I'm sure weight and power are major factors but what do you think would work best?
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Best cat for towing/rescue of stuck vehicles?
- Thread starter mtmudrunner
- Start date
Bennyboy1337
Active member
What type of vehicles and stuck in what sort of terrain/location?
An optimal snow cat used to pull out vehicles from sand dunes in utah is going to be much different than one designed to rescue sleds on backcountry FS roads. There are also considerations like will the cat need to be transported frequently to recovery locations (loaded on trailer etc), or will it be designed to respond from a static location like a ski-lodge?
One could argue a cat probably isn't the best recovery vehicle for most common scenario incidents, Casey LaDelle has access to a cat but he uses Jeeps with Dominator tracks instead, because they're much faster and can drive over paved roads. Sure, a heavy jeep with relatively small tracks is comparatively limited with it's recovery ability compared to an actual snow cat, but for 95% of jobs someone like him is called for don't require that level of hardware.
On the complete opposite spectrum of, you have someone like HeavyDSparks which does recoverys more for entertainment and gimmicks, and everything is extreme for him. HeavyD can afford to spend thousands of dollars on transportation costs of wide loads to get his giant PistenBully up to a mountain to recover a vehicle most insurance companies would write off till the spring.
IMHO the best cat to rescue a vehicle is the one you have, there is rarely a scenario where a cat will be ill-suited for a recovery unless it's recovering a larger cat that's stuck
It's really more about the people operating the vehicle and the sort of experience they have access to than the actual cat itself.
An optimal snow cat used to pull out vehicles from sand dunes in utah is going to be much different than one designed to rescue sleds on backcountry FS roads. There are also considerations like will the cat need to be transported frequently to recovery locations (loaded on trailer etc), or will it be designed to respond from a static location like a ski-lodge?
One could argue a cat probably isn't the best recovery vehicle for most common scenario incidents, Casey LaDelle has access to a cat but he uses Jeeps with Dominator tracks instead, because they're much faster and can drive over paved roads. Sure, a heavy jeep with relatively small tracks is comparatively limited with it's recovery ability compared to an actual snow cat, but for 95% of jobs someone like him is called for don't require that level of hardware.
On the complete opposite spectrum of, you have someone like HeavyDSparks which does recoverys more for entertainment and gimmicks, and everything is extreme for him. HeavyD can afford to spend thousands of dollars on transportation costs of wide loads to get his giant PistenBully up to a mountain to recover a vehicle most insurance companies would write off till the spring.
IMHO the best cat to rescue a vehicle is the one you have, there is rarely a scenario where a cat will be ill-suited for a recovery unless it's recovering a larger cat that's stuck
It's really more about the people operating the vehicle and the sort of experience they have access to than the actual cat itself.I'm mostly looking at recovering rigs that get stuck in the mountain snow during hunting season around here. Over the last few years several get stuck in the snow and need assistance behind my place. Mostly pickups with horse trailers or camp trailers.What type of vehicles and stuck in what sort of terrain/location?
An optimal snow cat used to pull out vehicles from sand dunes in utah is going to be much different than one designed to rescue sleds on backcountry FS roads. There are also considerations like will the cat need to be transported frequently to recovery locations (loaded on trailer etc), or will it be designed to respond from a static location like a ski-lodge?
One could argue a cat probably isn't the best recovery vehicle for most common scenario incidents, Casey LaDelle has access to a cat but he uses Jeeps with Dominator tracks instead, because they're much faster and can drive over paved roads. Sure, a heavy jeep with relatively small tracks is comparatively limited with it's recovery ability compared to an actual snow cat, but for 95% of jobs someone like him is called for don't require that level of hardware.
On the complete opposite spectrum of, you have someone like HeavyDSparks which does recoverys more for entertainment and gimmicks, and everything is extreme for him. HeavyD can afford to spend thousands of dollars on transportation costs of wide loads to get his giant PistenBully up to a mountain to recover a vehicle most insurance companies would write off till the spring.
IMHO the best cat to rescue a vehicle is the one you have, there is rarely a scenario where a cat will be ill-suited for a recovery unless it's recovering a larger cat that's stuck
chowderman
Well-known member
"Mostly pickups with horse trailers . . ."
all you need is a snow (something) with a horse trailer on skids.
take the horses, leave the humans.
all you need is a snow (something) with a horse trailer on skids.
take the horses, leave the humans.
Thanks 🧐
Any Caterpillar from a D4 through a D7 will get it done. Might leave a mess however lol... 
Just a smart ass remark this morning...
Just a smart ass remark this morning...
I work with the local towing company and also been called by the state patrol to recover idiots that drive out in soft meadows.
I use my pistonbully but The tow company hasn't called lately and i see they added a jeep with tracks now on a trailer to their tow rigs. They retrieve snowmobles and vehicles. Insurance is the big thing . they can claim you caused something and you wont get a dime.
if you don't trailer it and rescue only vehicles you may not need a large tracked cat. i have followed and IMP pull A vehicle 6 miles before the tires were able to do any good. But no large grades were on the snowed in road. picture is of the tow company during a parade.
I never owned everything so I can't really say what is best .
I use my pistonbully but The tow company hasn't called lately and i see they added a jeep with tracks now on a trailer to their tow rigs. They retrieve snowmobles and vehicles. Insurance is the big thing . they can claim you caused something and you wont get a dime.
if you don't trailer it and rescue only vehicles you may not need a large tracked cat. i have followed and IMP pull A vehicle 6 miles before the tires were able to do any good. But no large grades were on the snowed in road. picture is of the tow company during a parade.
I never owned everything so I can't really say what is best .
Bennyboy1337
Active member
Yup, a lot of local recovery/tow companies are going this exact route for the reasons I described above. For what it's worth, I think some the XL Dominator tracks I linked below are the best option for this, the one in your photo looks relatively heavy with a smaller footprint size. Dominators use all off the shelf sled bogies and tracks, so they're actually pretty inexpensive, and as a result have a really great PSI/price ration. You can even purchase weld it yourself kits for less thank 5k. Throw that on a 5k Cherokee and you have a very capable recovery vehicle.
With that being said, these solutions are never going to be be able to travel off road/trail for very far, or do true back country recoverys, but they work for what 95% of idiots get themselves into.
Truck and SUV Track System Information
Truck and SUV Track System Information
www.americantracktruck.com
