad_cid=1

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdhGaELjToY"]"Pimped My Snow Cat" - YouTube[/ame]

this was a nice one! i wonder who has it now?

that blue and white one is a 4T4 i think...that has an independent drive system isn't that right? not sure about those, i hear the 601 with the oc-15 is the way to go?

yeah i guess a woodstove in the cab with the gas tank inside is a bad idea, even if they were in opposite corners of the cab

northern lights said:

that blue and white one is a 4T4 i think...that has an independent drive system isn't that right? not sure about those, i hear the 601 with the oc-15 is the way to go?

Click to expand...

I think 4T-10... Has been for sale for quite a while on ksl.com.

Curious as to others thoughts on those aluminum grousers.

I like the idea. I tried a few time to pull a drag with a D-dent 601 grouser.

For moving a filming crew around and scouting terrain the D dent will be awesome easy quick turns. But if he need to pull anything The J or aluminum might be the way to go.

I doubt the V-8 was any help with the track spinning issues.

Mike

Re: WTB Thiokol Spryte 1200

Still considering a 601, but could be swayed to a nice Spryte 1200 with a 10 man cab. The reality is we'll be out getting in trouble in our deep alpine snow here in B.C. so we're thinking its a good call to go with a wide track and maybe a blade. We still love the look and speed of the 601, but as Snowtrac Nome suggests below, the Spryte would be a more functional unit for our use. The Spryte has great look with the full passenger cab. I want both of them now.

Thanks for listening!

Snowtrac Nome said:

for glaciers, I would suggest a wide track sprite over a 600 series. the sprites have a more substantial spindle, and more track on the ground. the Achilles heal of the 600 is the front spindle breaking if it is bounced around too hard I always hear about the top speed of the 600, the reality is they never see those speeds in rough terrain also track parts are getting hard to find. as for tuckers and glaciers it is hard to dispute their performance in Antarctica especially when dealing with crevasses.

Click to expand...

Isn't that blue and white one a B-Model Spryte with a 4t10 body? I thought that machine belonged to one of our members at one time.

mtncrawler said:

Isn't that blue and white one a B-Model Spryte with a 4t10 body? I thought that machine belonged to one of our members at one time.

Click to expand...

that could be perfect....the function of a spryte, the cab of a 4t10. those tracks look pretty good in deep snow too. thanks!

I just talked to Paul who is selling it. He doesn't know much about it. If anyone out there can fill me in on what it is please do! I think "Tomelroy" was a previous owner....