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New to me Snow-Master

akmountaineer

New member
Well, after finding a really nice Snow-Master, I couldn't resist and took the plunge...It's on its way from the Ohio farm fields to its new home in the Northern Sierra. I look forward to putting its steep and deep capabilities to the test and seeing if it lives up to all the hype. I have to admit, the complexities of Snow-Tracs, with their air cooled engines and proprietary parts scare me a bit after the ease of ownership with a 1450 for the last few years, but hopefully all goes well and it turns out to be a reliable machine. Updates and more pics to follow. :smile:
 

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300 H and H

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
It'll seem a little wired at first, mine did. The engine/transaxle is metric the rest well there maybe exceptions, not so much...

The VW engine actually grows on you. It just plain starts and runs. Not much to go wrong. I do however believe in running a thermostat in a Snow Trac. Check, but most likely it may be gone.. Set your valves every time you change the oil, no filter, 50 hrs..

The Trans has a small car feel, and shifts sweet, when you master it. There is a lot of inertia in the drive line, those cast iron sheives are heavy and in 4th gear are spinning at crankshaft speed. So you will have time to shift before it comes to a stop.

Get an owners manual or copy and fallow the directions for variator adjustment. Measure the belt back for with and replace when it is time. Keep the tension in spec, and pay attention to not contaminate the belt sheives with grease or oil. It will affect performance..

Driving technique is to lift the throttle slightly as you turn, the bring the power back as the machine reacts.... This at slow speeds and tight quarters..

Top speed if stock gears is Tucker like, about 12 or so mph. But I will climb like a slow motion rocket I bet..

Then this thing, pardon my spelling, called "farfignugen" sets in, and you get it! :biggrin:

Regards, Kirk
 

akmountaineer

New member
It'll seem a little wired at first, mine did. The engine/transaxle is metric the rest well there maybe exceptions, not so much...

The VW engine actually grows on you. It just plain starts and runs. Not much to go wrong. I do however believe in running a thermostat in a Snow Trac. Check, but most likely it may be gone.. Set your valves every time you change the oil, no filter, 50 hrs..

The Trans has a small car feel, and shifts sweet, when you master it. There is a lot of inertia in the drive line, those cast iron sheives are heavy and in 4th gear are spinning at crankshaft speed. So you will have time to shift before it comes to a stop.

Get an owners manual or copy and fallow the directions for variator adjustment. Measure the belt back for with and replace when it is time. Keep the tension in spec, and pay attention to not contaminate the belt sheives with grease or oil. It will affect performance..

Driving technique is to lift the throttle slightly as you turn, the bring the power back as the machine reacts.... This at slow speeds and tight quarters..

Top speed if stock gears is Tucker like, about 12 or so mph. But I will climb like a slow motion rocket I bet..

Then this thing, pardon my spelling, called "farfignugen" sets in, and you get it! :biggrin:

Regards, Kirk

LOL, thanks Kirk - I appreciate all the new owner tips!
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I have been told the st4 b is geared lower than the st4 , it looks good and I noticed you have done your research. what extras did you get?
jim
 

Sno-Surfer

Active member
Yeah, that looks like a nice machine. I think you'll find these pretty simple to work on once you get acquainted with it. Good score. :smile:
 

akmountaineer

New member
I have been told the st4 b is geared lower than the st4 , it looks good and I noticed you have done your research. what extras did you get?
jim

It came with a few extra parts - Sprockets, distributor, grousers, wheels, and odds and ends yet to be determined.
 

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akmountaineer

New member
Here are more close quarters pics from the hanger it was stored in. I couldn't spare the time away so I actually bought it sight unseen and hired a shipper - both new experiences for me. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person for the first time next week! The actual machine has been on the forum before, although the paint scheme has changed a bit from its last appearance.
 

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Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
ive seen that one some where else before it is a real nice looking unit you should have very little problems with that one the restoration seems to be done right
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Very nice example of a ST4B.

the following is nothing more than a casual arm chair observation... (having owned one)

those tracks look really tight to me (in these photos) tight tracks rob power.

great find or re-find.
 

akmountaineer

New member
Very nice example of a ST4B.

the following is nothing more than a casual arm chair observation... (having owned one)

those tracks look really tight to me (in these photos) tight tracks rob power.

great find or re-find.

Thanks for track observation Mr. Sqwrl. I also noticed that the inner and outer belts appear to have straight angles where the rest have more gradual arcs as they should have. My thought was that those belts were just a fraction of an inch shorter than the others in the grouser to grouser distance, thereby making the belts tighter and straighter. There's not much to be done if that's the case, but I'll have to check the overall track tension when it arrives to find out...
 

night-owl

Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Beautiful Machine, doesn't look like it has been run in the bush & brush like mine, you will love it! Put some miles on it and check out tracks / belts and bolts and it will serve you well! I have never had a one-way trip with mine but I have managed to break it, travel prepared! you can get in a real fix really fast
Steve ST2018
 

MNoutdoors RIP

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks for track observation Mr. Sqwrl. I also noticed that the inner and outer belts appear to have straight angles where the rest have more gradual arcs as they should have. My thought was that those belts were just a fraction of an inch shorter than the others in the grouser to grouser distance, thereby making the belts tighter and straighter. There's not much to be done if that's the case, but I'll have to check the overall track tension when it arrives to find out...

All law enforcement are watching for it on the interstate highways it seems the trucker has the wrong delivery address its supposed to deliver to Minnesota :brows: we will get it straightened out:biggrin: we will look it over when it gets here
 

akmountaineer

New member
Well, it finally made it. Of course, the arrival was at the hottest time of day on the hottest day of week, if not the year. The truck driver and I were in an epic battle with 105 degree temps for 2 hours to unload the cat. Never having seen a Snow-Trac in person, much less driven one, I was at the quite the disadvantage when it came to trying to drive it off the upper deck of the semi trailer. It had to be kept perfectly straight on the ramps to avoid going off the side which sounds easy enough, but the Snow-Trac steering wheel can only be turned when the machine is moving, making minute corrections going down the ramp very difficult. A couple of times it teetered precipitously over the edge. I was really missing my DMC stick steering at that point. To make matters worse, the machine wouldn't stay running when tilted on the ramps which obviously made a tough situation near impossible. Several times I had to use the starter motor to drive back up the ramp to straighten out and restart the engine for another try. After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to get it down to ground level. That's an experience I never want to repeat. Loading it on my tilt trailer for the two mile trip from the unloading area home was thankfully less dramatic, although the machine still did not want to run up the tilted deck.

My overall feelings are of a little disappointment. The nice oak dashboard was cracked from the heat, wires were loose and dangling from the dashboard, a couple of tires were cracked and flat despite supposedly being rubber filled, the engine's obviously not running right, and the machine kept popping out of gear during the short drive to the tilt trailer, so it looks like potential transmission synchro problems. Well, I guess that's what I get for buying sight unseen. Lesson learned. Time to get out the wrenches....I really hope the snow performance is all it's cracked up to be...
 

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JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
you can adjust the shifting by moving the shifter loosen mounts on the shifter and adjust.
but don't expect miracles if the transaxle needs rebuilt.
it could have been all apart for that paintjob you have and not adjusted.
 

akmountaineer

New member
you can adjust the shifting by moving the shifter loosen mounts on the shifter and adjust.
but don't expect miracles if the transaxle needs rebuilt.
it could have been all apart for that paintjob you have and not adjusted.

Thanks, Jim. That's a great idea to check first. Hopefully, it's just out of adjustment.
 

redsqwrl

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
I can fully relate to the first impression shared. When I picked out/up my snow master it had a flat ( i had no way to introduce air to it) so I ratchet strapped it up to try to save the tube. ( i did ) then proceeded to make the trip to eternity ( about 40' out of a storage shelter and onto a trailer) while dancing on the throttle to keep it alive, and of course pumping the brakes because Who loads on flat ground in northern VT.

Huh I can't stick a photo here for some reason....... It is a really neat bright yellow snowmaster with a white knuckled operator swatting mosquitoes, Sweating, and dancing:yum:

About that trans, If my not so great memory serves me correct one of the early classified adds on that machine ( at least one with a wood grained dash) had a mention of popping out of gear later adds did not have that mentioned ( may be a different master )

There was a reciept in my documentation for a company in CA [( Ron ) might have been his name. crap I cant remember the company right now. It will come back....] but the transmission in that yellow machine was spot on just remember to tell your builder to reverse the ring gear!
for what it is worth:
I found the solex carburetor very easy to clean the snotty stabil residue out of. Runnability might be rich as most folks jet the carbs for slightly colder weather.

enjoy getting to know your new ride. glad to hear it made it to you intact.
 

akmountaineer

New member
I can fully relate to the first impression shared. When I picked out/up my snow master it had a flat ( i had no way to introduce air to it) so I ratchet strapped it up to try to save the tube. ( i did ) then proceeded to make the trip to eternity ( about 40' out of a storage shelter and onto a trailer) while dancing on the throttle to keep it alive, and of course pumping the brakes because Who loads on flat ground in northern VT.

Huh I can't stick a photo here for some reason....... It is a really neat bright yellow snowmaster with a white knuckled operator swatting mosquitoes, Sweating, and dancing:yum:

About that trans, If my not so great memory serves me correct one of the early classified adds on that machine ( at least one with a wood grained dash) had a mention of popping out of gear later adds did not have that mentioned ( may be a different master )

There was a reciept in my documentation for a company in CA [( Ron ) might have been his name. crap I cant remember the company right now. It will come back....] but the transmission in that yellow machine was spot on just remember to tell your builder to reverse the ring gear!
for what it is worth:
I found the solex carburetor very easy to clean the snotty stabil residue out of. Runnability might be rich as most folks jet the carbs for slightly colder weather.

enjoy getting to know your new ride. glad to hear it made it to you intact.

Thanks for the great advice, Mike. Hopefully most of the stuff will be easy fixes. Interesting about the ad with it popping out of gear, I wonder if that was edited out in later versions...
 

3512b

Junior Member
GOLD Site Supporter
It will be fine!
That's why we own em you get to work on em!
Just don't have any bored friends drop by and want to help
The machine will never be the same!( right Doug?)
Get rid of that word dash! wood is for cooking steaks over out in the snow
Not in a trac
Think I got a dash kicking around that will fit been thinking of having a friend of mine make up some so I can put my own holes in it

Now if I can ever get yo stay home enough for to put mine together....
 

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akmountaineer

New member
It will be fine!
That's why we own em you get to work on em!
Just don't have any bored friends drop by and want to help
The machine will never be the same!( right Doug?)
Get rid of that word dash! wood is for cooking steaks over out in the snow
Not in a trac
Think I got a dash kicking around that will fit been thinking of having a friend of mine make up some so I can put my own holes in it

Now if I can ever get yo stay home enough for to put mine together....

LOL, thanks Steve. Looks like I'll be importing one back to Alaska next year! Your variator is looking great!

-Jon
 
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