I've had a couple of similar machines in the past, just picked this one up a couple of weeks ago. 1976 tucker sno cat with a 3.53 detroit diesel engine, 5 spd manual trans. I've been tinkering with it off an on when time permits. Split the tracks for idler wheel bearing service, grease the carriers, change oit oils in the axles, transfer case, engine... fuel filters, some fuel line work... More work to do but I've got it running and functioning pretty well.

That is a serious machine.

The detroit diesels were stout, dependible units. 2 stroke diesel engines that used a roots style blower to evacuate exhaust from the engine (scavanging effect). This one is a 3 cylinder, 53 cubes per cylinder.

Off the charts cool.

I'll bet they can hear you comin' Dave.

Super Kool........

Everyone should have one!

You're not gonna need to call AAA to pull you out of a snowbank.

Very cool machine. I want one!

I love it..... Nice find..

I wanna go for a spin !

Prolly throw in some extra gas eh ?

A whole lot of awesome right there!!

Too cool....boys and their toys......

We threaten off and on to buy a Thiokol snow cat.



They are spendy!

Me too!

Do they float?

Send it over. My house is right up against the north facing mountain and is always late to thaw. Neighbors across the holler are having a cookout and I'm still snowed in.

That is awesome! How long do the tracks last? Sort of looks like the weak link. I bet it is a biotch to tear one up when you are out in a swamp.


Jerry

Also, I'm not familiar with a "roots style blower."

Is it kinda like this?

You need Jesus.

cool machine dave, thanks for sharing the videos and pictures

Super cool find Dave !!

Our local ski club used to have a Tucker, heard great stories.

PS;

I knew you'd been "quiet" for a good reason !

Damn. I want one and we don’t even have snow down here!!!

I’ve got a private fully 2 mile long driveway, wonder how tough it would be to rig a good plow blade on one of those.
Looks like a fun winter trick.

Osky

This one has had a 6 way blade on it at one time. Gone from the machine before my purchase but it is not uncommon for them to have blades.

You'll be the go-to guy for hauling ice fishing shacks on & off the lake. What a beautiful machine.

I think the blowers were what the dragsters used on the hemi's to supercharge.

That's the idea. The machine is headed to the lake soon.

Gilbert wants one now.

Borrowed from these original applications and applied to automotive racing, yes.

The blowers that "gear heads" know as "471" "671" "871" are from detroit diesel 4-71, 6-71 and 8-71 engines. The first digit is for number of cylinders, second number is for cubic displacement per cylinder. The 8-71 detroit was a pretty big engine. Originally the blowers were carefully designed to be balanced with the air flow that the engines displaced, the idea was not to create "boost", it was to evacuate the spent air and gasses from the engine without having those aditional cycle strokes that a 4 cycle engine would have.

In automotive applications, the 471 blower is a "cute blower" that works well on a mild small block V8. 671 more typical for a serious small block and more commonly in big blocks. 871? You need a big V8 and it's not for grocery runs any more.

I am surprised at how much less there is to the inside of the track drive/carrier than I would have expected.

Simple is good.

Off the charts cool. I like your toys.

Dave you are one awesome dude. I immediately thought of the movie "The Shining!" Your posts are some of the best on the Fire.
I envy your skill with everything transportation! May you prosper, and be in health, even as your soul prospers!

My ex brother in law trucker called the old Detroit's converters, the converted Diesel fuel to noise.

They did a lot of work back when, rock crushers, conveyers, bulldozers, skidders, trucks, you name it.

Prayers for a really big snow storm up your way Dave

Would love a ride in that beast!

Would be fun wouldn't it?? I'll have to mosey up there one of these weekends.

x2

Sweet machine, Dave. I imagine it's pretty nimble in the mud too.

The classy gentleman, as always. Thanks, I hope you are well.

Also known as "road oilers"

"If there aint oil under it, ther aint oil in it."

lol

Thankfully mine seems sealed up pretty well. That damn CF-2 rated heavy duty oil BETTER stay inside the engine, it's expensive! lol

Well I'll be damned. I've seen all sorts of snow cats through the years mainly around ski hills but a lot in industry too. Seismic crews, hydro crews and such but I don't think I've ever seen one with 4 independent tracks, just two. Well, other than the kits to put on your Jeep, utv or atv. Yeah, simple... leaf springs and a big ass axle. Noice. The pivoting of the drives almost acts as independent suspension anyways. That thing was ahead of its time.

I think this rig has found a good home in you Dave I see although simple she probably needs a little lovin from time to time. Well except that Jimmy that's one sweet little old plant! I was in cahoots with a buddy on a 30 foot wooden ex commercial salmon troller with a 453 in it. Naturally aspirated 1 gallon an hour all day long. Just glance at er and she'd start, loved that motor.

That thing's got balls! A 6 way blade would NOT be out of place. If you're pulling ice shacks you might have to figure harnesses to tow 3 or 4 at once

Dave, I have seen your machine on the other forum ,FF, pretty neat with the 3-53 bit noisey i bet! i got a few snow toys myself but there a bit older.Not as comfortable or warm as yours.
1925 lombard



1949 tuckers

Oh wow! Awesome!!!

Dave, what does the Tucker weigh and how wide is it?

It's around 6200 lbs and just under 8' on width.

Nice. It'd fit on a tandem flat deck trailer and tow it with a pick up...

"You ever take it off any sweet jumps?"

Neighbor had an Oliver with a Detroit diesel 2 stroke. Very distinct engine noise when he was working it.

Buddy on the main northern Japanese island of Hokkaido has something similar and let me run it while we hunted stags a couple years back. Also diesel and manual trans, with steering done with levers. Two tracks though, like a tank, as opposed to your four tracks That thing wasn't fast and topped out at maybe 20mph and was *hard* on the ears, with a very spartan interior. If I was in it for any extended time I'd be wearing muffs, but man it went through the snow and ice like a bastard and would climb grades I wouldn't have thought possible. It was also one of the funnest things I've ever driven.

Cool stuff, Dave, as usual.

Yep!



Yep!

Very cool, possibly thiakol (spelling?) Imp model? Cool that its in Japan.

Dave-woudl that work for getting back into Chickenbuck when the trails in real nasty shape. If so, the swamp squids will be running scared!

Yup. Thiokol. ^^^

ND you are a dirty bugger. Now I'll be in the shop all night getting something ready so we can have an ice rendezvous. Are you bringing the rope or should I?

Also 92's and 149's and inline configurations as well as "V" orientations up to 16 cylinders for sure.
Cool find there.

ropes, chains, whatever. we'll hook em up pintle to pintle and see what breaks, lol!

Back when road driving trucks the Detroit powered ones wanted to be wound up.

They had more power for their size.

Looks like a fun time will be had by all.

I try to keep that plowed, for some silly reason... I guess the deer like to use the road when the snow is deep.

my peak torque is 1800 to 2000 RPM, which sounds like 3800-4000 RPM since it's a 2 stroke. lol

If Dave drives that much without hearing protection, we ask him a question, he might say, "WHAT!

A good buddy of mine has a DeLorean Snow cat.
Neat as all get out. I scored some 1/2 conveyor belt that had gotten torn and tossed out at work. He plans on rebuilding his tracks as soon as the tracks that are on it go south.

And you could hear them coming from 10 miles away. "the Screaming Jimmy"

I was looking through the bone yard at a logging camp up the coast where they run big off road trucks. This one massive old truck, Hayes I think, long retired had a friggn 12-71 in it That thing must have woke up the whole valley.

Here's a new project for Northern Dave!!

a Nova Snowcat

Northern Dave I’m up here sorta between Big Falls, Togo, and Bigfork bring that buggar over and well put that thru it’s paces. Snows at least 40” deep on the flat and butthole deep to 12 foot Indian elsewhere.

Osky

My tucker was ordered by the state of Idaho, delivered to Wallace Idaho in January 1976.

Lake of the woods, Mn near Canadian border.

Looks like what a Yankee version of "The Dukes of Hazard" would drive.