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Cant figure the ideal snowcat for the Northeast for under $15k Help!!

northeastheavy

northeastheavy

New member
Hey out there!!! I have had 5 snowcats and can't find one just right!!!!! The Snowmaster is the coolest cat I have had but!! At 6'3", I just can't imagine crawling in at 70 years old in 10 years plus the riding in the northeast is mostly old town and logging roads. Tight turns, steep hills, off cambers. The snowmaster is great on the steep hills with those grunty tracks!! but can't make the turns and no room to turn around for sure!!! Have a bombi and not bad, but just not enough room but really fun. Plus, 3 big guys in a Bombi is just a manwich!!!! Not enough room. Had a newer SW48 and it had great visibility , steered great but needed to be 8 foot wide with 2 seats!!!!! Love great visibility. Our town has over 50 miles of dirt roads and its alot of fun to ride the roads in snowstorms. Need good visibility!!!!!! Have a muskeg with a dump and winch and thats my pick so far overall!! A bit too heavy duty for the real steep mountain trails though, but great with the dump and winch!!!! Thikols???? No room in the imps or super imps!! 1200??? A possibility. Tuckers????? Never saw one in the east. Too big for the trails???? Krustys????? Seems like with the steep hills they would be like a otter sliding into the river!!!!
Guess what I am looking for is a snowcat that is roomy, good visibility, easy in and out with good power, traction and steering, carrys at least 2 people ans good for utility use also!!!!! Well suited for the northeast winters and terrain. Under $15k????? Any ideas out there?????????????? Thanks
 
i would have to say the snow trac is your best bang for the buck i drive mine around the streets of nome all winter.and the getting in and out will be fixed with a roof raising i'm thinking a about 6 to 8 inches. i bash the kristies because they are different and Big Al is alwaws quick with a humorous come back but with some steel ice cleats i would imagine they would run with the best i'm betting a small tucker would be your best turn key type rig to go with if yoou can find one. there is always a small sport utility on mat tracks with a set of steel grousers attached for ice that might be one impressive personell transport vehicle
 
A Skidozer might be good for you. I would recommend some ice caulks and anti-skid tabs on the cleats . They can be found with 5 man cabs but not often in the east.

There are tons of Tuckers in the East but not many for sale...hmmmm. I think I heard somewhere that the older ones weren't good for tall people. Someone will know.

Good luck in your search.
I've chosen an older Muskeg with a center engine ( Tractor) . It's lighter than most with air tires and few attachments. An ice caulk or two would be good for it.
 
Like your muskeg. The mid-cab must ride nice. The cab forward like mine give you more ups and downs on the frozen snow banks. Nice to know how hard it is to throw a track on a muskeg. How is the room in the cab for a big guy??
 
The room in the cab might be cramped for you particularly if you are in and out a lot. The cab is 4 feet tall off the deck.
Yes, it does seem to ride well and the mid engine makes it kind of balanced in snow.

The Skidozer has better balance than one might think even with a blade since the differential is in the rear. I use mine to bomb around on the road and powerlines at home when there's new snow.
 
Sounds like you're heading towards a rubber-belt-track Tucker. I'd stay away from an all-steel track version. Head room is typically not been an issue (I'm 6'1"), they turn tight on narrow trails, and are easy to work on and get parts for locally. You should be able to find one from the '70's or '80's that's in your price range and would have seating from anywhere from 2-8.
 
What would be some good tucker model numbers to keep and eye out for??? Thought they would be too big and tall for the logging roads we ride in the northeast. Lots of low branches and ruts. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
That all depends on how deep the snow is where you want to run. A 1400-series would have 4 boggie wheels per track and would most likely be a 2-person cab with a flatdeck. The larger the cab the more boggies you would need to keep it afloat. I would look for a 1500-series (5 boggies/track) that has a 4-5 person cab (4-door). If the overall height is a potential issue, find one without a roof rack or remove it if it comes with one. When you get into the 1600-series they start to get real big, heavy, and wide.
 
Mtn-Track said:
You should be able to find one from the '70's or '80's that's in your price range and would have seating from anywhere from 2-8.
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Unless you come upon that rare "steal" an "average" two door will be around $15K. A four-door will be more money, and a three door "sedan" will be even higher. I've owned all three, and according to a Tucker salesman only about 3-5% of their production back then were three-door models.

Considering they build only about 100 machines a year the inventory of nice three door Tuckers is pretty small. The fully enclosed cab is nice and commands a premium price. I did see one on Craigslist in New York state last spring for $12K, but I would describe it as "rough".
 
Mtn-Track said:
That all depends on how deep the snow is where you want to run. A 1400-series would have 4 boggie wheels per track and would most likely be a 2-person cab with a flatdeck. The larger the cab the more boggies you would need to keep it afloat. I would look for a 1500-series (5 boggies/track) that has a 4-5 person cab (4-door). If the overall height is a potential issue, find one without a roof rack or remove it if it comes with one. When you get into the 1600-series they start to get real big, heavy, and wide.
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That's not necessarily true.

The weight of the sheetmetal for the longer cabs (three and four door) isn't really significantly different than a two door (I think about 3%).

A 1600 series machine has six idler wheel whereas a 1500 series has five, and a 1300 (or 1400) series has four. The carriers are longer, but the frames and cabs are not. A 1600 series carrier is 92" long, a 1500 is 76" long. It's a few hundred pounds difference, but not all that much in a machine that weighs roughly 6,500 lbs.

Width-wise a 1300-1600 is the same width; 8'. They use four belts per carrier and the grousers are 28" wide. The wide track machines use six belts per carrier (wider grousers) and IIRC they are roughly 10' wide. I think in that vintage those are 2700 series machines. (A 1700 series machine is a heavy duty version of a 1600 and a 2700 is a wide track 1700.)
 
You need to find some cats and try them on for size :yum:

A small Pisten Bully.. maybe a 170 ? The same engine as in the cars from the 1980s

A Thiokol 1200... but I think the lower door edge would drive you crazy. ... Any TALL Thiokol owners out there ??

... Just throwing some ideas out for you.

The Thiokol might have the same carrying capacity as a Bombardier Skidozer but nothing will touch the Muskeg this side of Nodwell, Terrain Master and Boggie's Musk Ox :yum:
 
Older piston bully would probably do good. Roomy newer style cab, good visibility, diesel. You see them reasonably with 9K to 12K hours. Wonder how worn out they are at those hours. Drove the muskeg around today after moving the bombi. The muskeg is great, what a tank!!!!! The Bombi, just to small!! What about newer br60 or 160's?? Isn't a Br60 may just be a bombi. Skidozers are the same size as the muskeg, but much lighter??
The thiokol 1200's and what about 600 series. How would they be for tall guys, on narrow, steep twisting northeast trails?? Any input appreciated. Thanks again for all the help!!! I do notice no one is recommending those Krustys????:whistling:
So far the best choice looks like an older smaller tucker and do like your muskeg, Pixie!!
 
If you can afford a BR 160/180 then you will have a very nice modern snowcat with lots of visibility, is easy to get in and out of and has the modern creature comforts. Go to Koz's Grooming Talk to research this model and east coast dealers http://s8.zetaboards.com/snowgroomingtalk/index/

The Br 60 is basically a Skidozer 252 turned around backwards, same engines and drivetrain but different cabs. Either one are good solid cats and you see them for sale back east more than the thiokols.

The Thiokol 1200 is a very nice all around cat that will do just about anything you want and there are quite a few for sale around the country. When LMC took over Thiokol they enlarged the door frame to make them easy the enter. It is a fairly easy modification to make on a older one. The Imps are smaller but again vary good cats and have more room and cargo capacity than a Bombi.

Pisten Bullies are what I use so of course I think they are the best. There are several PB130 for sale out there for around $25,000 and you can easily find a PB200 in the $10,000 range and with the narrowed tracks are about 9' wide. Very good machines that will go well beyond 10,000 hrs and can still get most parts for. There are dealers back east. Go to Resort Boneyard as they have a big selection of all types of snowcats and most are back east. http://www.resortboneyard.com/main.php

The Track Truck is also a good affordable cat and there are several out there and there is one for sale on Koz's site for under $9000.

You wondered how worn out a high time Pisten Bully would be and I have found that most are used professionally and have very good maintenance. They are built better than any other cat IMO and I have two with around 10,000 hrs and another with 8,000 and they are all in better shape than the bombies and thiokols I previously owned and they had much lower hours. They do have an electric over hydraulic/hydrostatic drive system that is very reliable unless someone has done poor maintenance or repairs, however I would say the same about any snowcat. I don't find them any more difficult to work on than any other piece of equipment.

I recommend you go back through the "snowcat for sale" page and research what has been for sale over the last year. There is always lots of good discussion about the pros and cons of different machines in those postings. Also do a Craigslist search on each of the models you like and you will be surprised in what you find.

And one last note is Snow Tracs are also very good snowcats! I had to put that in for DDS's sake.:poke:
 
I have to say again, "my snowmaster is the coolest looking cat out there"!!! You just need the be in alaska to really enjoy them judging by DDS's. great photos!!! The northeast trails are more steep and treacherous than most would realize and few places to get help!!
Your ideas and info are super, and make alot of sense. Have been checking inventory on those other sites for some time also!!! Just have to have the right cat become available when the cash flow is there!!! Now I am getting it narrowed down. Possibly a (small) Tucker, later model BR series, Thiokol 1200's. Older Piston Bullys. Any more ideas out there?? Many thanks for helping out with all your great ideas.
 
Alaska Snow Cat said:
If you can afford a BR 160/180 then you will have a very nice modern snowcat with lots of visibility, is easy to get in and out of and has the modern creature comforts. Go to Koz's Grooming Talk to research this model and east coast dealers http://s8.zetaboards.com/snowgroomingtalk/index/

The Br 60 is basically a Skidozer 252 turned around backwards, same engines and drivetrain but different cabs. Either one are good solid cats and you see them for sale back east more than the thiokols.

The Thiokol 1200 is a very nice all around cat that will do just about anything you want and there are quite a few for sale around the country. When LMC took over Thiokol they enlarged the door frame to make them easy the enter. It is a fairly easy modification to make on a older one. The Imps are smaller but again vary good cats and have more room and cargo capacity than a Bombi.

Pisten Bullies are what I use so of course I think they are the best. There are several PB130 for sale out there for around $25,000 and you can easily find a PB200 in the $10,000 range and with the narrowed tracks are about 9' wide. Very good machines that will go well beyond 10,000 hrs and can still get most parts for. There are dealers back east. Go to Resort Boneyard as they have a big selection of all types of snowcats and most are back east. http://www.resortboneyard.com/main.php

The Track Truck is also a good affordable cat and there are several out there and there is one for sale on Koz's site for under $9000.

You wondered how worn out a high time Pisten Bully would be and I have found that most are used professionally and have very good maintenance. They are built better than any other cat IMO and I have two with around 10,000 hrs and another with 8,000 and they are all in better shape than the bombies and thiokols I previously owned and they had much lower hours. They do have an electric over hydraulic/hydrostatic drive system that is very reliable unless someone has done poor maintenance or repairs, however I would say the same about any snowcat. I don't find them any more difficult to work on than any other piece of equipment.

I recommend you go back through the "snowcat for sale" page and research what has been for sale over the last year. There is always lots of good discussion about the pros and cons of different machines in those postings. Also do a Craigslist search on each of the models you like and you will be surprised in what you find.

And one last note is Snow Tracs are also very good snowcats! I had to put that in for DDS's sake.:poke:
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thanks i have put a lot of work in to mine how ever i think for utility transportation the snow trac is the bes bang for the buck but are not perfect for every thing the snoe tracs seem to be a bit more manuverable and at 7ft6 are a lot easyer to tow most sow tracs will requore a lot of work to make them reliable and if you are notset up to do the work than you are best to find something a little newer
 
Blackfoot Tucker said:
That's not necessarily true.

The weight of the sheetmetal for the longer cabs (three and four door) isn't really significantly different than a two door (I think about 3%).

A 1600 series machine has six idler wheel whereas a 1500 series has five, and a 1300 (or 1400) series has four. The carriers are longer, but the frames and cabs are not. A 1600 series carrier is 92" long, a 1500 is 76" long. It's a few hundred pounds difference, but not all that much in a machine that weighs roughly 6,500 lbs.

Width-wise a 1300-1600 is the same width; 8'. They use four belts per carrier and the grousers are 28" wide. The wide track machines use six belts per carrier (wider grousers) and IIRC they are roughly 10' wide. I think in that vintage those are 2700 series machines. (A 1700 series machine is a heavy duty version of a 1600 and a 2700 is a wide track 1700.)
Click to expand...

I would agree that what you said is ALSO not entirely true. Not all Tuckers with rubber belted tracks had a minimum of four belts/track. Mine is an example of a 1500 with two 8" belts/track. I just bought all new belts last month from Tucker for it. The larger machines (read: larger/longer/wider tracks) were and are typically built with bigger cabs and set-up to haul larger loads while maintaining the same ground pressure. As a result, they are typically heavier, wider, and will not fit on anything smaller than an over-deck trailer at least 8' wide. For what "northeastheavy" was describing in his post, a smaller rubber tracked Tucker may be something he may want to try. As for cost, they are all over the place but there is no reason he shouldn't be able to find a good one for less than $15K. That's the only point I was making, not trying to be Tucker engineer or sales representative.
 
loboloco said:
Don't live in an area requires this, but what does a dog sled and eight huskies cost?
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i do live in an aera with sled dogs and it runs about $100.00 per day to feed them plus twice a day scooping terds and hitching them up daily to run them and keep them in shape than you have to listen too the team bark at every thing that goes by
 
check it out!!!! Thanks to all your input and some luck I have found a great snowcat for the northeast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As you can see its a 1991 BR60+ with 2800 hours in good mechanical shape. Really just needs new paint and cosmetics. Runs strong, drove it all over our narrow trails with no problems on only a few inches of snow!!! No offense to my old snowmaster, but this one will spoil me after all my other cats. 4cyl perkins with turbo, allison automatic, heated mirrors, just under 8 foot wide with a big roomy cab!! i am 6'3" and have a few inches headroom!!!! Air ride seat with armresats, quiet cab( wife could never hear me in the snowmaster!!!) Tons of lights, huge front window(oh those snowmaster rides when I could not see at all in storms!!) Did I mention a rear defroster, front and rear w/s wipers, Easy to get in and out of!!! 29inch tracks are great!!! has ram steering but don't have a drag, The controlled diff steering is great on the steep switchbacks up the mountain !!!!! Ahhhhhhh and winter is just getting going!!!!!!! Did I forget the great heater and fan, and that it fits in the barn even with the roof flasher!!! Had to cut out the sideboards on the barn doors to get the wide tracks on the ST4b( now I can fix that ). Guess I am sold!!! This is probably the nicest, most comfy, great handling cat I will own!!!! Also much thanks to Brad at Minnesota Outdoors for finding the cat and making it happen!!!!!!!!Also way under budget!!!! Let it snow let it snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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congradulations on your new cat looks to be a nice ride with lots of power i don't seee any place for gear but you may not need it if it suits yur needs than good buy. the thing looks longer than the br100 i rode in so the ride quality should be better
 
Thanks!!!! Especially to Boggie!!! That was a pre depression budget!!!!Will be great to ride and not have to work on the cat all winter. Although!!! as Don mentioned, I could use a deck around the sides and back, for cargo. My son promised to install a Bose stereo system I obtained from a friends caddy!!! Paint job!!! What about something for skidding logs????? Hmmmmmmm!!!!! Guess what!!!! There would be stuff to do on a brand new one!!!!! Gotta love it!!!!!!!! Looks like I will be busy for at least a year!!!!!!! Merry Xmas to all!!! And thanks for all the advise!!!
Tom
 
Don
I think the BR100 is based on a Bombi chassis. The BR60+ is really a SW48 on steroids!!!! Not 4 foot wide but 8 foot with a 2 man cab!!! 29 " tracks, not 16" like a new style sw48. Same drivetrain and chassis. Even the cab is a streched out but set up like a sw48.
 
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