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1998 Tracked Jimmy

mtntopper

mtntopper

Back On Track
"Mbsieg" finished some mechanical work on the 1998 four door tracked Jimmy and brought it up the mountain to our home on Saturday. It is set up with tracks like the 2001 2 door but Mike (Hi Plains Repair) added steps to make it easier to get in and out of which my wife appreciated as the vehicle sets up high. We now have two completed tracked 4X4s and they do very well in the snow. I lost Mike for an hour or so as he and a friend cruised around the mountain. He finally arrived at our home via the back snow cat trail so I think he may have some comments on the ability of the Jimmy's with tracks.

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On Sunday the wife and I drove the 2 door Jimmy down the closed county road to the old town of Hazelton WY. The sun was out and we were the only ones on the road as it is pretty well snow packed and not usable by wheeled vehicles.

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They are both for sale or I can just supply tracks to fit most vehicles but they work the best on the lighter smaller 4X4 vehicles like the Blazer or Jimmy. PM me for details if interested........
 
All I can say is :a1:. That little Jimmy surprised me. QUITE!!!! comfy, warm, QUITE!!! Almost a snowcat but all the creature comforts. 2.5-3ft of powder/ Bighorn sugar with little to no base. Jimmy sunk in 10-12in. Having a quite SMOOTH ride. Lots of power. Something to be said for blasting across a snow filled meadow at 20+ mph just floating. And grinning from ear to ear!!! With the longer tracked version this would put some snowcats to shame!!!!
 
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I'd still be very concerned on the strength of the axles and suspension on these little trucks. They are very weak and prone to breakage with only slightly larger than stock tires.

There has to be even more stress put on them by a track system.
 
The tracked Jimmy's and Blazer are even being used to groom snowmobile trails pulling fairly large grooming drags from Maine to New York. The price of maintenance and fuel cost has prompted many clubs to use these vehicles in place of the larger snow cat type equipment of the past. The clubs using them are very happy with the results and efficiencies.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0d1eMwZ4oQ&feature=related"]YouTube- Grooming in Lewiston, Maine[/ame]
 
Around here 75% of the snowmobile trail grooming is done with flotation tire equipped farm tractors because they have found that most tracked equipment is neither reliable enough or cost effective. The local club has been using tractors for 10+ years due to the cost factors.

That being said we don't have the snow depth that would necessitate tracked vehicles.
 
With the 20+ inches of new snow received at home this week we were out cruising around in one of our tracked Jimmy's yesterday when my daughter Kris wanted to take some video. She put together this video of the Jimmy in the snow. We are very pleased with the snow ability, comfort, and economics of the tracked Jimmy over the snow cat for our daily access needs over the snow to and from home....:clap:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUhhxGTjfVc"]YouTube- Jimmy Tracked Vehicle[/ame]
 
Besides the added stress to suspension components, what about the added strain on the steering pump?

Just curious.
 
Trakternut said:
Besides the added stress to suspension components, what about the added strain on the steering pump?

Just curious.
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Never try to turn unless you are moving as in a snot trac.....:biggrin:

We are not having any major component problems other than losing the fuel pump in the 2001 which is quite normal. We towed the 2001 back to civilization with the 98 when that happened. I am sure the tracks are harder on everything than wheels but the gain in comfort, fuel economy and the ease of getting repair parts along with lots of good used parts available for these make it well worth using an older 4X4 as an over snow vehicle. You would be surprised how well they do getting around in the snow. They do not replace a snow cat if you are going to climb to the top of an untracked mountain but for people using snow covered roads and trails that are used frequently they can replace the snow cat and cut expenses and do it faster with a lot more compfort......:whistling:
 
Question time.....

How is it for stop and go in the deep stuff? Is it easy to get going again or is stopping in the deep something you try to avoid?

Next, what's the turning radius on it? Just wondering if you have an open area with fresh deep powder, how much room would it take to do a complete turnaround without backing up?
 
groomerguyNWO said:
Question time.....

How is it for stop and go in the deep stuff? Is it easy to get going again or is stopping in the deep something you try to avoid?

Next, what's the turning radius on it? Just wondering if you have an open area with fresh deep powder, how much room would it take to do a complete turnaround without backing up?
Click to expand...

I have not encountered any problems for stop and go. But I always try to plan ahead. If you do stop quickly and need to resume forward it works very well to back up a few feet and then go forward with any type of snow vehicle including the Jimmy. It is much easier to climb back up on top of the snow with this maneuver and get moving again. As to turning radius, I have not measured it but it will depend on conditions and how much you want to force or fight the snow pushing against the side of the tracks. On firmer snow it turns very easily but in 3 foot of wet snow the turn is more difficult and the faster you are moving the easier it is to turn just like in a Tucker except the Jimmy does not have the crab steer which can be an actual disadvantage if you ever stick a Tucker. I have not had any problems in turning in the Jimmy and have probably put 150+ miles on it the past month. We have been down some very narrow trails/roads and it has not been a problem to date.....:biggrin:
 
e2spear said:
On packed snow, they turn just as well as it does on tires if you are moving.
Click to expand...

I have been waiting for you to chime in since you have a lot more experience with the tracked 4X4 and its durability and longevity. I just got started this year as I thought I needed a snow cat, found out otherwise as I watched your posts on other forums about the track systems. Your help to explain how well they work is appreciated............:clap:
 
Our club owns four of them and they are all used for grooming snowmobile trails. They tow a Mogul Master copy that is 7 x 14. They can do amazing things but are still not a snocat.
But they are very comfy to drive around in. Very inexpensive to work on. If something major went, you could just change out the vehicle. The newest one that I drive is a 2001 GMC. Got rid of the 93 two door and definitely loving the new 4 door. In Maine we have at least 75-100 of these converted suvs grooming the trails. There are a few out there using them for back country access.
 
mtntopper said:
Never try to turn unless you are moving as in a snot trac.....:biggrin:

We are not having any major component problems other than losing the fuel pump in the 2001 which is quite normal. We towed the 2001 back to civilization with the 98 when that happened. I am sure the tracks are harder on everything than wheels but the gain in comfort, fuel economy and the ease of getting repair parts along with lots of good used parts available for these make it well worth using an older 4X4 as an over snow vehicle. You would be surprised how well they do getting around in the snow. They do not replace a snow cat if you are going to climb to the top of an untracked mountain but for people using snow covered roads and trails that are used frequently they can replace the snow cat and cut expenses and do it faster with a lot more compfort......:whistling:
Click to expand...
i Ditto that statement these systems are showing up around here on full sized trucks and mini trucks they are nice because you have a good cab that is sealed up with a conventional power train any decent mechanict can work on. the trucks work well on the well used trail but they seem to get stuck when drivers venture off into older deep snow thw=at has turned to shugar and like most other snow cats you want to stay away fro willows that snow has blown into the reality is the only vehicles capable of those conditions are a snow trac or some of those major snow groomers with super wide tracks for moste uses these are a neet way to bridge the gap between snow cat and wheeled vehicle.
 
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This belonged to a friend, but has since been sold. He builds them him self, and does some great work.
 
Not a big fan of lockers. If and when I have gotten stuck a winch comes in handy. A friend drives a Blazer with a locked diff and you notice when you make tight turns.
 
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