So the SnowMaster is finally here!!!

It has taken awhile, But I finally got around to bringing it to my shop, and I have begun some exploration of it!
I found the serial number tag, which will hopefully shed some light on what year it is, and exactly what it is.....Serial Number on tag says ST4 1029.
It says Snowmaster on the side of it (badly faded) The tag on the engine says 1968 and is a 126 VW industrial as far as the tag goes.
By the way, it does have the "good" steering wheel!!

I changed the oil, looked it over, hooked up a battery, fresh gas, and after two years of sitting, she fired right up and runs well!! The clutch seems good, and it'll shift into all gears but reverse - it will go in but immediately pops out before it moves much.....any ideas?? Well, I drove it around the yard, and proceeded to lose a track in the first 5 minutes!! Oh well...
My questions if you guys can help:
1-do you know what year it is and what it is?
2-Where can I find the big rear tires - I need both of them.
3 - I need about four of the smaller tires - any ideas?
4-Popping out of reverse???

Also, awhile back I was wondering what the pully was in my engine compartment, and it seems to run to some sort of boost fan for cooling???
Also, I have a solid wheel on each side(see pic). I windered what the deal is there, and if it supposed to be that way?

I'll post some pictures and I am sure I'll have many more questions!! Thanks alot for all of the knowledge you guys have been sharing..


Bob

More Pictures

A few more

jdeere said:

My questions if you guys can help:
1-do you know what year it is and what it is?
2-Where can I find the big rear tires - I need both of them.
3 - I need about four of the smaller tires - any ideas?
4-Popping out of reverse???

Click to expand...

1- You are the proud owner of a 1968 Trac Master ST4B, according to my records, 85 Trac Master ST4B units were produced in that year and 40 Snow Trac ST4 units were also produced that year.

2- Mike (Snowcat Operations) had a source for big rear tires, you might want to see if he still does. Also, contact Christer Morlind, he is in Sweden, but he has a lot of parts. Other folks here may have other sources as well.

3- See #2.

4- Buy a copy of "How to Keep Your VW Alive" you can get it from Amazon.com or from any large bookseller in your area (or a smaller one can order it for you). It is the mechanical bible for these things. All versions of the Snow Trac used a VW transmission that was essentially turned backwards (Lyndon can give you the technical information) so parts are available, you just have to put the gears in backwards!


As for driving them on the grass. The Trac Master and the Snow Master models have very wide tracks and you really need to drive them on loose material. They do well on gravel, mud, in shallow bogs and all sorts of sand in addition to snow. If you want to narrow down your tracks and use less aggressive cleats/grousers then you can drive on grass too. I drive my Snow Trac on grass but I've found even a Snow Trac can 'drive out' of its tracks if you make a sharp enough turn. I'm giving some serious consideration to modifying my tracks to make them more grass friendly. I don't live in a mountainous heavy snow area, so it will not be a problem for me in the winter if I slightly compromise my deep snow traction.


As for the solid wheel . . . hmmm, I dunno.


As for the engine pulley, can you post a photo?

Hi,

Attached are a few pictures of the pully/fan. Also the engine data plate. Any other info about the engine I should know based on the data plate?
I would like to get some less agressive grousers for the tracks, as I have some pretty flat land here and would really like to use this year round! Out of the ST4 models built, is there any way to find out how many came with the 2 man cab?
Also, any chance I could bolt up a full cab to the unit? It looks like it would bolt up pretty easy...The next step would be finding one!!

Any ideas?

Thanks for the info Bob

It's a Trac Master all right. This "Short Cab" was for a Groomer which increased visability for the operator. It appears that the tracks have been cut down to Snow Trac width. It will ride a bit deeper in the snow, but will still "hold it's own" as far as not getting stuck. With the narrower tracks it's far less likely to detrack as long as you keep the track tensioned properly and the sprockets and splines that the brake drums ride on will last much longer.

From the pictures I'd say you do have the original steering wheel. If it's the original Engine you will find that under the generator pedistal, right where it bolts on to the block, there is the same serial number as on the tag on the fan housing. You'll find that if you abandon the original gas tank and go with a "boat" tank, up on the front fender(either or both sides, available in a 12 Gallon vs the original 10 gallon) you will not experience all kinds of Old fuel problems.

The broken shock is a standard VW part. They do help in keeping the bogey assemblies from wanting to flip up side down. The part number for the shock in the service manual has been superceded by a newer part number, so take one of the shocks with you when seeking a replacement.

Re: Tires, Reverse, Wing Window:

Jerry Mentzel, who was the Alaska Snow Trac Guy, now lives in Ohio, has tires. In fact he bought a bunch a couple years back and the container they were in fell off the ship on it's way to Alaska and the insureance company had to replace them.

There is a plate that the shifter handel bolts down to the transmission with (2) 5/16 by 1&1/4 bolts that take a 1/2 inch wrench. If you loosen this up it slides around a bit. By some trial and error adjustment you will likely be able to get reverse to work better. In VW's one has to push straight down on the lever to get it in Reverse.

I lost a Wing window to one of my machines, it blew off some where on the "ALCAN" (Alaska Highway). Later I parted out a machine and saved the whole assemblies by surgically cutting them out, complete with the part of the cab where they mount. I have since sold all my spare parts to Warren that has the Snow Trac website listed elsewhere in this site. You might hook up with him to get a replacement fabricated. I had several made fairly inexpensively. He would probably also have Jerry's contact info.

Lyndon, is the pulley and the "fan" related to the hydraulics? I suspect that the grooming hydraulics have been lost from this unit some time ago, the "fan" appears to be part of that system to me. Thoughts?

Re:Fan,Wheel,Heat,"Snow Flap" & JD's.

Auxilery fan is to increase cooling. The Brass wheel belongs there. This second wheel took the brunt of any impacts by sharp objects and went flat alot. Stay with the brass or a solid tire in this second bogey wheel position. Your "Clean Air" heat tubes have been taped off. There's supposed to be paper & foil tubes that send air to the heat exchangers for the heating system where it's taped off. If you don't want heat leave them taped off. But you may want Defrost in which case you'll need to restore them to their original way. Your "Snow Flap's" are missing. they are a sort of 'Snow Chute' that keeps snow from building up in the tracks. At least some of the hardware appears to be there. I highly recomend restoring these. If enough snow builds up in the track line it will eventually put so much stress on the tracks that it will break the cast aluminum Axel Housings that carry the drive sprockets. It's just a piece of matting or an old Truck Mud Flap. Check pictures and service manual drawings. You definately want this. 3 people this year alone called me looking for replacement axel housings, they are very spendy and very involved to replace.

I have Jerry Mentzels info and Warrens. These are two guys you want to get to know! You can PM me to get there info. I will ask them if its ok today to post there numbers here.

As far as the metal wheel that was a stock item. SOME IDIOT cut down the wide grouser bars which just burns me up! Oh well at least now the poor beast has a good home. Those wide bars are pretty pricey. Hell all of the grousers are a bit pricey. First thing first. If you plan on running it you need to do a few things. Change all fluids first. Then do your self a HUGE favor and buy a phenumatic grease gun. Air powered grease gun. Make sure you find one with a flexable hose though. Then go and buy the best grease you can (Amsoil Racing grease has been the best I have found-BUY A CASE) and proceed to flush every bearing on all the boggies. The Amsoil grease is white so you will see when it starts to come out. Have a roll of paper towles and a plastic grocery bag and clean of the front and back when its all flushed out. You may need to run it before its completely flushed. After they are all flushed out jack up one side and spin all the tires. Note any that dont spin well and start to make a list for bearings. Jerry Mentzel will have the bearings. Warren may as well.

In the engine compartment there are 4 remote mounted (hoses used to extend them) Zirk fiitings. The two on the left go to the variator. DO NOT GO CRAZY with the air grease gun. Hit these only a few times to begin with. One will feed the top part and you can see that. The second one feeds the bottom half and will build a huge globe of grease before you will ever see it. THIS IS A VERY BAD THING! That globe of grease will get all over your variator belt. I KNOW I HAVE DONE IT! Go easy on these. The two on the right are one grease and one gear lube. LYNDON will know more on these two but one feeds the variator the other the steering box. I have greased both before Lyndon explained this to me. You will need to trace the hoses to figure out which one goes where. OK nowthere are grease fitting all over the engine compartment. Find them and grease them. Your manual will have them kinda pointed out. (ALWAYS CLEAN THEM BEFORE YOU GREASE THEM) Wipe away all grease build up. You will find Zirks on all the swing arms (very small swing arms) on the front and back.

The front axle tubes that go to your sprockets have them on top as well. A flexable grease gun hose is needed for some of these locations. Check your Variator belt for proper tensioning and wear. If its in good shape and adjusted properly you should be close to running it. Change all your plugs and give it a good tune up. As LYNDON has stated for every 1,000 feet above 3,000 you need to advance your timing ONE degree. Also check you drive chain tension. This needs to be correct always! If not the chain will eat your sprockets! The adjuster is up front inside the track area. Check your track tension and adjust to proper tension. This adjuster is in the back area of the track. If you dont have a manual yet PM me for my phone number and call me. I will walk you through it. You also need snow guards. I will do an in depth article on how to make a set in the next few months. LYNDON has the best snow guard set up I have seen. I will be copying (stealing) his design!

Hi,
I have the other wing window, as well as all the glass and the back door... I don't know why, but at some point someone was beginning to dissamble the cab. Hopefully Jerry will read this and contact me, unless someone knows how to get ahold of him for tires.

Anyone know where there are some full cab snowmasters for parts? After looking around, I'd really like to find one to put on this machine, as I think it'd be a little more useful for me.

Thanks for the info!

Bob

Re: Cab

All the cab's are interchangable, Snow Trac, Snow Master, and Trac Master. Any ST4 will be a good parts source for another machine. Machines that are badly in need of restoration or are beyond restoration are available. Try the article on "where to find a Snow Trac".

Man that was a bit long winded. Sorry.

Your tracks are to loose. Thats why it detracked so fast but also you have very aggresive cleats. These are mainly a snow machine. I only drive mine on the dirt when pulling onto my work pad. I go very easy. ALSO NEVER TURN YOUR WHEEL UNLESS YOUR TRACKS ARE MOVING. If you do you will break a steering piece which is designed to break if turned while tracks not moving. Its to protect the real expensive steering system.

It appears that the track on the Drivers side is loose. It came off? Make sure all the tires have about 65 PSI. On low tires the tube will crawl around inside the tire and get damaged. If you want tracks that can be run on grass, gravel and dirt, try to find the "Old Style" grousers(cleats) for a Snow Trac. They are vertually indestructable. If you can buy an old Snow Trac for parts that has it's original tracks do so. This old style grouser is built up from layers of heavy plate, rather than being pressed sheet metal. They are one of the few grousers that hold up well for Hunters that use their machines in the fall when there is little or no snow cover. If you do find a "parts machine" that is a Snow Trac, rather than a Trac Master, you will still be short a few grousers as the tracks on a Trac Master are a bit longer. DONT by a Snow Master as a parts rig for your machine. A whole bunch of the parts won't be interchangable. My personal "Rule of Thumb" concerning the price of a parts machine was about 3000$. Today that might be 3500$. There are 16 or 18 wheels worth about 100$ apiece, the "Brass", referring to the Track Drive Sprockets, cost about 500$ each, so there's 2000$. And the 4 chives on top of the variator are about 500$ each, so another 2000$. It's hard to put a price on a variator, but it's got to be worth at least 1000$ if it's still intact. There are distinctly 3 groups of parts on an ST4. VW Parts, ST4 Parts, and Misc Hardware and flat stock that make up the body and chasis. The "Vee Dub" parts are a breeze and cheap. The Body and chasis are almost entirely Flat stock, angle iron and readily available sheet metal. It's the real "ST4" parts that are made of "UN-Obtainium", that rare and unobtainable stuff that old Rolls Royces and early Aircraft are made from that provide a challenge in keeping you machine going. I used to keep one of every part for the Snow Master, Trac Master and both old and new style Snow Trac's on some shelves, then when I needed a part to fix a machine I would go to some hungry Boeing Machinists and have them make a copy, then put the original back on the shelf to keep as a template in case I ever needed another one.

Re: Parts

Before you ask, I've recently sold my whole collection. But Christer does something similar as far as making parts and He Has the Original Drawings and Blue Prints. Consequently parts will be available for many years to come.

There are "Ice Scrapers" in one picture of your machine. These were ment to keep Ice and compacted snow from building up on the drive sprockets. Usually people removed them the first time some piece of road trash got wedged in here. Having them still on the machine(I hardly ever see them) is an indication that the machine has low mileage/hours. There should be a 2 to 1 correspondence between the Odometer and the Hours meter. 2 miles per hour. What mileage does the Odometer show? Hours?

HI,
Not real sure where the ice scrapers are... As to low hours, Yes it is. The machine was bought new by a ski club in our area, and remained there till three years ago, at which time the last owner left it outide for 3 years, and did not use it. The track rubber was replaced in the last 6-8 years, and the machine spent most of it's time inside, believe it or not!!! I know thw motor was rebuilt once in it's life. The miles are 1477 and the hours are 333. Both meters seem to be original and both are presently working.

The club had one ski hill, I am told, and used it to groom some of the cross country trails. It was used for rescue as well. That's all I know about it.

I may look for a parts machine, or I may contemplate just looking for a 7 pax machine that is all done and sell this for parts....Not to sure which way to go so far. I really am excited about having one of these but I may opt to find one with the full cab...

Thanks,
Bob

Re: Snow master for sale

Hi i am looking for a snow master is your for sale I do not care what kind of the shape the engine is in I can re build. Can you please help or direct me in the direction where I can buy one. I am new to the internet and most of the time I am lost . Our email address is Carylecuyer@sasktel.net
or rose@walkerseeds.ca
Thanks for your help !!
Cary

Contact Snowcat Operations here on the Forums . I think his is for sale .

Re: Snow master for sale

NeedOne said:

Hi i am looking for a snow master is your for sale I do not care what kind of the shape the engine is in I can re build. Can you please help or direct me in the direction where I can buy one. I am new to the internet and most of the time I am lost . Our email address is Carylecuyer@sasktel.net
or rose@walkerseeds.ca
Thanks for your help !!
Cary

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Look here: http://www.snowtrans.com/equipment5.html Looks like this one is still available...

AKTIV Track Master ST4B (wide track), 5-person cab, new VW 1641 cc engine and transmission, 4 sp., and has new paint and upholstry. Price on request.

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