My new 601

Well after years of looking and a few disapointments, I finnally have a Thiokol 601. I bout it from Dave in Brainerd MN. Is very completer and original. It runs good Tracks need some work. Mostly it needs a good cleaning and a lot of little repairs.

The first picture is of it loaded for the trip to my hunting camp in near Big Bay Michigan. I have a very nice cabin and my family owns 240 acres there. Best part, we get about 300 inches of snow there. The second picture is the 601 at camp. I cleaned about 5 buckets full of dirt and bark out of it, but its looking good now. Sadly, the data plate is missing but there is a plate with the Air Force number 63-C-1363. Are repro data plate avalible?

Looks like a fine machine. I'm jealous of both your 240 acre playground and the fact you get 300 inches of snow. Do you need someone to bring their snow cat to your property and follow you around in your tracks?

Congratulations !
It looks just like this one that was sold to a guy in Brainerd that calls himself Brad sometimes ...

Thats it, can you give me any back ground on it? There was a lot of Canadian stuff on it. When did you have it?

It was purchased in Quebec in April 2008. The man who owned it used it to transport maple sap on his land. He was the kind of dentist that makes bridges . He did the SS welding on the track cleats.
I'll have to have my friend in Quebec remind me of the name of the town it came from. It was hard to get across the border because there was so much mud on it .
Seemed to run well but I only moved it on and off a trailer a couple of times.

I mounted my spotlight yesterday. I bought 2 beat up Unity model S6 one a roof mount for about $14.00 each. I combined the best parts and mounted it. There was a bracket there already and the wire and connector so it was very easy. It looks cool and will be very handy.

Here she is from the original seller in CA...before it went to Mr. Boggie.
Congratulations on your new rig! You couldn't have made a better model selection!

I couldn't be happier. Ive been restoring and running weasels. I'm 6 feet tall and 230 pounds. The Weasel is a cool vehicle but It was designed for 110 pound 16 year olds. A little more headroom would be nice but otherwise compared to a weasel, the 601 is the height of luxury.

I'd have to go on a starvation diet to fit into a weasel. Congrats on your new toy. You probably even have a heater in it.

Oh yes, the heater. on the weasel you slide a little vent from the engine compartment and get engine heat. It works pretty good for the driver, but the passengers get nothing.

my most recent project: I pulled the rear floor plates, stripped the paint and polished the aluminum aka Weatherby. They look much better. I'm doing mostly cosmetics right now because I want to use it this winter.

pixie said:

Congratulations !
It looks just like this one that was sold to a guy in Brainerd that calls himself Brad sometimes ...

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Brad sometimes, but never Dave? that would be like calling myself Mainer or
snocatbum or something like that???????????

wesley said:

I couldn't be happier. Ive been restoring and running weasels. I'm 6 feet tall and 230 pounds. The Weasel is a cool vehicle but It was designed for 110 pound 16 year olds. A little more headroom would be nice but otherwise compared to a weasel, the 601 is the height of luxury.

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Whatcha got hiding behind that Weasel? M37? M715 Kaiser?

That's my summer ride, a 1952 M37

I thought I'd update my progress with the 601. I pulled what remained of the original beacon off and completely broke it down and rebuilt it. The dome was missing so after a long search I found a replacement. The beacon is a canadian brand called Dominion and the only colors I could find were blue green or purple. Needless to say, I went with bue. It is the big old 50's-60's style with a big chrome ring and bubble gum machine dome, that works and looks very cool. I mounted a spotlight on the front. There was a roof mount bracket and was wired for it so it was a very easy instalation. I bought a Unity S6 on ebay. I went crazy trying to find a backup light. There are new ones for sale but the price was very high. I found my answer while looking at the LMC rescue snowcat the local sheriff department owns. They had a spotlight in that location. I just happend to have a Unity H1 5" spotlight head and another roof mount bracket from a parts light. I got a short handlel and now I have a combo back up/rear spotlight. I replaced the reflectors all around, I stripped the paint off and polished the dimond floor plates in back. I pulled out the old rag that was relacing the shifter boot and found that a 64 Ford granada boot fits nicely. I had two Yankee rectangular mirrors I bought for my Dodge M37 years ago. I had to drill the holes slightly larger but they look great. I replaced the exhaust pipe from the muffler back. This was a lot easyer than you might think. With the rear floor plates removed you an stand right in there. Right now I'm looking for a data plate. Mine was missing. I have a small plate with the Air Force number which is very cool. Does anyone have an old plate from a scrap vehicle, NOS, or reproduction? I still have a lot of other issues, but most are minor and I'm having a ball resolving them. My biggest frustration is the lack of snow up here so far. We usually have a permanant snow cover by now. We have nothing. Its really messed up deer season.

I've been up here hunting also and I agree, warm temps. & no snow......and O- yea.... I almost forgot....... no deer ether.

OK Wesley.......We'll let you get away with it this time, BUT next time you need to POST SOME PICS.... so we can fully comprehend, understand, get the full depth of what your explaining.........OK OK we just like looking at pics

I will post more pictures soon, my only working memory card is in my trail camera. I can't get out there anyway, the day after the opening of deer season, the ore boats started coming in 4 at a time. I've been working back to back nite shifts, or sleeping.

wesley said:

I will post more pictures soon, my only working memory card is in my trail camera. I can't get out there anyway, the day after the opening of deer season, the ore boats started coming in 4 at a time. I've been working back to back nite shifts, or sleeping.

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I believe it......I've seen quite a few freighters rounding White Fish Point headed down bound loaded with Taconite pellets.

I sent an email to the K. I Sawyer AFB historical group regarding any records they might have of the 2 Thiokols stationed there. This was the response I recieved.

Hi Wesley,
What a coincidence. I drove the two snowcats at Sawyer many times as I was the Vehicle Control NCO from January 19778 through June 1980 for the Comm Squadron. We had one as pictured and one with just a two Pax cab in front with a cargo platform in back. I don't know that we have any info on them however as I haven't seen anything in the museum about them.
The ones we had had Ford straight six engines in them with quite a bit of power. On one occasion while out with one the radiator came loose on it's mountings and of course hit the fan and what a mess. It was also a chore keeping air in the tires and thus keeping the track on.
Right now the museum is in disarray from moving but I will make a note to look for more info on them. I don't however expect the museum to be back in business until late summer or early fall.
I think that the cats at Sawyer were replaced sometime around the mid 80s. I had ordered a new one before I retired in 1982.
The one at Big Bay may be one from Sawyer as if they were replaced I would imagine they were salvaged right here and were bought by someone from the local area. I would be interested in seeing it. some pictures would be nice for the museum. A change from airplanes.
Thanks a lot.

Bob Vick, SMSgt, Ret.
President
K I Sawyer Heritage Air Museum

I believe the two he is refering to are the 601 owned by weatherby and this one:

It's snowing! This is probly the last time I'll be able to drive into camp. A snowstorm is just starting as I write this.

We got about 2 feet of snow, more at camp. I want to go up and play with the cat, but it is so damn cold.

wesley said:

We got about 2 feet of snow, more at camp. I want to go up and play with the cat, but it is so damn cold.

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what do you call cld its 5 below here and i taking the kids into the hills to go sledding tomorrow now that i have fixed all the damage done during the s&r operation