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1957 tucker snow kitten

sledhead Ed

Member
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Pontoons all apart and greased all cleaned out. Little bit of welding and straighten. Can these be converted to adjustable style?
 

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DAVENET

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Maybe? Sno-drifter & Glacierparkbus would have the definitive answer, but since you can get inside I would guess yes. Blackfin has several of the adjusters for the 442 pontoons. They would have to be reshaped, but it may be possible to make them work?
 

sno-drifter

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You would have to do all the fabrication yourself as I do not think the factory made adjustable tracks an option for Kittens. That said, they could have done it for a customer who requested them. The reality of doing the modification is that it will be far easier to do than on a normal steel Tucker pontoon because of the access to the inside of the pontoon to install the four cap screws per side that need to have their heads on the inside. I would make up a 1/8 plate that the four fasteners are tack weld to and tack it to the inside to prevent cracks from metal fatigue. Be sure to put the adjustable end on the end of the pontoon (front) that does not have the drive sprocket. Good luck with it, and I am sure all the Kitten owners will watch your progress with great interest.
 

Track Addict

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I have some adjusters close by if you want to see if they will fit. Put up some pics of the front and back pontoons from the side.
 

DAVENET

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Ed's is the white one. Shape is totally different, but should be able to re-bend to work. As Scott mentioned, having access to the interior is key for putting in the anchor studs and adjuster nut. Inner & outer adjusters (two each) would be needed to attempt it. You would also have to watch for the spring mounts.
 

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DAVENET

Bronze Member
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Thinking about this further, if the 442 adjusters are reshaped, the adjuster 'guides' would no longer be horizontal to allow adjustment. But, if the front part of the existing rail was CAREFULLY cut free w/ a plasma cutter, adjusting tabs similar to the 442 could be welded on to allow for adjustment.

It is not a straight cut- it's almost a stretched 's' so the rollers are always making contact as they go around.
 

sno-drifter

Bronze Member
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Here you go. The adjustable nose from a 400 machine has a very close fit and would need to be section at the top and bottom of the nose due to the 180 degree radius of a Kitten. The other issue is you will have a hard time finding a 3/4" nose as I don't think they were ever mass produced. And I would not suggest going to one inch rails- mucho problems there.
 

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sledhead Ed

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Thanks for the pictures. Also the kitten pontoons aren't recessed where the adjusters sit to stay inline for the wheels. At least that's what it looks like from looking at pictures of older Tuckers with pontoons.
 

Track Addict

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Looks like some fab to make that work. Make a bending tool and adjust old school!

You would need rails around the whole pontoon or you will have a speed bump.
 

DAVENET

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Thanks for the pictures. Also the kitten pontoons aren't recessed where the adjusters sit to stay inline for the wheels. At least that's what it looks like from looking at pictures of older Tuckers with pontoons.

The 400 series pontoons don't have a recessed area either. The rail that the rollers ride on are one piece on your kitten. On the 4 series, that rail is cut in the front and rear (in effect four pieces; top, bottom, front, back). If you look closely in the picture above, the mounting plate (where fingertips are) is at the very edge of the rail. The existing rail on your pontoons would need to be cut out so the adjuster rail above would have a place to 'recess' or mount flush. But it's not a straight or angle cut. If Blackfin has one nearby, he can click a pic of the top looking down. That will clarify how it works on the 4 series and make much more sense.

David
 

sno-drifter

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Here is the alternative that GYPSY is referring to.
 

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sledhead Ed

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Thanks everyone for the pictures and help. Gypsy I tried searching last night and this morning for thread and picture of #22 post, but couldn't find it. So if you could post a picture that would be awesome. My frame is bent up front on right side where the springs sit from a track being thrown at one time So I'm going to straighten it and replace a bunch of links because they been bent down to more of a u shape to take up slack. So I'ld like to be able to have an adjuster and able to bend links if I have too. I'm lucky my biggest damage on my pontoons are are brake shoes and brake bands and drums where the rivets from brake band ground into them. Very little welding and straightening . Only major thing on the kitten is the frame and is could be acceptible if the kitten was in tough shape. Overall this unit is in great shape especially for the age. The frame is bent up about an 1/2-3/4". Here's a picture of frame damage. It's a little hard to see
 

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sledhead Ed

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Blackfin4 bluefin that would be great. If I have to do the running around to save you the time and make it easier it's no problem at all. Thanks for the help.
 

Track Addict

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I need to check my archives as well. He brought it to my house once and I traced it out but where did i put it?? Send him an email. Stay tuned....
 

Track Addict

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Fellow member white mountain tucker was kind enough to provide these pics of this tool. This should get you close with a little grinding and adjusting.

Hope those adjusters work out that is much easier!!
 

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sno-drifter

Bronze Member
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Good job on finding the photo Dave. My Kitten is also a 1960 and no adjusters. I believe that the last Kittens were made in 1962, so if anyone has a late one, that may help. I suspect that this is a custom job by an owner.
 

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sledhead Ed

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Thanks for the pictures and adjusters. When I get them fitted and backing plates and braces made for the insides I'll post the pictures. The adjusters I got off fit really close stock. The curve is just a little off and got to make the band for the rollers narrower.
 

sledhead Ed

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My kitten is a pussy and hiding on the back lift in my shop. The snow we been getting has killed any extra time. I got more hours doing snow around here in my neighbor hood than in my shop. To bad it's free. Plus just spent the last week up rangeley area snowmobiling with my 11yr old twins. Just turn 11 Super Bowl Sunday. They were born during the Super Bowl when the last time the patriots won. They did 90 miles on Wednesday. Usually only 30-50 miles a day. Got plates for frame rienforcement and other stuff ready just got to get going at least it's inside.
 

sledhead Ed

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Made a little progress on the kitten. I have a couple of question. Are the clutch and pressure plate and drivetrain ford anglia 100e? My flywheel and clutch setup looks like pics of 100e. The problem is the flywheel has been redrilled for the datsun motor in it (1197cc) 1.2. Which would be okay if they're both externally balanced, but holes where slightly elongated to get them to line up and outer part of ring gear is worn like its not concentric. It didn't vibrate like its out of balanced but only drove it about 200ft to put in garage it had a broken link. Pics to follow. Might be able to use anglia(tucker) clutch and pressure on the datsun flywheel once I can find one or specs to compare and make a better adapter from bell housing to motor.
 

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